Tuesday with Housework, Books and Beer

I was not focused yesterday and just passed the day without getting much done. I feel no guilt. I am retired, and the mopping can wait another day; there is no plan and no guilt. I remembered putting the mail on hold (a letter to the mail carriers) and starting to clean and prepare for my red-eye trip to New Orleans (NOLA). I like to come home to a clean house. Corwin will mist the orchids and check on the house a few times.

I rose after 8, with the overcast days starting and rain over the night not waking me early. There was no more sun coming in through the windows in the greater Portland Area. I had no plans for Tuesday and decided to spend the day inside, focusing on getting prepared to travel and clean the house. I might do some AI work, but that was secondary and never started.

(The paper blob is consuming my work space).

I thought it reasonable to use the bacon I cooked before and in the frig and made poached eggs and toast to go with the bacon that was zapped in the microwave for two thirty-second hits. I put salt and vinegar in the water I heated. While it looked like egg drop soup, I got the eggs out with running intact yokes. After cooking, I returned to the blog and spent the morning writing, texting, reading emails, and news (some political, with Harris and Trump reportedly in a dead heat in the purple states). I was relieved that voting had started in Georgia and that there had been no violence. Judges are ruling against various last-minute and non-sensical voting rule changes there. For my health, I have turned away from reading war news and will focus on cooking more.

I sipped my liberal coffee, ate a delicious breakfast, did the dishes (the house elves failed again), and did more laundry. The happiness in my cup helped me finish the blog, and no darkness rose today to poison my happiness. There is peace in my house, and it grows with vacuuming! Corwin and others have mentioned how calm and happy my home feels. It is the inner sanctum.

I finished the blog late. A call, more texting, and a lack of a deadline had me reach twelve straight up on the clock. No guilt and no problem.

I dressed and regretted it. I should vacuum and clean in my pajamas, as the dust and stuff get on my clothing. I have more laundry for Wednesday! The house is vacuumed, and toilet bowls are refreshed with blue stuff and brushing. I will sweep the tiles and mop them on Wednesday.

(When I started, the vacuum came apart, but it went back together. Hmmm)

Subterranean Press sent me a small tome, signed by the author and part of a small run. In The Shadow of the Ship, by Aliette de Bodard, a favorite author, is a short and darker story from her Xuya Universe. This setting is a space opera with a Vietnamese empire running the known universe with people connected to bots and no AI; instead, human bodies are changed into long-lasting spaceships that travel the stars. I could barely put it down. House cleaning happened only between chapters.

Deborah and I, fans of Only Murders in the Building on Hulu, discovered there is no party-watching option on Hulu like there is for Disney+. However, we managed a watching party with a phone and telling each other when to start and stop. Low tech. We were off for about ten seconds at first as Deborah would laugh after me, but we managed to sync on the last part. We are on episode 8, and the show was interesting, and the jokes were excellent; you will find no spoilers here.

Ringing off, I got back to more housework, but the book also kept calling me back. I managed to put the laundry away, start the packing, clean the large bathroom (except for the mopping), and sweep the tiles. My flight is at midnight, so I have all of Wednesday to clean. I hand-washed my dishes as I would not leave dirty dishes for a week. I watered the orchids, and they promptly fell out of their mixture. F**k, orchid planting mixture all over my floors, “Clean up in aisle one!” I reburied the flowers and noticed that the Vandas looked unhappy, but the Oncidium was happy and stayed in its pot (and the roots are growing, yay!). The Dendrobium seems unhappy, but they often do. We will see.

Lunch was Trader Joe’s Chicken Tikka with TJ’s frozen naan, which I reheated in the oven. Dinner was frozen egg fried rice with chicken from TJ’s. I stayed in as I planned for the day. But, once it was dark, I decided that a beer and a book were a good finish for Tuesday. I headed to Wildwood Taphouse, enjoyed a single 12oz Black Butte Porter (XXXVI) with pretzels, and read my new book. I usually get this in Portland at Deschutes Brewery Public House with some smoked salmon pâté and crackers, which combined enhance the flavors. Instead, the book, surprisingly dark with some interesting kissing scenes that contrasted nicely with the horror, mixed well with the black-brown colored beer.

With a high alcohol content, I demurred when a second beer was offered. Wildwood Taphouse closes at 10 on Tuesday, and today, I left before closing time and the last call. Air Volvo, still with an Engine Check light, returned me to The Volvo cave without incident. Next, I cleaned the bathrooms (as I mentioned before) and packed some more.

I read more and soon showered and changed into my pajamas. I finished the book at about 11:30 and turned off the light. I dreamed, comfortable but now forgotten images, and woke with leg and foot cramps. I rose, got some water (recommended by Deborah), and soon, the problem abated. I returned to sleep and dream more likely about space, horror, and kisses.

Thanks for reading.