Today 3Oct2023

The US House of Representatives removed the Speaker today and left Washington agog.

Here in Oregon, we are slowly moving from the rain to warm and sunny days. It was a bit humid in the early evening. The next couple of days should be superb. We are doing our usual October pattern of rain and then some sun, with the length of rain increasing as the month ages and the sun finally disappearing as November is reached, leaving us with grey, wet days for six months.

It was a work-from-the-office day, so I started at 6:30 with some sleep. I had a 10PM meeting with India and had trouble sleeping until 1ish. It made the morning a difficult start. I slept until my alarm with dreams I don’t remember. I climbed out of bed and made a breakfast of liberal coffee and cereal with milk. I read the basic emails and text while eating. Next, I showered, dressed, collected my Nike laptop, and boarded Air Volvo. I made the quick trip to the office, but I did notice that 209th is now closed to through traffic, and TV Highway is now unreachable from our side of 209th.

I reached the office with speed and was ahead enough on the time that I met no school buses. I then started my usual and predictable day of two hours of Zoom meetings. Another breakfast was supplied by the project to welcome another week of 7/24 support–Bacon! I enjoyed that while doing more meetings. Jim, our VP, stopped by when I was on a call. I stopped my attendance and talked to him a bit. We had a friendly chat. I returned to my meetings.

At 10ish, I got some water and started to watch the spectacle of the US House of Representatives removing a speaker for the first time in history. As a liberal, I am not upset to see all this noise for the extreme right, but I am also saddened as we have more important issues to work on. But I understand that the currency of the US House is power, and this was about that. Thus, this kerfuffle would have to be played out.

Warning: Grammarly is unstable, so the edits are incomplete.

Next, I saw Susie at Allegiance Senior Care LLC, 9925 SW 82nd. Ave. Portland (Tigard), OR 97223; phone (503) 246-4116. Air Volvo arrived without issue, and the construction traffic seemed reduced today. Susie was just finishing a late breakfast when I arrived. Jennifer, the weekday nursing aide, said Susie ate well today. But Susie lost another 1/2 pound and shows signs of fat loss that may require careful padding. We discussed hospice with Leta and Susie, but are not ready to commit. It is where we are headed if Susie continues to weaken.

Aside: I know this will make some of the readers sad or even upset. Susie is eating well. She is not gaining weight. This directs us to another issue, but we are not interested in starting tests and X-rays to see the challenge. Susie says, “No,” and I respect that. We will do our best.

Returning to the story, Susie was happy to talk to Leta on the phone. Leta was still at Panera Bread in Lansing, Michigan, but she found a place to do the iPhone two-way video call. We had an excellent call.

As it is a work day, I have to leave soon. I went with a kiss. I was disquieted by Susie’s condition. I find myself in a cycle that is first sadness changing to wanting to take some action to not wanting to make things worse, repeat.

I returned to work after getting a Western Burger at Carl’s Jr.–A guilty pleasure. I ate it in the parking lot, reading news on the vote to remove the Speaker of the House. Work was a blur of meetings, updates, reading and approving some items, and a retirement party. Jenny, a 25+ year employee, retired today. She will be riding her horses and camping more. I suspect some trail rides are being planned by her. I signed her retirement wall hanging, “A Trail Ride into the Future.”

From work, ACN folks Spandan and David decided it would be good to meet for dinner and drinks. So I spent the evening talking about software, family, and enjoying each other’s company. It was a lovely evening.

Well, I am getting tired. Please forgive me for stopping there. Sorry, there are typos.

Thanks for reading! I am sorry I did not take any pictures today. It was just a rushed, busy day.