Blog

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.

I managed to get through until 5PM at work, with my coughing mainly controlled. I spent the day in the Clubhouse office building, not part of Nike WHQ (WHQ is about a mile away or so) in Beaverton. I left work, took Air Volvo home, and arrived thirty minutes early for the China-hosted All-Employee Meeting. I then watched the 1:15 presentation and show. It was better this time, and I was interested the whole time; it was nicely done. I cannot here comment on the content, but the virtual content, including transitions, worked well.

After that, I headed to The Rock Woodfired Pizza–the best pizza I have had in the local area. I have been told there is better pizza in Portland, but I have found none in my immediate area better. Their red ale is good too. I sit in the bar on tall tables and tall chairs and order an average Caesar salad to go with the pizza. I order the all-meat pizza, but their other pizzas are good too.

Returning to the story, starting on Tuesday night, the coughing would not stop, so I took my mind-numbing no-coughing pill and slept until my overactive kidneys needed me to wake up just after 4AM. They repeated the trick at 5:30 too. I did my best Dracula rising interpretation at 6AM, but instead of exploding in flames from the morning sun, I had to appreciate my kidney’s overworking again.

I had a bagel with cream cheese, an NYC one, and liberal coffee (via my French Press), and then I enjoyed my emails, company emails, and various updates on Slack channels. I also read the news (the budget deal is exciting in Washington), and a drone left a burn mark on a building in Moscow. Putin looked like he was trying not to say that Ukraine should contract with Iran to acquire a better class of remote death machines. Seeing that the world was not going to end (the US trying to tell Ukraine that if you do that again, at least scare someone, and then denied the attack), I put on my slippers and watered my roses in my robe. I was a bit damp when done, as the hose sometimes finds my slippers and the sleeves on my robe droop, covering the hose and getting soaked. Next (slightly damp), I quickly showered, dressed, and headed out in Air Volvo.

I arrived at Clubhouse before 8AM and saw that breakfast was served downstairs. I missed the start of my first meeting, but I acquired scrambled eggs, with the usual potatoes with cooked onions and betters, bacon, and a refill with Starbucks generic coffee–second breakfast (so hobbit-like). I then spent the morning in status and update meetings. Content can not be shared here, but I could read my email, Slack updates, and even review a technical design document while this was happening or during the short times between the meetings when they ended early. Not exciting stuff (which is a good sign, by the way). The morning did go by fast.

Soon I was back in Air Volvo 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 was there after 11:15, and Susie was just finishing her breakfast. Susie’s stroke means she cannot eat food that is not been through a blender. She uses a small spoon to help her eat and feeds herself unless tired or not feeling well, and she can mostly get the food in her. She is now a messy eater. She has a light plastic cup with ridges that lets her easily handle the cup. She drinks water and Ensures from the cup. Always strawberry Ensures. She is carefully watched as she can easily choke, but that is not the worst. Susie can aspirate, damaging her lungs, and we will then be facing a life-threatening infection like the one that nearly took her life last year. We are all, including Susie, cautious.

But no tragedies today; Susie was done and ready to head out. On Jennifer’s (the weekday nursing aide) advice, I put a blanket on Susie and headed for a short visit in the overcast Oregon May morning. It felt normal–all we needed was some Oregon mist–with the lack of sun and 62F (17C). Susie said it was chilly, meaning, “Go faster, Wild.” So I quickly found a bench not in the cold shade and called Leta, Susie’s mother, on my iPhone using FaceTime. Leta was uncomfortable in 90F+ (32C) heat. We talked briefly, and Susie wanted the chat to go fast (“chilly”). So soon, we rang off and quickly finished a short loop with us, skipping the cold shady section (we will enjoy that more later in the year). I had to return to work and find lunch, so I kissed Susie goodbye, and she headed to her recliner in the shared living room. I promised to return on Wednesday morning.

Lunch was local at Chipotle near Susie. I had the bowl with chicken and guacamole and skipped eating the rice at the bottom. Instead, I get a bag of chips and eat the top with the chips. I read stories on my iPhone from BBC, CNN, and The New York Times (I have a subscription and a paper delivered on Sundays) while eating my chips with dip.

Next, I returned to work and followed along. The day was soon over, with a few crises of the moment handled.

