I woke to my alarm, rose around 7, and found coffee and a banana for breakfast. The coffee, liberal and Equal Exchange brand, was good. I wrote quickly and soon finished the story describing Saturday by 10 and published it. Next, I showered, shaved, and dressed for church. Seeing that Fat Tuesday is this week and missing New Orleans (NOLA), I stopped by Donut Day on TV Highway and bought a dozen donuts, half of which were very colorful for Mardi Gras (March 4th this year). The owner, whom I have not seen in years, was happy to see me. We both are a bit older now.
Armed with colorful donuts, I head to the First United Methodist Church near the park in Beaverton, sporting my NOLA tie. The cake donuts do not make it to the worship service, and the colorful donuts are much reduced by the time service is over. I see there was no usher today; I filled in.
I sit in the back as we have a homeless guy with a donut (just one bite) and some coffee. From his looks, he is on the other side of some substance that seemed like a good idea when he took it, but now he is rough. He is a young and strong man, so I stay back in case of a problem or if he needs help.
Pastor Ken, as usual, dives for the coffee and enjoys what is left of the cake donuts. The man heads to the restroom and then walks the long distance to the men’s room (I have no comment on how this church is laid out). The pastor for our other renting church, which has Spanish service (we host two congregations each Sunday, one in the chapel and one before us in the sanctuary), helps the man. The guy, stumbling, walks out of the church. I later checked (I had a question to answer) that he was not lying outside needing help–I did not see him.
Another person spotted me outside and asked to use the restroom. I escorted her to the requested facilities inside the church and waited near the door to ensure she was OK. “The library is not open until 1,” was the explanation. I agreed, as the library hours have tricked me a few times. Soon, gal was on her way. It was communion, and soon, I was walking to help. I also did the offering and put away the money. It was a busy day for ushering!
Pastor Ken preached on Revelations 21, a passage about the New Jerusalem. The passage includes the two famous phrases I think the best outside the gospels: “I am Alpha and Omega,” and “he will every tear from their eyes.” Ken described the passage of God, explaining that this is the model of a city and how God would have cities. A place of light that has no night. Where all the old things pass away and all is new. It is an extraordinary vision and one of the few in the Book of Revelations not prone to Hollywood-like imagination and strange interpretations.
Next, I headed to The 649 Taphouse in Aloha for lunch and a beer. Air VW the Gray was fully charged the night before; I did not park at the library chargers. I included putting the Apple in the EV in my morning execution. I got a red ale and chicken quesadilla and worked on my Holmes and Watson story. But it was missing. I spent the next couple of hours searching for it. I could not find it. I was unable to complete anything; I was unhappy.
I returned home, connected my backup device, and searched Time Machine for December 2024. Nothing. There, I noticed that it also covers iCloud storage. I discovered a later version in iCloud that had my revisions. Wow! My theory is that the iCloud was not connected when I was searching at The 649.
I renamed the document to include a version number and saved it on iCloud and Apple! Yay! It is over 2,500 words, reformatted as I remember, and ready for more work. Excellent!
Deborah and I chat on the phone while I make dinner. Tonight, I fry and roast a pork chop (slightly overdone despite the temperature readings, but still good). I steam fresh green beans and wilt them in butter, almond slices, and garlic powder (I am out of fresh garlic). Lastly, I boil and mash (with skins) potatoes with butter and some milk. I make a pan sauce for the taters. I should have started them earlier, and dinner waits for them to cook. Deborah rings off, and I enjoy a fine repast.
I read more Elric, reaching the end of the first ‘book’ in this composite version, which contains four previously published books. The second story, the Fortress of the Pearl, is not a favorite, and I manage only some of it before I am ready to find something else to do.
I decided to make biscuits with all the flour and powders I recently received from King Arthur Flour Company. I did not have milk, so I went to Plaid Pantry and paid too much for milk. I did not ask how much the eggs were. I suspect I would need a security escort for those. I mixed it all up to the recipe from King Arthur’s website. I baked them without brushing them with melted butter. They were good, but I would cut the salt by half (I do not use much salt and am overly sensitive to it now–most folks would be okay with it) and brush them. Still good.
With a few biscuits inside me—one on a plate on the bed that I tasted while reading—I shower and crawl into bed. I read but soon slept. I dreamed of travelling and Deborah joining me on strange trains and buses to places I did not know. Most of the dreams have faded.
Thanks for reading!
Alohawild (Michael Wild's) Website 