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The morning was bright, with clear skies, and dry. Not Oregon’s typical summer weather, and the temperature change from 46F (8c) to 71F (22C) is more like a desert; there has been no significant rain for weeks. The temperatures will head into the 80s (27C) and 90s (32C) on Monday and Tuesday. I made liberal coffee using a French Press, had a slice of Whole Foods’ Cream Cheese Brioche, and a banana. I spent the morning writing the blog. I was finally published by 9:30ish, having risen at 7ish to write.

I watered all the roses. I had skipped yesterday, and the roses were not happy about that. I will bring some more for Susie on Monday–there is plenty to cut, and I will take some pictures of some of the newest blooms on Monday.

Next, I turned to my radio project. I cleaned up my work area as it was cluttered, and the radio project was approaching completion. I located the off/on switch and then found a spade bit to cut the large hole in the wooden box. The box is covered in veneer, and it is loose in spots. I taped the area, and the first bit, a sharp, never used bit, spun into the wood without issue and cut a neat circle. Unfortunately, the switch was a pass-through, and the wood was too thick. Puke! I then had to widen the hole with a spade bit set in the air. That caused issues and failed to make a neat whole, and I had to reglue veneer and lost some by the switch edge–It will be covered by the push-in switch plastic edge, but I will have to stain some of the wood to hide the missing veneer.

I used white glue to repair what I could and taped it down to dry in place, which worked. I just need to wire the switch and push it into the hole; it will not come out again, so it has to be perfect. I cut a tab off the button as I would not risk notching the hole.

Lunch was leftover Popeye’s chicken. I also had some plain yogurt and added the rest of the peaches from a can I opened yesterday.

I showered, dressed, boarded Air Volvo, and saw 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. I was not there until just before noon. I arrived at about 1PM and brought Susie her Panama summer hat.

Susie was lying down watching the last episode of M.A.S.H. on her TV in her room. I have not seen it in a while, and the cable version has no commercials and seems more natural and emotional. The moment when Margaret Houlihan said goodbye and left in a jeep surprised me with how real it felt. Susie has seen it many times but watched the whole episode without falling asleep–after all the years, it still is a powerful show.

Susie asked to watch the rest of the movie. We saw Toy Story, and Susie thought it was unfinished. I agree that the ending is abrupt, but she thought there was more. I put on Toy Story 2, and both of us fell asleep. Luckily, Leta, Susan’s mother, called (I had forgotten to call her, and then M.A.S.H. was intense, so I did not stop it), and we got caught up for the day. Leta was fine and enjoying the warm weather, and she had to pick up someone for church today. Leta is 94 and still gives rides and works in a food bank–she is unstoppable! After a short call, Susie was ready to head to Metzger Park next door.

It was just breaking 70F (21C), so it was an excellent time to head out. The wind was blowing from a strange direction, coming from the North West and hot. We saw a huge branch had broken and fallen into the parking lot, someone had dragged it out of the spaces, but the spaces were still covered in small branches and pine cones. Nobody was parking there!

We found my favorite bench, shady and near the redwoods and cypress. The butterflies were out despite the wind, and two Oregon Swallowtails were performing tight circles together. Unfortunately, the wind was kicking up dust, pollen, and pine needles were raining on us. Susie suddenly had a coughing jag (almost choking) that was too much, and I took her back to the hummingbird house. There we got Susie some water (and me too). Dondrea called, and we did a speaker call so Susie could also talk to Dondrea. After getting caught up, Dondrea rang off, and I kissed Susie goodbye. Susie decided to sit in the living room in her recliner in her summer hat.

I headed back home and arrived without issue in Air Volvo. I did see some folks run a red light. It looked like they all just decided to go. There were some close calls, but everything worked out without any scratched paint. Air Volvo got me to a windy Volvo Cave. I closed the gate that the wind had blown open and was banging and then relaxed for a bit. My gum trees were moving in an awkward direction, more than ten feet, but seemed to be holding together. The redwoods nearby actually shiver and dance in the wind. The huge trunks are solid, so the branches flex and spin making the tree dance.

I then headed to The Spaghetti Factory, sat in the bar, and let them make me dinner. My bartender, a young gal named Sophia (not Z), got me a beer and dinner. Specifically, I had a small salad with creamy pesto dressing (much better than Ranch) and a loaf of warm bread. The meatball and sausage over spaghetti with meat sauce was good. Sophia was busy the whole time as the place was busy, even the bar. I had spumoni ice cream to finish. While not cutting-edge or excellent, it is always good and executed well.

