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I was surprised to sleep before 7 and wake up after 8! I had woken at 4ish and thought I would not get back to sleep, and then I returned to a dark, dreamless sleep until after 7. I blinked, I swear, and it was after 8. I rose before any more of Thursday’s morning disappeared. I found the kitchen and made locally ground and roasted coffee with strawberry yogurt. I spent the morning distracted by texts, searching the Internet, and paying bills. I did the usual transfers from my checking to Amex and my Alaska Airlines Visa.

I did try to reach customer service for the air miles part of my Visa, but after twenty minutes, I did not get an answer. I will try again later. My experience with the credit card these last couple of months has made me love my American Express again and wonder if this is worth the trouble. The funny part is that both charge an annual fee, and Amex has a lower cost. Yes, I am beginning to love Amex again.

I finally finished the often-interrupted blog just after noon local time. I’m sorry to you, dear readers, on the East Coast, as it would have been after 3. I reheated the chicken and pasta from a few days ago for lunch. It was good a second time, and the pasta sauce, as often happens, was better balanced when reheated after a day in the frig. I dressed and was ready to face the afternoon.

I returned to working on the SMS Derfflinger 1916 model. I first replaced the blade in my scalpel, as I felt I would need a sharp and clean edge for this work. I often break the blade when I do this, but I kept the sharp bits under control, taped them to cover the blade, and then tossed them. The new blade clicked into the holder after a few tries.

The glue was set from the day before. I then began the steps to finish the area in a tiny section of the model, which I had to build entirely from tiny etched brass bits–replacing the plastic parts. I folded a door and built a ladder to mount on a wall. Next, I folded and dropped the central wall part. This tore the part, but I could recover all the parts as it stuck to my shirt. I got a loop for reading the fine print in board games (yes, I have one from Stonemaier Games) to see how some parts connected. I used jewelry cement that slowly locks a part in place while using the finest tweezers and scalpel blade edge to adjust the parts. The torn bits fit together and look fine. The whole construction took an hour of work. By the end of the hour, my back hurt, my eyes were blurry, and my hands hurt, but it was done. I decided to stop there for now.

The day was vanishing, but I decided to try the first episode of the Lord of the Rings show, Rings of Power. This would be my third or more time watching, but the series continues next week, and I wanted to remember it better. I forgot how much action was in the first episode and how strange it was with maps and introducing all the storylines. I enjoyed it again. I would watch the second episode later in the evening. It presents the dwarves, some of the best parts of the series.

The day was vanishing, but I returned to SMS Derfflinger and put on some plastic parts for the bow area. The deck overlay lost a pin-like piece connection. I could barely handle the part and was scared to use tweezers as they tend to make tiny parts fly and disappear to where socks and Tupperware lids go. I have to drill a hole for it; multiple of these exist. I will think about it. The capstans were mounted, but I did not paint them black before gluing them. Painting them without ruining the deck overlay will be tricky. There is an etched brass part to put on to finish the capstans, too, which will have to be black, too. I looked at the anchor chain. It is gold and must be painted black or dark grey (to be visible). It would be hard to make it look good as it has to be pulled straight. A brass-etched version will lay flat and straight, which I lean toward as it will not need to be stretched. I will paint it dark grey so it stands out. Again, I decided to think about this.

I took two plant tables to GoodWill, just a few miles away. Both have feet that stick out, and I am constantly kicking them. It is time for them to find a new home. Less clutter is good. I make it a there-and-back trip.

The Reedville Presbyterian Church, just down the street, put on a block party today. I got an invitation on a door handle. I head there after 5:30 and find a smallish party with some local groups there to talk. I talked to the recycling folks for Washington County (my county in Oregon), and they commented on my T-shirt from Sparkfun, which has a lithium battery. It is one of their most significant issues now, with folks unknowingly throwing in the trash items that contain a flammable battery that often explodes/burns when exposed to water.

A reserve fire truck with firemen was there (the engine is used for events as it is past its service life, I learned). I also. I discovered there is a shared community garden at the back of the church. I had a slider-sized sandwich, potato salad (very plain), and a slice of seedless watermelon (I tried it again–yes, I still don’t like it much). I sat with young folks I did not know, who mostly ignored me. I tried to be friendly. It was nice, but I soon was dodging wasps and decided, with sprinkles and the cold air, it was time to return to the Volvo Cave.

