Author: alohawild

The pond is back in the back corner of my backyard and has nearly reached one of my rose bushes–three or more inches deep. The river of rain, breaking some daily record of rain of an inch and a third, and then again that much again the next day. Light flooding or what I call puddles everywhere, and I had to suddenly drive around a deep one on an on-ramp to Murry Road in Beaverton in Air VW the Gray! Hat and coat weather, but somehow reassuring to me. We are restoring more snow pack, yay! The moss seems to almost glow in the gray light. The trees in my yard are green, not leaves, but moss, some three inches.

I had tummy issues all day and night. It was fading, but still it was there all day.

I rise early, at 7, and start the usual routine: coffee, reading email and news (I look for interesting non-war or non-Trump stories now), and updating my transactions in Quicken to keep an eye on my finances (retired, my investments are all that I have). I move the accumulated sale of an ETF and my Oregon tax refund into my savings, since my checking account, a remainder from another time, pays no interest. Boring but necessary steps. Discipline is part of my survival strategy as a retired person at 61.

While drinking my coffee and going through my morning routine, I think about what I have learned from the news. The world continues to tell itself lies that Justice with Compassion is too expensive, and we could always do that later. And if anyone needs a reminder that we have had this issue for a long time, here is a reminder, in Mark Twain’s words, as a play in 1967 during the Vietnam War and the Cold War. I drink my coffee with its bitterness.

I write and include my denied Freedom of Information Request in the Epstein files in my blog post. I copied a bit of the Justice Department’s letter. More to follow. I reassemble the day in my mind and try to make a narrative, and today the words flow without me losing focus.

I manage to get the blog done by 9:45 and manage a quick shower, shave, and so on to be ready at 10AM. My alarm is set to pull out the injector pen from the refrigerator 90 minutes before my appointment. I had assembled the sharps box, wipes, and seral pad to wipe away any blood on my desk in the office.

At 10, I join a Zoom call, and Emily, the agent and RN from Skyrizi, watches, moving the laptop to balance on the wastebasket to give her a good view, and we go through the somewhat elaborate ritual of pen injection. No mistakes and no pain in my right leg (the good ear side). I hear all the clicks, and Emily counts to fifteen slowly to reach the 15-second wait. I hear the click of completion, and the window is filled with the yellow injector thingee. Later, on Friday, it was hard to get up, and I felt tired (some of those flu-like symptoms).

I switch out of swimming trunks and dress in pants (I am not Pacific Northwest enough to wear shorts and sandals in the winter). No immediate side effects (if I were allergic, I would be headed to the ER). And soon board Air VW the Gray and meet Scott W at McMenamins Cedar Hills for our weekly lunch. Brad could not make this one. We talk about the war and investments. Scott W needs a new cheap car for his daughters (for the obvious reasons), and we talk about cars and purchases. We had a nice visit (though a spilled beer had me jump, Scott W said he did not know I could move that fast).

I headed home and again forgot to head to Home Depot (I need to look at flooring). I was going to read more of 1929, but Corwin stopped by and was having some issues, and I had to help him find his calm. A trip to Wendy’s and just calm words worked. Food requires you to change your thinking and focus on something else.

Thursday would have a theme; it is not about the issues and forces that drive you mad, but about your reaction to them. You need to remember that all you can control is your reaction to these events and, to a limited degree, your exposure to the things, whatever they are and always different for each of us, that upset you. I would hear these same words (and say them too) at Theology Pub, which was dealing with Forgiveness as its topic later Thursday evening.

Corwin fed and better heads out to deliver food for a living (making $50 a day for a total of $350 a week). I read more and watched the ending of Down Cemetery Road, an excellent show. I read more of 1929 and can’t put it down. The author knows how to keep your interest while explaining the complex (and mostly banned now) shenanigans Wall Street used in the 1920s to generate sales. I learned that the newly formed Federal Reserve had issued a ruling and changes to reduce margin stock purchases, which sparked the first sell-offs in February 1929. The Fed saw it coming, and President Coolege, being replaced by Hoover, was reported to say that a depression was on the way as he left office. All interesting to me.

