A Quiet Good Friday

I woke after waking and sleeping in different ways for my first whole night back in Oregon. I seemed to be confused about what time it was. But California seemed to have embraced its northern neighbor; it was sunny and warm!  I rose after 7, a pot of liberal joy having been prepared before I went to bed, waited for me. The fair trade coffee tasted hopeful. Despite the damp dew on the grass, I was happy to tour the backyard in the sunny morning in my PJs, seeing all my flowers, and hearing the birds singing and the insects buzzing. I opened the doors and turned off the heat. I was dreaming of Lala Land: here.

I opened the suitcase and my gym bag—my usual travel carry-on—piled clothing into groups and started The Machine. I had put aside my spare pants, shirt, socks, and underwear, which I carry in the gym bag (in case I need a change of clothing), to wear today. I planned to spend the morning and early afternoon writing and doing laundry. And that is what I did. Not very exciting, dear reader, I am afraid.

I added to the dishes, Corwin had cared for the orchids, checked the house for me, and left a few. I always tell him to take advantage of any food he wants in the house. The can of olives from the Olive Pit in California fit that bill.

The mail was delivered, including everything held. I send a letter to the post carrier when I am on a trip, and that works well with a redelivery day on my return. A book on Jutland (a reprint of a 1920s book, but sadly without the maps), the 5E Lord of the Rings role-playing game (RPG) newest book, and various bills and updates. My IRA is being invested, and I get lots of paperwork. While a bit overwhelming, getting this paper is a sign that your investments are being appropriately handled. No paperwork or wrong paperwork is a bad sign.

My second load is shirts and pants; I am happy to remove some dampness. Dress shirts can dry on the hanger. Soon, the load was done, and it was nearly 1:30, so I took Air VW the Gray to BJ’s Brewhouse for lunch. I sat at the bar, and while the food was good, the bartender was hard to deal with and spoiled my meal. I will avoid him next time and take a table.

I stopped by Safeway and got a spiral-sliced ham for church on Easter. We cook breakfast at 8ish, and ham will be served with pancakes. I got syrup and butter (but that will not be needed as Dondrea also got some). I saw a few nice steaks and got them.

When I returned home, I read some of the 5E LOTR RPG book, which was also a bit of a disappointment. The adventures were very basic, and the text repeated some material I already had (!). This was more of a supplement than the cutting-edge and complex Moria book they published before. Still, it is always good to read more extra-canonical LOTR material. The Moria and Shire books were fantastic. Someday, I will get to run a 5E LOTR-style Dungeons and Dragons campaign.

I lit the gas grill and dried it out; this process removed spider webs and other debris. I then let it cool off. I cleaned up the grills, but the metal still needs more care. I put out one of the steaks I got at Safeway with salt, pepper, and a meat rub.

I talked to Deborah on and off during the day. We are still getting used to returning to a long-distance relationship, and I keep looking for Deborah here. Though I know she is not here, I still miss her. We spent two weeks together in California in March and a week in April. It is fifty-one days until we meet in California again for one of Deborah’s work conferences. Deborah and I, after getting depressed with joint doom scrolling and other unhappy subjects, instead focused on the next trip, and I scheduled my flight to California. This time, I am not driving to LA. Been there. Done that (EV driven from Beaverton to Long Beach and back).

I boiled and mashed potatoes, steamed carrots, and grilled the steak. Some rust stuck to my steak, which annoyed me. I will clean the grill again! Still, my meal was good.

Pastor Ken asked me to look at his new book. I started to read some, but I was too brain-dead from the trip to make that work. Running the laundry was about as complex a task as I could handle. I managed to get the dishes in the dishwasher, run it, finish the laundry, process the mail, and only nod off once.

I sat on my deck for dinner and caught up on my YouTube channels, Battleship New Jersey and ShipHappens. One mosquito showed up and tried to bite my arm. Somewhere, there is some stagnant water, as we seldom see this. Hmmm.

By 10, I was tired and soon crawled into my bed and tried to sleep. I woke a few times, but finally, I slept until the morning.

Thanks for reading!