Author: alohawild

I am not feeling well this evening. I had Mexican food at the Aloha Mazatlan Restaurant and a small margarita (usual, salt, over ice), and dinner is not settling. I think my colon is messing with me again, and resisting all the jokes that come to mind, I will just go with “this too will pass.” This has squashed my plans to clean and organize the house this late afternoon. I am tired, too; I think everything I did today may have worn me out.

Returning to the early afternoon, I boarded Air Volvo after showering and dressing. I headed to Susie’s place at the hummingbird house in Portland (Tigard) at Allegiance Senior Care LLC, 9925 SW 82nd. Ave. Portland (Tigard), OR 97223; phone (503) 246-4116. The traffic was light in Beaverton. I noticed various Sheriff Deputy SUVs for Washington County, but nobody pointed radar guns and gave out tickets on a lovely early afternoon Sunday. No smoke. Clear skies and a pleasant breeze.

Anassa, the weekend nursing aide and filling in for the holiday weekend, had Susie ready when I got there and popped Susie from the wheelchair into the co-pilot seat of Air Volvo. Anassa found it challenging to get Susie inside without hitting Susie or her head on the doorframe–I have the same issue and hit my head a few lifts back. But, without incident, Susie was safe, and we headed out for a driving holiday.

I believe the traffic was light in Beaverton as everyone was in Portland, well, at least on the highways, and we soon slowed as we made a giant circle. I first headed towards Seattle on Highway 5 and only slowed to a stop when approaching Vancouver, Washington’s draw bridge. Once across the Columbia River, which looked fabulous with Mount Hood aligned to the river making a perfect view, we headed towards the east. The plan was to enjoy the crazy road on the Washington side of the Columbia Gorge (sometimes a squeezed two-lane paved road) and turn back at The Bridge of the Gods at Cascade Locks (on the Oregon side).

The traffic became light, and the road had two lanes with passing lanes and pull-offs, as is usual here in the Pacific Northwest. The road often has no shoulder, and there is only a light barrier, should you crash, that could slow you from plunging into the forest and then dropping into the waters of the Columbia River if the trees don’t stop your acceleration, sometimes at a great height. The trail-like road climbs and then descends multiple times and seems quite long compared to the usual straight I-84 on the Oregon side of the Columbia. One bridge is memorable as it is narrow and seems pasted on the side of a cliff. The passenger-side view is breathtaking and terrifyingly high above the Columbia–a clear view or plunge of hundreds of feet. The bridge has a very light railing that is not very tall–yikes.

Just as I was wondering what I had done wrong, the sign for The Bridge of the Gods appeared, and soon we were slowly climbing the two-lane, no shoulder, no walkway, 140′ +/- above the Columbia River bridge. The traffic clogged the bridge, and we got to sit on the bridge for twenty minutes. When the U-Haul went by, the bridge did spring a bit–causing eye rolling from me. The higher roadway is metal grids and thus is see-through–a feature I did not appreciate as we moved slowly toward the toll booth–an impressive view straight down. Susie loved the view, and I took pictures as there was little more to do than creep across the metal grid and bounce when oncoming traffic heavy trucks passed.

After we paid $3 for our toll, Air Volvo launched on I-84, headed, now in Oregon, back towards our starting point. We stopped at McDonald’s for some chocolate shakes. Susie quickly chokes, so thick liquids are the best, and a shake works. I had to hold the shake for Susie as Susie’s hands were also not working; when she was tired or sleepy (like sitting in Air Volvo), Susie could not make her hands work. I held the cup, and she directed the straw, sipped, and we spent fifteen minutes enjoying about 20% of the shake.

Aside: I brought a cup with ridges for water, which worked for Susie–she sipped some water while we traveled. The wet, cold shake cups did not work.

I made the return trip, avoiding most traffic by using Highway 5 (South) back, and closed our large circle. Soon, I arrived at the hummingbird house; Anassa popped Susie out of the Air Volvo by sliding Susie into the wheelchair–tricky. Susie was ready for a late lunch/snack. She also retained her shake as she liked that too. I left with a kiss, and Anassa rolled Susie in her wheelchair to the shared dining table.