I wanted over 5,000 steps today. Air Volvo was available to take me to Salt and Straw in Beaverton for ice cream, even with the dark grey sky filled with fall-like clouds. Summer had abruptly ended! I was soon enjoying a vegan peanut butter brittle coconut alternative to ice cream; it was delicious. I walked the Cedar Hills Crossing outdoor mall. There, I was spotted by a former co-worker who still works in master data at the shoe company. A few hugs and pictures followed. Some pics were shared at the shoe company. I continued my walk until I hit 5,000.

I grabbed my laptop and decided to try a beer at WildFin, a new place for me. Rachel was the barkeeper, and soon, I had a nice beer and was looking at things to do in Chicago. I also looked at seeing Santana in Las Vegas (for too much money, with standing tickets over $100 and a chair costing an additional $200-300). I was looking at the U2 movie at The Sphere, too, but the costs are outsized compared to nice restaurants and museums. I will just listen to my Santana albums, a sunk cost.

Rachel suggested I order food as the kitchen would close (they close at 9), and thus prompted, I tried the “drummies” appetizer of dry rub smallish chicken legs. They were OK but not as nearly hot, the temperature and the spice level, that I like. They were put over a puddle of sauce on a wooden board, which I thought would be better in a bowl. My bill was surprisingly high at $36 for a beer and one appetizer. I noticed many couples in the bar getting to know each other, so maybe I am not the target audience for WildFin. I had the pleasure of closing a bar.

Air Volvo took me home, and, as I said, I watched more LOTR Rings of Power and soon read more of The Orchid Thief, which is now telling various histories of Florida’s corrupt real estate practices and stories of orchid growers not necessarily unrelated stories. I enjoy the book’s style of telling the story from the author’s point of view and am about halfway through it.

I showered as the house started to get cold. I closed my bedroom door to let the shower warm up my bedroom and went to bed with the covers pulled up (I put on the heat on Friday morning as it was not going over 70F outside today–not time for AC). Summer returns next week. I read until I nodded off. I then turned off the light and slept. I slept another dark, dreamless night.

Thanks for reading!

I rose early on Wednesday again, around 6, woke at 4 and 5, and finally gave in at 6. I am keeping the house colder at night by air conditioning to help with the new orchids. The house retains heat, and so the AC quickly cools the place down. This will not be required in the winter as the house cools then. I find my slippers, the work table, and the kitchen (they have not moved). I make liberal, Equal Exchange, coffee, and yogurt for breakfast. I find the last two peach halves in a jar and finish those.

I wrote Tuesday’s blog for a couple of hours. I have an SMS Derfflinger 1916 model next to me and plan to work on it this morning. I have to assemble the air venting for the original ship’s engine room from three etched brass pieces—not easy. I finished the blog mid-morning and then cleaned up and dressed.

I returned to the model, and after some failed dry-fitting (putting in the model pieces but not gluing them in), I used a very sharp scalpel to cut the deck overlay a millimeter at a time. It took a few tries as I did not want to damage the overlay or remove too much. The directions on the brass parts are unclear, and I decided not to add the doors and window covers until later, leaving this just using jewelry cement to attach the metal to the plastic. This bit overlaps the superstructure and will be in the viewer’s eye, so it needs to be near perfect. I must put cement inside the open section and replace a large plastic part to get the brass to cleanly reach the deck and cover the superstructure. The above deck plate is something I planned for later, and I am attaching it now (using the cement as I have it readily available) to complete the fit. All the big gun placements are now on the model, and it is beginning to look more like a warship. I decided I was done for the day as all the cement was 24-hour glue (allowing for last-minute fixes).

My trays and mist sprayer arrived from Amazon. I looked at local stores and even big-box stores—no luck. I had to get them from Amazon (or other online offers). The orchid dendrobium scared me by popping out of its orchid mix and throwing stuff everywhere. I was able to catch it before it crashed and broke off its roots. I re-potted it and re-watered it slightly deeper in the material. I watered the vandas the day before, and they still looked damp. I sprayed the plants with the mist sprayer, and it worked well. I discovered I had misted some board games and moved them away from the plants!

Regarding the ship model, I might want to do some rigging on the WW1 Battlecruiser, but the thread looks wrong and does not have the correct scale. I have seen examples of melting left-over plastic pulled into a thin line. This is cut to size and glued in for rigging. I looked today for an alcohol lamp at hobby stores, but nobody sells them (few people would trust them now, and certainly not with children). I ordered one from Amazon, though I found one on a site that sells educational material (with lots of add-on shipping).