I picked up Jack on the way to Theology Pub back at McMenamins Cedar Hills. We arrived early, but everything was ready. Sarah was our waiter. I had a gin and tonic to pretend it was Spring. We managed about ten (many people are out traveling and like), and as I said, we shared about Forgiveness. Bob was affected by the reported mid-air collision in the war, as he used to fly the same tankers for the Air Force. Questions were raised about how to forgive the President for a war. We also need to forgive ourselves for those mistakes as a caregiver. I

t was a nice discussion, and we also lost our focus and just chatted. Excellent. I had the mushrooms-and-steak appetizer when I had had enough salads and carbs. I took Jack home and then returned home.

I read for a few hours. I had talked to Deborah here and there throughout the day, and I sent a ‘good night’ text during the meeting. It was hard to put down 1929 and thought about reading all night, but nodded off after a few chapters completed (I am in mid-March 1929; the book goes by weeks of 1929). I slept until late on Friday with some slowness I attribute to Skyrizi.

Thanks for reading.

 

 

On Wednesday, I rose near 8. I had slept in without an alarm. It was all the breaking news on my watch that woke me. I have both the NY Times and BBC News on alert, so each alert is usually two. I rose, made coffee (thanks, Dondrea, for the coffee), and found my way. I am counting down the days until I travel to Salt Lake City on the 20th. I will meet Deborah there for her conference with us, headed to the national parks before and after (assuming the weather holds). I return to Oregon on 2 April.

Aside: I usually have games with Z on Wednesday night. Cat asked to meet on Wednesday night, but that fell through. Thus, I managed to have multiple cancellations on Wednesday and instead joined Doug J and friends (Mike, Dave, and another Dave) for gaming until about 2-10.

I sipped my coffee as I read the news (doom scrolling now with fireworks, both explosive and financially). I updated my finances, harvesting my parked funds in iShares 0-3 Month Treasury Bond ETF to my banking accounts. I have house updates and medical bills to pay. I ignore the additional $30K in unrealized losses from the war in my IRA. I clean up email that mostly wants me to buy something or to give my money away (there is now, since the war, $60+K lost). Despite the news, I am feeling better. I have another trip, it is raining again, and the gray of the Pacific Northwest seems to say, “It is all relative.”

My letters, slightly revised and then again slightly updated, to the friends of First United Methodist Church are going out this week. Others and I calculate that the church’s giving is close to expenses, if we can pay off the roof loan. I have written letters to this effect to the church folks and hope they will help get a small increase and maybe pay off the roof loan early. Lent seems the right time to ask for some extra.

I write in my office, sipping my dark brew and recalling the day before, and assemble it into a narrative. The coffee gets me pounding away on the laptop, and its bitterness reminds me how far, much further than I thought only ten years ago, that we have to go to establish here in the USA Justice with Compassion.

I received an email from the Department of Justice on my Freedom of Information request that said the Epstein text redaction (something Jack posted on Facebook as an example of overreach in redaction in a single meaningless email) was appropriate, and my request to release the original email text and sender was denied.

Some of the text:

FOIA-2026-01756

Dear Michael Wild:

This responds to your Freedom of Information Act (FOIA) request for the Jeffrey Epstein and/or Ghislaine Maxwell files.

President Trump signed the Epstein Files Transparency Act into law on November 19, 2025, directing the Department of Justice to produce, with few exceptions, all documents, files, records, videos and images related to the investigations and prosecutions of Jeffrey Epstein and Ghislaine Maxwell.

….(just boilerplate execuses saying there was nothing to do and my request is denied)

If you are not satisfied with this Office’s determination in response to this request, you may administratively appeal by writing to the Director, Office of Information Policy, United States Department of Justice, Sixth Floor, 441 G Street, NW, Washington, DC 20530-0001, or you may submit an appeal through OIP’s FOIA STAR portal by creating an account following the instructions on OIP’s website: https://www.justice.gov/oip/submit-and-track-request-or-appeal. Your appeal must be postmarked or electronically submitted within ninety days of the date of my response to your request. If you submit your appeal by mail, both the letter and the envelope should be clearly marked “Freedom of Information Act Appeal.” If possible, please provide a copy of your original request and this response letter with your appeal.

