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Barb, Susie’s sister, who is visiting and staying in the spare bedroom, has had to correct me multiple times when I get the day of the week wrong. I am on paid time off (PTO) from the shoe company and have lost my framework for the day of the week–work. It has been nice to place Nike IT in the background for these few days (since Thursday afternoon).

The weather, more typical in August in the previous decade, has been blue skies and hot. Yesterday we reached the 90s (32C) with no rain in the forecast and a brief low-cloud day starting this evening that will keep only Monday under 80F (27C). We are not under the dreaded heat dome (we did that in 2020) that is troubling the Western USA and will peek at just crossing 90F on our hottest days. I will continue to water the roses, dawn redwood (which seems to thrive in this weather), and other plants. The apple tree (from the original pioneer farm and likely one of the John Appleseed trees), while lying on its side, is covered with green apples (cider apples) and survived the pruning to make its new truck from a large branch, now, growing straight up. It seems pretty happy to just lie there.

Saturday was an early day for all of us. Barb and I were up around 7AM and enjoyed liberal coffee from the Mr. Coffee’s pot. I had some food as my prescription must be taken with food; Barb just does coffee with 2% milk. We took separate cars while I stopped to refuel Air Volvo ($4.79, f**king oil companies! Remember, there is no sales tax here).

The hole installation process in Beaverton was mostly stopped on the weekend. Hall Boulevard Highway 217 overpass bridge has been broken open for construction. The edge of the bridge cement has been smashed, and the metal bars exposed–not something that is reassuring when driving on the roadway. The bridge will be expanded by one lane to improve the flow to the 217 on-ramp, and the metal bars will be recast into the new concrete for the new lane. Still a bit strange to see!

Susie was still finishing her breakfast when we arrived, Barb arrived before me, and Susie was ready for her next adventure. Michelle Nixon came today and met Barb and was happy to see us. Anassa, the weekend nursing aide, got Susie prepared with sunblock and shoes (Susie’s yellow shoes were too tight, see we changed to her flower design Nikes) and popped Susie into the copilot seat on Air Volvo. Barb was in First Class just behind us. We traveled from 217 to 26 to Portland, and then I parked in the Burnside parking near the Saturday Market. Another car pulled out from a large spot next to the trash bin, so I parked there. I pulled in 1/2 way and unloaded Susie after reassembling the wheelchair from the cargo hold. Once Susie was safe, I pulled in the whole way, scanned the QR code, filled in the information, and paid for parking, even on Saturday.

We crossed the street into the party atmosphere of the Saturday Market with a DJ playing tunes and saw all the tourists in line for or taking photos with the pink Vodoo Donuts boxes. The tourists are usually identifiable as they move in packs, have a pink box, do not have that many (if any) tattoos, and sport more clothing than the locals. It is a hot day, even in the morning; the locals had exposed much skin, often covered in ink, while wearing huge shoes (and no pink boxes). Naked Day in Portland is in August this year–the locals were not nude yet.

The man with some of his art (Barb and I both bought a print)–www.jrslattum.com.

Barb shopped and found items for her kids to take back. Together we explored the slowly heating cityscape of tents and booths selling various edgy handmade or printed items. The smell of pot was only in a few places, and the bongs and other drug items, with the decriminalization of almost everything in Oregon, seemed no longer edgy, were missing, and indeed not central in any display. Instead, food products, soap, and cat toys were more pronounced, with rainbow colors being the most used decore for stands. There was a booth to buy a dart to throw at a picture of Trump and DeSantis, pride project funding booth. Portland has mostly moved much that was radical to the mainstream.

Once we had a few treasures, we headed to Kells and learned we were too early, they open at noon, but they let us in any way (it was getting quite hot). Evan found us there and joined us for lunch. Barb and I had some drinks (Barb a cider and their local red ale). Susie has water with thicker. Barb ordered a burger, and I had shepherd’s pie, and we got Susie some Ensure we brought and mashed potatoes with a touch of gravy. Evan, arriving later, had bangers and mash with an adult beverage.

Once most of the repast mainly was inside us, I paid the bill and headed back to Air Volvo. Susie was wiped out and leaning in her wheelchair. She was like a sack of wet noodles when I moved her into the copilot seat; saying goodbye to Even, we headed back to the hummingbird house.

Without issue, we soon landed at the hummingbird house, and Ansassa deplaned Susie for us. Barb then remained with Susie for the afternoon and early evening while I did chores. The first was to drop off the books for Dondrea and Z (just a few miles from the hummingbird house) that I picked up at Powell’s cheap. I also included one of the Gray Mouser and Fafhrd books I have had for years but now use my Kindle. I have carried the book from Maryland to Oregon, but it is time to let go of stuff (and introduce these rogue characters to others). Next, I got some big binders for papers at Office Depot. I also took a picture of the No Tonic Press note calling for locals to provide stories for an anthology at Powell’s. I might decide to edit a Howard story for that–I have to 1 August to submit–and I thought the current version drags a bit, so it might be better to cut it to fit the 7,000-word limit, just a little side project.

