Author: alohawild

Monday is my Saturday, as I have no plans (usually) on Mondays, and everyone is back to work, so I have no appointments to meet anyone. This week is exciting as it is when I have three events: Fix The Machine (Laundry), Install the EV charger, and replace the mattress in the master bedroom.  M@ (i.e., Matt V) came over and helped with the garage, and now the EV fits in it, and the location for the charger is ready. I patched the walls in the garage (going back to before I owned the house) and the hole for the new drains for The Machine. Once the machine is fixed, I can push it against the wall and be done with it. I am not traveling for January, and Deborah is coming for a week. I decided to clean and update the house in these two months. I had not planned to buy a new car or to repair the laundry, but all provided opportunities to grow and learn.

I rose at about 8:30 and found the coffee and the last Costco pastry. I started on the blog and updated the transactions in Quicken. I also updated my 401K balance, which is not automatically tracked with the end of January value. Since October 2024, I have seen no significant change as the markets swing in a narrow range from various stories (i.e., Elon good/bad, AI sells chips, AI now cheap and Chinese, Tariffs Yes/No, and so on ). From my reading, there is no more talk about EVs being the go-to, green energy, or repairing failing infrastructure.

I wrote the morning away. I am taking high blood pressure (HBP) cold meds because my nose will not stop running. Today, I plan to take no trips and clean and organize the house. I made beef and veggie soup from a can for lunch. I wanted something good for a runny nose and cheap. I finished and published the blog.

A load of bagels showed (thanks, Joyce).

I looked up what USAID did on the US government websites (here, the websites were shut down for the agency) and found that it spent $43 Billion last year, or 0.004% of the US budget, with most of it in Afghanistan. I learned that it was the US government agency you would use to ship items free on ships and military aircraft (finding unused space in both). The agency was created in 1961 by the Republican Eisenhower administration to consolidate all the programs done during and after WW2 to help Europe and other countries affected by the war. Its mission was to prevent suffering by building hospitals, funding maternity care, and providing access to US military and government services for free (like space on a military flight). It was independent of the US State Department and was closely linked to Congress and the US military. Thus, if you have farming equipment you want to ship to Africa, this is the agency you use to get the transport done using US government ships and aircraft for free. I disagree with the actions taken against this agency, though I believe they have been sloppy with some programs, and some reform is always good.

After cleaning up and shaving, I dressed and started removing things from the top of the Hunter cabinet; some had been there since Susie’s last Christmas at the house. I found many glass items with memories from our lives together. Some I photographed, but all were carried one at a time to the glass recycling. I will keep the memories, but the things are part of the clutter now and make me sad. It is time for them to be recycled.

I tossed most of the candles but lit one to scent the house. I also moved many items to a box to be taken to Goodwill. I was able to put away a few items. I cleaned the photo frames and cabinet top from a thick cover of dust. The space is now back to looking well, with photos back up and the top mostly empty and uncluttered.

I also organized and dusted my chess table space. I spent the whole day loading updates for my Millennium Mephisto Phoenix M Chess Computer to the current version, an expensive birthday present for myself from two years ago. This consists of a few touches and then waiting. It can now connect through the Internet. I still have to buy the interface ($99) if I start to play online, as nothing is free in chess! I can also buy ($99) engine updates to get the best engines. Rated at 2400 as is, I do not need the engines. With the software updates and Raspberry 4 2G running, the LINUX-based device is now always cutting edge. I bought an early release and got a discount. Without a discount, it is expensive ($1,199 for the computer and another $1,099 for the board).

Corwin stopped by to get his mail, and then Deborah called. Corwin found a snack for 90 minutes and enjoyed my fine cable shows. Deborah and I talked on the phone for a while. After, Corwin and I headed out to the Barnes and Noble bookstore. I bought a magazine. I went through the ritual of what is connected to my old account, alohawild@me.com, which was my last choice, and it worked. Next, we went to McMenamins Cornelius Pass Roadhouse for an early dinner. We had a curious spice-Italian-styled beef dip sandwich with fries and beer for me. Corwin no longer drinks alcohol and is trying to eat healthier.

By the way, my weight is down to 230 pounds now. Slowly but surely, I am headed to 220, my goal; I credit the drug MetFormin, my doctor’s persistence with lab results, and my desire to live until 120. As I have recorded in my blogs previously, my labs are good, with an A1C down to 5.1! My doctor said, “Retirement has been good for you!”

