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This was my usual busy Saturday. I woke around 8ish and made instant low-sugar oatmeal adding some walnuts, dried cranberries, and a few slivers of butter to make it better. I heated water and then made French Press coffee from my supply of liberal coffee. I took all of this, ignoring the lonely-looking Immobile Schwinn in the living room, to the office and started writing a long blog. I could not resist quite a few asides, and Friday was a busy day, so it took a while to tell its story.

I finished writing, had breakfast, and ran a few minutes late. I turned on the water for a shower on the 1/2 bath off of the master bedroom, and I saw a strange leak on the plastic connector. I reached up and pulled on the handle, and the crack opened to 1/8 of an inch; warm water hit me, the ceiling, floor, and door, and even reached the bedroom floor. I quickly turned off the warm water, laughing the whole time. I was like a non-moving water ride! Wow!

 

Looking at the failure, the weight of the magnetic locking showerhead rested on this coupling, and in less than 16 months, it had aged and split. On examination of the loss, it seems that less than 1/4 inch of plastic held this heavy device to the metal pipe–it could not last. How sad to see something so valuable and lovely to use have an obvious failure point that could have been avoided. I am replacing it with a less enjoyable item that might survive longer.

After rushing to the other bathroom and showering, I returned to my 1/2 bath and finished the usual items. I also was using the towels to mop up the worst of it. The rest would dry on another clear, dry September day in Oregon. I was soon ready to board Air Volvo, adding to the cargo hold the board game Vindication, Evan’s fav.

The travel time to the hummingbird house was short, as there was no construction, accidents, or traffic to slow me down this Saturday. Susie was waiting for me in her recliner in the shared living room when I arrived at Allegiance Senior Care LLC, 9925 SW 82nd. Ave. Portland (Tigard), OR 97223; phone (503) 246-4116. Anassa loaded Susie in her wheelchair, and soon, we were headed to the park next door. Metzger Park was not busy, but more and older kids enjoyed the park on a weekend. As usual, dogs were ensuing, and their humans got some fresh air. Sadly, the park has decided to rip out the plantings around the community building, and an antique rose is gone today.

I will miss the rose bush. The base cane was inches thick, suggesting it had been transplanted from somewhere. It was scraggly and careworn, and I can understand removing it. I hope new plantings worthy of the sacrifice will come soon. With older rose bushes (not necessarily Old Roses), I find you have to cut them back to a few good canes, and soon they look great again. You must be careful to respect the graft; otherwise, you will suddenly find all you have is a pink rose, the rootstock. According to a story I heard, I have one rose here at the Volvo Cave that was transplanted from the previous owner’s mother’s house. It is a tea rose, I think, as it is lovely, but it can get black spot, showing it is an antique old-style grafted rose and likely older than me. Newer hybrid teas are more resilient to black spot and are often not grafted.

We called Leta, Susie’s mother, on my iPhone using FaceTime to see each other. Today, we did not call Barb, Susie’s sister, as she was in Canada with her husband, Gordon, enjoying a joint birthday jaunt. Leta was well, and we had a pleasant chat. Susie and I were enjoying the clear skies. While one wasp did visit and was waved away, the wasps are primarily hunted for food (beetles, dropped food, spiders, and other insects). There has been a massive increase in wasps this year, and now the food is over-consumed, and the wasps, as usually happens to a predator when its numbers are too high, are less interested in attacking and more searching. Thus, I can wave them away now, and the hungry wasps move on. Eating outside now is not a good idea–the desperate wasps will come, but the park is relatively safe otherwise.

With the wasps busy searching for wasp lunch, I took Susie through the park and then on the roads: The long trip. We looked at the magnolia tree (not yet in bloom) and saw all the well-tended roses in the area (and a few left to the elements). Oregon is always full of roses and fruit trees–I let my apple tree’s fruit fall, and the squirrels, birds, and likely unseen raccoons and possums are enjoying the bounty this year. No wasps nests this year in my yard; I had to destroy one last year, but I have seen many wasps, and I noticed a reduction in large spiders this year in my backyard. No webs everywhere this year. Maybe it’s a good exchange.