I returned to the Volvo Cave in light Saturday traffic and began more chores after a short rest. I restarted the endless laundry task (I was rewashing a pile of clothing, I think that was a year or more old sitting in a basket) and finally sorted the accumulated papers for May and June. I keep records of every expense (even the receipts I remember to save) and then put them in 3″ binders every six months. If asked, I can produce proof of funds, medical expenses, and hobby expenses should the IRS or other entities need evidence. I did have to run through every transaction in June and found a few to correct. I try to do the assignment of transactions (I have every in-use account feeding into Quicken on my Apple) daily to reduce the workload doing a little each day is easier (and I might remember what the transaction was just a day later).

Sunset at Beaverton Central.

Time flies, and soon it is getting into the evening. Barb and I agreed to meet at the food trucks in Beaverton Central. Barb spent the day with Susie ending with dinner for Susie and, before that, watching M.A.S.H. while Susie rested in bed. Barb parked in the lot while I picked up the parking garage, and we met at the food trucks. I had a Peru-styled rice bowl with beef, and Barb tried a savory crepe. We then had a few beers and watched the sunset from the bar. We moved to another area, and the kids sent a ball into our beers and doused Barb. We finished what was left and headed back to the Volvo Cave. Arriving without issue, we chatted briefly, and Barb stayed awake until nearly 11PM. I had some trouble sleeping, going to bed later, but finally slept at about 1AM.

Thanks for reading.

 

Today Barb and I started with liberal coffee made in the coffee pot, and me baking a premade quiche, had a slice, and sent a slice to Susie with Barb. Barb headed out early to see her sister, Susie, and they were in the park for most of the morning. The quiche was saved the following day as Jennifer had Susie ready early today.

I spent the morning writing the blog and doing some housework items. I got cleaned up, dressed, and then loaded Air Volvo with items for Goodwill. I delivered them there and then headed to see 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 found Susie and Barb in Metzger Park at the shady bench near the cedars and redwoods. I pointed out the Dawn Redwood to Barb that loses its leaf-like needles in the winter; we planted one at the house, which is a few inches taller now. I ordered one from Amazon, and I am sure you, dear reader, are not surprised you can get mail-order redwoods from Amazon.

We headed back to the hummingbird house, Jennifer loaded Susie into Air Volvo, and we headed to Salt & Straw Ice Cream in Beaverton. It was hot, near 90F (32C), and I unloaded Susie from Air Volvo after reassembling the wheelchair in the cargo hold. Susie had Sherbert, Barb had two different cones (one matching mine), and I had the last chance at Day Old Bread Pudding with Ganache Chocolate.

We disassembled and reloaded the wheelchair into the cargo hold after Susie boarded with me (Michael) doing the lifting. Air Volvo then did a driving tour for Susie and Barb of the Nike WHQ. Next, we hit the highway, connected with Cornelius Pass Road, and headed to the Rockcreek Tavern. The wheelchair was once again whisked out and reassembled; Susie was popped into the wheelchair by me. We found a late lunch and beer products there, locally made beer. Barb had a lovely Clam Chowder, and I had a sausage plate with extra cheese dip sauce that Susie had as her meal. Susie loves cheese, and we avoided choking hazards with that. I did put a thicker in the water to keep Susie safe.

We spent a delightful warm afternoon at the tavern. After that, we took the highways back and again disassembled and reassembled the wheelchair and boarded and deplaned Susie from Air Volvo. Susie looked tired, and we left her with Jennifer and Louis for dinner and some rest.

Barb and I, taking separate cars, headed back to the Volvo Cave. We had heavy traffic in a few places, it was Friday evening then, but we arrived without issue. We then rested a bit. Next, we boarded Air Volvo and headed to Powel’s Books. Barb wanted to do a little shopping at the Beaverton store.

I found a few used books and some items for Z. I also noticed that the computer section is smaller, and the Artificial Intelligence (AI) section is now more story and less algorithm and coding. Next to the computer books is the new sex book collection, including prominently placed books on favorite kinks. All of this is across from where the AI section used to be. I could draw some conclusions, but I will let the readers instead draw their own. The sex books area is larger now than the computer book area-hmmm.

We returned to the Volvo Cave, and both were tired from all we did. Barb is resting already as the time change gets to her.