Air VW the Gray gets us home, and Corwin and I clean up the bedroom. Corwin lifts the mattresses for me, and I vacuum and remove all the stuff under the bed. We move the bed close to the wall. With Susie falling out of bed, I moved it out to make it safer. We put it back to get more room back.

Corwin takes a few of Susie’s candles home (some are duplicates). I put on Babylon 5, the old sci-fi show, and enjoy one of their two-part episodes, which moves the underlying story forward; it’s more of a Space Opera than a recurring TV show. This episode is the framework for the later animated movie from 2023 and includes some of the comedy that I found a bit surprising in the film; yes, the show got silly a few times. While I loved the movie, it is an acquired taste and cannot stand alone.

I removed the layers of dust from the stand, pulled out all the Blu-rays, DVDs, and CDs, wiped the dust from them, and put them back. I was at first thinking of sending the disks to Goodwill, but I might watch some of them, and they are free in a world where corporations want you to rebuy things you have purchased before. So I think I will hold on to them longer. I vacuumed the area in front where all the dust went.

I read, showered, put the sheets and blankets back on the bed, and climbed in wearing my PJs. I soon, after talking a shot of night cough and cold meds, slept until 7ish. No dreams that I remember, but I woke happy so it must have been a good night.

Thanks for reading and dreaming with me.

 

 

 

 

I rose a bit later as the cough and a runny nose had me run down. I also did much work at the house and may have overdone it. I wrote the blog, and Deborah and I talked briefly in the morning. We often speak on Sunday mornings while I am trying to write the blog. At 9, Deborah rang off so I could focus on delivering the blog. I got the blog out after 10, cleaned up, shaved, dressed, and headed in Air VW the Gray to First United Methodist Church in Beaverton, Oregon, near the fountain and park. I was wearing LL Bean gray slacks, a gray dress shirt with a button-down collar also from LL Bean, an LL Bean navy blue sweater vest, pride tie, and Cole Hann black plain shoes.

I was uncomfortable backing up the EV between two cars with only four inches on each side. I parked front-in, and the power cable at the library charging stations near the church had just reached. I was only a few minutes before church and would leave after service. I paid $1.81 and would get 33 miles of driving from the charge, which took 1 hour and 49 minutes to charge.

Church included communion, and I noticed there were no ushers, so I took over. I am the senior usher, but I have not been in rotation for years. When Susie was ill, the ushers asked me to ‘sit down’ and let them handle it. In the sometimes strange church logic, I have been an usher longer than anyone left alive, but I am not the head usher (we don’t have one now). I got Z to help me carry the food given for missions to the altar, and I then did the offering process and later directed communion.

Dondrea gave the sermon. It was a short but sharply focused sermon, “Widows, Orphans, and Aliens.” She mostly recalled that the Hebrew Scriptures often call out that the treatment of these disadvantaged groups (using a modern term) is the only measure of the success of a city, ruler, and Kingdom–this appears over and over. In the Greek Scriptures in the New Testament, the letter of James calls this out, too. Dondread points out that this is a fundamental  Judeo-Christian belief.

Our response was to carry the food items donated today to help kids have food over the weekends when school is out. Often, the only food they get that they can count on is at the school, which is not running during the weekends–this is food for their weekends. We don’t ask for papers. We don’t ask why. We don’t just help people like us. We just collect and distribute. Just like it says in the Hebrew and Greek Scriptures: “(Give to) the foreigner, the fatherless and the widow, so they may eat in your towns and be satisfied.”

I returned home after church in my charged EV. Before that, I helped put the offering away, and then again, as often folks miss the offering. At home, I went slow as I wanted the cough to stop, and I was tired from the cough and the cold meds. I made just baked beans from a can for lunch. I was hungry but wanted something simple (and cheap). Corwin stopped by and traded the motorbike for a smaller item he could take home (yay!), and that was the end of the bike sitting outside. I thought if I parked it outside, someone would want it, and that happened. I got him a bill of sale off the Internet. Done. No longer my problem. Excellent.

Next, after emptying the bag of items from the once Air Volvo and putting some safety items and tools in Air VW the Gray, I reboarded the EV and headed to Dungeons and Dragons 5E (D&D) at M@ (i.e., Matt V) house. I had worked out a copy of my character as we have a spell that creates a duplicate with half-hit points and low-level replacement gear. A spare cleric, what M@ called a ‘spare-ic.’

