Today 3June2023: Saturday

I woke from dreams about work that left me a bit down this morning. Details are best left out, but it was hard to get started this Sunday; I am writing Saturday’s story on Sunday morning. But it is a bright morning here in Oregon, and I plan to hang out with Susie this afternoon; I am always happy to have an extended stay with Susie. So to translate, f**k that dream and worrying about work–I have much better things to do.

Saturday started with me waking before my alarm at 7ish and sleeping until 7:30. It was bright and clear skies. The darker blue, a desert sky, let everyone know that the humidity and air pollution was non-existent today. We see a lighter blue or even gray-blue when smog and humidity change the light.

I was busy on Friday, and the blog took the whole morning. I can write about 500 words in thirty minutes, but as the word count increases, the editing seems too slow as I have more and more to reread.

I made breakfast and ate it; I updated my Quicken books with the latest transactions, read my home emails, and checked that there were no panics at the shoe company that needed me, nope. So it took me until after 10AM to finish the mostly edited 1,900+ words.

Breakfast was Whole Foods’ Cream Cheese Brioche slice (delicious!), liberal coffee prepared with a French Press, and a banana. I also had a nectarine and some cubes of an aged Kaasaggio Robusto (also from Whole Foods). This Dutch-aged cheese reminds me of a more approachable version of a hard Italian cheese like Parmigiano Reggiano. 

Rushed now, I jumped into the shower, dressed, and left my computers in the house (it is hot out, and I hate to leave them in the car for an extended time). If there is an emergency at Nike that needs me, I will have to drive home–not worse than thirty minutes–so a small risk. I headed to Susie’s 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 was not there until just before noon.

Susie was in her recliner in the shared living room, napping. I woke her and asked her what she wanted to do. This leaves her confused, and I try to remember to pick something and see if she agrees instead of providing options. As a loved one, you do not want to recognize dementia and memory issues and wish to include granting your loved one decision rights when visiting–but it just causes them confusion. I should have said something like, let’s go to the park and then watch a movie. If that did not get a positive response, then I could try something else like the reverse. It is hard not to list a menu of possibilities (you feel like you are bossing them around), but it is the best for your loved one and yourself. I try to remember.

Anassa, the weekend nursing aide, had Susie in her wheelchair, and I headed into the park. Metzger Park was warm, sunny, and filled with families. A set of tables were covered with balloons and paper table clothes, hallmarks of a birthday party. Blankets were spread with couples enjoying a basket lunch and each other’s company. We found our shady bench near the redwoods and cypress and watched for a while. A gal had a young black cat on a leash, and it jumped up to say hello to Susie. Natalie, the cat’s human, introduced herself, and Natalie told us that she used a cat backpack to transport the cat and was getting the cat comfortable with the outdoors. Evan, who found us in the park, played with the cat.

We saw three Oregon Swallowtail butterflies, with two of the butterflies dancing in tight circles in the sky. Folks walked by or on bikes and said hi. Everyone was outside enjoying the unheard-of sunny days in early June. Usually, June is one of the dampest months and is depressing as you just want the rains to stop (after raining nearly non-stop for seven months), and the sky in June is usually a boiling gray. Not this year, as we look up and see a color we seldom see in June, blue.

Soon, we left the park and headed down the street. The guy with the van was there again, walking his ducks in the park’s grass. We waved, and he waved back (Susie and I are regulars). We also went by car, always by the park; the couple appears to be living in their car and using the park as a bathroom (a one-bedroom apartment in the area is at least $1,000 a month plus deposits).

Returning to the hummingbird house, Evan suggested Toy Story after we had issues with Disney+ showing older animated films. I had forgotten the movie and laughed often and enjoyed the film. Susie stayed awake for the movie. While we know the characters, it was almost new to me (I think I saw it only once in the theaters when it came out). Back then, I liked live-action adventure films better. With the movie over, it was time for me to find lunch and a game with Evan, so I kissed Susie goodbye, and Anassa got Susie in bed for a rest at Susie’s request.

Aside: I did discuss with Anassa that Susie seems to have lost nearly twenty pounds in a year, we just weighed her, and Anassa agreed to ensure that Susie eats. Today Assana told me that Susie was tired and had trouble feeding herself, but Anassa helped, and, according to Anassa, soon things were better for Susie.

Evan picked Beaverton Central for lunch and games. So I parked in the free lot and walked with Evan to the food carts, and after some time, I  picked a noodle bowl for lunch, shocking Evan. I usually reject noodles recommendations, but it was warm, and the soup seemed to fit the day. So we went to the local outdoor bar and got a beer with our bowls. There were no wasps, and the clear air made eating in the shade under an umbrella over our table a pleasure.

Next, we took the board game Lost Ruins of Arnak and went inside Central Taps to play. I had a lighter summer beer and set up the game. Evan crushed me by at least eight points; I did not bother to score the game. Evan was on a roll and did just about everything with perfect efficiency while for me, I was a bit lost. I went on a tear of buying tools and artifacts instead of digging sites and facing the horrors that guard the sites (the game theme being a Hollywood version of 1920s archeology) or where all the points and resources are. While I did acquire The Hat and other helpful gear, I did not dig enough (Dr. Jones would not have approved), and in the end, it was not either I would win or lose, but how bad the loss would be. I rushed at 5:15, paid the bill, and then went slowly to Richard’s house for a 6PM game.

Portland traffic was a bit heavy for Saturday, but it was the Rose Festival, and the Starlight Parade was on Saturday night. I managed to reach Richard’s without issue and on time. Claudia and Shawn joined Richard and me for a game of Arc Nova. This is a recently released game and resembles Terraforming Mars, reskinned to be about building zoos. The game focuses on engine building, resource management, and worker placement with complex interrelationships and limited card drafting. Or simply what I am bad at, and I showed that with my last place showing. I also did not remember how to play and made a mistake after a mistake. I like the game and the conflicting research themes, releasing animals and building a lovely zoo. This is also a peanut buttering game as you need to do everything but be efficient (I was not). I recommend this game over Mars and other games that build on cards. Arc Nova is complex and hard to master. My score was negative, 40+, nowhere near my best of 14.

Feeling like my head must not be working right (having lost so many games so badly–but I know that is not true), I took Air Volvo home after playing a few hands of Zero, a light card game. I arrived home before midnight but stopped by Popeye’s and got some spicy chicken (I had skipped dinner). I watched some YouTube videos while I drowned my sorrows in fried goodness. I did not eat all of it (saving some for lunch today) and headed to bed.

I read and then slept. My cough was still there all day but only worsened at the end of the evening. Cough syrup brought it under control–I kept some in the car today. It was a good day.

Thanks for reading.

Aside: Grammarly is having an issue with not replacing corrected text, often mangling the replacement. I find I have to make multiple passes now to fix the corrections. This can be prevented by saving more often. But it makes this a bit harder to complete.