I had lunch with Scott and made it on time at Elephants Delicatessen at Cedar Mills Crossing at noon (I had to return to the house to get my phone). Scott and I discussed various topics, including politics and the human fallacy of ignoring evidence that conflicts with our worldview—we want to live in an echo chamber, to use my words. This is why, dear readers, I welcome all readers with different political beliefs, and Trump supporters are most welcome. I actually understand.

For both sides:

One always picks
The easy fight
One praises fools
One smothers light
one shifts left to right
It’s part of the art of the possible

“The Art of the Possible,” Evita. Here is a live version I found from a playhouse: Here. It is usually done as rocking chairs with one chair lost each time, but I like this betting version in this recording, which seems more fitting.

We chatted nicely, and Scott and I tried different sandwiches today. The Hot Italian (so many jokes) was too large to fit in my mouth (don’t go there), but I managed to enjoy it. My tastes are still off, and I think I will stick to tuna or soup. We will continue to chat every week, often on Thursdays, though this one was on Wednesday.

I stopped by Tammy’s Hobby Store and was invited to next week’s RC Ship Modeller club meeting. I bought some replacement CA glue, as it ages poorly. I got the fast and slow versions and some CA instant-cure spray; it, too, ages. As I said earlier, there is no alcohol lamp for sale.

Air Volvo returned me home. I forgot my phone on the last walk, so yesterday’s steps were reported short. I decided to head to Hillsboro, see the antiques, and find dinner there. Parking is difficult—a surprise on Wednesday late afternoon—and I must walk back to Old Town, a few blocks away. I am soon doing my usual spin through the town and hitting the local place for their locally roasted and ground coffee, pasta sauces, and artisan pasta. I find no antiques except for a standing old 1930-40s radio for only $25, which I resist (I have two that I have not finished). I have always wanted to replace the insides with blue-tooth speakers and self-charging batteries, but I have enough projects and need to finish SMS Derfflinger 1916 (with the glue still drying). Resist!

I returned all my goodies to Air Volvo (resisting baking goods) and discovered I had not taken that many steps. I have also not done the Sequoia redwoods at the courthouse, so I returned to walking. I managed to find the redwoods; they have not moved. They are still fabulous. There, I noticed a rooftop bar and headed there.

The rooftop bar was excellent. I had chips and guac and then a burger with a beer while connected to the Internet. The wind died, and the temperature was mid-70s. I did some finance things and checked flights to Chicago. It was a pleasant evening. I managed 4,600+ steps on Thursday and saw that the app had caught up, and Tuesday was now rated over 5,000 steps. I walked back to Air Volvo and returned home.

There, I decided, again, to leave the model alone and let all the glue become solid. Next, I checked the cheap cost for a week in Chicago at a nice hotel and learned that the air cost was a thousand dollars more for first class and went cheap. I kept the Palmer House, which is comfortable two blocks from the art museum. I booked a red-eye to Chicago, arriving early on Friday the 13th (which seems an excellent day) with a night flight back on Wednesday, 18 Sept. Just a short week to try out my balance and staying power in Chicago. I then could not help but surf for an hour for things to do in Chicago, and there were many things, including an opera and oldie rock concert (for lots of $$$).

I sent a copy to Linda, my sister, to see if she wanted to overlap my visit and sent notes to others who might want to join in. More on that later. I looked at a second trip to Vegas and to see The Sphere. So far, the price point is amazing, and there is little to do in Vegas that interests me. I am waiting for the U2 tickets to be available. The Eagles tickets were available at the price of a car or house.

I headed to bed and read The Orchid Thief (which covered more of Florida’s madcap history) as the house quickly cooled to orchid-loving night temperatures. Soon, I was nodding off, climbing into the covers, and sleeping.

Thanks for reading!

I have not been able to sleep in the morning, even with the darkness of overcast and the shortening of the days. I wake at 4 and have trouble falling back to sleep, and I continuously keep waking. I was headed to bed earlier, and I think this is causing this. Being a former IT guy, I am used to staying up until midnight for various reasons and then having to rise at 6ish or even earlier. I am not used to extra time to sleep. I am now up around 6, which is a change as I was rising at 8-9 a few weeks ago.