M@ made us burgers for dinner at his house. We soon were back to the adventure of preparing for the final mission of a long campaign. I mispronounced the bad guy’s name, Vecna, and received appropriate razzing. I can’t include the details. We fought two tough battles. The ‘spare-ic’ did not make it through the struggle–we can make another. The night had us break as we faced the next challenge. It was a fun D&D session.

I returned home, read for a while, and batched some more Babylon 5, “TKO” being one of my favorite season one episodes (you don’t often have a story of a Rabbi and a celebration of a life ceremony, shiva minyan, in SciFi). After finishing the popcorn and the show, I showered, got in my PJs, and started to read “Ottoman Empire,” the Spring 2025 issue of Strategy and Tactics Quarterly, which takes a military/gaming view of history; theirs is always an interesting perspective on history. I enjoyed their recent deep dive into Gen. Grants final campaign in the American Civil War. It is one of the few subscriptions I have kept. I put it down as I started to nod off.

I soon slept.

Thanks for reading.

There were only a few things to cover on Saturday. I patched the wall behind The Machine made in May when they had to redo the drains. A 2×4-foot hole in the wall is big enough to be hard to fix. I also had a cough and a runny nose, which slowed me down. These activities colored the day.

I rose with my head full of stuff and coughed and sneezed all morning. I wrote the blog for the start of the morning and then measured the hold and discovered to my dismay, that my screws were too short (so many jokes), and I went to Ace Hardware to get bigger screws. I use screws for drywall, as it just makes sense to me. I also discovered that my hole is 1/4 inch too small for my drywall pieces. The universe always does this; your hole never works for the material you have acquired to fill the whole.

At Ace, I asked the younger man for joint compound and got a blank look. We found it, and he did not know what it was. I am afraid I might have man-splained what it was for, but I felt a hardware person should know what it was. With my new acquisition, I took Air VW the Gray home. But was nearly hit by a car spinning through the parking at high speed (!?). I also saw folks passing and sliding between vehicles on TV Highway at high speed–almost, gasp, the speed limit. All were out-of-state plates, which made me smile. I saw a Borg-like moment: “You too will be assimilated into the slow driving; we will reduce your driving skills until you brake for green traffic lights. You will become part of the collective Oregonian, overly polite slow drivers.”

I parked the EV outside and started back on my hole-filling process. I wrote all the measurements out and then made small wood strips to attach to the inside to help hold the new piece, as it has only one 2×4 to connect to. I used my German-made new saw to do this. All of my work was done with hand tools; I like to cut wood by hand, have sharp saws, and oil them. I cut the drywall with a knife (I bought that yesterday with extra blades). I did all the work on a full sheet of 1/2 ” plywood sheet I keep at the house in the garage balanced on two plastic folding saw horses (highly recommended).

I cannot make this exciting. I carefully measured everything. I totaled my inner measurements where the hole goes for the drain and found them off. I remeasured and corrected a 1/4-inch error. I cut off the 1/4-inch on one side. Carried the piece and checked the fit and match. The hole is 1/4 too large on the bottom, but it will do as it is covered by a cover. Perfect, in other words, as the top was uneven, and I cut some of the corners to get it to better fit. I screwed it in, and it looked good. Put the plate on, and it was excellent.

I had Trader Joe’s Chicken Vindalo, and it was spicy. I added almost a cup of sour cream to rescue my dinner as it was too spicy. That seldom happens for frozen food. It was good, but I am unsure if I will get it again. Excellent, but yikes!

The patch comes in 2×2 feet, meaning I used two pieces. I cut that and discovered that the whole was not square after cutting another 1/4 inch on the side. With the knife making adjustments, I finally got it to just fit. I needed another arm as it took two hands to hold it, and another had to use the drill to drive the screws. Finally, I managed it and then pushed it in, and it stayed. I missed the 2×4 in the wall twice! I should have marked it on the patch. Next time!

Corwin stopped by in mid-construction and brought by the keys for the motor scooter. My neighbor covered $300 for the scooter. I will exchange the keys for $300 next Friday. I am happy to get Corwin some cash and be rid of that unused item (Corwin bought it and then found it not a suitable replacement for a truck for food deliveries; he has an old beater truck now).

I rested for a while. Working in the cold and doing physical labor did not improve my coughing. I often said to myself, “This is why I went into computer programming.” I am out of practice for this kind of work. I don’t do it enough to get good at it, but I still know what to do.

I am enjoying Babalyon 5 as my new binging show. I am in season 1, around episode 10, and I forgot how fun this show was. It also seems current, and the special effects are excellent and once cutting-edge. If you don’t know it and love SciFi and Space Opera, give it a chance.

