Monday Weekend-like

Monday is my Saturday. I usually have no plans as my friends work, and they are back at it. I do laundry, having risen around 7 with the coffee assembled the night before to greet me. It is bitter and from NYC, Zarbar’s, and it reminds me of all the work we liberals still have to complete. The world is nowhere near experiencing Justice with Compassion. US ICE won the right to stop people for just looking or sounding foreign. I understand the ruling, but yikes! I had a banana and finished the cottage cheese with some sea salt and smoked paprika while reading the news (Ugh!), updating Quicken, and checking my emails.

The rains are back, and the skies are staying gray here in the Greater Portland Area. We will see the sun here and there, and then weeks of gray will happen. With the climate changes, we now see the sun more often, but the rains are now storms of ‘rivers of rain.’

The hummingbirds and squirrels that I watch through my window while sitting in my office seem happy. The squirrels and the birds seem to be enjoying the slowly fermenting apples on the ground and still hanging from the old apple tree. The spiders often try to move in, and I will likely be chasing and killing them, frequently quite large. It is just part of living in Oregon. We have one large spider species that has learned to charge humans when discovered, attempting a quick escape when the human is surprised. It is less effective on me, splat! Here is the annual explanation of why the spiders come: here.

Aside: While the article describes the spiders as docile, I find nothing docile about a three-to four-inch spider running down my hallway!

On and off all day, I was updating my notes, mostly Wikipedia and Google search results, for my class on denominational history and schisms in Christianity. I have a gorgeous chart from Useful Charts of Christian Denominations Family Tree that helps me trace the United Methodists back to their roots. I am getting notes together to cover each split or change on the chart for the UMs.

I called Oak Alley Plantation near New Orleans (NOLA) and looked at options for a visit in November. The church is headed on a history of civil rights trip in the American South, and I have arranged for some events before and after the trip. I also recommended various jazz and vampire bars, some of which are favorites. I found a non-shellfish-based cooking class as a possibility for Donna, Dondrea, and me. It was fun to plan some new adventures.

I decided to have a few beers at Wildwood, despite my weight going the wrong direction. There, I did the NOLA planning and did not think about church splits, genocidal religious disputes, and schism. For example, my chart Cathar’s as ‘extinct.’ Which is true after the homicidal crusader war against them. It can be so frustrating and depressing!

A nap followed, and I was up again around 6. Deborah and I talked a few times. We enjoy starting and ending our days together, even while remote. I cooked a pork chop that was in the freezer for a while with fresh green beans and a microwaved potato. But I had no sour cream, so I just used butter. I tried to enjoy Resident Alien after Mariah recommended it, but I found the main character unsympathetic, which I think is part of the joke. I finished the first episode, and we will see. Mariah has been right before; I will try some more episodes.

I finished the laundry, dishes, and assembled coffee for Tuesday morning. I read some more and soon fell asleep. I set an early alarm as Tuesday starts with a 9:30 gaming session at Richard’s. I managed to sleep all night. There were dreams, but they all faded.

Thanks for reading.