I rose, found the kitchen, eventually remembered to turn on the lights for the Orchids (I don’t have the automatic controls running yet), and made coffee. I started on the blog, trying to remember what happened on Monday. My lack of structure (or work-based day) means that I often cannot remember all the things I did during the day. I often find myself with free time and unsure what to do, and I like this feeling after working in a corporate environment for someone else since I was in high school. I do find a slight hint of loneliness as many of my friends do work, but that I think is just a function of getting used to this lack of structure and being widowed.

I am also avoiding eating out and having too many beers at the wonderful taphouses in the area. I am still hopeful of reaching 220 pounds (I am still at 234), and I managed another 5,000+ steps yesterday. I am on the last loop of my belt (again) with my new one-size smaller pants that barely stay on. Yesterday, I skipped a Kickstarter for a book as I am retired and can’t buy books. I will only use it as a prop for €100. I am feeling better and trying to be a responsible retired person.

It is 90 days on Tuesday since my brain surgery, and it seems so long ago and just yesterday at the same time. Doctor G told me it is a year to recover, and I am experiencing a slowing down of my recovery. My Bells Palsy is nearly undetectable. My left eye is closing correctly, but it still blinks slower (only I can tell, and I still use eye protection outside when there is any wind). My taste has returned chiefly, but there is still a part of my mouth that does not taste well. Part of my lips on the left side of my face are still hard to control.

Returning to the narrative, I continued to write the Monday blog. While writing, I was surprised to see that the orchids had shifted in their pots, with one orchid leaning into another, roots headed into the air, or reaching for another orchid’s pot. Orchids are pets and plants.

Coffee was liberal, and breakfast was a change to yogurt and blueberries. Susie had a strong aversion to blueberries, so I always ate them first and found blueberries an exotic treat. I tried to remember Monday and published a blog, but an hour later, I added more to the story. I remembered my trip to the taphouse and recounted some of it in a short addition.

I putted around the house and surfed the Internet. I cleaned up, shaved, and all that, concluding that I was dressed and ready to start my day before noon. I left as the lawn service, about $220 a month, appeared and was unloading their mowers and other various loud gardening items. I am the late morning, early afternoon Tuesday appointment with no lawn work before 11 as a kindness to my neighbors. It is an old Mid-West and East Coast tradition of no mowing until late morning and never on a Sunday; if you can get it done days before Saturday, it is even better to enjoy the lawn on weekends (no damp lawn cuttings).

I headed to Wet Pets and Ernestos (next door) off Farmington and on Beaverton’s other side. I arrived with no entanglements with Beaverton’s Finest or construction delays. I walked through the four rows of fish tanks and admired the marine, brackish, and African fish (which follow you when you walk by). There were giant Angels and fast, tiny zebras and neons. A collection of small tanks held various fancy tiny live shrimp for sale for, I believe, for small desktop-sized marine (salt water) tanks, a new fashion in aquariums I learned post-pandemic. I resisted rejoining another hobby I knew well from my younger days. I am sticking to a no-pets policy if I wish to travel (the orchids will survive for a few weeks without me).

Next, I celebrated my 90 days out with lunch at Ernesto’s. I was disappointed that there was no hot food in their salad bar. I ordered from the menu and had an overly cheesy pasta dish with a meatball. The salad bar was the highlight of the meal. The pasta was cooked well, and the red sauce buried in the cheese sauce was superb. While I could not make the meatball, which was excellent, the rest was too much cheese for me. More Italian-styled mac and cheese than I was prepared for. Next time, I will ask for no cheese or a sprinkle only.

Stuffed, I returned in Air Volvo to the Volvo Cave. I watched the rest of the episodes for “Midnight Mass” and concluded, no spoilers, that the ending was a moral tale about humanity about good and evil and our perception of each other in the light of terror. I did cry at the end. While there was some eye-rolling for some of the set-pieces of movie horror, I thought the writing and acting were excellent, and some of the long speeches were poetry or even sermons on humanity. While not something I recommend to everyone, it was well worth the time, and I am considering another short series from the same director (more scary, according to Mariah) on Mariah’s recommendation: House on Haunted Hill. Enjoy, but yea are warned.

I read and nodded off (pasta effects) but soon rallied. I was going to head to the park to walk, but instead, I walked in the neighborhood. It was still an hour before sunset, and it was warm (75F), and there was no wind. The clouds often blocked the sun and stopped it from striking hard. There was no California bleaching sun today.