I returned home and had, as I described, dinner. I then rested and seemed to have reached my limit for today. I also did the 4:35PM status meeting for the work project. I return to work for my first shift on Monday and wanted to know what was happening. So far, folks are happy.

I started the morning at 7:30ish and wrote the Saturday blog for most of the morning. I also did the laundry and consumed cold Popeye chicken for lunch.

I will read and take it easy for the rest of Sunday night. Thanks for reading.

July started with me having a weekend day off–that does not always happen (I will be working my shifts through the following weekend). I slept in as I had trouble sleeping Friday/Saturday morning. I did not get organized enough to load up the cargo bay of Air Volvo with various no longer needed goodies here in the Volvo Cave and send them to Good Will to find new homes. I found time to clear a few items from here and there and improve things.

I found three eggs and some kielbasa left over from the jambalaya I made a few nights ago for breakfast. I stepped into the bedroom for just a moment, I thought, and then found on my return to the kitchen that the eggs in a non-stick pan almost burned, and I quickly flipped near-charred breakfast. Saved! I ate my breakfast with freshly made liberal coffee in my French press. I watched some short videos on YouTube, mainly videos of Rock and Roll songs. YouTube has watched my playing of music and now has autogenerated a playlist for me–most excellent (or is it?).

I put three new purchases in my stamp album to help get things back to where they belong. I improved my US Postage Due collection (the early ones from the late 1800s). After making a list of potential purchases (my missing spots in my US Stamp Album), I returned the albums, my stamp mounting supplies, and my US Specialized Catalog to their usual places (When it is time to update my reference material, I find a used copy now on Abe Books or Amazon instead of paying the exorbitant costs for a new one). I collect only older stamps with a cut-off of about 1940 for world stamps. I sometimes fill in the new stamps in my US album, but that is mostly just spending money on fixed prices for a year of US stamps; I do not find it that interesting and only buy the set if the mounts are provided.

Hopefully not boring you, dear reader; I have one expensive catalog I bought a few years ago, Scott 2017 Classic Specialized Catalogue of Stamps & Covers 1840-1940. Yes, everything is covered there in 1,320 pages (and a new one for discounted $159 means I will keep mine for a long time). I like to collect the colonial stamps from the late 1800s. Additionally, as I collect US local carriers, I have invested in books on forgeries as that is an issue in those stamps, including the famous Pony Express, which had its own stamps (I have a few originals and some fakes). I can identify forgeries now, and I collect fakes, placing them having a small album just for forgeries. The old fakes, made a hundred years ago, are becoming quite valuable–a surprise to me–as their stories are fascinating and well-recorded.

Stamp collecting, to me, is a search for impossible-to-find used US stamps (I have most of the easy and cheap ones already) for a price I am willing to pay. Sometimes picking up a forgery or an original that others will not risk buying (could be a fraud) on the cheap. I try not to pay more than 1/3 price and aim for a 1/10 catalog. I will take damaged stamps or even cheaper, proof versions to fill a slot. For example, a $350 catalog value 3-cent postage due stamp, in perfect condition, from the late 1800s is currently floating at $25 as many bidders are on summer vacation, and postage dues are not a priority to most collectors as they are boring looking and have few interesting variants to collect. I might slide in and get that cheap. To me, stamp collecting is a quest.

I will stop my essay writing on my hobbies, a bad habit much like a villain monologuing in a Marvel movie or Doctor Who (“Yes, let me tell you my evil plans for you, Doctor”).

The morning disappeared in a poof of activity and watching music videos on YouTube, and soon I was dressing and boarding Air Volvo, lamenting that I was out of time so Good Will would wait until Sunday. Fortified with my last cup of liberalness, I drove across Beaverton to Susie’s place at the hummingbird house in Portland (Tigard) at Allegiance Senior Care LLC, 9925 SW 82nd. Ave. Portland (Tigard), OR 97223; phone (503) 246-4116.

I found Susie’s French-styled hat and brought it to her.