That completes the circle. I am drinking hot tea after the pizza and beer. Eating makes my nose run and starts me coughing and sneezing. It is a Wild thing; we all do it. The tea helps.

Thanks for reading.

 

I was better in the morning this Memorial Day Monday, but by the time I had lunch with Joan S, I was often coughing. I got back in Air Volvo, and I got better and am better in the house. The pollen is too heavy outside today, I guess. I decided to stay in for the rest of the day to see if I improved. My lungs are clear, but antihistamines and cough syrup help only a bit. I was hoping to do some housework but took a long nap all afternoon. That helped, and besides the pollen, I am tired.

So I am in my office in the house, looking out the window, watching the light fade on Memorial Day 2023. Dinner was reheated spaghetti with meatballs, and I watched the rest of season 1 of Space Battleship Yamato 2199. The story included an extra-dimensional U-Boat to hunt the Yamato, creating a steampunk Das Boot WW2 look. So a guilty pleasure, but full of surprises like space submarines.

As I said, I managed to stop the coughing and rest for a few hours. I think it helped. I was also reading Popular Mechanics, which has changed its format to resemble a maker’s zine. I liked the articles, including information on living on Mars and structural batteries (and supercapacitors) where you can make a beam or flooring into a battery–these are carbon-based batteries, not lithium. Interesting. I will try next month’s and see if I like it (Violet Blue, an Internet acquaintance, was published by Popular Mechanics, and I thought I should try it again).

I did some work on the radio project. I have glued in the stays for speakers (they will be 1″ from the box to allow me to fit in my new speakers around the face plate and nobs and buttons). I try assembled the radio, and I needed to replace a few wires that were too short, but soon the final assembly will start for the face plate and light effects. I will retest the speakers soon with the 5V stereo amp–this time, I remember not to use 9V and wonder what that high pitch sound is (the amp chips melting).

I have a special chopper for small lumber, and it worked great for cutting the stays 1″ each. I am happy with my tools. I look forward to finishing the radio and then painting the figures. I will then plan the next radio or begin one of my ship models or possibly the Addam’s House model (with spooky lighting and sounds).

Moving back to the morning, starting the day over, I woke without breathing issues and only a light cough at 8ish and made cereal and liberal coffee in my French Press for breakfast. I then wrote the blog and checked out the glue in the radio project updates–perfect. I finished the moderately long blog by 10:30ish, rushed showering and dressing, and boarded Air Volvo 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.

The drive included more extra-legal driving from my fellow Oregonians and creative lane use. I managed to ignore it and arrived undamaged in Air Volvo soon at Susie’s place. Susie had just finished breakfast and was ready to head to the park. We made the reverse loop and headed down the streets to the back entrance to Metzger Park. A man in a van was smoking, not tobacco, and walking his ducks. He had a collection of about five ducks, and he picked them up, and they followed him–definitely not wild ducks. I am sure there is a story there. Susie was fascinated.

The park was busy with folks having parties, and the kids were running everywhere. The number of dogs was less. We stopped at a bench and called Leta, Susie’s mother, and talked for a while. After we rang off, I pushed Susie through the tennis courts, not in use, to avoid the rattle of the crushed stone. Finally, we arrived back at the hummingbird house porch, and I called David and Michelle Smith; they did FaceTime, and we talked briefly. Susie was thrilled to see the Smiths. David and Michelle were doing home repairs at their beach house, and we chatted about the usual power/plumbing issues that always haunt you when you do minor upgrades.

After the Smiths rang off, I kissed Susie goodbye, headed to BJ’s Brewhouse, and met Joan S for appetizers. We chatted for an hour or more. Unfortunately, my coughing started to get worse and worse. I could barely talk when we left.

Surprisingly, as I said above, the coughing stopped when I was in the filtered air in Air Volvo (it has high-quality filters that are replaced on certain service miles–I know I paid the bill). So I headed to Barnes and Noble and saw Joan S there. Then, I bought some zines and headed home.

And that takes me full circle.

I water the roses this morning and took pictures of the now proper blooms.

One of the new roses, Wedgewood, a climber by David Austin. I got it last year as just roots, and it is graphed. It should cover the fence this year.

Souvenir du Président Lincoln, a French rose from 1865, is no longer stressed and has its wonderful flowers fully open. It is a repeat bloomer, so we will see only a few more blooms in the summer, but they are worth it, I think.

