Today 28April2023: Insanely good weather

I turned off the heat and air circulation, opened the office window and the sliding door (leaving the screen door in place, of course), and let the house cool and dry out with the fresh air. I did not open a window in the bedroom as 1) it was garbage day, 2) my neighbors are often up early, 3) and my allergies would not improve with more exposure to pollen. I woke, having slept the night, with my alarm at 7. Then I luxuriated in bed until 7:35. Finally rising and happy to not be coughing, and the cold air (56F) felt good (but the floor and carpet were cold enough that my cold sensitive feet (from the chemo) actually cramped.

My flannel robe kept me warm, and I did skip my exercises, mostly because I could not fit them into the quickly disappearing morning. Soon the sun was heating the deck, and my feet enjoyed the heat and stopped heating.

I had hours of Zoom calls this morning, Friday, but this is a work-from-home day, so there is no rushing to work in Air Volvo. I read the emails, Slack channel updates, and news. I updated my Quicken. I remembered to take my pills.

At noonish (I had dressed in an hour break between meetings), I boarded Air Volvo with my Nike and Apple laptop and 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. I called ahead that I was on the way but would find lunch. Jennifer, the weekday nursing aide, informed me that the top of Susie’s hands was red with a sunburn. I agreed to get Susie some sunscreen, and Jeniffer did not know, apparently it never comes up in gray Oregon, that Susie is allergic to the sun.

I believe we were sitting in the sun for about an hour over the past two days. I noticed my hands were darker, so it was more sunlight than I thought. I will be more careful (I believe that the Oregon sun strikes hard as the air is usually dry and there is little pollution; thus, the sky is darker blue as there is less to deflect the light).

I got some teriyaki chicken at a new place on the way. Then, I stopped at Target, just a few minutes from the hummingbird house, and purchased flowers, sunscreen, and some post-sun stuff (Jennifer approved of my choices). Susie was happy to see me finally arriving near 2ish.

I tried the Sunblock 50 on Susie’s hands and then took her out (after Jennifer moved her to the wheelchair). It was hot, 91F (33c), and I pushed Susie to the cool bench in the cedars. It is a perfect place on hot sunny days. There are no butterflies yet, but I did see two small white ones from the office at the Volvo Cave so soon. We sat there and enjoyed the shade (less risk of Susie just melting or going puff from the sun), and little dogs and people went by. Everyone was smiling.

We called Leta, Susie’s mother, and then Susie’s sister, Barb. They were both happy to see Susie in the shade near the cedars. The deciduous redwood needle/leaves are starting (I ordered one for the house–they grow in wet spaces; I have the perfect place for a redwood). We had an excellent talk with both of them and enjoyed the day, but I was still working today–so we were back at hummingbird house soon.

Susie was resting in bed, and I had a chair and a table to work on. I set up my Nike and Apple and continued along working. I put on Moana(2016) from Disney+ for Susie while I worked, but I must admit I like the movie and watched it too. I like the songs and the sailing. I cried a few times. Susie just watched.

I was still there for the 4:30 status meeting, so I called in from Susie’s room, and Susie said hello to the Nike folks on the status call. Susie nodded off as we discussed data conversions and timelines (so many jokes that I need to leave alone). Susie woke up as I was packing up, and I kissed her goodbye after getting her crash pad in place. Susie is a falling-out-of-bed risk (she fell once), so she has a crash pad and rails.

Traffic was stupid, and The City of Beaverton continued to put holes in Hall Street. As a result, everyone was going slow, blinded by the glare as few Oregonians have sunglasses in their cars in April–I do (Nike brand, I am sure you, dear reader, are not surprised to learn). I arrived safely in Air Volvo and found some new items for the board game Blood Rage (updated components) and a prescription.

I washed my face and then headed out again. I went to the local Sushi place, Sushi Zen, and enjoyed getting my dinner from the track. The place started to fill up, and have a waiting list by the time I had my last bit of uncooked fish. Always good.

Next, I drove to Wildwood Taphouse, sat inside (it was too hot and bright to write a blog outside), and wrote this blog.

Thanks for reading!