I missed Susie and Corwin at dinner; we used to go there and see a movie together before the pandemic. I read my Kindle at the bar as the bartender was busy. I have been mainly eating alone for a year now and bringing something to read or my Apple laptop when alone. I read and learn now at meals.

I returned directly home via Air Volvo and decided to rest some more. I read and fell deeply asleep (pasta and beer are a nap). I woke up at 7:30ish and restarted. I checked Nike, and so far, I am just following along tonight–nothing for me (my team did the plant data conversion this weekend in production). I wrote this blog after making a cup of tea with a slice of lemon. The tea helped me stay away and helped with the coughing, which, while reduced, is more productive and less often. Ugh!

Thanks for reading.

 

I woke from dreams about work that left me a bit down this morning. Details are best left out, but it was hard to get started this Sunday; I am writing Saturday’s story on Sunday morning. But it is a bright morning here in Oregon, and I plan to hang out with Susie this afternoon; I am always happy to have an extended stay with Susie. So to translate, f**k that dream and worrying about work–I have much better things to do.

Saturday started with me waking before my alarm at 7ish and sleeping until 7:30. It was bright and clear skies. The darker blue, a desert sky, let everyone know that the humidity and air pollution was non-existent today. We see a lighter blue or even gray-blue when smog and humidity change the light.

I was busy on Friday, and the blog took the whole morning. I can write about 500 words in thirty minutes, but as the word count increases, the editing seems too slow as I have more and more to reread.

I made breakfast and ate it; I updated my Quicken books with the latest transactions, read my home emails, and checked that there were no panics at the shoe company that needed me, nope. So it took me until after 10AM to finish the mostly edited 1,900+ words.

Breakfast was Whole Foods’ Cream Cheese Brioche slice (delicious!), liberal coffee prepared with a French Press, and a banana. I also had a nectarine and some cubes of an aged Kaasaggio Robusto (also from Whole Foods). This Dutch-aged cheese reminds me of a more approachable version of a hard Italian cheese like Parmigiano Reggiano. 

Rushed now, I jumped into the shower, dressed, and left my computers in the house (it is hot out, and I hate to leave them in the car for an extended time). If there is an emergency at Nike that needs me, I will have to drive home–not worse than thirty minutes–so a small risk. I headed to Susie’s 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 was not there until just before noon.

Susie was in her recliner in the shared living room, napping. I woke her and asked her what she wanted to do. This leaves her confused, and I try to remember to pick something and see if she agrees instead of providing options. As a loved one, you do not want to recognize dementia and memory issues and wish to include granting your loved one decision rights when visiting–but it just causes them confusion. I should have said something like, let’s go to the park and then watch a movie. If that did not get a positive response, then I could try something else like the reverse. It is hard not to list a menu of possibilities (you feel like you are bossing them around), but it is the best for your loved one and yourself. I try to remember.

Anassa, the weekend nursing aide, had Susie in her wheelchair, and I headed into the park. Metzger Park was warm, sunny, and filled with families. A set of tables were covered with balloons and paper table clothes, hallmarks of a birthday party. Blankets were spread with couples enjoying a basket lunch and each other’s company. We found our shady bench near the redwoods and cypress and watched for a while. A gal had a young black cat on a leash, and it jumped up to say hello to Susie. Natalie, the cat’s human, introduced herself, and Natalie told us that she used a cat backpack to transport the cat and was getting the cat comfortable with the outdoors. Evan, who found us in the park, played with the cat.

We saw three Oregon Swallowtail butterflies, with two of the butterflies dancing in tight circles in the sky. Folks walked by or on bikes and said hi. Everyone was outside enjoying the unheard-of sunny days in early June. Usually, June is one of the dampest months and is depressing as you just want the rains to stop (after raining nearly non-stop for seven months), and the sky in June is usually a boiling gray. Not this year, as we look up and see a color we seldom see in June, blue.

Soon, we left the park and headed down the street. The guy with the van was there again, walking his ducks in the park’s grass. We waved, and he waved back (Susie and I are regulars). We also went by car, always by the park; the couple appears to be living in their car and using the park as a bathroom (a one-bedroom apartment in the area is at least $1,000 a month plus deposits).

