Today 27April2023: Thursday

The sun is down, and a sunny, dry day with temperatures of 75F+ (24C) ends. We don’t get this weather except for the past few years. I remember my first few years here, we moved here in 1996, and there was no Sun until July; it was still cloudy and rainy for much of July. Then, we would see a few hot days in August, 90+, and then it would settle down again; the rains would return in late September, and by Halloween, it was raining every day–the kids were soaked in their costumes.

I read, sitting in a lawn chair tonight in my backyard with my bare feet in the thick grass; I got some new lawn chairs from REI (delivered) during the end of the pandemic–they were on special, and I could use my REI dividends to cover some of the cast. At the time, I ordered two, thinking Susie would like one and we could take them on trips. I have mixed emotions getting only one out. It is an excellent folding chair. I am sure Susie would want a pillow.

I turned off the heat and opened the sliding glass door and the window in the office. I will not open the bedroom window as my allergies will if they don’t kill me, make me wish I was dead. But I know better with all the trees starting up and grasses going all out. My eyes are burning.

The morning started with me thinking that I should just call in sick. I had read late until midnight and then woke a few times, proved I was hydrated, and then my leg decided to cramp. Finally, I slept at 5AM to be woken at 6AM, ugh. I managed to rise, stand, put on my slippers, and find the rest of the house.

I did my lesser workout and was happy to finish at about 6:30, giving me time to make coffee, liberal coffee, and some oatmeal with dried cranberries (I am out of walnuts). I read emails, Slack channel updates, and the news for the rest of the early morning. After that, I showered, dressed in another dress shirt–my fellow Nike folks all but roll their eyes when they see me. I then started Air Volvo and aborted the take-off (I never got off my street). I went back inside, took my morning pills, loaded the coffee cup with liberal coffee, and then reboarded Air Volvo.

The trip to work required sunglasses, and everyone moved and drove happily. Every driver was polite and signaled for lane changes, and seemed thrilled to be alive on such a wonderful morning and did not want to ruin it with an accident or near-miss with the usual angry gestures and comments. As a result, I was early for work.

I did start my two hours of Zoom meetings and followed along for various team and project meetings. I sat by myself in a conference room about six feet from some participants. The usual Thursday set.

I headed on this glorious day to Nike WHQ, which looked different under our slightly dark blue skies with no rain, water reflections, or clouds. No gray anywhere. The WHQ has vast lawns, and the grass was plugged and dethatched with farmer-sized lawn equipment. Impressive.

I met Scott at Serena Williams Building at Nike; we ate there in the cafeteria, getting a DIY salad from the salad bar. Then, we sat in the sun on the porch. We talked about work, projects, and family items. Scott and I have done many projects together; he works in the Trading Company for the biz. Some of this is the secret financial sauce for Nike–don’t look for any details here.

Scott suggested a trip to the newly renovated buildings, and we stopped in one and chatted for a while in the lobby sitting on a ring coach that went the length of the lobby. The building has been much improved since I saw it last. We did wave at and even chatted with a few friends who were happy to see us sitting there. The Nike WHQ is not like any other workplace–Magnificant. Scott is a Nike tour guide, and he had another group to do, so I headed out, thanking Scott for the mini-tour.

I walked to the NYC garage for fifteen minutes to cross the campus and then headed to Susie at the hummingbird house in Portland (Tigard) at Allegiance Senior Care LLC, 9925 SW 82nd. Ave. Portland (Tigard), OR 97223; phone (503) 246-4116. Susie was waiting for me in her recliner, napping in the shared living room. Susie was happy to get in her wheelchair (Jennifer put Susie in her wheelchair with an ease I am always envious of) and head to Metzger Park.

Dogs everywhere. Kids everywhere. The park was sparkling with care from the staff. The water fountains are now back, crushed graven for parking, the detritus from the storms and winter gone, and the paths ready for use. The English daises are still bright, and there are even more. I notice none in the main field, so the staff has been deliberate and careful with weed control. Excellent.

We sat in the sun and called Leta on my iPhone using FaceTime to see Leta so she could see us. We talk about her new deck, and she gives us a remote tour. She is looking forward to warmer weather to sit on her deck and relax in the sun. Soon!

I am rushed a bit, so we just do the park, and then I get Susie back. It was short but longer than many of my trips. Susie was disappointed I had to leave but was happy to get out and spend some time with me.

I return to work and follow along. Nothing breaks with the data conversions, and so it is the first quiet afternoon in a while. I do the last meeting as my shift ends and then head out. I upgraded my Nike laptop to a new version of Windows and discussed how that went with the Tech Bar person–feedback is good, as many co-workers will soon have to take the same journey.

I travel in Air Volvo to the Volvo Cave. I reheat the extra pork chop and leftover sides for dinner. I read some news while eating.

Next, I headed outside as I described at the start, coming full circle.

My fancy yellow tulips have bloomed, and my red Turkish-like tulips are still a splash of color.

The apple tree (not Apple but apple) that fell over and has been pruned back into a tree shape is also flowering.

My roses are all canes, thorns, and leaves. The one climber with some yellowing seems to be drying out and recovering from the wet spring that threatened to drown it. The other climber is bright green (and on higher ground) and growing fast in the hot sun (both are Wedgewood by David Austin). The Cardinal rose, Cardinal de Richelieu, looks a bit unhappy, but I hope the fertilizer I placed on it (and the yellowing climber) will make it happy. The other new rose, Souvenir Du Président Lincoln, is a bourbon rose (1865) and is growing fine (it is more fragile than modern roses), and the canes are larger now (it is grown on its own roots, unlike the grafted Wedgewood).

All the other roses look happy.

I expect I will have flowers everywhere soon!

Thanks for reading.

This took longer as I wandered on the Internet on pages on roses. So many that would look so nice. Oh my!