Susie and I then traveled back to her room and watched Only Murders in the Building. Today, Susie was wide awake and looked happy to watch the show. Meryl Streep is in year three episodes, and that surprised Susie, who kept asking if that was Merl Streep. Susie was sad when I informed her we were headed out; Saturday is a couple-hour stay for me. I put on M.A.S.H. for her, which made her happy, but she was still sad to stay behind. It is always heartbreaking for me.

Having been gassed up ($4.85 a gallon!) and washed yesterday, Air Volvo traveled to Rogue Ales in Portland at SE 9th. There, Evan and I played three games of Vindication, the base game. We only added Pets from the large selection of add-ons for the game. We play with all the promo and various extra cards available over the years, plus all the treachery cards–I likely play one of the most complete copies of the board game Vindication. Strangely, I have seldom played more than a few add-ons and never the Guild version. I like the base game, and it fits better for my usual two-person games.

Evan one the first game by under ten points, a good close game without a clear winner. I was insanely lucky in the next two games.

Aside: I have described Vindication before. It is a game I helped design (just a little help) and recommended, even without all the cool add-ons. More information on the game is here.

I had two beers, one Dead Guy (their famous beer) and a sour (good on a warm-hot summer day). I parked across the street in the Rogue parking lot instead of on the streets. Bluebeard (a guy who does the multi-person bike beer crawls for groups), who literally dies his beard bright blue, was there and said hello. He was there with his usual group of tourists and wedding parties. I had a Hawaii Burger as I was hungry–yes, not quite the best choice for me, but it was so good.

After drinking a few glasses of water, I said goodbye to Evan. Air Volvo covered the few miles to Richard’s house. Dwellers of Eldervale board game was on the gaming table, something I have not played for years and I did not remember as very enjoyable. Today, we had a great time as Chris and I did not know how to play, and we did not feel crushed by experts (this happens sometimes when I am the fourth person and the only one who does not know the game). Richard beat us, with Chris not able to catch me. I built house after house, remembering that this was important. I also savaged Richard early by summoning my dragon and warrior early in the game. But Richard’s dragon had a special power to grab twice the resources, which defined his win. I surprised the other players by slaying anything in my way, including two impressive three-inch tall monster 3D figures with bases that growl (yes, somewhat over-the-top, even for a Kickstarter game). I played the fire goblins and role-played that. There are a lot of rules, but the usual worker placement, engine build, and goal-collecting style of most games. The combat was fun; I love to use a dragon!

We played next, as a shorter game, 51st State; this is a card game where you play cards into your tableau by paying various resources. You have to sequence your moves to best consume your limited post-apocalyptic resources. This slightly competitive card game has you collecting cards to play for help and/or points to win the game. I scored last as Richard nearly lapped me. I like Furnace card game better, and the theme I don’t care for–I would like happy hobbits or goblins with dragons or building industry. A ruined USA, after a breakdown of the country, is not a theme I would usually play. Still, it is a good game from 2016. If you can ignore the theme, it is a good card game and plays fast.

After that, I took Air Volvo home. After the tunnel (and the stupidly high on-ramp to a bridge), there was a five-car pile-up on Highway 26. This slowed the traffic for a while, but it only closed one lane, and everyone soon was zooming again at 50-60 mph (not the Michigan 75). I arrived home and made a sandwich to take my pills. I also received a new hat, a Homburg, to wear with my suit for the upcoming H.P. Lovecraft Film Festival. I wanted something older-looking and black to go with the grey and dark suits.

After putting away the new hat, I then tried to sleep. I was itchy, likely from allergies and mosquito bites (they stay with me for a week or more), and I had to get up at 4:30 to take something and apply stuff to the bites. I managed to sleep after that.

Thanks for reading.