Returning to the hummingbird house, Evan suggested Toy Story after we had issues with Disney+ showing older animated films. I had forgotten the movie and laughed often and enjoyed the film. Susie stayed awake for the movie. While we know the characters, it was almost new to me (I think I saw it only once in the theaters when it came out). Back then, I liked live-action adventure films better. With the movie over, it was time for me to find lunch and a game with Evan, so I kissed Susie goodbye, and Anassa got Susie in bed for a rest at Susie’s request.

Aside: I did discuss with Anassa that Susie seems to have lost nearly twenty pounds in a year, we just weighed her, and Anassa agreed to ensure that Susie eats. Today Assana told me that Susie was tired and had trouble feeding herself, but Anassa helped, and, according to Anassa, soon things were better for Susie.

Evan picked Beaverton Central for lunch and games. So I parked in the free lot and walked with Evan to the food carts, and after some time, I  picked a noodle bowl for lunch, shocking Evan. I usually reject noodles recommendations, but it was warm, and the soup seemed to fit the day. So we went to the local outdoor bar and got a beer with our bowls. There were no wasps, and the clear air made eating in the shade under an umbrella over our table a pleasure.

Next, we took the board game Lost Ruins of Arnak and went inside Central Taps to play. I had a lighter summer beer and set up the game. Evan crushed me by at least eight points; I did not bother to score the game. Evan was on a roll and did just about everything with perfect efficiency while for me, I was a bit lost. I went on a tear of buying tools and artifacts instead of digging sites and facing the horrors that guard the sites (the game theme being a Hollywood version of 1920s archeology) or where all the points and resources are. While I did acquire The Hat and other helpful gear, I did not dig enough (Dr. Jones would not have approved), and in the end, it was not either I would win or lose, but how bad the loss would be. I rushed at 5:15, paid the bill, and then went slowly to Richard’s house for a 6PM game.

Portland traffic was a bit heavy for Saturday, but it was the Rose Festival, and the Starlight Parade was on Saturday night. I managed to reach Richard’s without issue and on time. Claudia and Shawn joined Richard and me for a game of Arc Nova. This is a recently released game and resembles Terraforming Mars, reskinned to be about building zoos. The game focuses on engine building, resource management, and worker placement with complex interrelationships and limited card drafting. Or simply what I am bad at, and I showed that with my last place showing. I also did not remember how to play and made a mistake after a mistake. I like the game and the conflicting research themes, releasing animals and building a lovely zoo. This is also a peanut buttering game as you need to do everything but be efficient (I was not). I recommend this game over Mars and other games that build on cards. Arc Nova is complex and hard to master. My score was negative, 40+, nowhere near my best of 14.

Feeling like my head must not be working right (having lost so many games so badly–but I know that is not true), I took Air Volvo home after playing a few hands of Zero, a light card game. I arrived home before midnight but stopped by Popeye’s and got some spicy chicken (I had skipped dinner). I watched some YouTube videos while I drowned my sorrows in fried goodness. I did not eat all of it (saving some for lunch today) and headed to bed.

I read and then slept. My cough was still there all day but only worsened at the end of the evening. Cough syrup brought it under control–I kept some in the car today. It was a good day.

Thanks for reading.

Aside: Grammarly is having an issue with not replacing corrected text, often mangling the replacement. I find I have to make multiple passes now to fix the corrections. This can be prevented by saving more often. But it makes this a bit harder to complete.

 

 

The day (I am writing this Saturday morning) started with me sleeping into 7:30; it was a work-from-home day, so I rested until the last moment. I sleep poorly on some weekdays and am tired on Fridays; a little extra sleep helps. When I arose in the sunlight, I was surprised I did not burst into flames, making my best vampire-meets-sun reaction Friday morning. As apparently I would have to go on, I found the coffee (having to get more from the case I have from my last purchase of liberal coffee), made hot water in the electric kettle, and assembled all in my French Press. I had a slice of Whole Foods’ Cream Cheese Brioche with peaches from a can, 1/2 of the can, for breakfast. I drank the coffee all morning.

Work began with a team meeting and all of my Zoom meetings using my Zoom avatar–it is Avatar Friday. My avatar is a pale-skinned gray-haired mustached guy with a cowboy hat, and the software moves your avatar’s lips when you talk, and your image sways a little bit to not look so robotic. Slightly creepy.