The stone fruit trees are overflowing this year, and while walking, I saw a couple having pulled up a pickup truck on the sidewalk underneath a plum tree in a public drainage area and climbing on top of the cab roof to get at some of the fruit. They were getting baskets of fruit. I could see they were concerned that I would yell at them, but instead congratulated them on finding a new use for a pick-up. They offered me some of their bounty, but I demurred. I instead found some pears and apples lying on the ground on my street and took them home. I have to look at my own tree and see if any of those hard green apples from a previous century are usable. I believe the apple trees (many in backyards arranged in lines from the original orchard) were planted as part of the original farm for cider (likely fermented) and winter storage.

I could not resist Make Magazine’s new math books (Geometry, Trig, and Calc), so I ordered the four physical books (plus the teacher’s book). You may purchase the books in PDF format for a separate payment (I think they should give you both, or at least a discount for buying both). I am thinking about sharpening my mathematics skills for my AI work and also teaching math in a Meet-Up. More to follow.

I made dinner. Boneless and skinless chicken thighs are defrosted in the microwave—mostly—cut in half and roasted in the oven with sea salt and freshly ground pepper. I heat arrabbiata sauce from a jar. I boil water with salt (nowhere near what most folks use). The chicken takes about an hour to cook and is not dried out. I use garlic and black pepper, artisan linguine-style pasta, to go with the spicy sauce and the plain chicken. I have made too much food (again) and have a few bowls of pasta and some chicken. I call Corwin and invite him to share in dinner. He was still delivering food for one of the online food services but showed up about an hour later and had a bowl.

Corwin heads out after a nice meal and chat, and I return to SMS Derfflinger 1916, which I skipped working on yesterday. I cut out one of the larger etched brass bits, which covers a whole section of the stern lower superstructure. The overlay wood deck may have to be cut to allow it to fit properly (the deck overlay is not part of the etched brass kit and can conflict). This overlay comprises three complex folded and glued etched brass pieces and is large enough to be seen. It needs to be nearly perfect. The sequence of a model like SMS Derfflinger is disorganized by these kits of brass and wood deck overlays. The plastic kit instructions cannot be followed. Instead, you must build from the center out and bottom-up; otherwise, your hands will hit the newly installed pieces. This is true of wood shop builds, too, which often have you add the little details last, but then you need to place the items without breaking a mast or rigging. It is best to reconsider the directions and build and place fragile bits while they are easier to handle.

I am tired, so I decided not to glue these down this evening and to think more about it. I am uncertain of the build sequence. I put SMS Derfflinger aside, placing the new parts in a spare OcCre part container. OcCre supplies these containers with each wooden model ship to keep parts organized. I love them.

I shower and read, go to bed, and soon sleep too early, but I did get my 5,000+ steps in. Thanks for reading.

I rose at 7ish as I had to get Air Volvo to TV Highway Automotive. The gasoline filling has flaps to make an air-tight seal, which, after 70,000 miles, were not working, causing multiple codes and an Engine Check light. I made liberal coffee and toasted a NYC bagel (thanks, Joyce) for a quick breakfast. I read the news (mostly political) and downloaded transactions to Quicken, which failed as Quicken’s mothership was having some issues (I could do this with success later in the day). I wrote the blog and stopped, incomplete, at 8:30, cleaned up, dressed, and took my laptop, phone, and other items (wallet, eye drops, eye protection, emergency inhaler, wool hat, and key fob) and boarded Air Volvo. We traveled for only one block to the auto repair place.

The entrance was blocked by a large oil truck (I assume it picks up old oil and chemicals), meaning I had to park on the street and walk over. I was expected, and they took my keys. I grabbed the stool, used it as the desk for my laptop, and got back to writing while waiting in their tiny lobby. After a while, I saw Air Volvo leave with a technician for a test drive. It returned and was moved to a work bay. I continued to write and soon finished the blog. The place phone rang non-stop with folks looking for status or to bring cars in for repairs. Many were recorded, and thus, I heard the message. The staff, always in Spanish, discussed some repairs, and I could understand enough that they were shocked by the costs the customers were racking up.

My car was finished in just over two hours (the parts had come in last week) and cost $350 (primarily standard charges and $150 for parts). I was happy to get out of there with a 2015 Volvo for less than a thousand. At the dealership, that amount would be just the shop charges! I also learned I had a year warranty at a Napa repair place, including this one, if the Engine Light and codes returned.

