Thursday Meetings and More Meetings

I rose before 7, and the coffee, Zabar’s (pronounced zay-bars) roast from NYC, had been ground and made ready, and the timer started brewing as I rose. Today I was busy meeting Scott for lunch, the church’s monthly HR committee (SPR/C for those who speak Methodist) meets online at 2, and then I was meeting the folks working on the refresh of the church entrance way, fireside room, and kitchen. I was busy writing the blog, writing a card to Mom Wild (one is being returned as I forgot to write the street address on it), reading email, updating Quicken, and generally getting the morning tasks done.

Just a reminder, dear reader, I use Quicken to consolidate all my finances, and all transactions are downloaded and aligned. This allows me a clear view of my income (currently limited to interest and dividends), my retirement investments, which are managed by US Bank Wealth Management in an IRA, and the cash I manage. I have some money in stocks and Treasury Bills (these are the short-term instruments offered on TreasuryDirect.com). I update my balances at least monthly by hand for Treasury and IRA, just the balances. This protects me from criminals, but I have been fooled by one email, and I got lucky. So, please be cautious.

I wrote the blog in my office, showered, did the usual things, and was ready early. I read more of the Strategy & Tactics new quarterly magazine, as this one is about the American Civil War. I stopped my subscription, and now buy them when they are a topic I am interested in. I find them at Barnes & Noble (getting my discount). This issue, Rosecrans Vs. Bragg #31 Fall 2025, covers the lesser-known battles in Tennessee. This is known as The West in those days. It can be argued that the ACW was won in the West, and the finish was merely a grinding away of the Confederate forces remaining in the East until they were too weak to continue (see #27). I find S&T ACW issues some of the best military history reading. I like the way they tilt less towards emotion (though it is hard not to enjoy Shelby Foots’ mystical account of Gettysburg, Stars in Their Courses), but more towards the hard facts and troop placements — for gamers and re-enactors.

I boarded Air VW the Gray and headed to McMinimans at Cedar Hills to meet Scott for lunch. We had both been traveling with Scott, enjoying Paris, and were surprised by the story of the French Kings trying to attach themselves to God through relics and myth. Dan Brown was not the first person to rewrite history to better fit a story! We discussed investments, and Scott is still comparing his approach to investing with that of a team doing the same. I am happy with the 10+% earnings (after fees and withdrawing $10K) for the year. Scott and I talked about me selling the house and using the investment value to cover rent; it works financially, but I am not ready to move to apartment life. I like the space and options (and my roses).

Scott and I enjoyed getting caught up and will meet again in two weeks. After that, I headed to First United Methodist Church, and Wendy, the Church Administrator, let me borrow the Pastor’s office for the SPR/C meeting, which lasted about an hour. We have many to-dos as the church year is starting again, and the previous calendar year ends.

After that, I met with a contractor and our designer for the church refresh project. I am primarily a tourist, though I did help with a few questions. With that meeting done, I went home. I had some pizza from yesterday, still cold, and watched another episode of Wednesday, which does not disappoint.

I then travel to Market of Choice and then the 185th Corner veggie stand. I have a long list, written, and am shocked by some of the prices @ MoC, but in the end, the three bags of groceries were less than one dinner with friends, me buying. The veggies did not break $50 and were excellent.

I also bought some special items from MoC and coffee from 185th. This knocked the price up, I am sure (almond flour, for example). I plan to cook and bake over the next nine weeks before my trip back to Michigan on October 10th. I want to do some French-style items.

I put away the items and then watched a second episode of Wednesday. I was tired, but it was not that late, and I wanted to write some code, do more prep for class, and maybe work on some writing. I wanted to do more, but rest was required, and I wanted the cough to stop. Instead, I put on my PJs and read more ACW until I found myself dreaming the text and not reading. I was soon asleep.

I woke twice to prove hydration, making me wonder if my A1C is back up. I will try to keep the carbs down and the walking going. Though those bake goods may mess with that a bit…

Thanks for reading!