 

 

 

 

 

It is Saturday morning while I write the story of Friday. I got to sleep (and slept most of it) for about ten hours. I did wake up nearly screaming at 4:30 from another nightmare. I had gone to Guillermo del Toro’s Pinocchio show at the Portland Art Museum, which fueled some terrifying monsters, De Toro-styled, with eyes in their hands. I managed to fall back to sleep and got started again after 8AM. The last two hours, a dream-filled (and forgotten) light rest with many wakenings. Finally, I started by skipping the bike again and finding toast with peanut butter and low-sugar jelly. Liberal coffee reminds me daily that liberals must remember who they are and always be vigilant.

Returning to Friday, I had taken the day off from the shoe company, which, of course, meant that I was eating an NYC bagel (with cream cheese), a yogurt, and liberal coffee while doing my first 8:05 meeting. Yes, on my day off. The status meeting about the big project is good to align and to hear about any schedule changes. Next, one of our experts presented how we extract, transform, and load some master data. I was also able to add some historical information. It was a good experience with many questions, and more importantly, answers to the questions were provided. We only saw 1/2 the content, and there are some requests to explode some of the slides to whole presentations. We are a detail-oriented audience. It was a good use of my paid time off.

Aside: I went no further on my essay for the Naval Institute. I could not find my voice for the piece, and I just have too much going on to write this month. But, I do plan to do an Artificial Intelligence essay and offer it to 2600, The Hackers’ Quarterly. Again, I have to find the time to put that together.

More on Friday: I wrote the blog for Thursday on Friday morning. I often stay up late to write the blog but I need some sleep. I was up at 6:30 on Friday–not getting that extra sleep and ending the night with a nightmare. It was a longish blog, and I ran late in the morning.

I finished the blog, showered, dressed, and boarded Air Volvo with my laptop hidden in the new book cover. It looks like a dull thing: A thin encyclopedia volume. I traveled across Beaverton in the late morning and soon arrived with no issues at Susie’s place at Allegiance Senior Care LLC, 9925 SW 82nd. Ave. Portland (Tigard), OR 97223; phone (503) 246-4116. The traffic was light as it is not a holiday weekend, and school is running now. The evening traffic is usually snarled with kid pickups and taking the same to various sports and other scholastic events: A swarm of mini-vans and SUVs.

Susie had finished her breakfast and was waiting for me. She was exhausted (reports are that she is not sleeping well), and while not losing weight, she is stable at 70 pounds–not a safe weight by any measure. I pushed Susie in her wheelchair into Metzger Park next door, and we were mostly ignored by the very busy yellow jacket wasps that were carefully searching the ground. I also grabbed a poo bag and cleaned up the now-hardened dog pile in the walkway. Yesterday, I didn’t want to mess with it while fresh. I managed to perform the ritual that the dog owner failed at without disaster and deliver the poo to the trash without a stinky issue.

We found a sunny bench pointed away from the sun. It was a bright and sunny September day in the Greater Portland Area. Dark blue skies indicated that the air was clean–not smoke or smog. My eyes were burning, and my anti-allergy meds must have been working over time, as the pollen in the air was harsh. In the park, pre-school kids were out in the park along with the usual dogs exercising their humans.

Using FaceTime, we called Leta, Susie’s mother, on the cell phone. We did not connect with Barb, Susie’s sister, who was off to Canada to celebrate the close birthdays of her and her husband, Gordon. A train trip to a canyon and hiking. Leta was well and in her house. She was happy to see us and the excellent weather. September is the best month in the Pacific Northwest–recommended to visitors as with school back on the Oregonians are not swarming the coast and other lovely places. The weather is perfect most days.

Aside: The rains return in October. In October, we will have fewer sunny days until they become just a memory when it rains all day and night. There is usually nothing but gray skies in November. We get snow, if any, in December and maybe January. The rains get warmer and continue until May, June, or July. We have seen little snow this past ten years, and the rains often pause in May and stop in June now. Unless you love rain like us, I would not suggest coming in the Spring.