I got out the joint compound from Ace after finishing my previous supply from Home Depot, which was old, and I tossed it after I used it. I filled the cracks and evened up the pieces the best I could. It is not a perfect match you see on all the YouTube videos. I managed to tape it, too. It is done and close enough. The hole is closed and will be behind the laundry in a closet. I will sand it next week. That will likely be an electric tool if I can find mine.

After resting and changing my clothing, I headed off to the local Mexican place and found Dondrea and Z at another. We realign, and soon, Z and Dondrea appear here in Aloha (mailing address Beaverton and originally Reedville) at Mazatlan Restaurant. Z had a booze-less Piña colada while Dondrea and I had each the house mid-sized Margarita with salt and on the rocks. The food was good and, for me, familiar, as this is minutes from the house. We caught up as we have been meeting at events but have not had time to chat in about a month. Z finished two chances at the Long John Silver’s role in the middle school play. Dondrea was still writing her sermon for Sunday. I was patching and organizing the house this month.

After dinner, we said our goodbyes, and I returned home in Air VW the Gray and parked it in the garage. It fits even with the saw horses and board up. I will let all the work dry for a few days and then clean up the mess. I watched Babylon 5, showered, and went to bed early. I read until I started to nod off.

I dreamed about traveling and finding my way on trains without my ID. Yikes! I woke at 4, proved hydration, and my lungs and head were uncomfortable. I got up, took a shot of cough stuff, and sat in my comfy chair and an electric blanket. I slept until my alarm at 7 and then reset it to 8. I slept again in the chair, and I am sure it was a minute later when the 8 alarm rang. I rose.

Thanks for reading.

 

Friday finished with me showering and putting on my PJs. No calming music as I had canceled the music service from Amazon when they raised the price from a steep $16.99 to $19.99, an 18% increase in one year that can only be described as corporate greed. I will miss playing music on demand, but I can put a CD in a machine for that price! I could buy machines for every room once and still be cheaper. I slept in silence and did not wake until 4ish to prove hydration. I am taking the high blood pressure (HBP) version of cold meds as I have a runny nose and cough. My lungs are clear. I took the night liquid and was able to sleep well.

Before this, I watched more Babylon 5 (B5), season one, and forgot how much I liked this show. It also does not feel dated as the issues sound like today’s problems revised into a SciFi show. Also, the special effects were cutting-edge at the time and have aged well, though I imagine there have been some digital touching-ups, and the broadcast appears to be high-fidelity. I watched two more episodes before heading to bed.

No figure work was done, as coughing and sneezing prevent accurate work with tiny paint brushes, as you can imagine, dear reader. Instead, I sat in my comfy chair with an electric blanket and rested. I could barely stay awake for B5. I staggered when I rose for the chair and found my way to the bedroom, showered, took my meds, and, as I said, was soon asleep.

Before this, with Deborah on the phone to chat, I made a nice dinner for one, though I will likely repeat this for two in a few weeks for Deborah’s visit. I steamed carrots that I sliced and peeled. I made a salad with carrot peels, pickled beats, croutons, and Italian-style dressing. The center of the meal is a 1″ thick pork chop (smaller than the massive ones at BJ’s Brewhouse but big enough). I sprinkle it with Herbs de Provence and ground sea salt. I heated a mix of olive oil and butter (to keep the smoking down) and fried it in a metal pan that could go in the oven. I got two sides showing some brown and then put it all in the oven at 350F for 8 minutes.

The carrots were done, and I had them plain, as I like carrots just as they are (although they are excellent with butter, salt, and citrus if you want to jazz them up). The pork shop’s temperature was just 170F, perfect for well-cooked, and I moved the chop to a plate. After nearly burning myself, I saw that the chop was still hot and discovered that the plate was on a hot burner (stupid of me). I made a pan sauce by heating the still-hot pan with water and cornstarch. I spooned that over the chop. Deborah rang off while I started my fine repast.

I was coughing a lot and headed to Wallgreens, a minute away, to get some HBP meds. I saw a level 2 charger there and thought I could stop at the food charts for a hot drink and let the EV charge. But someone had sprayed purple paint, making it useless; I could not read the screen with directions. The graffiti made the charger useless. I plugged it in, and it connected, but I could not start the process. The spraying likely covered the code to scan to get this one to work. F**k.