Aside: I spoke to Dan from the church while flying in Air Volvo and disappointed him that I will not help with a July cookout for the church. I found I was tired from the Easter Pancake Breakfast for days, and Susie found herself alone sitting while I worked at the cooking. Getting worn out and then having Susie in her wheelchair while I cooked was not a good use of our limited days and strength. Sorry, but I will use that seldom-used word-for-church stuff, “no.” Dear reader, I do not criticize Dan or churches–I just want this blog to represent my experiences and feelings.

Susie was asleep in her recliner in the shared living room and had trouble waking for me. Anassa, the weekend nursing aide, said that Susie was up and had her breakfast without issue, eating everything. I planned to take Susie to the mall, but she was falling back asleep while we waited for Anassa to finish a few chores, so instead, I changed my plans for just the park today. Anassa popped Susie into her wheelchair for me, and I then pushed Susie outside to Metzger Park.

We found a shady bench on another perfect early afternoon which we never had on July 1 (Before the weather pattern changed here, the rains never ended–I mean hose down dumping of rain–before July 5). Until recently, on July 4th, fireworks were often canceled or done in clouds, with us Oregonians often seeing more flashes than pretty bright explosion blooms most folks associate with fireworks. Now, July starts with blue skies and hot days (we did not get hot until August and often only for a few days for my first twenty years in Oregon), with us likely seeing near 100F (37C) on Wednesday!

Aside: Susie has AC at the hummingbird house, and the Volvo Cave has an oversized AC unit (and two-pane windows). We stopped by the magnolia tree, and it is just starting to bloom.

I called Leta (Susie’s mother), Zorida, and Michelle & David Smith from the bench in the park. The park hosted two parties, free guitar lessons (?!), and the dog count was quite large. It was clearly an excellent weekend to head to the park. We had a lovely time calling and chatting with folks as dogs visited us here and there. The butterflies were back and doing spins in pairs in the sky.

Some homeless folks were also in the park, identifiable by their body language (“stay away”) and being alone. The public bathrooms provide a sink to clean up with and, of course, toilets. I have learned that staying clean is one of the challenges of homelessness (and finding a safe place to sleep). Years ago and in Maryland, my church there would provide beds in our church for a week in the winter, and we rented a room at the hotel, heavily discounted, to take the homeless to a shower. Now, many churches have showers and laundry facilities to help with those obvious but easily ignored needs of the homeless and financially struggling families. We have considered upgrades to First United Methodist Church in Beaverton to include a shower and laundry, but our 1950s design of our facilities does not make this an easy change, and so far, we have not found an answer.

Returning to the narration, Susie was waking up, but my time, limited on Saturday, was flying away, and we returned to the hummingbird house. Susie was set in her bed, and we played Peter, Paul, and Mary (who we have seen live–Mary is gone now), including us singing along to Puff the Magic Dragon. I then left with a kiss; Susie felt better and was sad to have me go, “I miss you” (It makes me cry to write that).

I met Evan at the 649 Taphouse in Aloha, Oregon, but first, we ate at the Mexican place across the parking lot (Tapatio: Mexican Restaurant). I had a small Dos Equis, Dark from their tap, with a bowl of Tortilla Soup. Evan had a drink and a large plate of food. We then crossed the parking lot; I got a recently purchased board game from the cargo hold in Air Volvo, Furnace, and returned to our old haunt of the 649 Taphouse.

Stephen and a gal I had not met before were running the bar. I opened a tab and got a small red ale. Evan got a mixed drink. I taught this simple but profound game to Evan. The game is a resource management game where you buy more factory cards in an auction, where a loss means compensation, sometimes worth more than the lost card (factory). Once the auction completes, you run your factories having to complete the programming, like symbols in each card, before moving to the next factory (card). Thus, you collect resources by compensation and new factory cards and then use the resources to gain more resources and to upgrade your factories (flipping over the card) to get more resources/upgrades/money. The winner is the player with the most money after four turns. The game is the perfect mix of player versus player in the auction, resource management, and exploitation (engine building) that boils down everything to simple rules and processes. I recommend Furnace (priced at about $34). It is well-rated on the Internet too.

Evan and I played two games; Evan scored well in the second game losing only by about seven coins. I was able to build slower and recover in the second game. A card I wanted was purchased by the non-player (two-person games have a non-player random player), and that trashed my plans for the first two turns (again, there are only four turns in a game).

