Monday Late Start

I slept until late morning, finally rising at 9ish to start my Monday. I started slow and was not in a hurry. Monday is like my Sunday morning for many. I have no plans for Monday. I sleep in and enjoy the morning. Since most of my friends work, I still fit a week into a weekend and am tired on Monday. I also had breathing and heart issues. I learned from Dondrea that she was having problems, too; the air in the valley was stagnating. I carefully used my inhaler when the issues restarted to avoid another spiral into a racing heart. I wanted a good day. I managed to keep it controlled.

Deborah was free to talk to me for part of the late morning and called me. I had to write the blog, and soon I rang off. I drank only half the coffee I made today. I made toast. I keep a loaf of sliced bread in the freezer. I toast it when I need it. I had some orange marmalade, but just a smear, as I cannot consume much sugar. But I love orange marmalade (and miss orange juice in the morning but cannot drink it); I risked it. I had a small cup of yogurt with fruit in it.

My new business card, “Michael R Wild, Retired,” arrived. While not inexpensive, it was hand-imprinted on fine paper. It has my new phone number, email, and blog site. Another fun purchase on Etsy.com.

I wrote and published the blog in the afternoon. Dondrea reminded me that we had Theology Pub on Thursday night, and I thought it reasonable to try for a room at Cedar Hills McMenamins. I traveled there with my copy of Seige of Jerusalem 70AD, a “Strategy and Tactics” magazine game. There, I had a seasonal turkey dip with gravy for the tip and a Hammerhead beer. They were fully booked for holiday parties. I read the rules and began to understand the mechanics the third time through. I am jumping about now, trying to understand the flow.

Dondrea and I talked and thought a pizza party at the church would work, so I reserved the church hall from Wendy at the church office. Dondrea will get pizzas from Costco, and others can bring items. It looks like an ad hoc Christmas Party.

Lunch was good, and I headed to Enterprise to extend my rental for another week. Yes, no word on the car once known as Air Volvo. It is now at the spa, spending my money with abandon. Eventually, it will have to come home when the money runs out.

At the house, I reconnected with Deborah, and we talked for a while. I did the laundry, starting with sheets, and then a few shirts, and so on. I worked on the Christmas Letter and had hoped to finish it today. But I did so much and so many trips that I found myself adding more and more. I saw pictures from the year on my phone and remembered another trip. Soon, the letter blossomed to three pages. My afternoon was editing and writing, and my hope to finish today failed. I will try editing it again tomorrow. I hope to get out Christmas cards soon.

After a search, I decided to make chicken thighs for dinner. I broke up a large pack, bagged three at a time, and frozen them. I grabbed a set, put them in water, and let them defrost for forty minutes. I finished defrosting them with the microwave. Next, I dried them, salted them, peppered them, added generic Italian-style seasoning, and sprinkled them with Italian-style bread crumbs. I then fried them in butter, using a non-stick pan. The chicken was still cold and would not cook through. I put them in the oven (having to change pans) and finished them there.

I had Costco’s frozen root veggies, and it suggested air-frying them. I put the oven on air-frying (yes, it does that too—I love this new one), but it took twenty minutes and still did not seem cooked enough. I set the oven to 350F, convection roast, and added the chicken from above. Another ten minutes and everything was good. I checked everything with a thermometer, and all was cooked.

I made green beans by steaming frozen ones. Then, I melted butter in a pan and added salt (I use unsalted butter), garlic powder, and almond slices. Once hot, I added the beans and wilted them. This makes any frozen green beans excellent. I learned this from Martin Yan, “Yan Can Cook,” when he visited Nike and I met him. Nike Cafe served Martin’s menu, and the wilted beans were excellent. I have the cookbook he signed for me.

I finished the beans; this time, I managed to get them perfect with crunchy almonds. The chicken was also good and not overcooked this time—better! The root veggies were bland. They will need more work. I had enough for leftovers.

Deborah called me, and we talked for a while. Next, I read more of the “Strategy and Tactics” magazine’s story of the siege of Jerusalem in 70AD, mostly recounting Josephus’s version (he was there) but focusing on the mechanics of the fight, but with a few notes from other sources. I wanted to learn how the Romans overthrew the city. I plan to play the game version of the battle in a week.

I did the dishes and hung up some of the laundry. With a game at 9 on Tuesday morning, I had to write the blog tonight. I started writing about 9ish and just finished.

Thanks for reading!