The orphan rose (the tag was lost at the nursery, so they were sold cheap) is a pale English rose. A nice surprise.

Thanks for reading!

Sunday was a quiet day for me, and my cough is back and non-stop; this time likely allergies. My eyes are burning, and my nose keeps running, but my lungs seem clear. I also read that there is a virus that causes my symptoms, but I hope this is just allergies.

Sunday started with going nearly 8AM, making breakfast of oatmeal (instant and low sugar), and adding walnuts and dried cranberries. My French Press was used to make liberal coffee to go with breakfast. Next, I got the now-charged battery for my Dremel, put a burr bit into the chuck, and carefully cleaned up the sides of the casting I made a few weeks ago. It was my first time using clay to make a mold, and I had not got the internal lines between clay bits pushed together, so the acrylic leaked into the layers creating irregularities on the button surfaces. As the sides of the bottom are not visible, I just cut the sides down with the burr.

Next, I fitted it, and the casting fit. I mixed up some 15-minute epoxy, covered the base of the casting (not visible at all) with the mix, and placed the casting in its final position. The fit was tight enough to not use tape or screws to ensure the casting was in place when the epoxy dried. 15-minute epoxy is my go-to for non-porous and dissimilar gluing. It should be used when the weight of the glue is not essential, and the glued area will not receive high-temperature exposure. Also, the epoxy works by heating itself, so the materials should not be heat-sensitive. Lastly, it is a poor choice for flying models, notably rockets, as it is heavy, does not sand, and will soften when exposed to heat. CA and wood glues are the choices there, or crazy aerospace epoxy products (often toxic and include hazardous materials) and vacuum bagging to remove bubbles.

I managed to get epoxy on me, my work table, and some of the wood I was working with. Next, the epoxy ran, threatening the new faceplate cover. I wiped it clean and put some tape on the area to stop it from running. I stopped after that. Three mistakes are my limit–I then take a break.

I wrote the 2,000+ for the blog cover just Saturday. I was in a writing mood but ran out of time and could not edit all the typos. Grammarly catches many things, but it also puts some in–Someday, I will have to get a few paragraphs from ChatGPT and run them through Grammarly. I was not done until near noon. Taking a break to water the roses. The daily watering has recovered the blooming, and I am getting full-sized flowers now.

I reheated a piece of lasagna from the freezer (I made it last week) and had that for lunch. Next, I showered and dressed. I discovered the new Dollar Shaving Club (DSC) new razors did not fit my recently purchased handles. DSC was purchased by a multi-national grocery company and has since become less customer-focused, less friendly, and updates the products without warning. I discovered no better replacement online and ordered yet another shaver with more blades to get above the free shipping level. I was with DSC when they were a small company, and I miss the friendly desperation and the well-written advice columns. DSC is now just a zombie brand animated by Unilever.

I headed over to see Susie in Air Volvo and got a tour of crazy driving as I crossed over Beaverton. When I screw up, there is a police person ready to write me up or a photo machine to record the mistake. How do these drivers keep their licenses! For example, on Sunday, the pickup that did a three-point turn on a five-lane road (with traffic) went the wrong way until it finished. Next, the left turn across oncoming traffic diving into the turning lane was impressive. But the attempt to change lanes two at a time was a bit bold and double so with another car in the second lane. The driver managed to stop the traffic on Hall Boulevard when the driver discovered their near collision, and no driver was willing to get near the errant driver until they sorted out where they wanted to be–everyone stopped. Of course, the driver then turned off another fifty feet later!

Surviving Hall Boulevard without damage, ticket, or higher blood pressure (I am just used to it), I arrived at Susie’s place 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 resting in her room on her bed with a blanket (it was a cold day), watching M.A.S.H. on her screen. Susie has Peacock, which has all her old favorite TV shows without commercials.

Susie was in pain in her right leg, the upper part. Anassa, the weekend nursing aide, had placed pillows under Susie’s legs and had her sit up to see if that would remove the pain. It was working, but I asked them to give her a Tylenol (she has an order for it as needed) as I was worried it would come back at night and make sleep impossible for Susie. Susie took the painkiller and was soon better; more likely, the position change helped than the painkiller.

