Ash Wednesday 2025

I could not sleep and woke at 4ish. I tried to roll over and sleep but rose at 5:30 and started my day before sunrise. I do not have sleeping curtains over the windows, and when the morning moves earlier in the Spring, I begin to wake with first light. I made coffee, had a banana, and chatted with Deborah, who was delighted I was awake during her time. We got to talk on the phone while she drove in to work.

I wrote the blog all morning and updated my transactions in Quicken. I am especially checking US Bank as I have moved money into new accounts for higher interest earnings. While 3-4 percent is not great, it is more than the less than 1 percent I was earning. US Bank had me move to ‘high interest’ accounts and cut their rates. Let us hope this time they leave it alone for a year.

I collected statements from every investment account. I printed out my Year-To-Date Net Worth statement from Quicken, which is now updated with the new accounts and updated balances (a few items are not automatic). I meet with US Bank’s Wealth Management team on Friday. Later, I added three years of 1040s, Susie’s Death Certificate, and our marriage license.

With all this done and the blog published, I showered, shaved, and dressed. I had finished the coffee before 10, and Jeff was visiting to make house repairs. I hopped in Air VW the Gray and used an ATM to get some cash for Jeff and also some for Corwin. I paid Corwin to plant roses. Jeff showed up at 10:20, and I began to cover items for him to work on. It soon was clear it was a two-day operation.

I read and helped where possible for the rest of the morning, and we soon had a list. The fan in the dining room was pulled down, and the electronics showed scorch marks. It was dead. Jeff, who has good taste, will pick a replacement and send me a photo (I agreed to it later). He will replace the connections with a more substantial setup and also to code. The front screen door was removed. It was not necessary and just in the way. The lighting outside the house will be rewired to code, and fixtures will be replaced. New lighting for the garage will also be put in place. The bathroom fan is dead and will be replaced. The bathroom faucet will be replaced; it can’t be repaired and was cheap. The front door will be painted a red-like color.

I had reheated ribs and mashed potatoes for lunch. Jeff was out getting items and lunch. When he returned, he started on the bathroom. It took longer, and Jeff was up and down the attic so many times that I lost count. We agreed on a color for the door, more brown cranberry than red, which better fit the woodwork and the dark gray on the house. Jeff will get paint and more fixtures and finish on Thursday.

I was happy to get some of the small items done. There are things like tiling the kitchen and the fireside room, but that cost will be more than a nice trip to Paris, and if I did the kitchen counters simultaneously, it could be close to a business-class flight! I will only do those things that are broken, out of code, or improve the curb appeal or value of the house. I will enjoy my older floors when I am here, knowing I can fix them when I am too sick and old to travel. Or just sell the place and move to a community!

Dinner was in Air VW the Gray. Yes, I ate in my new car. I stopped by Taco Bell and waited thirty minutes to order and get my food, which was once considered fast food. I ate my Mexican Pizza—no tariff on that—while driving, making a mess.

I have heard nothing from Oregon Public Broadcasting that picked up the Volvo wreck. I expect some paperwork will follow in a month or so. The old 2018 XC60 is now headed to an auction. I suspect someone will buy it and a wrecked Volvo and combine them into a working one. It is just time and materials to bring it back.

I sent my “Chat Holmes and Watson” story to 2600 The Hacker Quarterly but have not heard back. However, they did publish my last story, and I am optimistic. Waiting…

Jeff left about 3 to pick up his daughter from school. As I wrote above, he will return on Thursday. Some tile grout work is all that remains in the bathroom. The EV gets me to the church about 6ish, and by 6:30, the Ash Wednesday service was over. Shawn and I were offered to read the scripture. I pointed to a Shawn who growled but did it well, primarily disappointed that I was faster at avoiding it. Retirement training.

It was a lovely service, with mostly a reading script and singing old hymns. I have done the hour-long collection of people’s sins and things they wish to give up on paper notes, burning the notes, and then using those ashes. While elegant when it works, many things can go wrong, including someone filling out endless papers or setting off fire alarms and the appearance of the fire department (yes, both I have experienced). This was nice, had a good spirit, and above all, was simple and fast. It was very Methodist.

I returned home, made babka bread from a mix, used my bread machine to mix and rise the dough, assembled it, and let it rise again. I almost threw it unrisen into the oven, skipping a step, but saw the error, dumped the bread, making it a bit messier, into a cold pan after I retrieved it (yes, I did put it in the oven first and then releasized I was out of sequence–sequence is critical). I chatted again with Deborah as she was in bed, ready for sleep. It was nice to start and finish her day. She rang off and slept.

After it was finished, I let the babka rest; you eat it after it is cold. I read more Elric stories (back to the 1960s original but newly edited stories), did the dishes, showered, put on my PJs, and soon turned off the lights and slept. I slept and did not remember my dreams, but I suspect I traveled with Elric on the seas between worlds.

Thanks for reading!