Story 3April2023

I am rediscovering Barnes and Noble as a place to write tonight, Monday night. I used to write in coffee and bookstores, wear noise-canceling headphones (primarily for dish noise), and listen to my playlists. Now, my hearing is having issues, and headphones are difficult, if not impossible, to use. But with the isolation of the pandemic, I still do social distancing and often wear a mask; I welcome the noises of being with people, especially after Susie’s left for her new care facilities. Also, my hearing issues mean I cannot understand conversations at a distance; it is all reassuring white noise.

I am writing with a cookie with fresh coffee with cream.

The morning started with me waiting until after 7 to get going, but making my first meeting at 8:05 (on Zoom). I discovered I had ample steel-cut oats and made oatmeal from scratch, adding brown sugar, walnuts, and dried cranberries once cooked. I completed that just as the status meeting started. I also made liberal coffee, Equal Exchange brand, in my French Press and had a mug.

I saw snow falling, half-melted, from the sky instead of rain. The sun appeared later, only to be replaced by rain again. It was a grey day, but the sunset with some blue skies and thick clouds was a wonder of colors.

The status meetings went on about every half hour, and a few crises of the moment surfaced. The data conversion did not run over the weekend and thus was now further behind on the calendar. The usual “let’s make it the lost time” suggestion from leadership got silent.

I re-heated the last of the pasta and chicken and had that for lunch. I showered and dressed between meetings. I found the strength and resolve to do all my stretching and exercises. More data issues arose as the data conversion started up. I spent the morning following along.

My last meeting was at 1PM, and I found I had the only action item from the meeting. I then headed to Susie’s place at the hummingbird house in Portland (Tigard) at Allegiance Senior Care LLC, 9925 SW 82nd. Ave. Portland (Tigard), OR 97223; phone (503) 246-4116. As I left my street, flying in Air Volvo, I saw a county motorcycle police with lights on and pulling over a car on 209th. The police were monitoring compliance with the stop signs and school crossing at 209th and Johnson Street. I was careful and did not draw the attention of the Washington County Sheriff’s Deputies.

I noticed various police as I traveled, and Air Volvo was careful not to draw attention to us. I noticed that the police, when making a right turn, took the right lane. The officer changed to the left lane the usual way. I wondered if we had a law for that; I would comply now with that (instead of doing both at the same time).

Susie was delighted to see me. She told me she missed me and that she needed me. I apologized for not being there before (I was there in the afternoon). Susie told me she missed me and needed me. It is hard as she gets lonely some days. We called her mother, and they chatted for a while and I let them go on as I had no meetings now. I handled one item at work while at Susie’s place by sending a note on my phone. Next, we called Susie’s sister, Barb, freshly back from a week’s trip with her hubby in Ireland. We talked about her trip and how she loved Ireland. Susie always wanted to go to Ireland, but we never fit it in. Soon, it was time to leave, and Susie said, “no.”

Susie had tears and said she did not want me to go. She needed me, and she was missing me. Susie wanted more time. We were watching old Golden Girl shows. Susie wanted me to stay, hold her hand, and rest a bit–like this weekend. She finally relented, sad, and let me go.

On the way back, I don’t remember much, as the emotions make it hard to focus. Air Volvo sort of goes on auto-pilot, and I arrive. I stopped at Safeway and quickly shopped for missing items (groceries) and selected flowers for Susie on Tuesday–the main reason for the stop. Aloha Safeway has wonderful fresh-cut flowers, which I have been bringing to Susie for years. There used to be a vase next to Susie in the living room at the Volvo Cave with the latest flower. Now the flowers are with her at the hummingbird house.

I reached the Volvo Cave, unloaded the cargo, and put it away. I logged on again to work and checked; no important messages awaited me, and I followed along for a bit. I read for a bit. I then heard from Mariah that we were not going to dinner, so I made tacos.

I defrosted the ground beef in the freezer for a while and got all the items ready for tacos. Once the microwave had the meat ready, I browned it in a pan, added taco seasoning (less salt version), and dumped a can of Mexican-styled stewed tomatoes into the pan. Sort of a chili-like taco–I like it this way. I cooked that breaking up the meat and the tomatoes. I put shredded Mexican cheese into the corn taco shells from a box. I heated that in the oven so the cheese melts in the shell. I added lettuce, sour cream, and meat to the taco shells. Wonderful, but again more chili than a taco.

I watched the second Batman animated movie, The Long Halloween (Part 2). Highly recommended if you can ignore the strange way it starts. The ending and the solution is mind-blowing (“how did I miss that,” goes through your mind). It was fun to watch it again and catch each misdirection now. Well done, indeed.

Next, I read some more, nodded off, decided I would not sleep through Monday night, and instead headed to Barnes and Noble. I wrote this blog there. I also met a director of security stuff at Nike (details are not appropriate here) I have known for years. He looked well. We were happy to see each other.

I find that living through the pandemic, I am so happy to see folks now; everyone smiles. It is so nice to see another survivor.

Today has been hard, as I am impossibly sad today. I miss Susie too. I tell myself, “day-by-day”; it not enough some days. But, the cookie, bookstore, and good reading material have helped.

On reading, I have been reading more of Elric’s latest book from Michael Moorcock, and I can recommend it. It is a set of short stories aligned with about book three in the original series–before he starts the end-of-the-world battles. I have also been reading the impossible to get Colin J. McRae: Confederate Financial Agent from the Institute of Naval Archaeology (INA). This is the story of the man who ran the finances in Europe for the Confederacy. While there is nothing from him (i.e., no dairy or recorded family stories), the financial records and letters, to some degree, have survived, and the INA (USA group) has found some of the blockade runner shipwrecks, and thus they have republished and re-edited the book.

While Mr. McRae is, as far as I am concerned, a despicable character, a slave owner, and worse (a businessman that would make Scrooge blush), it is he that built a family business in cotton and slavery such that when the Civil War dawned, he had the skills to enable the financing to buy goods and blockade runners in Europe for the Confederacy. His signature is on the old bonds for cotton you can find on eBay; indeed, I bid on one. His financing kept the flow of arms, ships, and cotton to pay for it flowing. McRae kept slavery going and made the war possible by supplying goods to Rebel states.

The book is fascinating, and its footnotes draw me in to learn more. I would love to find the story of the Union in Europe trying to stop the cotton bonds from floating. Also, INA has another book describing the Confederate blockade runner ships–I will buy that one soon from INA!

Aside: The photo of the cotton bond in the book is of a bond currently for sale for signature collectors (they are uniquely numbered). I have found the same type of bond and a far cheaper one on eBay, just three numbers higher. I can see Mr. McRae and other officials from banks and the Confederacy on the document.

Thank you for reading.

Aside: I received an email from HipStamps that they would help me with their Concierge Services. I must buy enough to be noticed. I thanked them but told them I was not organized enough to use their service. Interesting to draw that attention.