Susie watched M.A.S.H. after we called Leta on my iPhone using FaceTime to see each other. Leta was surprised to see Susie in bed, but the pain was discussed, and Susie was already saying it was fine. Susie is always fine. She seems to get embarrassed when asking for help. Leta was still enjoying her new flowers planted by Susie’s sister, Barb, who was there with Leta, and we got to talk and see her too. It was an excellent meeting.

Soon, after ringing off, Susie was napping and watching M.A.S.H. I sat next to her in a chair. Susie sleeps better when she has company–It always makes it easier to nod off with family. I stayed awake as I was constantly coughing, which kept waking Susie. Just annoying.

Around 4ish, I got Susie moved into her wheelchair, the pain was gone, and we headed outside to the park next door. First, I took Susie down a few streets to see the magnolia tree and the other flowers of the houses in the area. The irises were fading, but the roses were great. We could smell the trees, a banana-like perfume. Next, we enter the park from the far entrance and spent some time just watching folks. It was warm but not hot, and the shady bench was not uncomfortable. We saw the large local butterfly, an Oregon Swallowtail. After being outside for about an hour, we returned to the hummingbird house.

At about 5PM, I kissed Susie goodbye and headed home. Susie was sad to see me leave but was reassured by my promise to return on Monday. So I arrived home without witnessing any extra-legal car handling in Beaverton. Beaverton’s Finest was nowhere to be seen, but the Washington County Sheriff’s cars were out. I stopped in the house for a moment, grabbed my Apple computer, and headed to BJ’s Brewhouse for dinner. My untalented waiter, Nick, managed to have my prime rib dinner (they make excellent prime rib on Sundays) with my salad instead of putting in the order after I finished my salad like the more attentive waiters. I have had Nick before and always tip him; someone has to. I finished with some ice cream and coffee.

Returning home, I returned to the radio project. I cut a 1″x4″ wood and mounted the last push buttons and volume control on the wood (expecting to glue a veneer over it), but the potentiometer (volume control nob) would not fit the whole in the original wood case. It would be risky to drill the hole larger. So I went online and discovered an excellent and expensive nob with a potentiometer built in that should fit the hole. I ordered two (one 2K and 10K resistance).

Aside: If you run 3.3V DC into a potentiometer, you can measure the voltage with a microcontroller analog input. The nob turn increases the resistance and reduces the voltage. In more dangerous builds, you would run the main line voltage through the potentiometer, such as 12V 10AMP DC, to run a motor. The nob would let you control the speed, but the reduction would cause the unused energy to be released as heat in the potentiometer (very Frankenstein)! Usually, low voltage is used in the control panels (seldom you see the huge knife switches so dramatically used in Frankenstein movies) and then routed to high voltage transistors safely behind guards and proper insulation. Thus Scotty would say the relays are blown on the TV show, suggesting power surges had leaked into the low voltage controlling parts, destroying them.

Another aside: Knife switches are cool looking but are made to be mult-times the arc length of the high voltages. Thus the power will not cross the gap when not used. When used in higher voltages, they often arc as they are closed (quite scary) and often smoke as the dust on them is vaporized. They are open power and will kill you if you incorrectly reach for them–they are usually screened. You must reach out to them and never over them unless you want to test the arc! Leave them to the movies!

I stopped and let the glue dry, disappointed that I had to order more parts.

The coughing worsened, and I read for the rest of the night. Finally, I finished the short novel Rose/House by Arkady Martine. A creepy AI story and the loneliness of the human condition. I would recommend it as a clever, weird story; slightly dystopian, something I don’t read, but still imaginative.

I went to sleep after taking my pills, after the coughing settled down.

The painted rose shows a hint of white.

Thanks for reading.

I overdid yesterday and had to take cough syrup and my anti-coughing heavy-hitting prescription. My now-retired doc realized I was doing more damage coughing than my body needed to do with a cough. Years of coughing had created a habit in my person that made things worse. I needed to stop the coughing reaction, so I had a wickedly powerful anti-coughing drug. You do not drive or make important decisions after taking it. I took one last night, and the coughing stopped, and I slept until 4ish when my kidneys (those workaholics) needed to empty their tanks. And they refilled in three hours again! Give me a rest–literally. I must be careful as I easily overdose on anything, including a chemotherapy drug that put me in the ER. It worked too well for me, but I did manage to keep the feeling in my hands and feet.