I spent the morning in staff and status meetings. I had a long break after 9:30 and watered the roses. I still have not installed the new hoses for the back and side of the house. The roses are blooming, and the stress is fading, but I see that insects have found all the roses, and the rose leaves are, near the bottom of the plants, looking perforated. There is some black spot showing also on the lower leaves. This is likely from the watering as the fungus that causes black spot is found in the ground. I don’t cuddle my plants, and it is unlikely I will treat them either, but I do remove the cuttings from roses and any leaves that fall below to reduce the disease. This is the best preventive care for roses. Many rose folks burn the canes to prevent the fungus from traveling into mulching. I put it in the trash (not the yard debris container).

After watering (The new redwood tree I planted is still alive and still 2″ tall), I slightly dampened, headed into the shower, and dressed in a t-shirt Kickstarter for the Jupiter Disco in Brooklyn. I was in the Kickstarter to help this crazy venue survive the pandemic–I got a t-shirt and an excellent paperback with drink recipes and some of their edgy stories from the bar at the disco.

I received the package from Mouser Electronics. My potentiometers, expensive nobs that vary resistance that can be measured by a microcontroller like an Arduino are tiny and perfect (even the golden rod color will look OK on the wood radio box) and fit the holes. Usually, a nod like this is under $10 and usually just a few bucks, but these premium products were just under $25 (costing nearly as much as all of the electronic boards combined). Despite the high cost, these are 1W and under 50V maximum components (my project is about 250mA and 3.3, so far below 1W).

Next was a Zoom meeting on how Nike assigns inventory to customer orders and the impact of this process to order processing and reporting. Maybe not exciting to you, dear reader, but this is a critical process and is being revised with our new software (to be installed this coming year-end–Christmas and New Year are canceled). The meeting went over. I ate two pieces of cold pizza while the presentation and discussion lasted fifteen minutes over the hour’s time slot. As the camera was off, my avatar was not shown to be eating pizza (I am not sure it does that, anyway). Once the meeting was done, I packed up my Nike and Apple laptops with the charger (it works for either as they both use USB-C for power), boarded Air Volvo, and headed to Susie’s 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 trip there was not memorable, which is a good thing, and I arrived there without incident and in light traffic. Susie was in her recliner in the shared main room, napping. I woke her and brought her the flowers I bought at Whole Foods during yesterday’s grocery shopping. Susie was delighted to have a visit and loved the flowers.

Jennifer, the nurse aide for the weekdays, moved Susie to Susie’s room, put her in the bed, and I set up next to her with the Nike and my Apple computer. I use both. There was a production issue in our group’s system, so I had to follow along. We are now in summer hours at Nike, and most folks take off Friday afternoons by finishing their work by Friday noon. Our project is not respecting this as it is driven by Accenture, which does not have summer hours, and our timeline is 7/24, so we will be working Fridays all day. We also do not get June 19th or July 3-4 (much of Nike WHQ gets both days, as July 4th is Tuesday this year). Susie napped as she decided not on TV or movies but music, and I put on The Best of Billy Joel on Alexa (I pay for the all music service on all devices–Susie’s Alexa is an extension of my account at the house).

We called Leta, Susie’s mother, while in the room. Leta was thrilled to see us and was on her deck watering her new plants and some volunteers from last year’s plantings. Marrow is a favorite. We use FaceTime to see each other, and Leta could use her phone to share an image of all her plants on her new deck. Leta is pleased to have a new sprayer on her hose. I had some distractions from work, so I handed the phone to Susie, who could just manage to keep the camera on her face. It is good practice for her. Once work did not need me, Leta rang off, and Susie returned to listening to Billy Joel.

At 4PM, the production issue was being worked out by our lead of development, I stopped working and put aside the computers, and Jennifer got Susie ready to head out to Metzger Park in the wheelchair. Susie was happy to leave the house, and the temperature was finally warm. We have cloudless nights, and that can drop us, like a desert, into the fifties at night. It takes a while to warm back to comfortable for Susie. By 4PM, the sun was hot, and the shade was cool but not uncomfortably cold. Perfect.

We traveled to the park next door, and to prevent the bouncing from the crushed gravel, which has gotten freer with the hot, dry weeks (it has not rained for weeks and will not shower for at least ten days), I used the paved trail into the tennis courts, not in use at that time. So I crossed the netted courts to the park’s usual paved trails. Susie was confused by the extra travel but was pleased not to have her body nearly rattled out of the wheelchair by the gravel!