After playing two games and the light brain burn precluded a third game, we chatted, and I ordered a pretzel which, when it arrived, with cheese fondue, was so anemic I would say it was more of a breadstick with hopes of being a pretzel someday. It was still good, but I did feel like it was a 1/2 order. After that, I paid the bill and headed to Richard’s in Air Volvo. There was no traffic, and I was there early.

It was all new games tonight. TrailBlazer is another game in the form of Weather Maker and other complex turn games that I am terrible at, but I like them. I scored last, even with Claudia complaining that she did not play well. I missed, as often happens to me, a significant mechanic and scoring options, but it was a positive game (unlike Darwin’s Journey) and bright (and cheap at about $60). Richard puts this game on the bottom of the scale of complexity and brain-burn-like games, and I agree with him. Still, it was the best, to me, as it avoided any punishing mechanism (Darwin’s Journey) or weird and complex scoring systems (Weather Maker). And, I understood the game about 1/2 through and would play faster next time (and will remember not to overpack and do the elevation track)–an excellent game.

Heat is a racing game with little cars and a race track board with a deck-building process (where your deck gets worse the more you risk your vehicle). Richard won after I spun out in my second sharp corner, and I brought my car in with some of the car’s engine still working for second place. A fun game with some fascinating add-ons (design your own car–card deck) that I have read about. It was a good finish for gaming night. A good game.

The trip home was the usual bridge with the stupidly high on-ramp and cars flying past Air Volvo on the bridge’s roadway showing signs of relativistic redshift. I stopped by Popeye’s and got a newly increased price of $12 for a three-piece chicken meal. I consumed the chicken breast and mashed potatoes and took my pills, and then later, not able to sleep, took some ibuprofen to help me sleep at 1ish. Finally, sleeping before 2AM showed on the clock radio. I left the other chicken pieces for lunch on Sunday.

Thanks for reading!

 

 

Another day on Paid-Time-Off (PTO), and today I managed to sleep in, rolling over a few times, to 8ish and did not get going until 9PM. I had written the blog the night before, so I could just go slow for a while.

I had a yogurt cup with fruit of some sort and liberal coffee, using hot water in my French Press after breaking open the next case of Equal Exchange Breakfast Blend to create liberalness and a decent cup of coffee. As I was reading the news, I could see that the US Supreme Court is still going with a mix-and-match approach, with some judges changing sides on the same issues and neither pleasing the far right nor us liberals on every vital point. I have not yet found the strength to read the court opinions and dissents.

My next big to-do was to schedule a trip to Michigan in September to enjoy my sister’s wedding on the 10th of the same month. I planned to go first class, and refundable in case Susie gets ill and I have to return unexpectedly or forgo the plans altogether. I usually do Expedia being a member since it was created on a lark by Microsoft an eternity ago on the Internet. But, today, Expedia could not handle the refundable air flights as it now focuses on hotels. United is not flying to Portland anymore, I discovered. So I headed back to Delta (I have over 100K miles with them as they are my usual choice for International since Luftansa left Portland) and soon managed to schedule an expensive but refundable and changeable flight to Michigan. How Atlanta is on the way is one of the plane mysteries I try not to question, and why flying to Atlanta to Detroit to Lansing is cheaper is another mystery best left not explored (I can already hear Rod Sterling says, “It was a routine flight”).

But then Delta’s website said, want a hotel? Poof, it was done. And then, would you like a car to go with this? Poof, that is done. All refundable. Sorry Expedia, I have a new friend! Trip done.

Next, I entered the master bedroom and started to do an archeological dig on the top of the dresser. Nobody has seen stuff under there for years. Clouds of dust and hats, lots of hats, flew into the air. Well, I carried the caps to the closet. I emptied all the boxes and tossed empty boxes, and consolidated Susie’s various jewelry, mostly inexpensive stuff, into fewer boxes. I tossed medical stuff (expired). Soon I could see the surface. I then repeated the process on the next dresser. My plan for my break is to clear the mess in the master bedroom. There were, of course, more interesting plans for PTO, but this must be done.

I was dusty, and more stuff was headed to the trash and the recycling bin. I also have a good-sized pile for Goodwill. I will load up Air Volvo on Saturday and make a deposit.

