Oregon ended the hot month of August in a cold downpour. Tonight, the puddles are on the roadways again, and tree frogs are hanging on the side of the house as if to say, “Yes, we made it.” The rain feels and sounds terrific. The rain-bearing front has pushed all the smoke away, and this is Oregon mist, so there is no fire-starting thunder; it is a glorious, heavy mist embracing us like an old, damp friend. It is also dark as the clouds are heavy and gray, hiding the super blue moon–there is no hint of it.
Going backward and briefly, I have just driven across Portland from the PDX airport area where the IKEA is located. I went there to look at cabinets and shelving. I did tour the whole store as a shopper’s easy workout. It is a long trip. I found a replacement pillow I needed, some Swedish Meatballs and sauce, and the lingonberry jelly. I also found some Halloween lights that would work in Susie’s tree.
After spending an hour in traffic, I arrived there, abandoning the highways and driving through Portland. The drive, which I have not made in years, was revealing. Portland is a mess of closed shops and graffiti intermixed with shops and food joints I wanted to stop at. Portland is now two cities at the same time. PDX is a rundown, crime-ridden, declining town and a Phoenix-like city showcasing new talent and imaginative shops and ideas.
After a fun drive through the parts of Sandy Boulevard, I reached the airport area and IKEA. Before shopping, I had meatballs for dinner and, with little guilt (it was delicious), a sweat cake dessert.
The price, like everything, has gone up to $14.99. It was beautiful as usual.
Before this, I spent the afternoon with Susie until 5ish. My boss called a meeting at 4:30, thus putting my trip to IKEA on the first rainy Thursday after school starts traffic mess. It was not his fault; it was a good meeting. Before that, I was hanging out in Susie’s room while she napped and pretended to watch M.A.S.H. Jennifer, the weekday nursing aide, said everyone stayed up late last night. Jennifer had a quiet afternoon; everyone was asleep!
So, I did reviews and meetings and followed along at work while sitting next to Susie. I have the Nike and my Apple computer on a table while sitting in the overstuffed chair. I had meetings at 1PM, so I was in the social room doing those while Jennifer got Susie ready to rest in her room and watch M.A.S.H.
Going back a bit, I arrived via Air Volvo at 12:30ish after crossing Beaverton in the damp. The heavy mist had already covered the roads, and puddles were returning, unseen since June’s thunderstorms. Air Volvo had all new windshield wipers and cleaned windshields from Wednesday’s visit to the Mothership–timely. The Volvo seemed more stable with the replaced engine holder, and it was also timely.
Susie was pleased to see me, and Jennifer popped her into her wheelchair with envious nonchalance. Susie had a blanket, and with no wind, the porch was an excellent place to enjoy watching the rain. We also called Leta and Barb, Susie’s mother and sister, respectively, on my iPhone via FaceTime. Barb and Leta both answered, forming a three-way video call. The chat had to be brief, as I received a message that I needed to attend the 1PM video call mentioned above. The ten minutes just disappeared, and soon I was ringing off and headed to my call and giving Susie to Jennifer, as I said above.
Before this, I rose at 7AM, wondering why it was not Friday; I think it should have been a Friday. I found the kitchen without much searching, filled the electric kettle with water, and remembered to turn it on. Next, I made Bloomberg work by restarting the app from the Firestick menu and just playing today. I watched for thirty minutes I spent on the Immobile Schwinn bike and did not travel 6.4 miles. It is still a challenging workout for me–but it is part of the retirement plan. I must lose some weight and be able to walk (or pedal) for hours–time to reverse what two years of sitting for the pandemic and cancer did. I am excited to have this opportunity to improve–some folks can’t.
Bloomberg is still focusing on the Fed and interest rates. They are asking where the inflection point is when yields switch back. Yes, we could reverse the signal for a recession, a yield curve reversal returning to normal (oh my). Or, in other words, are the Fed and other institutions done raising interest rates, and when will they reverse and start cutting. The other interesting observation is that the rates are not returning to zero, so what does that mean? Mostly questions without answers.
After that, I had oatmeal (two packs) doctored with some dried cranberries and walnuts, plus a banana. Of course, I made liberal coffee in the French Press to go with it. I ate this while getting caught up at work, on my own stuff, and more news. I spent the morning in Zoom meetings and managed to shower and dress mid-morning. I made soup, adding more egg noodles to a canned soup to make it so much better, and ate that for lunch, watching a few YouTube videos and commenting on the gaming reviews on the internet.
I am still doing my Quicken daily update of every dollar (other than cash). I avoid having the work stack up by doing the daily updates, which takes discipline. I will close August once I return from Linda’s Wedding (10 September 2023). I am ready for the 2023 Tax paperwork.
Again, we are happy to see the rain. We have a lovely September in the Pacific Northwest (don’t tell anyone).
Alohawild (Michael Wild's) Website 