Tuesday

Tuesday mornings mean rushing to Portland to play a 9:30 board game at Richard’s. The alarm went off at 6:30, and I rolled over and woke up what felt like seconds later to a new alarm at 7. I rose and found the coffee pot full, having assembled the coffee the night before. I managed to write half the blog and talk to Deborah, who is at a work conference in Michigan, for a few minutes.

I was time-boxed, and I got in the shower at 8:15 and was soon ready to board Air VW the Gray. The night before, I had placed the board game Unsettled in the cargo hold. I had finished painting the figures and put them back in the box, and this was my first time playing with them. The traffic was slow through Beaverton and into Portland, and despite leaving ten minutes earlier, I was still ten minutes late.

This was a continuation scenario and tough. I can say I got frustrated once. Cooperative games can get hard when folks disagree and the challenges get hard, but we managed to finish. It took all morning and into the afternoon. Yes, intense. This is a moderate challenge!

Unsettled, the board game, has different planets, each unique. The game has base rules and components. The planet add-on, priced at $19, includes all the events, powers, and challenges. The base game comes with two planets (The newest Kickstarter supplied errata for these), and there are now nine additional ones (I am short two of the latest and the new action markers). For new gamers and those looking for a less stressful game, Pandemic (though the name sets all of us on edge) is a good cooperative game, and the variations are good. The Pandemic version, Rising Tides, is themed instead on stopping the break of dikes in Holland than stopping a virus spread, and it is fun, can be difficult, plays fast, and does not flash back to 2020.

I returned to the house in the EV about 1:30 and grabbed the ham bone and ham bits I put aside for soup (the rest of the ham, purchased after Easter for about $6, sliced and some chopped in bags frozen in the freezer) and started to boil the bone and lots of meat still on it. I watched the rest of the first Star Wars (“A New Hope,” and yes, I know it is not numbered one) while the hot water extracted the flavors from the bone and meat. I let this happen for about 45 minutes, some of it being a fast boil. Yes, I know I should have slowly simmered and added veggies to the stock and then filtered it. But I was hungry, and it was just a ham bone. I pulled the bone out, and the water was now flavored. I tried the boiled meat, and it was nearly flavorless. The night before, I poured out the split peas and checked them for stuff, nothing, and then washed them. I also took the ham bits, sliced them, and fried them in a pan, getting a brown on them. I should have browned them longer, but I was worried I would burn them (I was watching a movie simultaneously and was hungry), but they went in with the peas. I washed the non-stick pan with water and put the brown bits into the soup.

After forty minutes, the peas finally softened, and the soup was excellent, though plain. This was my first time making split pea and ham soup. I enjoyed it while watching the Death Star explode.

I packed away the soup (having a bowl and then a bit more) in bags and froze it for another meal. I suddenly remembered I forgot the blog and rushed to finish it and publish it late. I was meeting Corwin for dinner at 5:30; I rested and even nodded off into a deep siesta until 5ish. I rose and, with a few minutes free, toured my roses. Two bushes have flowered, the China Rose and a new rose. All the rest are a day or more from bursting into red and pinks. I have no whites or yellows yet.

Corwin arrived in his truck, and we boarded Air VW the Gray and soon arrived at Gyro House nearby. Corwin had the excellent Lamb Kabobs, and I had a ground lamb gyro. We had mixed baba ghanoush and hummus with hot bread out of the oven while we waited. Corwin ordered a Turkish coffee, and while tempting, it was 85F (29C) outside, and I did not need something hot to drink.

Returning home, Corwin headed out to give plasma for money. It was Tuesday, and Andor, the SciFi Star Wars show, dropped another three episodes, and I, as has become a habit on Tuesday nights, watched them back to back. It was excellent.

I read after that, and then I was soon in my PJs. I was asleep before I could roll over. I later woke in the same place at 4ish to prove hydration, which I did again at 6. I was well hydrated yesterday in the heat!

Thanks for reading.