After dealing with the coughing, I was home before midnight and was asleep just after midnight–at least, that was the last time I remember seeing on the clock last night. I had traveled from Richard’s house in Portland. I crossed over the Willamette River on the high Freemont Bridge, with the insanely high on-ramp taller than the bridge’s roadway. I call it the Space Shuttle ride as it is banked, is two banked lanes that join at one lane to the bridge, and has in the past been filled with rain water at the joint (so exciting, and I guess a sixty-meter or 200 feet tall drain is too much to ask for).

Before this, Richard, Shawn, and I tried another of Richard’s Kickstarter games I did not buy into when I saw it announced: Dead Reckoning. This is a reworking of a successful new style of games where you use a form of card drafting, except you collect transparent cards to slide into the cardholder to improve your cards. Quite impressive and my first time with this system (may be a surprise to you, dear readers, that I have not played some well-known gaming systems). The theme is pirates exploring the Caribbean to acquire bases and resources, improve the players’ crew, or trade/attack merchant shipping (your choice). Unfortunately, Shawn and I had some trouble with the mechanics. I decided that since it was a pirate-themed game, I attacked merchant shipping and was soundly crushed twice. First, I had to stay in port and repair my near-sinking ship! Second, I had to upgrade my crew to improve my ship; ugh!

Knowing the game well, Richard was able to use the game mechanics more efficiently and somehow now had nine cannons, and Shawn and I were hiding in port! I made raids and managed to be the worst pirate ever, losing battle after battle and spending most of the game putting the fires on my ship. Finally, Richard was ready to win the game, so Shawn and I arranged to go down in flames with both our ships already on fire and fight a final battle. Unexpectedly, I won and sunk Shawn’s nearly already sinking vessel.

Dead Reckoning uses a strange cube (not dice) dropping system that lands on a ridged surface with markers to tell you who won and what loot and damage is assigned to both sides. By this time, I had upgraded two gunners and managed to draw both for that turn, which gave me the advantage to win the last two battles. It was a fun and thematic game, but you could use some how-to information to play for first players if you want to not be crushed by an experienced player. Shawn bet me by ten points, and Richard was far beyond our scores. Still fun. Next time!

I had ignored the game as I thought the damage system was strange and did not know much about the card-improving system. Glad to have played Richard’s to learn more about it. I checked the pricing and found a copy still shrink-wrapped version for $240. Or about, now with inflation, about three bar bills with friends.

Before I headed across Portland to Richard’s in light traffic, I was at Rogue’s bar in SE playing board games with Evan, having a nice lunch, and a few excellent Dead Guy Ales. We returned to the basic Lost Ruins of Arnak (a board game), and both really enjoyed a two-person game. The theme is living in a 1920s archeology movie in 1920s’ South America. You dig and face horrific guardians that you must use your resources to overcome. You are building up the same resources to do your research, represented by a track independent for the digs, and here most of the points are found in the game to win. It is a bit silly; for example, my favorite tool to acquire in the game, the Hat, did not show up this time. We played the basic game (with the additions from the add-on that are meant to improve the base game included but not using the more showy things like personality or alternative boards). We had time to play two games, with me winning the first by quite a few points and then winning again by three. Evan’s first game went poorly, which happens when nothing works. I sympathize and have had those games, too; it makes you want to cry in your beer.

Arnak is a new (2020) boardgame that Richard introduced me to, and I liked it so much I bought a copy and then found all sorts of excellent replacement parts to improve the experience (i.e., one currency in the game is a compass, and I have found little ones to replace the cardboard ones). It is a worker placement and resource management game with deck building mechanism. It is also cheap, with the base game at about $50 and the nice add-on for less than $30. Now you can go to Esty.com and buy all the cool upgrades, and there was that Kickstarter that upgraded the meeples with better meeples. Actually, a set of stickers might be better than the meeple replacement.

Between the two games, Dead Reckoning and Arnak, I would recommend Arnak as cheaper. Engine builders and more Euro folks would like Dead Reckoning better. On the other hand, dudes on a board and resource managers (what I like) are more robust in Arnak.