I will follow up, of course. I will sue if needed, a class action as required by the recent Supreme Court ruling. It is, in my opinion, a simple mistake, but it should be interesting. My way of protesting. I will call and write. More to follow. I see a trip to Washington, DC in my future.

I finished the blog late in the morning. Lunch was a salad with some of the bacon and hard-boiled egg I had made the day before. I forgot the croutons I made a few days ago. I ate this while I spoke with Deborah, who had finished work, and we talked about our upcoming trip and other topics.

I showered and dressed. Skyrizi, my new injectable solution for my skin rash, was delivered, and later I watched a video on how to inject it. I have read and listened to all the stuff on this medicine. I put the pen in the fridge, near the front, meaning it is not in danger of freezing, and verified my name on the label and that the liquid in the viewing window was not troubled by large floaters. All good.

I then headed to the corner market at 185th and TV Highway to get veggies for Jambalaya and a few additional items like bananas. Next, I head to Fred Meyer’s, and I find the sausage, kitchen bouquet, rice, and some South American wine, two bottles of a brand I used to love: Casillero Del Diablo. That is the Devil’s basement, with the legend that the winemaker hinted to folks that it was haunted by the Devil. He hid his best wines there. In the 1980s, the label sported an image of a devil, but now it is just words in Gothic-like script (about $13 a bottle, and there is a white, though I always go with a more devilish colored red).

With all my items returned in Air VW the Gray to the house and put away, I headed to Doug J’s house to play games. I was invited to their monthly gaming night. We were five, and I was surprised I was the youngest. This was a more casual group, and play was slow with friendly redos.

We played the learning version of Finspan, the newest version of the original Wingspan, and I found it an enjoyable game, easy to follow, and to play. This game, compared to Wingspan, is restructured to reduce competition and interaction during play. I collected my fish cards and then arranged them using resources that are easier to collect than in Wrymspan. The game, I soon discovered, had care sequencing to get the best results (much like when fishing), and I needed to plan turns out about two to three turns deep to get better results. I had a strange mix of easy-to-place and difficult-to-place fish cards, but many were high-value. My fellow players were working on hatching and sorting the fry into schools for extra points. I did that half as much, as I needed the eggs and fry to fill my board with high-value fish cards. The times I lost the most on Wyrmspan were when my opponents would play high-value dragon cards; seeing my cards were leaning that way, I played more and assembled schools less.

(the yellow on the cards are end-of-game bonuses; I had many, again my chance)

I have to admit the Finspan was an excellent game. I do not want another something-span game, but this one was nice. I won by about a fish card, and the last place was only two or three cards away. A close game.

Doug J and Kathy were trying out the mac and cheese recipe for the upcoming church lunch. It was great. The chips and salsa were great. The almond flour chocolate cake was lovely.

We played Dominion next, and I got lost in what I should do and ended up scoring in the middle. This is one of the original deck-building games and has endless alternative decks to buy. I like this game, but I always play someone’s copy and am always behind. In a gaming group, someone has invested. I recommend a game of Dominion. We had the Charlatan card, and this cursed us often. It was fun, and I recommend playing someone’s copy.

Flip 7 was out in our last game, and I scored in the middle again. No luck for me. I never got a multiplier card or plus value cards. It was fun, Doug J scored zero. His luck was endlessly bad.

With that done and I well fed, I headed home. The rain was now more like yet another river of rain (my backyard pond returned). I soon was reading more about 1929 in my PJs, started to nod off, and soon slept a broken sleep. I woke many times, but managed to return to sleep each time until 7, when I needed to get going on Thursday.

Thanks for reading!

It was another gray morning with the Oregon Mist returning here and there. Various colors of gray enhance the green here in the Pacific Northwest, and the pines, cedars, and redwoods are drinking deeply of the easy water. The moss gathers water and dim light. All this seems to whisper, “Home,” to me.

Coffee was instant this morning, an excellent product from Starbucks, a surprise that instant can be so good, and an attempt to write the blog in the limited time I have with a 9:30 game in Portland at Richard’s house. I find that I need forty minutes on Tuesday morning to reach Richard’s on time. I write about 1/2 of the blog before I have to shower, dress, and head out.