Next, after a friendly call with Leta, we returned to Susie’s room. We watched Only Murders in the Building and tried Linda Frankovich’s (nee Wild) wedding cookie (the cupcake having been a causality of baggage handlers). Susie was happy to get a bit of wedding cookie, and Susie, being so tired, struggled to not fall deeply asleep while we had the episode playing. We watched just one episode in season three. I then headed out with a kiss, and Jenifer put Susie to rest in her bed in her room.

Air Volvo took me to Portland in moderate traffic, and I found two-hour parking (I wanted a four-hour spot but could not find one) and returned to the Portland Art Museum (PAM). The modern art section (puke!) was closed (no French Impressionists today)–I bought a membership last time I was there, so my entrance was free today. However, Guillermo del Toro’s Pinocchio exhibit was still on (this is the last weekend), and I wanted to look at all that fine miniature work again. The movie was a stop-action. I walked through the busy exhibit backward, having been there before. I looked at the use of color and shading in the larger items towards the end of the presentation, the hard part of this kind of work. I marveled at the tiny clothing and metalwork. A tiny four-inch or so bicycle must have taken someone a month to make. The clothing and metals were not just small; they had been painted to have shading and color changes. I am not that good. I took pictures, and I have the book.

After discovering the modern art exhibit was closed, I left sooner than expected but headed to South Park Seafood, only a block away. There, I sat at the bar that Susie and I used to visit before or after the Oregon Symphony. I had a glass of something red and Spanish, a board with cheese, and salmon spread with crackers. I had coffee with an upside-down cake (not as interesting as the wine and the board).

I returned to Air Volvo with twenty minutes left on my parking and soon reached the Volvo Cave. I discovered (I had my laptop with me at the bar) that A Haunting in Venice, a new Kenneth Branagh mystery movie with him playing my favorite detective, Hercule Poirot–I bought tickets–the last good seat. Later, I learned from the credit this is a reworking of Agatha Christie’s Hallowe’en Party. This is one of the Ariadne Oliver stories, a mystery writer working with Hercule, played well by Tina Fey. I have seen the David Suchet and Zoë Wanamaker version, and while this one is almost unrecognizable from the more traditional BBC version, it worked for me. Recommended, but not cannon. 

Aside: I was wondering why I knew how it was done when watching the movie, but when I learned it was a reworking of an existing one, one I had seen, I knew I was not really that smart. Just memories.

While waiting for the movie time, I stopped by Powell’s books and bought two books on History (generally, I only purchase history books, and everything else is on my Kindle–just to keep the clutter down). The Shortest History of the Soviet Union has been a kick (I am already on page 18). Recommended. The New Concise History of the Crusades (Updated Student Edition), used and under $12, seemed a good buy as I often look up the Crusades. Maybe Google would be cheaper (free), but often, the information earned is worth the price, zero. I also like footnotes to find original sources (those are often on the Internet for free–undoubtedly worth the price of not heading to a library or using a library loan). I was reading these as I needed a break from Canadian murder stories (but they are so good).

I was home by nine-ish, reheated a small bit of chicken with potatoes and carrots–it is still too plain even when reheated–and took my pills with food. I read and then fell asleep early, about 10ish.

Thanks for reading.

 

 

 

 

I decided last night to just rest. I was tired, and a class of coffee liquor helped me choose to read and sleep. I did manage my meds before drifting off to sleep and ending with a nightmare just before 6AM. Why I can’t sleep beyond 5:45AM is a mystery to me.

Returning to yesterday, I started the day at 6AM, yes, waking just before my alarm at 5:45, and found the floor with my feet and then padded out to the kitchen and started the hot water in the electric kettle. I seemed to be an ‘and’ heavy morning. And I next climbed into the Immoble Schwinn bike and managed twenty minutes and 4.4 non-traveled miles. Yes, a lot of ‘and’ morning. Breakfast was an NYC bagel with cream cheese and a yogurt in a cup with fruit. I also enjoyed Equal Exchange coffee: The taste of Liberal in the morning.

