The day started with me getting going at 7:30ish. I slept well, but the morning came too soon compared to when I went to sleep (1AM). I was able to make coffee and have some breakfast while I attended an hour of status meetings for the shoe company. We are on 7/24 support for the new software install. The work stuff was over soon, and I had no issues assigned to me, which is excellent.
I make the coffee and have yogurt and my last bagel. I leave the house at about 10ish wearing a tie and a white shirt under my blue sweater–That is as formal as I get. The tie is pride colored as it may be Juneteenth and Father’s Day, but it is also Pride Weekend. Yesterday, while I traveled through Portland, I saw a gal in sandals, a thong, paint, a Pride flag, and no other clothing walking a dog. Plus, others in Pride colors in various states of undress. The remains of Portland’s Pride Parade, where modesty is not required.
I went to church and attended the 10:30 service at First United Methodist Church with my Pride tie. Dondrea gave the sermon today called “A Higher Loyalty,” which focused on justice. She described the Watergate Scandal and that tomorrow, June 20th, is the anniversary of President Nixon’s resignation. She pointed out that President Nixon’s outstanding achievements, The Clean Water Act, The Endangered Species Act, and other federal programs we take for granted, were enacted by the Nixon Administration. Still, we seldom attributed these important good works to him. His crimes and unethical behavior overshadowed all the good he did, Dondrea suggests. So will be the truth, she offers, for churches and individuals who commit acts against the underserved and groups on the edge. What we do matters, the ends do not justify the results if done dishonestly and with cruelty, and folks will be remembered for their failures, not their successes. Lastly, she reminds us that the Old Testament prophet Micah 6:8 covers what we need to do (NIV):
He has shown you, O mortal, what is good. And what does the LORD require of you? To act justly and to love mercy and to walk humbly with your God.
Dondrea added the hymn, Lift Every Voice and Sing, at the service’s end as a special request. This song is the anthem for the civil rights movement in the USA.
Aside: I record Dondrea’s message here not as a religious statement, but because the sermon stayed with me and seemed to frame the day.
I could not stay after church and chat. So I headed out and took Air Volvo towards the Hummingbird House, Susie’s place. Instead of going there directly, I stopped for some lunch. Arbee’s had a pecan chicken salad sandwich that is just wonderful. I had that with a diet coke and freshly made curly fries; I was warned they were fresh and hot.
Susie was up in the wheelchair; I had just missed Evan, who stopped by Hummingbird House for his lunch hour to see Susie. I set up the screen and my Apple laptop, an M1 13″, and played the movie La La Land. Susie was resting in a recliner for the film and slept a few times, holding my hand. She woke up and then fell asleep a few times, waking for the good parts. One of my favorite songs is the duet for “City of Stars”: here.
Susie also spoke to her mother for a bit on my iPhone. Susie’s speech can be garbled, but Susie is better at speaking now. The nurse staff at Hummingbird House constantly talks to Susie, and she replies. It helps.
I leave, Susie is sad again to see me go, but she is also falling asleep. I kiss goodbye and take Air Volvo back to the Volvo Cave.
I have a 4:30 Zoom status meeting that I make today. The meeting interrupts my making dinner. I make North African tagine-style chicken with preserved lemons and olives. I roast it in a dutch oven, but I have the spices about right. I somehow managed to undercook the potatoes but not the chicken, but it is still good, and only some of the potatoes are undercooked. Reheated for lunch will remove that issue.
Corwin has some and thinks it is good.
Corwin has signed a lease and has a new place to live. He will be emptying his current bedroom and my new office and taking his stuff with him. So soon, it will just be me here at the Volvo Cave.
Thanks for reading.
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