Air VW the Gray with 74% charge heads into Portland. I see the energy prices for gasoline as I travel and feel sad for the lead sleds out there. That extra cash that cannot be avoided for work transit has to hurt. Again, not sure what President Trump was thinking. Unpacking that, he has called a worthy price for security, which has some logic to it, though it sounds like an afterthought explanation. He did promise $2 gas during his campaign. Hmmm.

I arrived on time, and Richard had already had the game board for the board game version of Tainted Grail ‘restored’ from its ‘save’. James appeared a few minutes later, having come from the North. We started the game having changed multiple chapters and are now on 11 of 15. We have much of this game down cold, and my memory for stories helps us march across the board. We have buffed our characters (though we lost our equipment as part of the story), and I am now the weakest as my druid Maggot is more of an even character, while Richard plays a combat character and James a diplomacy character. I am now playing a more supportive role.

We manage to have the map open from coast to coast in the SciFi world, a free mix of Arthurian and Lovecraftian myths (with hints of Moorcock’s Eternal Champion). We cross the map, finish climactic missions, and experience a near-death moment with Arthurian tragic characters. It is immersive, and we are making decision after decision, not all of which agree, but we are willing to try some things. Without creating a spoiler on copyrighted material, we discover a fork and pick an option, and for the first time, we are warned that we are not coming back to some quests, and we might want to take a ‘save’ (allowing another option). Only one quest is possible (they are exclusive), and we picked one. We agreed to ‘save’ and return next week to our new quest and face our decision.

James is now focusing on cooperative games, and I have offered the crazy “Try not to die” Unsettled board game, and passing through the planets. James liked the game, and Richard is willing. I have at least three planets that have not even been opened. I have painted all the figures.

Aside: I have purchased some sleeves as the initial planets get used often, and I would like to keep them ready for first-time players. I imagine playing this for groups that want a cooperative game and have moved past Pandemic. I also saw a helpful turn option tracker that would help with new players. All on their way.

I headed to Broadway Grill and tried to eat lunch. Skyrizi calls made me order by pointing at my bartender. I had Mr. Toad’s Wild Red with lunch. It would cause a nap. I had the hummus and falafel platter. I finished the blog and had more calls. I try not to be ‘that guy’ on his cell all the time, but it was a busy time.

I stopped by Broadway Books next door and found Andrew Ross Sorkin’s 1929: Inside the Greatest Crash in Wall Street History — and How It Shattered a Nation, promising new sources, including many personal accounts not included in other histories. The store staff said her husband loved The Big Short; I discovered that the author wrote the book the movie was based on, a favorite, and I was looking forward to reading 1929. I have read 100 pages, and the style is narrative and easy to read (though there are extensive notes that connect the narrative to sources). I am enjoying the book and may have to try his other histories.

I also saw an interesting mix for an upcoming show taped to the window at Broadway Books!

I returned home, and it was a struggle; the beer and food were making me very sleepy. I managed to crawl into bed at the house and slept for a few hours (the early rising, time change, and tummy, plus the beer and food impacted). Deborah called and suggested that maybe beer might be a poor choice for the morning. Possibly. Back to iced tea!

I rose and started to fry some bacon. I boiled some eggs after checking the instructions for hard-boiled eggs. I got out a box of dehydrated hashrowns and started the process. I would fry them with minimum oil (just a bit of bacon drippings). I crisp the bacon to one step above burned. I manage to peel eggs with various degrees of success. I eat the less good ones (the rest of the bacon and remaining egg are for salads).

I watched the Swords & Sorcery movie while I cook and eat. I like the story and narration. Reminds me of a Dungeons & Dragons 1970s adventure. It is NOT recommended.

I watched an old Fourth Doctor episode while I folded the laundry, a cautionary tale of nuclear war and inexplicable war aims, and put it all away. I then returned to Down Cemetery Road on Apple TV. It was much more violent, with a terrifying chase scene. No spoilers. It is excellent and recommended (with the first episodes a bit rough but worth passing through).