The park was busy with families that had the late afternoon off too. School is still on in Beaverton, so the later time for the families work (school ends at about 3PM with sports and other after-school activities starting after that). Susie and I found a bench and watched the folks for a while. There were fewer dogs than in the morning, and the crowd was primarily families and younger children. All the joggers and older walkers used the park on the earlier day. We did our usual tour of a circle in the park. Then, I returned to the hummingbird house and sat with Susie on the porch for fifteen minutes.

With a kiss and a promise to return on Saturday, I headed out from the hummingbird house. I stopped by Panera Bread for dinner. I had a strawberry poppy dressing salad with chicken, but they were out of strawberries (they gave me more lettuce and then told me they were out–I ate it anyway and demurred when they offered to refund the incomplete salad). I had lukewarm tea (their hot water tank was not) and had to go back and get the bread I ordered with my salad. They were a bit stressed by having customers in the evening, and it is unlikely that I will try dinner there again.

Next, I stopped by Target to get some flowers for Z; I selected sunflowerAfter that, s. I walked the store to see the Pride section, which is very controversial according to the media and could not find it. Dondrea told me I just missed it. I also got some cough syrup (no sugar and suitable for high blood pressure).

I traveled the short distance to Z’s middle school and soon sat next to Z for the slightly truncated school version of Legally Blond, the musical. My memory of school, dimmed by forty years, does not include the hot no-air movement rooms and disordered reality. I paid my usual $20 for a $7 ticket (likely making a mess of the count) to support the school and found Dondrea in the first row, saving me a seat and a seat for her son Jackson (who arrived just on time).

The show has the usual problems of poor sounds (not helped by my hearing loss) and actors who are unsure of themselves. The lead pulled off most of the songs, and the supporting singers, too soft for my taste (and reduced hearing), did fine. The dancing, which this musical does the dance video looks over and over, was still being worked out by many gawky teenagers. The ending was pulled off well and ended the musical, 90 minutes total, with a 15-minute break, on a high.

Z played Enid and supporting roles. Z was dressed in a huge curly blond wig (which kept moving on its own), and this time Dondrea had helped Z with make-up that made her face distinct on stage. Z got a few good lines here and there, and looked like she enjoyed being part of the musical and a chance to be on stage.

After the play and everything settled down, Dondrea and Z joined me at a nearby Mexican place. Z had a no-booze frozen drink with Dondrea, and I have the house margarita on the rocks (no salt for Dondrea). We shared nachos with chicken. Dondrea had promised Z ice cream after the musical, and this was upgraded to fried ice cream. Z began to fade (after all that food), and we went our separate ways, with me taking Air Volvo back to the Volvo Cave.

After quickly taking my meds, I returned to my Kindle, headed to bed, and read more of Killers of the Flower Moon: The Osage Murders and the Birth of the FBI by David Grann. This was recommended by Dondrea and is set in the 1920s, an era I read about (H.P. Lovecraft horror is placed in these years, and so is the role-playing game The Call of Cthulhu, named for Lovecraft’s most known horror story). There is always something to learn about these times, and I did not know the story of the Osage Nation, and some more info is here on Wikipedia. The writing is excellent so far, and the author knows how to hide facts and reveal them slowly to keep it more of a story than an emotionless recounting–so far recommended.

I was only to read for a short while, and soon, despite the constant coughing today, I fell asleep and did not wake up from my kidney working overtime.

Thanks for reading.

 

I have just made a late dinner. I made North African-style chicken thighs on the stovetop. While an interesting recipe from The New York Times, I did not quite get it right. However, I managed to enjoy the process, and the food, while not right, was still good. I will have to try it again.

While cooking, preparing for the next step, and waiting, I watched the Senate end the debt-limit crisis. I also watched the Nerd of the Rings’ new video on Golem (recommended). I watched Ocean Liner Designs’ heartbreaking presentation on the wreck of the Empress of Ireland. Battleship New Jersey’s channel explained how many people were needed in their turrets and what each position did.

Before this, I was at Wholefoods getting the supplies to make dinner and a few extra items, including some more flowers for Susie on Friday. I resisted overbuying as now it is just me.

Moving further back, I was with Susie but stayed only twenty minutes. Work had a task for me, so I had to get home and log in and take care of it. Susie was sleepy again but was delighted to see me. We decided to stay in today and called Leta from her recliner in the shared living room. I had brought Susie flowers from Target (and body wash and new nail polish), and she was happy to talk to Leta, her mother. We did a FaceTime call so we could see each other. But, again, it was a short call, and I needed to head out. Susie was unhappy with my quick visit, “I miss you,” but was tired and happy to hear I plan to spend Friday afternoon with her (I work from her room until 4ish). She relented, and I left with a kiss goodbye.

