Going backwards, I returned to a brain cookie, Hornblower nautical historical fiction, Ship of the Line, and enjoyed my mind drifting off to 1805 Spain. If a reader wants an alternative and does not mind a fantasy version (thus dropping the 1930s unfortunate racism), Naomi Novik’s Temeraire series, with nine books, is an excellent alternative (I think I read the first two). I read until I could not stay away, closed the book (an older three-book hardcover I had bought on my trips and had mailed to the house; I remember checking it out years ago, and it was my first introduction to the Hornblower series), turned off the light, and soon slept. I dreamed I was back at university, at a graduation (not mine), and I was having trouble finding a seat, and it seemed I was too close to the front. I woke with my alarm.
Before this, Corwin and his dog Henry stopped by. I had made Mount Angel brats (famous for their Oktoberfest in Oregon), which I had bought when Deborah and I were here. I made spätzle from a bag of Mount Angel’s dried version. I first cooked bacon cut into lardons and added it, along with some bacon drippings, to the noodles once they had been cooked in boiling water for twenty minutes. I heated some sourkraut from a jar. Two sausages for each of us (I saw that Corwin shared some with Henry). No beer, as Corwin gave up drinking. We tried some Star Trek: Lower Decks, but we could not get into the comedy. We changed to the last two episodes of The Agency and enjoyed finishing the first season. I love a spy movie as does Corwin. Corwin and Hank headed home.
Hank got more food than we planned when I somehow managed to dump my food on my lap: spätzle everywhere. I retrieved my brat before Henry found it. He enjoyed the noodles and bacon.
Moving backwards more, I was late for a near-forgotten church Zoom meeting, the SPRC Committee (for those who do not speak Methodist, this means the HR committee). I was 15 minutes late, but managed to help. The meeting’s content is kept private, and I cannot discuss it here.
Before this, I was in Hillsboro picking up my taxes, and that put the meeting out of my mind. I use Cornerstone Tax, and they finished in less than two weeks (with me dropping by more stuff yesterday to answer a question: “Yes, that is zero,” meaning that Nike stock options are still underwater—more like in a deep trench). I owed nothing despite withdrawing $45K from my IRA and then giving it all away. I was afraid there was some exception I did not know about that would mean I would have to pay. Nope, my plan worked. The Kicker, an Oregon tax feature that refunds two years of income overage (unique to Oregon, which requires budgeting income over two years on the bi-annual planning and then returning the excess to the people of Oregon), was high this year. It is a very popular plan. My exit from Nike was in scope, and I received a $3K+ refund from the state (you must file taxes to get it, which also improves compliance with local tax laws).
I read the return and continued on the blog, and then remembered I should be at the house. I did get coffee. Bob called me to say that I was late.
Before this, Brad, my old boss, Scott W, and I met for lunch at McMenamins Cedar Hills for a weekly meeting (though, of late, more of an every-other-week meeting). We talked about health issues, as men of a certain age do, finances, and mostly travel. Scott W and Brad talked about their kids (I am always happy to listen). We talked about the Art Exhibition at Jenkins Estate on 21-22 this month. I had my usual lunch box of half a sandwich, small soup, and small salad, as did Scott (I have tuna while Scott has turkey). Brad went for a burger with the Cajun-style tots. We plan to meet next week.
Aside: Details about other folks’ health, travel, and finances will not be discussed here. Those are not my story to tell.
Before this, I rose at 7ish and found some coffee and a banana for breakfast. I made coffee (a gift from Dondrea) and enjoyed it. Its dark flavors reminded me that we liberals have a long way to go before Justice with Compassion becomes the watchword of the USA. I read the news and emails and updated my Quicken entries.
Later in the day, I would sell all my holdings in ISHARES 0-3 MONTH TREASURY BND (SGOV) to pay bills. I just got the last dividend. SGOV has an annual dividend of about 3.5%, paid fractionally every month. If one pays state tax on dividends, these are immune to state taxes, making the real return higher. Changing to my IRA, with the war turning sour for the markets, I now have an unrealized loss of over $60K (on Friday when I write this). I know not to react and will hold on to my cash a bit longer.
Deborah was busy teaching today, had a great class (details are for her to tell, not me), and was tired but happy. We talked here and there all day. We also managed to work out the constraints for our trip and agreed to leave some details to the wind, as we need to see what the weather brings us. I did book the first two hotels. We will spend Friday in Park City and travel to Moab on Saturday. She called me as she was about to sleep. We enjoying starting and finishing our days together.
I wrote the blog in the morning. And that takes us full circle. Thanks for reading.
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