As I have mentioned, I returned to reading about 1929 and enjoyed the narrative. It reminded me of Erik Larson’s books. In the notes, the author covers the sources, and I can see that the narrative is connected to actual records. Wow! It also reminds me of Jutland, 1916: Death in the Grey Wastes, which uncovered sources that had been missed by most, if not all, previous authors. The first hundred pages disappeared in a moment. Recommended!

Linda called late, and Mom Wild had fallen. Linda got there and agreed that Mom Wild did not need an ER check-up. A tough night for Linda and Mom, but it could have been worse.

Sleep, with the nap earlier, was broken, and I woke often, but 7:30 got here sooner than I expected, and it was dark from all the gray clouds.

Thanks for reading!

All day, my tummy was sore; undoubtedly caused by a medication I take. It took almost a week to go away last time. Lucky there is only one more dose of the anti-fungal med. There are also eleven days until my trip to Salt Lake City. I rose before sunrise, and it was cold and frosty outside. The rains have faded again, and we have blue skies intermixed with white cotton-candy clouds; the sun makes it a glorious and warming morning. No gray, at first, but the sky later will fill and return to the Pacific Northwest winter, gray and cold.

I invest my morning in writing another blog. Some days, the words just flow, and others, they are extracted with multiple passes as the details suddenly fill my mind. The morning was a mix of this. While some feel this is a problem that increases with age, I have always had trouble remembering the previous day.

I wrote while I sipped coffee (thanks, Dondrea, for the brew), read my email (mostly deleting), and updated my Quicken transactions to keep on top of my money and expenses. I read the news from the New York Times, the Jerusalem Post, and BBC News. Later, President Trump would say the war was over (it is not, and he, according to the press, started to walk that statement back), and there would be a minor improvement on the stock market. My IRA did not improve.

In the morning, I called Sam at US Bank Wealth Management, and we discussed my tax return and the market. On taxes, I informed Sam that my contrivance to withdraw from my IRA and donate the same money worked to my plans (I am never sure until the CPA runs my taxes), and I will likely repeat that (at some future point when the market has recovered). He was happy to hear that it worked out (I am not required to make mandatory withdrawals yet in my IRA, for those wondering, and after 70+, from what I have read, the giving counts for those). Sam reminded me that we were not even in correction territory on the declines, and he suspects it will be a blip. My IRA now contains little cash; I am nearly fully invested now, and Sam thinks I am running a moderately aggressive portfolio. I agreed with him, said I wished I had some more cash to buy some indexes at a discount, but we will leave things as is (he did offer to sell off some bonds to double-down, but that is moving into a more aggressive position, which sounded more brave than I should be). We agreed to watch from the bleachers for a while.

Later (to cover money things), I also spoke with my local Allstate agent. She had found a better earthquake insurance plan for me at about 1/2 the price, with the same coverage, and it was more traditional-looking. Each part of the insurance is broken out like my homeowners’ insurance. I gave my credit card number, and poof, it was done, and the house, contents, and other intangibles were covered.

I finished the blog, started the Monday laundry, drank lots of coffee, had toast with marmalade, and put out the remaining shredded bread to dry for croutons. I showered, scrubbed all the rash-impacted areas, and after the shower, I applied only a few creams. I dressed, grabbed my laptop, and sat down for a Zoom meeting on Skyrizi, my new treatment for rashes. I was wrong about the time, but we still got the meeting done. Just put in 10:30 in my calendar, not 10, and next headed to Cedar Mills McMinimans for lunch and to get a room for Theology Pub on Thursday at 7.

After a short ride in Air VW the Gray, I arrived and discovered Scott W and Ken (not my pastor Ken, but a former co-worker from Nike), and they asked me to join them. We talked about Nike, the war, and even insurance. I had iced tea for that meal. It was nice to see Ken (he still works at Nike). He did, and this got a wry smile from him, convincing Scott W and me that our retirement timing was good (via layoff).

I then sat at the bar after they left, had a dark beer, their Terminator, and arranged for the room for Thursday. One of my usual waiters was bartending. Instead of sitting at the bar and editing Dungeons & Dragons adventures, I had a nice ad hoc lunch with friends.

