Today 4Dec2023

I am starting the blog early as I have a ticket to the new movie Godzilla Minus 1 at 9PM. Last night, after I finished the blog, Corwin and Andrew invited me to a beer at the local bar and pool hall, Dr. Feelgood. I had wine, snacks, and canned trout and salmon for Corwin. I used to pick some up when he lived with us, and I still give them to him. I also found a bottle of the Papal Estate wines for under $20 and included it. I must stop by Trader Joe’s soon to get some cheese and crackers and to acquire another bottle.

After one lighter beer, a Hefeweizen, I returned home and soon slept. It was harder to get started today. I rose at 7:45, not my usual last-minute 7:30. So, the morning was rushed, but I made it to my meetings without issues.

I’m afraid it is going to be a boring blog today. I just worked and reheated food for lunch. The skies cleared between storms in the late morning, and the water had mostly drained away. The river, water in ditches, ponds, and the like are higher. My backyard is dry again. We are looking at four inches of water over the week, a lot, but not a manageable amount. If we get more than an inch in a day, we start to see some puddles, and if the next day repeats, the puddles grow, and soon we have some of the usual local flooding. As long as the water flows, we can handle it.

I reheated the Indian-style chicken I made a few days ago. I put that over potatoes, which I put in the microwave instead of making rice. But I did not have the usual potatoes. Instead, I had sweet potatoes- I bought a bag of yellow yams. Oops. Well, the savory chicken with tomatoes and a curry cream sauce on the sweet potatoes was great. The sweet potatoes’ texture seemed to work better, so it seemed great.

I also returned my new coat to UPS. I put it back in the bag, taped up the box, and took it to UPS. I had not removed any tags or anything else. I opened the back, unzipped, and discovered it was too small. I learned at UPS that I needed a QR code and found it after signing on to Amazon (and passing two-factor verification) on my phone. The clerk at UPS scanned the QR for the return, printed the new label, and gave me a receipt on the same label paper. Perfect. I have ordered the next size up, which cost $20 more.

A Christmas present for Z showed up today. I will decorate it for her and then wrap it. Excellent.

Linda, my sister, will supply me with the intelligence on her daughter’s Christmas needs. I will comply.

Heffer Project called and asked me to stop giving on Christmas and give monthly, but I told them that is not what I would be doing. I will buy some Heffer Project animals as gifts to some folks on my list.

I called Leta, Susie’s mother, and Leta said it was Grumpy Old Women’s Day. She has not received the promised therapy for a few days, and she is having swelling in her feet and hands. She did have two visitors and got to walk in the hallway with them. She even visited another friend in The Willow. I will call the administration office tomorrow and politely ask WTF.

On the call, we both talked about missing Susie, and Leta and I both managed to cry on FaceTime. We both missed her so much today. Tears are still easy.

Leta can be found at The Willows, 3500 Coolidge Road, Room 302A, East Lansing, MI 48823.

Work went on until the last meeting at 4:35. The kerfuffle of yesterday (YAK–Yet-Another-Kerfuffle) was still ongoing, and there was some YAK here and there, but I managed to avoid any YAK all day. I approved a design, attended meetings, and helped here and there. I was mainly a tourist.

I made tea and some chocolate mint loaf (my A1C was NOT impressed) as I was getting sleepy.

I read a bit, I am rereading the German account of The Battle of Jutland (1916). I found there is an account that I have not seen before. I found it on Abe.com and even an original version ($129) with maps. So more Jutland books are on their way–excellent.

Aside: If you become curious about this battle that I have studied since I was a kid, the best account in my opinion (and quite readable) is Jutland, 1916: Death in the Grey Wastes. After 100 years, we are finally getting an accurate account of the battle, and this book covers the narrative of the battle aligning sources from both sides that give, I think, the first clear account of the battle from all parts (yes, it took 100 years). Now if you want American accounts, the American Civil War has two great works that I have read on Gettysburg. The Stars in their Courses for the emotion and Gettysburg: The Last Invasion for the true facts and to see how the battle was created. If you need a military history fix, these three books are recommended.

At 5ish, I made a salad for dinner (better for my A1C) with a bit of locally made no-nitrate ham, olives, and sesame sticks. I watched some more videos from The Battleship New Jersey YouTube channel. After indulging in more nautical history, I made tea, got some more chocolate mint loaf (less good for A1C but better for my mood), and wrote the blog. The fairy lights in the mason jars are lighted tonight. We have short gray days, and some of the solar cells cannot power the lights for long (the battery recharges until it is dark), but still, if you look just as it gets dark, it looks nice. In the summer, the bright sun charges them fully, and they last much of the night.

I have 9PM movie tickets, and with the thirty minutes of noise before the movie, I will not be back until late. So, let’s end here, and I will include thoughts on the movie in Tuesday’s blog.

Thank you for reading.