I finished the Chinese food from a few nights ago for lunch and then, dusty, popped into the shower. I was ready to head out in Air Volvo in Friday traffic, usually quite heavy.

I have not found Susie’s diamond studs yet; it might be something for Linda to borrow if I find them. I picked them out, and they are quite sparkly. I will keep looking for them. Susie agrees to loan them if I discover them–more digging.

I arrived at Susie’s place at the hummingbird house in Portland (Tigard) at Allegiance Senior Care LLC, 9925 SW 82nd. Ave. Portland (Tigard), OR 97223; phone (503) 246-4116. Susie was in her recliner in the shared living room waiting for me. Susie decided to enjoy Metzger Park next door, and Jennifer, the weekday nursing aide, popped Susie into the wheelchair, and we were soon outside.

It is a dry, warm, but not hot day. There was a cool breeze, and the park was bright as no smoke had yet come to turn our skies grey. It is still early for us for fires. We start in July and peek in August.

We saw multiple Oregon Swallowtail butterflies doing circles around each other. The dragonflies were zipping around. I saw a hummingbird in the corner of my eye zip (it is hard to catch them as the dragonflies catch your attention now). Many dogs were out, and the parkkeeper moved things on his tractor. It was busy, and we found an unused bench in the sun. We called Leta, Susie’s mother, in Lansing, Michigan, and chatted for a while on my iPhone using FaceTime. Leta was unhappy as her rent-a-car had a flat tire, and the service to get it replaced was going sideways. They also still have grey skies for the smoke from the forest fires in Canada. After ringing off, we finished a park tour and returned to the hummingbird house. Jennifer sat Susie in her bed, and I put on the movie John Wick (1), and Susie and I enjoyed the show. I don’t know how many times I have seen it. After that, I put on M.A.S.H. (season 2) and headed home with a kiss.

Traffic was heavy, and it took me longer to get Air Volvo to the Volvo Cave. I had a package waiting for me. Another 1920s item, a 1927 Atlas in excellent condition, with maps of all the major (and less significant cities like Portland, Oregon) from the 20s. I found it for $50 on eBay and added it to my collection of resources for 1920s horror writing. When I have time (an interesting question), I will start back on the 1920s again.

I reheated the overpriced pizza and salad from MOD Pizza and some Chinese food for dinner. I found the floor in the master bedroom (my friend Mariah was whale watching after a hard day–she pops out and back from the coast–I think that was a better idea than cleaning/finding the bedroom’s flat surfaces). I have a more enormous pile of things to send to Goodwill and put seven (!) pairs of shoes for Susie (including Susie-sized Air Force Ones–when did she get those!?) in the closet (which needs cleaning, too–but for another day).

With my reaching my goal, the tops of the dressers explored, and the floor found, it was time to write and Ait Volvo popped off to Wildwood Taphouse. Here I am writing and having a beer product. I have the board game Furnace with me and plenty of time now. I am tired and dusty.

Thanks for reading.

 

Today I took Paid-Time-Off (PTO) and tried to sleep in. I had tea yesterday to help wake up, and instead, I was nervous and exhausted at the same time, meaning sleep came after 1:30AM. So I stayed in bed until 9ish and did not have to rush or do much. I kept things simple and made liberal coffee in my French Press with cheese, crackers, and kielbasa slices for a European breakfast.

I then cleaned up the pile, a huge mess of books, magazines, and gaming stuff spilled and piled next to the bed in the master bedroom. I recycled most of the magazines, some only looked through, as I understand I won’t find the time to reread them–Being realistic. I also will send most of the non-history or reference books (SciFi, classics, etc.) to Goodwill. I retained the gaming stuff, put some rules back in the games, put some games away, and put some quarterly magazines on the gaming shelf. I still get Decisions Game‘s quarterly history publication. Their write-up on the Soviet-Nazi tank battles was excellent, and I could not put it down.

I was coughing and sneezing from the cloud of dust. I reheated some of the leftover Chinese food from yesterday for lunch–doing dishes, cleaning up the mess, and Quicken took up the morning. I got tickets for Indiana Jones last night. I water the roses and plants; the new tree is still doing well–the redwood I planted.