I returned home and watched more of Down Cemetery Road, and I really enjoyed the story. The acting is great, and you believe these people are real, as it quickly dispels any disbelief with good storytelling and camera work. The lead actresses, Emma Thompson and Ruth Wilson, hold the story together, and I have enjoyed them in other movies and TV series. Recommended, though it starts a bit rough.

I defrosted some Mount Angel kielbasa for dinner. I made sourkraut from a jar, left over from a previous meal, and opened and heated a can of baked beans to go with it. I heated the kielbasa in a hot pan.

I also toasted the remains of my bread, just some end pieces and some poorly sliced off bits, in the oven with olive oil, sea salt, and generic Italian-style spices. I then sliced it up into croutons. I should have let it dry out for a few days — next time. Still, it was good.

I finished the laundry, but did not fold and put it away. I also assembled, with much more care, and followed the recipe with precision. The bread was good, and I finished my evening with a slice of toast with marmalade. I sliced all the bread, still warm, and reassembled the loaf in a bag. I froze it once it cooled. I do not eat bread fast enough to prevent it from turning furry (milk bread will last for me).

With that, I wrapped up Monday and went to bed. I did not read and soon slept.

Thanks for reading!

 

I rose on Sunday at 7 with my alarm, which seemed early, and it was dark out. It was time change morning, and it sucked. I made coffee as I did not assemble the night before; instead, I set all the clocks. I found the kitchen and my office and watched the sunrise on a cool but dry morning for us. Later, we would get some Oregon Mist, but no rain. It was a warm day, and no coats were needed, but I put one on in the car for the Oregon Mist.

I wrote the blog and managed to complete it before I needed to get dressed to go to church. Shower and the end of the application of one cream for two weeks. I am also running low on one that worked. I will likely refill it soon. I have to schedule a needle biopsy for the tumor in my neck and a colonoscopy. Yes, that sounds like joy. I also have to message my primary doc to refill my prescriptions at the local pharmacy, as I have changed insurance. There is no end to medical stuff as you get to the 60+ range. Stay young!

I drove to church and arrived on time. I took up my position in the back as an usher. I was busy with various food items for the future (pancake breakfast for Easter morning and Jamabolya for next Sunday after-church lunch with a speaker on Black Poineers after the service). At one point, I put down my coffee, missed, and spilled it all over a table and the floor. Z and I were cleaning that up for a while. The new flooring cleaned up with a wipe.

Dondrea gave a witness in the service about food and our experience meeting folks (here at clock 17:11). It was excellent, and I can recommend it. Ken followed up with a brief but history-based sermon that connected to one of Saint Paul’s visits about not returning violence with violence (at 33:30 on the same link). The two presentations fit well together. Recommended too!

I then, turning down an offer for lunch, headed home, dragging a bit, as time change always seems confusing and exhausting. Like being sick or recovering from a car wreck, nothing feels right. I found myself sleeping in my chair after stir-frying frozen Trader Joe’s Chicken Fried Rice for lunch. After two naps, I finally rose, still feeling like this day is just messed up.

I spoke with Deborah and discussed some cooking options. I took Air VW the Gray to M@’s place for Dungeons & Dragons. While details cannot be mentioned here as this is copyrighted material, in all of my D&D play, I have never seen a dragon’s breath weapon recharge every round! Our not-combat-centric group did well, and the dragon ran. We managed to heal everyone (though one player was on two death saves). Sadly, the finale will be while I am traveling, but I hope for a good report. It was more classic blasting and fighting this time than our group is used to. It was fun.

I drive home, and it seems very late. I assemble bread for the bread machine and send it on. But it will fail as I was careless and tossed it in the morning. I will try again on Monday. Puke!

I have a long list of items for Monday! I don’t read and just sleep. I wake as my tummy is hurting again. I took the same med last Sunday, and the reaction is familiar. Hmmmm. I will be up and down in the early morning on Monday to allow my colon to release. Ugh, but no ‘code browns.’

I rise at 7:30 on Monday. It seems early, I am tired, but like summer early. I like it. My weight is down again to 226. Again, not the recommended approach for weight loss (yuk!), but it is at least something!

Thanks for reading!