A local real estate person, Mark Larson, helped me and asked about my EV experience. I have enjoyed it so far and am not having range anxiety. I showed him how it plugged in and the trick of thrice doing unlock on the fob to unlock the cable. We exchanged cards, and thus, I included his whole name here. He was trying to help as we both tried to clean the screen to no avail. We talked to the Walgreens folks who connected us with their managers, who were unhappy and said they would connect with the corporate anti-graffiti people and the charger company to fix the issue.

I never thought of a “corporate anti-graffiti people,” it made me wonder if they come with a Paris accent, with brushes and cleaners, and say, “We will make it good again,” or instead, some nasty-looking folks dressed in dark, grim outfits and making dark promises, “We will make an end to your graffiti problems.” Wondering and my imagination going sideways, I returned home with cold meds and Mark’s card.

Before this, I was patching a wall. I stopped by Home Depot again and got a saw for drywall patching and other items. I then returned home. I parked Air VW the Gray outside while I worked in the garage, and my neighbor stopped by and was considering buying the motorbike that Corwin had left. Later, Corwin said he would drop off the keys. It is likely only a few hundred bucks, but it is something, at least. I then moved the wheeled toolboxes and got access to the large sheet of plywood I keep at the house. I balanced this on two plastic folding saw horses.

I found an old wallboard (drywall to some) and carefully measured a broken, still-cut garage wall piece. I managed to cut a replacement piece without injury or doing it twice (already a win), but the board was poorly backed. I made a hack of it with tape and joiner compound, but the wall is sealed. I suspect it will take until Christmas before the paste dries, but the wall is sealed for the first time since I moved in 1996. I managed to not make a big mess. This was a practice for the real challenge of fixing the hole where a plumber installed a drain opening for the new LG washer/dryer combination I call The Machine (currently unusable with a repair person coming on Tuesday). That will be Saturday’s adventure.

Before this, still in my PJs and robe, I disassembled the switches and ground-fault-protected (GF) plugs in the master bedroom bath. I wanted to update them (the switches are from the original 1970s) and replace the ground fault I installed twenty years ago. It was still working, but it was almond color and upside down. Unlike newer homes, I knew this one was on the light/plug panel, not on an independent power line for GF. Thus, I had to put one in the baths and the kitchen. At least the frig was on a separate line in the kitchen.

The switches went easy and were simple, one-way versions. The GF was not simple as it passed through to another plug, and I was covered in sweat by the time I correctly connected six wires and ran one off a tie in the socket. Yikes! I found my socket tester and all the sockets passed my test. The GF test also passed. All are now white, newer, and matching. The GF has a little green light, letting you know it is ready to use. Excellent.

After all of that, I took a shower. I decided on sushi locally for lunch. I thought some hot tea, soup (miso), and track sushi would be good. It was only a few minutes away and was already 1ish, meaning the place was not busy. The track was full of delicious options, but I ordered the Smoked Philly Roll, just five pieces, and then a few treats (smoked eel and a squid marinated salad). I was feeling better.

Returning to the day’s start, I rose at 7ish with a cough, and my ears were plugged. I made liberal coffee and had yet-another-pastry from Costco. I think they are too large and too many for a repurchase. I wrote, as usual, the early morning away.

I also updated balances and got more 1099s for taxes during the day. I called US Banks and learned that their website was wrong, and I have 1099s from them. They took my complaints that I should get proper info and the ability to download the 1099. I believe I have complained every year about this. I made some corrections to phone numbers and removed Susie’s name from some shared accounts. There seems to be an endless number of these updates required. I fix’em when I find’em.

And that takes us full circle; thank you for reading!

On Thursday, I woke too early; my nose was filled, and my ears were blocked (though it bothers my one working ear). I threw on my clothing. I collected the soaking wet clothing I rescued from The Machine’s floods, newly soiled clothing and towels, and detergent, and loaded it all into the cargo hold of Air VW the Gray. I stopped at the ATM first to get some cash. Next, I stopped at the Aloha Laundromat near the 185th and TV Highway crossing. It opened at 7, and there was one other customer besides me and an attendant who helped me change a $20 into quarters (some things do not change; you need quarters for laundry–pun unintentional).

I discovered this was a well-maintained place with all the machines working, and I paid for a large wash ($5.50) and then a few bucks for the dryer. I was happy that the dryers were hot and that a buck got you more than thirty minutes. I remember some rip-off places where the dryers took forever and cost $$. I did two loads. Drove home with everything in the dryer, got hangers, and returned. I folded and hung up everything.