I read the work and personal emails, Slack channel updates, and the news to prepare for the day. Next, I showered and dressed, grabbed my Nike laptop, and boarded Air Volvo. I managed to not drive to the old building and arrived at the new Nike WHQ building: Swift.

I discovered that Thursday did not have an 8AM meeting, so I worked on some status of my new work. I spent the morning working on that and doing various status and alignment Zoom meetings. I move to the atrium when I have a call and sit at a window to not disturb my co-workers.

I headed to see Susie and again forgot to take a picture when I got there. I arrived without incident at Susie’s place at Allegiance Senior Care LLC, 9925 SW 82nd. Ave. Portland (Tigard), OR 97223; phone (503) 246-4116. Susie had just finished her breakfast and was waiting for me. We then headed outside into the warm September day with clear, dark blue skies. When the sky is dark blue, it means no smoke and no smog. We found a sunny bench in Metzger Park, and I watched for yellow jacket wasps and waved a few away who were interested in Susie.

I used my iPhone to call Leta, Susie’s mother, for a FaceTime call from the park. We had a friendly call. Leta was happy to see the nice weather, and Susie closed her eyes and just listened; she was enjoying the sun. We know that once late October comes (maybe sooner), we will lose the warm Sun until May and, more likely, June (or worse, July). Every warm sunny day is another last chance to enjoy it. The park was less busy, with only pre-school kids and parents. A few dogs were walking their humans. A human left a big dog pile on the park walkway (!). I almost went to find a bag but decided it was best not to chance being covered in dog poo before returning to work. The park supplies poo bags.

I kissed Susie goodbye with a promise of a more extended visit on Friday. I next stopped at the Red Robin (RR) burger joint near Washington Square. I had found a card for RR, likely a gift from Leta, and decided to use it. Previously I discovered that the RR bartender during the weekday is political and had Fox News playing and making many comments that ensured that liberals, like me, are not welcome at RR bar.

I enjoyed my Ensalad Chicken in the regular seating and read the rules for Istanbul, the board game, to remember how to play the Coffee-focused add-on. The staff were happy to keep my iced tea full. Next time, I might order just the one chicken breast version. I am eating less now (thanks, Jack, for that suggestion). After an excellent repast, I headed out, paying a 20% tip and using the gift card–I had to manually add the card number (it took two tries), but it worked. I will be back, but not in the bar.

I returned to work and managed to not drive to the previous building. I got confused in some construction and ended up on a circuitous route through the parking lots, but I arrived just before the very loud fire drill. After that excitement, I returned to my work. My boss, Brad, then decided to meet and discuss the new work. That went on for a few hours. Once that was done, I headed out just before 5PM.

Traffic was heavy, but I arrived via Air Volvo at the Volvo Cave without incident. I microwaved to defrost the chicken I bought before the visit to Michigan. I forgot one was thighs and one was sliced breast. I baked that, cut up, with potatoes, carrots, onion, celery, and Herbs de Provence. The results, while promising at first, were a bit boring–next time, I will add some stock and maybe a few more spices.

Today was Thursday, the second one in September, so it was time for Theology Pub, led by Dondrea. Today’s subject was political, and I will resist covering much of it here. I do not write the blog as a political statement, but I do not hide that I am a Democrat and liberal. The main question we wondered about was how to understand modern Christianity, its mixing with politics, and the joining of the state and religion. Our conclusion was that one needs to see the fruits of groups that claim to be good; good produces good things like feeding the hungry and clothing the naked, not counting members and contributions.

I deleted my rant that was here about feeding and helping people.

I was tired, the traveling over the weekend getting to me, and soon I was sleeping. Mostly nightmares with me wandering and being chased by various unseen forces. In one dream, I am with indistinct friends controlled by some dark force and thus untrustworthy and want me to be captured and made like them, but somehow, I know they are after me, and I slip away to escape. I have escaped before, and I just need to reach a safe place to wake up and be safe. I can fly in this dream, and so I can hide in the dark ceiling of a movie theater. Nearby is my Matrix-like escape. I woke before I was caught or escaped, but I could feel the fear and excitement from the chase even as I woke.