 

Susie’s sister, Barb, flew in today and drove herself from PDX to the hummingbird house, arriving at about 1PM. Navigation worked until she got close as she was sent to the wrong street; use Metzger Park instead of the address to find Susie, as the hummingbird house is next to the park. Susie was pleased to see her sister, and we stayed with Susie until dinner time around 5PM, cheeseburgers being on the menu tonight–we demurred when offered dinner.

Susie was resting when we got there, and Barb woke her when she arrived. Taking a moment to awaken, Susie was so happy to see her. Jennifer said it was the best smile she had seen on Susie. Barb called Leta, their mother, and did FaceTime with Leta so everyone could see each other. We moved Susie to a wheelchair and sat on the porch as it was already hot outside (88F or higher–31C) and just chatted and enjoyed the warm sun.

Susie got her bottom sore when sitting for a few hours, and we retired to Susie’s room with Jennifer putting Susie on her side, and I started M.A.S.H. We chatted and watched M.A.S.H. until dinner time.

Barb and I then headed to Beaverton Central, having to dodge construction and find parking. Barb had trouble with the rental, a Jeep SUV, as Nav wanted to use the highways in rush hour, and she remotely started, but the Jeep needed some mystery process to allow it to drive. She had to restart the Jeep. Next, Barb was stopped at the parking garage. The touch screen, built to be used underground, was over 98F (body temperature), and the screen did not work as it could not detect touches (using temperature differences to detect touch). Barb was stalled. The machine would not take her credit card (out of state), and I had to walk to the entrance and give her an AMEX to work. Barb felt that the universe was selecting her as a new test bunny! Once we sorted the parking garage, we headed to the carts. Barb found a gyro, me noodles, a picnic table in partial shade, and beer. Barb found a German product fresh from the keg and me, Red Zepplin Ale, to drink.

Next, we headed home with Barb stopping at Safeway to get some items. We chatted until 9:30ish, and Barb rested as the jet lag and time difference started to weigh on her. I was up until 10:30ish doing bills and laundry. Susie’s Rx bill was over $500 with the addition of Ensure. While it is doctor-ordered, I still marked the over-the-counter (OTC) expense in my books. While technically, a medical professional has ordered it for medical reasons, the IRS agent that reviews my taxes could disallow it as OTC; if I sue the IRS, I will win as it is medically necessary as determined by an independent professional, but it is not worth the time and risk. The same is true of the gloves I buy every month.

I was in bed a bit early for me, felt good, deciding to write the blog on Friday morning.

Returning to my start of the day, I was up at 6:30AM and enjoyed a pastry and liberal coffee while I read emails, slack channel updates, and news articles. I cleaned up, dressed, boarded Air Volvo, headed to Clubhouse Nike Building off of WHQ, the office, and arrived before my first hours of status meetings.

Work was busy with me setting up my out-of-office, the production fixes, and last-minute fixes for the testing of our next release (yes, the final testing of the next version starts two weeks after installing the current release–the life of software engineers is to be constantly working on the next release), and approving access now that my boss, Brad, is on sabbatical. I also started on my new project and created the design of access–the first step of installing new software after the actual build is to design security and access. It was a busy day.

I then headed to WHQ to have lunch. I got a note that my lunch with Scott was canceled, so I headed to the closest food, the Lebron Building, and got a bagel sandwich. I read my emails as I was about to start lunch and discovered that Scott was wrong and we would meet. I had my bagel wrapped, headed to the Serene Williams building, enjoyed the salad bar, and talked to Scott about software and work items for a working lunch. While there, I got updates from Barb that she had reached PDX without issue.

And that brings us full circle in Thursday’s story. We did get good news, Susie did not lose any more weight in a week. That brings us hope.

Thanks for reading.

 

Again, today will be a short blog. I am tired today.

Going backward, I spent the early evening with Z playing board games and then wandering the park by the church in Beaverton by the fountain. I taught Z a new game today, Furnace, and she loved it. You buy plants by bidding and then running your updated collection of plants. You then transform various resources into cash. The player with the most money wins. Richard taught me the game, and I bought it with my birthday gift card from my sister, Linda, and Jesse (her husband-to-be).

After that, I returned home and started some laundry, and watched the start of season 3 of Max’s Warrior series, which finally got a third season. I reheated some pasta and sausage I made yesterday. I needed some food to have with my meds. It was hard to get back to the blog tonight.

Moving back in the day to work, at 3PM, we had a party with finger foods, beer, and wine to celebrate our successful installation last weekend. The two presidents that run much of Nike came to talk about it and other leaders of IT. It was, despite my complaints about testing, an excellent go-live.