President Trump’s news conference on the terrible plane crash was on Fox News with sound. At first, it was a recognition of shared grief for the country and those who lost people. But then it deteriorated into a political attack on the previous administrations, explanations including the obvious statement like the helicopter and plane were at the same altitude (repeated by Fox News until they realized what they were saying) when they crashed together. It was, and I will include this here because it was part of my experiences, disgraceful. But I am sure that my conservative friends can point at other politicians who do the same thing at other events. But this moment impacted me, and I included it as part of my day. Awful!

I ignored the President and Fox and wrote the blog. My lesser hearing has some helpful editing now. I don’t have to hear something. Yes, I am turning into that guy who only hears when he wants to.

Leaving behind the rest of my quarters for the attendant, a few bucks, and Fox News repeating (after cleaning it up) the President’s message, I returned to the house and put away my clean clothing. I washed my face, took my pills, had some coffee and a snack, and was back inside Air VW the Gray. Lunch today is at McMenamins Cedar Hills with Scott.

I arrived early, and Scott was waiting for me. We had Captain Neon burgers (blue cheese, bacon, and veggies) and a Hammerhead Ale. We talked about more politics than usual (we both lean left) and agreed that we have to limit our intake of chaos. We talked about travel (Scott’s wife was in France for a business trip) and our confusion about investments. Trump and Wall Street seem more random than what was expected after the election.

We agree to diversify and have fewer hands-on investments. We decided that it is too easy to be drawn into a storyline and become invested in a stock, both financially and mentally. I have friends who swear by Tesla. The investment seems more emotional to me. Instead, I have Ford (F) shares, which have lost value while paying a good dividend. But my JP Morgan preferred stock shares have been perfect (JPM-D). Both pay about 4.5% dividends (higher now on F as it loses value–not an improvement!). I stay primarily with indexed funds in my managed 401K and only the balance in my books at the end of the month.

Scott and I will meet again on Thursday (though I have a delivery now that may push that).

I returned home and noticed more cold symptoms. My nose is running non-stop. I talk to Deborah a few times as she is done with work (a three-hour time difference) and head to Home Depot. I tour the store with a cart with sides to hold your sheets of construction material. I have two two-by-two wall boards that look punny on the cart. I had various tools and materials for patching walls. I also got some plates, plugs, and switches in all white. I plan to update the bathroom and bedroom plugs and switches. I also gather bug and ant spray. The pests are back, and I am unhappy with my ant people. I will replace them later.

I stop at the strip mall and plug in the EV for a 100% charge. This is a pay network for me, and after $14+, I have a full charge after forty-five minutes, going from 45 to 100%. I see another EV, and the gal gives me a dirty look for using the fast chargers. Folks are always in a rush, so I try not to look smug while I sit in my car. Later, still angry, she gets a fast charge station when another driver finishes, and she still looks like it was my fault that she was waiting. I talked to another driver, who said the issue with EVs is that all the fast chargers are always full of cars, and you must wait. He said you can’t get a charge on the coast, and thus, he can’t drive there. That is a fascinating observation; too many EVs in the area now. How unexpected. It does not match my observation, but there is more to follow.

Mom Wild was having a bad day and thought my sister committed maleficence with Mom’s assets, which I know is a sign of confusion. It is not true. I spend much of the charging time talking her down and telling her that she is fine and her expenses are covered. I have repeated the conversations I and other folks have had with Barb. She sees something she does not like and then spirals into patterns from ten years ago. I reassured her, and she finally returned to calm and reasonable behavior. Later, she called Linda, and they were OK now.

With Mom Wild (Barb) calm and Linda sending a happy text, I called Deborah back, and we chatted for a while. We talked about her trip, which is now just weeks away. We had a nice talk. Soon, I will be on the road again.

All these Air VW the Gray deliveries are to my house. I set up the saw horses and placed the items there for Friday. I look at the challenges and think I can do this. I dust off and head back to the EV.

I arrived at Z’s school, which was near her home. I brought flowers from Home Depot, and we enjoyed the middle school play version of Treasure Island. Z steals the show as Long John Silvers on Z’s crutch and one leg folded back. Unlike some other kids, Z’s mic is taped properly to Z’s face and picks up Z’s clear voicing. It was a fun play with some singing led by Z (“Fifteen men on a dead man’s chest” and so on).

I only had time for some snacks before the play, and for a second snack, I had more cheese and crackers. Time disappeared, and soon, I was late getting to bed. I did not manage any painting. Busy. Busy.

Thanks for reading.