Before all of the gaming and eating (and drinking), including the Salmon Fish and Chips (excellent!) for lunch, Evan and I were with 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. We watched a short animated movie, Raya and the Last Dragon. I did not like it the first time I saw it, years ago, but I thought we should try it again, and I thought it was better this time. The fight scenes are nearly live-action, and almost all women main characters add a different feel to the movie. The movie is about tribalism, not trusting people different from you, and forgiveness. Rather powerful emotions for an animated feature, and it does not always work, but I still liked it. Susie did not sleep through it, which says the most for it.

Before setting up in Susie’s room with Susie in her rocking chair for the film, I took Susie for a more extended trip to Metzger Park. The day was cool and about 65F (18C), but with no wind, the Oregon sun struck hot (Saturday’s air was clear of pollution and humidity, so the sunlight was warming). Susie was in her favorite sweater and was comfortable. The roses in the park bloomed, and a large yellow butterfly did a close flyby to Susie, to her delight. We found the Oregon Swallowtail for this year!

As usual, we called Leta from a shady (slightly cold) bench on my iPhone using FaceTime so we could see each other. Leta was on her new deck reading in the shade with her sun hat. Leta and Susie both limit their exposure to direct sun. Leta was enjoying her day and was happy to see us outside again. Leta asked about my health, and I reassured her that I would take it easy (but still overdid it). The park was full of kids and folks walking the paths, as we were, and enjoying the cooler day–a near-perfect day.

Aside: The nice weather is not typical. Oregon should be non-stop rain and gray for May and June. May-June is considered one of our worst months as it is warm and full of Pacific-based storms, Pineapple Expresses, but not this year. Instead, we have Northern California-like weather. Our pine forests are stressed by this change (hotter and drier), and the insects are feasting on them. The birds in my backyard are lower-altitude birds (jays are missing). My roses, which need to be watered in May, are growing huge. Things are different from the 1990s-2000s when I moved here.

Susie and I enjoyed the park and then, as I have said, set up and watched a film on her screen in her room. Once that was done, Susie was tired and struggling to stay awake. Anassa, the weekend nursing aide, got Susie comfy in her bed, and I kissed goodbye with a promise to spend Sunday with her. Anassa set the new roses I cut for Susie in Susie’s room.

The Saturday morning was slow for me; I made a tuna fish salad bagel in the broiler (forgetting the onion and celery) and tried to work on my radio project but discovered that the Dremal battery was dead. I need to clean up the casting of the buttons I made to replace the Bakelite originals. The buttons will not be used in the new electronics, so I recast them in transparent acrylic and will put flashing lights behind them. It has no function but will look great (dear reading, you can tell that I am a software architect, no).

I did the dishes and laundry and picked up the kitchen a bit (trying to make things better every day). I paid the bills (remember, I have to cover over $8,000 a month–after insurance–medical costs for Susie), and my budget (not formal by any imagination) is still holding with me, exhausting my current balance in December. I have a plan for 2023, but I plan not more than three months out for all the obvious reasons. I have stopped house improvements, new automobiles, and interesting travel for 2022. Staying local and ready to help Susie or the hummingbird house at the drop of a hat.

I woke feeling better and with a light asthmatic/allergy cough. I found the coffee, made breakfast, a tradition on Saturday for me, and started my day reading emails and bidding on antique US postage on Hipstamps.com (an extra budget thing to keep me sane–I lost all the bids as folks were willing to pay too much).

I have some classes on AI I have been meaning to create, but I need to finish the radio project first. AI is getting a lot of press of late, and I should write about that more. I might have to write another SciFi story for 2600 Magazine (someday they will finish publishing my first story!). I also keep threatening to connect ChatGPT to Zoom and let it do the meeting for me (“Send me a summary after the meeting, please,” I fantasize about asking ChatGPT to fill in for me on Zoom). My fear is that my colleagues have already done this, and I could be one of the few humans in the meeting!

The Cardinal Richelieu is in full bloom, and the stress is nearly gone.

David Austin’s The Herbalist is in full bloom and growing into the usual monster bush.

The now impossible-to-find painted roses from the previous owners of Heirloom Roses are starting to bloom. You can see the signs of the paint on the rose. It is a fast-growing and continuous blooming rose.

Thank you for reading. And sorry for any typos; I don’t have time to check all the text today.