I returned to the Volvo Cave without the Engine Check light returning. Excellent! The mail, which included my orchids and a Kickstarter set of books, was delivered, and soon, I was unboxing my new plants. These are plugs or small plants, and the box contained pots, a special orchid mix for potting from the grower, and lots of instructions. I used the stovetop as my potting bench (and made a small easy to clean-up mess) and soon had the orchids in fine pots, all designed to hold water inside and to have the roots and potty material out of the water. The new orchids are from various tribes (orchids are complex, and they have tribes inside of the usual species definition we are more used to). I have grown some before, and some new ones I am not familiar with at all–exciting.

I usually avoid vandas (I now have two) as I have only met a few people who have gotten them to flower. Vandas do not grow in mediums but on them—sort of like an air plant, but make this up for beautiful, long-lasting flowers. I will make a go of it. I have set the vandas on potting mix with just a few roots down to stop them from falling out of the pots. These are too young and may flower in one to three years (!). They need daily water and bright light.

I also received a ready-to-flower miniature orchid that is a few inches tall and fully grown. I have never had a Tolumnia orchid before, and with few choices, I have set it on a pot. This is an even more air plant than the Vandas and can be grown on a cork. It should flower soon if I can make it happy. This is the ultimate apartment orchid.

I now have a cattleya, an ugly plant that produces the most beautiful but short-lived flowers I have seen. This one looks young, and I think the one-year wait for flowering may be too generous. I potted this in one of the larger pots. This is the most house-plant-like care of the orchids: water, feed, and wait. But the one you hide in the back until it flowers.

Oncidium is new to me; it did not have a tag to describe its colors. I potted it, and I think it is an older plant, but it will likely flower soon if I can make it happy. The house may be too cold. Lastly, dendrobium is a familiar tribe to me and another hideous plant. It has long-lasting moth-like orchids on a long spike, making up for the awful-looking plant. This one also lets its leaves go in the winter, so it is often considered dead when resting.

While the lights can be automated, misting is more complex. However, I have learned that orchids can be ignored for a short period (weeks) and recover without loss, unlike other less aware plants. Also, stress sometimes makes the orchids flower. I will not need to stay home to ensure the orchids’ survival.

The Europe-based Black Letter Press Kickstarter for their modern-style translation of Ars Goetia arrived, a book that catalogs the imagined rules of Hell and their summoning symbols from various sources. This is from a series of books, all of the so-called Black Arts of the 1500-1800s, and revised to modern English usage. The symbols and images are reproduced in great clarity for those would-be summoners. I collect these as props for various role-playing games. The latest one, they have another Kickstarter, is too expensive for me (I am retired, after all), but FOMO could force me to get one (I have six different books from BLP already). Resist!

I celebrated my new plants with a BLT. I discovered that my bread went moldy (as there is just me, I will have to freeze bread now and toast it when I want it), but Misha and family gave me their left-over buns, and those worked fine. I purchased a favorite movie, A Haunting in Venice, for my Apple and watched some of it while making and eating my two bun BLTs.

Next, I need trays to catch water drips and allow some humidity to flow up from stones in the tray covered with water (the rocks, while nice-looking, provide more surfaces for evaporation). I head to Cornell Gardens off Barnes Road at the start of the West Hills. The traffic and construction were messy, but I was not in a hurry.

Air Volvo found a spot in the back, and I started to walk through Cornell Garden, a wonderful nursery and plant complex with a giant monkey puzzle tree in front of the old farmhouse, now an office, and a coffee and light food service. In the 1800s and later, the captains of the sailing ships discovered that a few exotic plants would survive the voyage back and survive in the Portland weather. Our palms, bananas, and monkey puzzle trees are some of those surprised from far lands.

I met Pam and Sharron from church unplanned, and we chatted for a while before they moved on. They had lunch at the farmhouse. I also saw Victor from the shoe company, and we were happy to see each other. Victor was there to acquire a fruit tree. I put a picture of Pam, Sharron, and myself on FaceBook and sent a photo of Victor and me to Brad and Michael G at the shoe company.