I had come to Susie’s from Nike WHQ. I had lunch with Scott on campus. We talked about work and the current organizational changes–most at the top levels. It was a pleasant lunch, and Nike WHQ is fantastic. We have salads from the salad bar–all good.

I park in the NYC garage at WHQ (it is never full) and then walk across the campus. It is a great walk, and somehow it always seems uphill going both ways–Nike magic, I think. As it was Drag Lunch Day at Nike WHQ, I did see a few folks dressed for the occasion. I was in my usual dress shirt and pants.

I had to travel to the house (I forgot my phone) after I finished all the status meetings from 8 to 10. So I spent the morning following along and sending relevant info to our team. I also approved a document early this morning.

I woke up unable to breathe at 5:45. My throat had blocked, which was not a pleasant experience. This has happened before and soon clears. It is impossible to fall back to sleep when it happens–you start feeling it start again, but that does not happen. You can’t get it out of your head. So I was up early this morning.

If it gets worse, I will bring it to the doc’s attention.

Here is the rose from Dondrea and Z; it seems happy. The other rose is The Herbalist.

This is the painted rose to show some hints of white, suggesting it is painted.

China Rose has tiny blooms, which are lovely when fresh.

Sorry I am rushing today, but the cooking took most of my free time.

 

Today ended with me doing laundry. If I want clean underwear, I must get the laundry caught up. I let it slip when I was not feeling well, but now it has reached its limit, so a late-night clean-up.

I am just back from First United Methodist Church, where Z and I played the Lost Ruins of Arnak (I have recently described that game, so I won’t repeat those words here). It is a mid-complexity board game with a strong theme of a 1920s movie-styled archeologist. Z had forgotten how to play, so Z did not win the game as it took a few rounds for Z to remember how to play, but we both enjoyed this lighter game. If you like games like Wingspan or worker placement and resource management, this game is good.

Before Z and I took on the virtual digs in the game, Z eating a sandwich while we played, I picked Z up at her school. Z is in the school play, Legally Blond, which opens on Thursday. So I waited until Z was done, about 7, and got the pleasure of listening to public radio for an hour–a favorite that I used to do when driving twenty years ago in the Washington/Baltimore corridor.

Before this, I got a Mexican Pizza at taco bell that was messy and not that good–I remember them being better. So, I won’t be back. I left work about 5:30 as I was not in a rush as Z was in play practice, as I said, until 7PM.

I spent the afternoon helping here and there with crises of the moment. I also did forward planning for educational meetings and software upgrades. All fun and everyone was smiling today. We are happy to start the data conversions soon and get the software live.

Before this, I had a Whopper with Cheese for lunch and listened to public radio about local issues. I did this after visiting 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. Susie was in her recliner in the shared living room. Susie looked sleepy, and we agreed that overcast, windy, and 64F (18C) were reasons to stay warm inside. I called Leta, Susie’s mother, and we chatted over FaceTime using my iPhone for a while. Leta was in her house in the AC with 80F+ (27C)  in Michigan with likely matching humidity outside. Leta would move to the deck later to read and enjoy the heat. We chatted for a short while as Susie was tired. I sat with Susie for a few more minutes, and she nodded off, deeply asleep. I woke her, kissed her goodbye, promised to return on Thursday afternoon, and left. Susie was sleepy and did not look upset when I left–she was struggling to stay awake. She will likely be more awake on Thursday.

Before this, I was at the Clubhouse office building and listened to an all-project meeting in our atrium. The focus was on the deployment team, most folks I have known for years. It was a good presentation and showed how diverse opinions improved the project.

Before this, I was doing my usual hours of Zoom status and other meetings. Coffee and pastries were offered before the all-project meeting. I got more coffee and a scone.

The morning started at 3AM with me woken to unload the work my kidneys were proud of. I managed to sleep until just before 6AM and woke without a lousy cough (it did get worse as the day went on as my allergies kept my nose running). I made an NYC bagel with cream cheese and liberal coffee from my French Press.

I read my emails, was updated on the project from the Slack channels, and saw in the news that Washington was still interested in debt drama and Russia was still getting tiny drone attacks. In addition, states are banning drag shows while Nike has Drag Lunch tomorrow, and a Pride Talent Show is coming up soon. Not sure how the country can be at such extremes, but here in the Pacific Northwest, we “keep it gay.”

Thanks for reading.