Before this, I headed out after a pulled-pork lunch from the trucks (free for us) to see 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 awake in her recliner in the shared living room and waiting for me. I remembered this time to bring the flowers. Jennifer, the weekday nursing aide, said the flowers in Susie’s room were fading, so these would go there; Susie agreed.

Next, after Jennifer popped Susie into her wheelchair, we headed outside; it was a warm day–just starting to get hot. I pushed Susie into the park, and we stopped in the shade at a bench to call Leta, Susie’s mother. Leta was in her car when we called, but she parked in her driveway and talked to us for a while. Everyone is excited that Barb, Susie’s sister, will be here tomorrow.

The park was not too busy. I saw a hummingbird be challenged by a dragonfly; it sort of just stopped in the sky like it was pulled over for speeding, then seemed to spin and say, “Are you crazy,” and then flew away fast from a very confused dragonfly. I am tempted to think that Beaverton’s Finest has moved into dragonflies–but that is silly, but I still like the idea.

A child screamed in a very high pitch, and I saw every dragonfly and large flying bug halt and then fly quickly away at full speed. Strange sights today.

After the call, we completed, at Susie’s request, to finish the park and tour the area. Soon, it was time to leave after I reached the hummingbird house and left Susie with Jennifer after a kiss.

Work was full of status meetings and a few crises of the moment. I was shocked to approve five fixes into production and QA today–I usually just get one or two. So I was asking questions and busy in the status meetings. I also reviewed some designs. One I did sitting at a picnic table in Beaverton Park when waiting for Z and Dondrea. I used my phone to get a network connection to Nike and then updated the design document with my approval and replied to the email. I was busy today.

The morning started in a rush at 6AM, and I had a pastry and a banana with my liberal coffee. I was ready and had no new colon issues made my morning more exciting.

Sorry for the confusing blog, but I am tired and have much to do at home. More laundry and dishes.

Thanks for reading.

 

I have been cleaning the house and other items, so the blog will be short today. I will cover the essential details.

First, Susie had a video meeting with the nutritionist from Legacy at 1:30, and we had a good meeting. Kathy, the nutritionist, will recommend swallowing testing for Susie to ensure that nothing is worse or even better. Next, she thinks using Ensure (with protean, one with each meal plus as a snack) is excellent. She also recommended that Susie’s food be fortified with butter, cream, and oils. Creamy desserts are also a good idea, and maybe a pumpkin pie made with extra cream and cream cheese (or just cheese) will add up fast for Susie. It was a positive meeting, and the goal was to reverse the trend of losing weight by adding more calories to Susie’s food.

I started the day at 6AM with a NYC bagel (thanks, Joyce) and a banana. I was not rushed and read emails, Slack messages, and news reports to prepare for my day. And then, my colon decided that it would start to work again today and started releasing at a quick rate. I managed to avoid any accidents, but one is constantly amazed by volume! One moment was nearly a clean-up, and I thought I would miss work today, but I had to do the meeting for Susie, so I thought clean, dry thoughts and boarded Air Volvo.

I took my Apple computer and, unknowingly, dropped the earbuds with a mic in the driveway (I found them this evening). After being exposed to coffee, my Apple laptop mic is kaput, so I have to plug in a mic. I arrived a few minutes late for the status meeting as the traffic was light.

I forgot the coffee I meant to carry and Susie’s flowers (still in water on the counter). My colon suddenly had me in the restroom a few times, but there were no accidents, and I felt better by late morning. Work was the usual crisis of the moment, and me approving access for my boss, who is on sabbatical until August. Lunch was free, and trucks again. I had the chicken, olive, and mushroom strew African style. It was good. The chicken was a thigh with bones. Excellent.

As I described, next, I traveled to Susie’s place without issues. I stopped by Target and got a replacement earbuds and mic when I discovered I had lost mine. I got Susie some flowers too. I then headed to Susie at the hummingbird house in Portland (Tigard) at Allegiance Senior Care LLC, 9925 SW 82nd. Ave. Portland (Tigard), OR 97223; phone (503) 246-4116. Susie was in her bed, ready for the meeting. With a bit of trouble, I set up the Apple and found the sound settings, and then it all worked.

After that, I returned to the office for a while. I presented my next project at work, Archiving (boring stuff). I then left after 4 to get some housework done.

I cooked pasta, pasta sauce from a jar, and Italian sausage (cut into cubes–it is better that way) and watched the rest of Good Omens. I also mopped the kitchen and the main bathroom floors. I vacuumed the carpets. I finished washing and drying blankets for Barb. While the house is still dusty and messy, it is better. I will continue to work on it during Barb’s visit. I have yet to make it to GoodWill to eliminate lots of stuff. Soon!

Thanks for reading. I am happy about the ideas on food, and we will see if we can stop weight loss.