I walked the whole garden a few times to get my steps (short of 5,000 on Monday), but it was hills and uneven ground, all excellent practice for me. I found a pomegranate tree (many) for sale, and I have always wanted one. There was also a peppercorn tree that was interesting to me. I called Dondrea, and we debated whether she needed a pomegranate tree for her next birthday–I think yes. I guess my old garden, now a pile of dirt in my backyard, would look better as a couple of trees. I am sure I can find friends who can dig holes for me. Hmmm.

Traffic was crazy, and I parked in Beaverton Old Town, where much of the parking was blocked as the city was re-sealing the roads with black, oily stuff. Yes, we still cannot convince municipalities to find better solutions for street paving. The newly darkened road was radiating heat from absorbing the bright sunlight. F**k! And it stunk of petroleum that will run into our rainwater this fall. Double f**k. But I am sure it was the cheaper alternative and will last for years–greener alternatives were likely much more expensive and last less long (and my friends on the political Right would, and I think fairly, point out the ecological costs of new technologies instead of the already cheaper sunk costs of a well-known petroleum solution). Also, as folks on the conservative side would point out, much rainwater here in the Pacific Northwest is passed through natural and industrial processes to remove petroleum, which floats and can be thus easily removed. But still, the black and subsequent heating should be fixed somehow…so I will still make my greener demands–there’s got to be something better.

The store that sells plant stuff is not open on Mondays (more f**k), and this always confuses me. How can a business afford to lose some business on a workday? Yes, Monday and Tuesday are poor sales days, but once in the holiday season, the sales are good every day. Slow days are for cleaning and organizing and minimal staffing. It is hard for me to understand this, but I know that the owners have likely thought this out, and I hope they made the correct decision (otherwise, there will likely be a new store there soon).

Air Volvo, smearing fresh, oily stuff from the newly sealed roads all over, returned me home. No Check Engine light appeared as I traveled over Beaverton, the West Hills, and Aloha. Excellent! I watched more episodes of “Midnight Mass” and began to like it less. There was a reveal that almost got me to eye-rolling. With no spoilers, I will likely watch some more, but I am less happy now. The mystery was more interesting, but maybe the reveal is not what it appears. Hoping for better, more to come.

I did not find the focus to work on the SMS Derfflinger 1916 model today. However, I read more about The Orchid Thief, which covered the story of orchid hunters in the 1800s-1900s and was fascinating. It looked like good material for a Call of Cthulhu adventure or Dungeons and Dragons. The author said there are few sources for the lives of the hunters, and sadly, they destroyed many of the sources for the orchids. I learned that many orchids are known as “lost orchids,” as the source of the orchid is unknown or destroyed, and the greenhouse example is lost to war, events, fire, or disinterest. Some lost orchids have been rediscovered in the wild or found in collections, but most are just names, descriptions, and maybe a drawing or painting to wonder about. Many new hunters search for them.

I was happy with just a few orchids, trying to resist the madness, and soon nodded off. I showered and soon was in bed reading more orchid stories. Then leg cramps visited, and those are more painful than most things I have experienced. Ugh. They faded as I tried to relax. I finally slept, waking up once for proof of hydration.

Thanks for reading.

Update: I completely spaced that I headed to Wildwood Taphouse and met JR there, and we chatted for a while. I also wrote a little on one of my Dungeons and Dragons adventures. It is always fascinating when I space part of a day. You can’t seem to draw the links in your mind when you try to replay a day, especially after sleeping. It is hard to cover everything, and most of the connections I found were related to things this morning (like turning on the light for the orchids) and seeing the book I mentioned. Without the clues, it is often hard to assemble the previous day.

Sunday is always early as I want to write the blog before church, and often, Saturday is a busy day, but this week, it was quiet, so I was finished with the blog early. I rose after 6, made liberal coffee in my French press, put a piece of meatball and olive pizza in the microwave, and had pizza and coffee for breakfast. I wrote until about 8ish, dressed in a sweater vest, dress shirt, and pride tie for church, and returned to my work table. I had plenty of time, so I decided to do the casement guns on SMS Derfflinger 1916. The plastic out-of-scale barrels for the guns are replaced with brass machined barrels that are corrected for the scale (tiny!). I managed to use the smelly jewelry cement to lock in the barrels. It takes 24 hours for it to harden, so there is time for minor adjustments.

Next, I used plastic cement, which dissolves the surface of the plastic and welds the plastic parts together. It is safer than CA glue, which dries solid and can leak and overflow, ruining parts of a model. With this 1/700 scale, I try to use more conservative techniques.

