Thursday New Items

I slept in on Thursday, and the day was colored all day by sadness. I am affected by the terrible news for liberals now called ‘doom scrolling.’ I have also been working on organizing and cleaning the house, not traveling (even locally), and not playing that many games, painting figures, or any fun stuff. I have also finished my plan to get the EV charging and a new mattress. I always find it a bit of a letdown when things finish. I am not making a call for help but just recording my day. The blog is about my experiences and what the day brought. I was sad but not troubled. Dear reader, please don’t panic!

I found coffee (leftover IKEA coffee made in my French Press) and made an NYC bagel (thanks, Joyce) with cream cheese. I also had my morning banana, which I both like and need for the potassium. Even without the walking and just housework, my weight is stable at 230 pounds. Just on the edge of 220, my goal. My doctor and I agree to keep all the prescriptions unchanged and enjoy better sugar levels and lower blood pressure; it is good for me.

The cough is still bothering me. My nose runs nonstop, and I place tissue boxes throughout the house. But the coughing is less, and despite the high use of Kleenix products, I believe the issue is slowly getting better. I have no action to take but to keep at it.

I wrote for part of the morning but did not return to the blog until after 4. Deborah and I spoke on the phone for a while, but my lack of focus prevented me from finishing. I learned that the mattress people would be here at about 1:30. Also, the parts for The Machine were delivered—one huge box and a small part.

Lunch was at McMenamins Cedar Mills with Scott, two Hammerhead beers, and a tuna fish sandwich for me. We meet weekly and discuss life, what we are doing, and what the other person needs to know. For example, my CD has one month to go, but if I don’t do anything, it will reset and lock for another six months at 0.5%. It is almost criminal behavior from US Bank, but I have read that banks are everywhere trying to avoid paying higher rates by locking in customers automatically to lower rates. Scott has also seen this behavior; we will both be ready to move cash. We also discussed travel and Scott’s plans to travel to Europe; he is retired, but his wife works for a Europe-based company, and Scott may be her +1. I later sent Scott the link to IMPAX, my IRA account, and likely my target for a transfer from Fidelity. I want to be boring, socially responsible, and able to withdraw my earnings. I think IMPAX will work.

Air VW the Gray, with a full charge performed at the house, gets me home before 1:30. The mattress delivery happens before 2 and is done quickly. The new 5″ foundation is dark and disappears into the bed frame, which is perfect. The new mattress is plush and hugs you. If you sit on the edge of the new one it is not stiff. I think it will be great. They haul away the old mattress and foundation, which were over twenty years old.

Next was the Zoom meeting S/PRC for the church—effectively, the HR committee for a Methodist Church. Nothing from that meeting can be repeated here; it is confidential. But I will share that I quoted my last Fortune Cookie at the end of the meeting: You will soon become more passionate and determined about your vision. That’s a good message, I think.

I made the beds and was tired. I purchased the next set of books from Lousie Penny, a brain cookie, and started to read more Inspector Gamache stories (number 14 from 2017, Glass Houses). I find these a good answer to being sad and could feel the darkness lifting as I return to Canadian Crime and Penny’s fantastic storytelling. When I read some mysteries, I believe I could do better or want to write one like it, but for Agatha Christie, Rex Stout, and Louise Penny, I am just enjoying them.

I shower, dress in my PJs, and read early. I soon fall asleep with Amazon Music back on for the cheaper rate for one person and the new Amazon device playing. I have an Echo Show that lets me read the time and plays ‘Music to Sleep by.’

(We are back to gray skies. A little color in the house always helps, and tulips are my favorite)

Thanks for reading!