Thanks for reading.

Wednesday started just before 6AM, with me having slept the evening and did not wake to take my night meds. I thought about skipping the bike ride, but I got going, filled the electric kettle, and climbed into the Immoble Schwinn. I also got Bloomberg to play at the same time. I rode for a 1/2 trip of fifteen minutes and 3.4 miles not traveled. The Bloomberg folks debated whether the news was good or bad on the state of the economy. There was no conclusion, but later, I learned the market did fall just a bit.

I made an NYC bagel (thanks, Joyce) with a small cup of yogurt and fruit for breakfast. I read emails, Slack channel updates, and the news online. I was trying to be prepared for the day. Next, I showered, dressed, and boarded Air Volvo. I arrived without issue at the Nike WHQ Swift building, our new place, before my first meeting at 8:05. Most of the meetings in our project start at +5 minutes to allow for a break between meetings for all the obvious reasons.

The day was the usual collection of Zoom meetings, mostly status meetings, with a few alignment meetings. I headed out after 11AM to see Susie and arrived, also without incident (but with plenty of construction), at Susie’s place at Allegiance Senior Care LLC, 9925 SW 82nd. Ave. Portland (Tigard), OR 97223; phone (503) 246-4116. Susie was wearing the new Detroit Lions shirt I brought her yesterday. We headed out to the park next door, Metzger Park, and I zipped up Susie’s light coat worn over the new shirt. It was cool in the shade. The sun came out, and it was soon hot and actually humid from the recent Oregon Mist. I was coughing from my allergies–Fall is here (cough, cough).

In the sun, we reached Leta, Susie’s mother, who was delighted to see me doing OK after so much travel. We had a friendly, quick chat. I had to return to work and find lunch, so today was a short visit. I returned Susie to the hummingbird house from the park, kissed Susie goodbye, and promised to return on Thursday.

Lunch was a salad from Chipotle’s with chips–more like nachos. I returned to WHQ by way of the old building–I did not even notice I had returned to the old building and had to turn around.

Work was just a few more meetings and some discussions. After 4:15, I was getting tired, so I headed out. I stopped at Shake Shack to get a burger, fries, and a Diet Coke. The food helped me wake up; I had the bacon and avocado burger, but I would order a cheeseburger with a slice of avocado–the bacon did not work for me. I also reviewed the rules for the board game Istanbul.

I reached First United Methodist and waited a bit for Z and Dondrea. After they arrived, Z and I played two games of Istanbul (it is easy to reset for another game). The game is an economic game where efficiency wins. You manage resources and move through the cards that represent the game board. You have many options and your turn is simple. The planning is hard. Andrew joined us for a third game, with him learning the game as we went on. We all seemed to enjoy this friendly and easy-to-play game.

Z and I also played some Azul, the tile game. We were out of practice and used our alternative scoring method. Z tried to sneak in a win, but we managed to score slightly better. She scored last, but everyone was within five points–anyone’s game.

It was a great time playing games while the choir and band practiced.

On the drive home, a train blocked the road, and then a confused driver was going the wrong way on a one-way street. All the drivers saw the mess, and we drove slowly to allow the lost car to turn out of the way and get legal. Ugh!

I am tired and forgot to take pictures. Sorry! I also had a 10PM Zoom meeting with India tonight. So it has been a rushed day.

Thanks for reading!

The day started at 6AM with my allergies waking me, and I panicking and taking a COVID-19 test (negative). So, I only had three or four hours of sleep last night–I was dragging all day. I tried to return to bed, but I mostly rolled over a few times and started my day at 7:30ish. I made an NYC bagel (thanks, Joyce) for breakfast and yogurt. I started the laundry, got an error code, and canceled the wash–I had forgotten to re-open the water to the clothing washing machine. Oops. I closed the water when I left for Michigan on Thursday.