With that done, I headed to First United Methodist Church in Beaverton. I arrived soon as there was only light traffic and with no entanglements with Beaverton’s Finest. Our church has agreed to share its sanctuary with a non-denominational church, Emmaus Church, and its head pastor, Matt Bowen, gave the sermon today. It was a get-to-know-us wrapped in a Sunday service.

Today’s message was based on Paul’s letter to the Romans, chapter 16, the last of the letter. While certainly not a Methodist-style sermon with eschatology (end-of-the-world) elements you seldom hear at a Methodist church and the use of Satan as a foil, the message was that after all the teachings, try not to lose unity by letting dissension take over. The title, “Avoiding Community Catastrophe,” stated the goal simply. Pastor Matt boiled it down to two things, Jesus has already won, and for people to get good at being good and be dumb about how to do evil things. The Greek word he was focusing on in his message can mean mixing, and I would translate this part of Romans as “no mixing in wrong things.” I would revise Pastor Bowen’s words to be more friendly: “Be a connoisseur of good and never attend evil.”

The hymns were easy, and our visitors from Emmaus seemed to like to sing some oldies (but less than 500 years old). They were clapping to some. After church, I had coffee and chatted with folks. I headed out to Barnes and Noble to look for my usual periodicals. Air Volvo arrived there in light traffic.

All the water from yesterday’s thunderstorms was gone, showing how dry we were. The rains are back, and more are coming in a few days. The days can still be hot and humid, but there are now clouds in the skies, and we Oregonians are excited as we get to see one of our few season changes, often happening in days, not a month like in the rest of the USA. Our only mixed rain and clear days, Fall, is here on the Pacific Northwest Coast.

I found Cook’s and Make at Barnes and Noble. Both are bi-monthly, and I resisted Strategy and Tactics Magazine’s new issue on Stalingrad–an interesting topic to me. I was able to remember my membership info and got even $5 off, plus my usual discount. I was also tempted by the board game Earth, which I am sure Z and the gaming group at church would like. It is a card and engine-building game with the useful feature that players are often given actions by other players.

Lunch was with Mariah, who was only a few minutes late. We had sushi rolls and sake. I usually have a beer, but they were having issues with the beer. We chatted about writing, and Mariah said she checks the blog once in a while to ensure that Grammarly has not taken me over. Now, I sound like a chatbot–I think that was a joke. Mariah strongly suggested I should be traveling, and I will take that to heart. She also reminded me that she likes the series “Midnight Mass,” a horror and psychological thriller.

I assembled my rack for my orchids and added the lights. It was delivered from Amazon yesterday, and while not an IKEA kit—Basics from Amazon—this thing seemed to channel the strange pieces and impossible-to-align parts you often find in IKEA. I checked, and it seemed level, but I learned my floors were not. Done–I hope.

I had purchased and Amazon delivered the recommended lights for orchids—two sets of three—but I only needed three. I used cable ties to hang the lights inside the rack, one pinkish light per row. The rack is four inches too tall for my preferred location, and I will need to move games. I need to clear space in the garage for games anyway; I will plan the work soon. I also want to get Air Volvo inside before the winter.

While my phone credited me no steps for that workout, I was tired and tried to read more of The Orchid Thief. The writer, Susan Orlean, uses lots of false bluster I have not seen before in a popular book–I like it. I nodded off and slept. I woke at around 5 and started laundry in The Machine. I found the Trader Joe’s fish sticks and tater tots and put them in the oven. I watched the first episode of “Midnight Mass” and thought it was very well done and creepy, but you could not figure out where the creepy was coming from. I watched the second episode and finished it after a call in the dark, and that one went for some cheap false-jump scares–I still like it, but not in the dark. I ate fish sticks while watching a show set on an island of fishermen.

I finished the laundry—two loads—and put them away. I did the dishes. After the ant people were here, I saw lots of ants in the house. Hmmm. “What does not kill you, makes you stronger,” is the message I think I am getting from the ants. I will have to reconnect with the ant folks and ask them to bring this under control (again).

I took a shower, put on my newly washed PJs, and went back to reading The Orchid Thief. The author’s story about orchids got me interested again in the plants I ordered, which will be delivered on Monday. I will resist becoming an orchid-crazy and building greenhouses! Resist!

I soon was nodding off and found I was dreaming about Florida swamps full of orchids, turned off the light, and slept. I did wake to prove hydration.

Thanks for reading!