After cleaning up and getting dressed, I took the new Echo Show (the video version for about $90) in Air Volvo. With no real traffic, Air Volvo got me soon to Susie’s place at the hummingbird house in Portland (Tigard) at Allegiance Senior Care LLC, 9925 SW 82nd. Ave. Portland (Tigard), OR 97223; phone (503) 246-4116. Susie was still resting in her bed and deeply asleep. I dropped something twice in her room, and that woke her. With some finagling, I got the device to connect and sign into my Amazon account for music. You must approve the connection via an email and text sent to your phone and account email. I did and played music for Susie. The new speakers are supposed to sound better, and this one did (the base is clear). I then deleted the old device from my account and gave it to Jennifer for use on their account. I don’t need a spare one!

That done, it was time to head out. Jennifer got Susie ready while her son ran around with the new (my former one) Echo Dot. I then took Susie to Air Volvo and managed to lift her into the co-pilot spot, load the wheelchair into the cargo bay, and head to the Regal Evergreen Theater. After a short trip on 217 and 26, I arrived and unloaded Susie and rolled her into the RPX theater (one step below IMAX) for Indiana Jones and the Dail of Destiny. We got popcorn, no butter, and a frozen ICEE Cherry Coke-like product nearly glowing orange-pink.

We loved the seats (D1-D2 for wheelchair and campaign) and the theater. The movie was a great version of an upgraded Indiana Jones movie, and I recommend it. Susie loved it. No spoilers.

After that, I took Susie back; she looked exhausted but happy. It was time for dinner, and I quickly kissed Susie goodbye while Louis (Jeniffer’s husband) got dinner going.

I headed back by highways instead of crossing Beaverton, retracing my steps. Instead of the movie theaters, I headed to Mod Pizza for a pizza and a large salad. I was shocked by the $35 price tag, but I had enough food for two dinners–I packed up half.

Next, I went to the Men’s Warehouse and bought three suits, dark gray, black, and dark blue, with vests, black leather shoes, and suspenders. I got vests, too, going old school. The grey is for Linda’s wedding on 10Sept2023 which I might make. My sales associate was Alex, a 5′ tiny gal in combat boots, tight jeans, and a silk blouse (no longer are suit salespersons, male, in a suit, and boring). Alex was friendly, a GenZ or younger, and happy to sell me three suits–I have twenty-sided dice older than her. Linda, my sister, wanted darker grey for the wedding, I wanted black for those events that call for that, and a blue suit for more formal items. Alex was thrilled to sell me three suits plus all the extras. She seemed surprised when I kept adding on–I was trying to get it over with and adding everything I might need.

Alex has been selling suits for four months and has had to get some help with some modifications. She seemed thrilled to help me–again, someone who pops in and says let’s get three (over $2000 sales) and makes it easy is not likely a typical event. Also, my pants fell down once, and nobody commented on it. I had new stripped underwear on–I had bought new underwear this week. My approach to suits is to buy what they have, modify as little as required, and let Alex work it out. They had to order some of it as my request for a second pair of paints and vests could not be filled tonight. Done! They will contact me when the modifications are ready and when the ordered items come in.

With that done, I headed home, grabbed my laptop and a board game, and headed to Wildwood Taphouse to write this blog and relax. I also brought the boardgame Furnace, hoping to play a game with me playing both players.

It is the early evening, and I do not plan to do much more than write and do a little housework. I am somehow more tired than yesterday. Going back a bit, I left work and returned to the house after seeing Susie as I was just not feeling well; I was fatigued. I ordered dinner delivered, Chinese, going with salt and pepper calamari and chicken and cashews with hot and sour soup and crab puffs. I plan to eat this over a few days. I rested a few times and finally picked up all the magazines in the bedroom from the past months and recycled them. I am not going to get back to read them or reread them.

Going back further, I had lunch from the food trucks at the Nike building called Clubhouse–our home for years now. The project supplies lunch and coffee in the morning for this weekend’s go-live. I had some BBQ chicken with some wonderful potato salad and slaw. Again sitting with Michelle V and some team members for master data while we consumed our bounty. Michelle was happy to meet some of our team, and we talked about rock and roll (Michelle’s daughter is a Swifty, and her husband likes the Doors) and concerts we have attended. It was a nice lunch.