I unpack some more, locate the T-shirt, Detriot Lions, and put that in Air Volvo. Before heading out, after restarting the laundry machine, I made a cold ham and cheese sandwich. I had to toast the bread as I froze the loaf when I left for Michigan (I did not want to return to fuzzy bread). While I ate my sandwich, I watched YouTube videos on Tolkien (Nerd of the Rings) and on how the bow metal corrodes in an Iowa-class battleship (Battleship New Jersey). After enjoying some new updates (I also saw a video on fixes to RMS Queen Mary in California), I finally collected my suit, suit pants, and shirt.

Air Volvo reached the Dry Cleaners in Beaverton without incident. My suit will be cleaned and ready for the H.P. Lovecraft Film Festival. I just need a period hat–working on that. I also added the suspender button to the pants for my black suit. They forgot them, and that makes the suit unusable. I want both suits for the festival.

After that, I crossed Beaverton to see Susie at her place at Allegiance Senior Care LLC, 9925 SW 82nd. Ave. Portland (Tigard), OR 97223; phone (503) 246-4116. I arrived with only witnessing some extra-legal driving when a car was trying to make a left turn, and cars drove around the car instead of waiting.

Susie was delighted to see me. She loved the new T-shirt. She was ready to see the Park again now that I was back.

We traveled to Metzger Park next door, and Susie wanted a sunny, warm location. Our first attempt had us driven off by yellow jackets, which seemed to swarm that area. We found another sunny bench without the pests and soon could talk to Leta, Susie’s mother, and Barb, Susie’s sister, on my iPhone using FaceTime to create a three-way call. Everyone was happy to have me safe and back in Oregon, and we had a pleasant chat. Once that was completed, I took Susie for a short tour and turned around as we were chased by wasps las time when outside the park near the street. The wasps are angered by the black spinning spokes of the wheel. Certain motions and colors draw aggression from some insects and even birds.

We still got chased as some wasps were affected by the black wheel spokes and became very aggressive. Before that, we saw that the park was ripping out the plantings near the event building, and I was saddened to see an old rose bush being pulled out. I was tempted to save it or a cutting, but I really had enough. I promised to carefully pick any new roses as there are so few spots left around my house that a rose could use (unless I start cutting up the lawn). I let it go.

We returned to the hummingbird house with Louis filling in for his wife, Jennifer, the usual nursing aide during the week. We watched another episode of Only Murders in the Building, season 3. Susie and I love this show. After that, I had to leave and rest and finish my laundry at the house. I went with a kiss–Susie was sad to have me leave but understood I was tired.

I reached the house without issues and found the mail had been delivered. I had written a letter to put the mail on hold while I was away and to deliver all the mail today. A friendly letter works better than trying to fill out their official card. Now I had bills for Susie’s medical stuff and Mom Wild’s lawn. I pay both manually by check to have a clear record. I also record all of this in Quicken. I received my membership card to Portland Art Museum (PAM) with a letter saying all $80 was a donation–so I updated my Quicken entry to treat it as a donation–excellent!

I finally turned on the water, and the laundry started to work. I rested (napped) and read A Fatal Grace: A Chief Inspector Gamache Novel (A Chief Inspector Gamache Mystery Book 2) on my Kindle. Falling asleep while reading. I would only know this as the Kindle would fall out of my hand and hit me while sleeping. I am enjoying the second book–Recommended murder detective series set in modern Quebec, Canada.

After a few failed solicitations, I was alone at BJ’s Brewhouse for dinner. Eric, my usual waiter, was on, but Mo said “hi,” also a familiar face. The manager who left is back as a server, “It did not work out,” he told me. We were both happy that he burned no bridges and was back. Many staff were dressed as superheroes as it was employee appreciation week. Many had supplied capes that said, “Bam” (referring to comic books and the old Batman TV show).

I had the huge porkchop and a baked potato that would impress the Hulk. Linda, my sister, and Jesse, her newly minted husband, are in Seattle and are having a great time in the Pacific Northwest. We exchanged pictures of food. So far, I am winning, but they have dinner at 8, which will likely be excellent.

I wrote this while eating and texting Linda. Thanks for reading.