Afterward, I packed up my laptop and headed to Susie at the hummingbird house in Portland (Tigard) at Allegiance Senior Care LLC, 9925 SW 82nd. Ave. Portland (Tigard), OR 97223; phone (503) 246-4116. There was not much traffic, and the forest fire smoke stayed away (this year, the rains have been heavy, so the fire season is yet to start for us), so we have a hot and bright and clear skies day. Susie was asleep in her recliner in the shared living room. Jennifer, the nursing aide for the weekday, had trouble getting Susie going this morning. Susie was too tired to eat, so Jennifer helped her–Susie barely spoke during my visit and to Leta, her mother, on the phone. I am worried that Susie is fading. It is hard to know what to do, but we will keep going–it is what we do.

Susie agreed to head outside. Jennifer quickly popped Susie into her wheelchair; we headed outside, and it was warm with a cool breeze, nearly perfect. I pushed her wheelchair, and I was tired, and it seemed more challenging than usual. We got to my favorite shady bench near the redwoods and cedar. We called Susie’s mother there, and Leta told us she was staying inside as it was still smoky in Lansing, Michigan. The fires in Canada are filling the Midwest and the Eastern US skies with smoke. Leta skipped the Taco Tuesday the night before at her church as it was outside–Leta has asthma.

In Metzger Park, we saw the usual collection of younger kids and dogs of various ages and sizes. One butterfly remains fluttering here and everywhere. The crows called out to us as we crossed back onto the road. I yelled back and seemed to surprise them. Soon, it was a short visit, I was back at hummingbird house, and Louis was filling in for Jenifer, who had an errand to run. Susie was sad to have me leave so soon, but Louis momentarily distracted her as he placed her back in the recliner. I went with a kiss and a promise to return on Thursday afternoon. Indiana Jones, the newest and last one, is released in theaters on Thursday–I have tickets already for the 3PM show.

My trip across Beaverton back to the Volvo cave was without events, and Hall Boulevard is still open, making the trip uncomplex–no detours. I was dead tired when I arrived at the Volvo cave.

Moving back to the start of the day, I woke early and rolled over, and only seconds later, it was 6AM and time to start. I had a 7:30 status meeting at the office, so I had to start early and rush. Yes, in the strange logic of IT, I drive in to do a Zoom meeting in the office at 7:30. I do a few hours of status meetings, and we identify an issue that was declared a crisis, and for a moment, it was. We cleared the issue in a few hours–it was already being resolved. I also had to explain to a smaller group that when we have unworking critical data loads, it is best to fix it, even if that too is a risk–it is bad to have a break, but it is worse to not fix them. Leadership may want to delay the fix implementation to reduce the risk and noise in the current go-live, but we must have the fix done and ready. I seem to be teaching a new group of folks how to do production support–but at least they listen.

Well, readers, that was my day. I struggled with fatigue the whole day, but I have the next two days off, and the weekend work appears to be minimal too. We work Monday on the shifts and will likely work the next weekend.

I am not going out to get a beer or anything like that tonight. I will do the dishes, relax more tonight, and stay home. I will sleep in, sort of, on Thursday.

Aside: I am still paying over $8,000 in monthly health expenses after insurance. I am starting to burn through the cash I borrowed from my 401K ($50,000). Nike bonuses are paid in August, and I have $30,000 in Nike stock (from the stock purchase program) and other liquid investments. This should be enough for any surprises to reach the end of 2023. My financial plan is to not sell assets for this year if I can avoid it, so I can get a considerable tax refund to help cover next year. I have increased my 401K and deferred compensation to reduce my taxable pay to enable this. I also plan to cash in Susie’s IRA for next year as Susie is over 59 1/2, and that will likely cover any expenses and surprises when added to the tax refunds. For 2025, I am ready to cash out stock options as needed (hoping they are still above water) or refinance the house to cover another year, but that is out too far to plan more than a penciled-in plan. I can cover the high medical costs for the next couple of years and see that I will be OK even in the misty future.

Thank you for reading.