Blog

To begin with, I got a call as I was going to the new Top Gun movie, Maverick, that Susie had fallen at the Hummingbird House. According to Michelle Nixon, the owner of the facilities, Susie was not seriously injured, and I did not have to come and agreed not to transport Susie to the ER. Apparently, Susie decided to get out of bed on her own and fell. Michelle and the staff at Hummingbird House are closely monitoring Susie for a concussion, but she seems OK.

Moving in sort of a swirl from that, I am suffering from cold sensitivity again. It is not too bad in my hands, but I find 70F to be like 55F with a wind. I am shivering. Likely this is caused by the worry from Susie’s fall and the Covid-19 vaccine, Pfizer, that I had yesterday. I am also fatigued now, wearing my sweater and robe and still freezing.

I had just yogurt for dinner as I had a large lunch, and I had almost nonstop flatulence from the Mexican Food. Evan, who came over today to hang out with Susie and me, suffered through Top Gun: Maverick sitting next to me. Oh my!

So before the movie and after seeing Susie, we had drinks and Mexican food at Pepita’s in Beaverton. I had a large beer, a Mexican pizza, and a Chili Relleno that was temperature hot it could have set the table on fire. I was diving for the water.

Next, Evan and I headed to the local tap house, a few blocks away by walking. We grabbed my copy of the board game Architect of the West Kingdom with all the expansions and excellent roll-up map that I kept in the car. We played a relatively fast game for two people, and I won by just a few points this time. I saw the end of the game approaching and then made plays to maximize my end-of-game scoring. Still, I only won by a few points, and this after building a wonder using the new rules.

I found the walk back hard, and I need to be more careful. I am still not very strong.

Before lunch and a board game, we spent more than two hours watching the next Harry Potter film with Susie: Harry Potter and the Wizards’ Cup. Unfortunately, my screen was too dark for a lot of the movie, and we had to switch to just my 13″ screen on my laptop as it was bright enough to see. I remember this being a problem before with this movie. However, the sound was better, and my Bluetooth speaker worked well.

While Evan likes this movie, it is my least favorite. I thought the book was much better at describing the events than the Hollywood version. Also, I remember thinking the special effects were weak, nothing groundbreaking at the time. The film has sections that use dark and dank lighting, but while projecting a menacing feeling, this choice makes the film hard to watch on digital copies.

Evan had come over at 9:30, and from the Volvo Cave, we tool Air Volvo to Susie’s new digs. I was up about 7:30 and did some work on my ballon model this morning and part of last night after finishing the blog.

Susie resides at:

Allegiance Senior Care
Adult Foster Care Home
9925 SW 82nd. Ave.
Portland, Oregon 97223

The house phone number: 503 246-4116

Sunday morning started at 7:30 with me getting going as I had a busy day ahead of me, including my fourth shot for Covid. Yes, more bolstering is required for those over 50 and are part of house Moderna. I certainly qualify. Thus, the plan is to go to church, see Susie, watch a Harry Potter movie with Susie, grab a quick lunch, get shot, and get home and relax.

I managed to do two loads of laundry by starting the minutes I was up. I washed a set of towels that were already in front of the washer (from Corwin), adding extra towels used in my bathroom. After that was on the dryer, I washed one load of my stuff. I often can do two loads if I want to split it up, but it is smallish today, and I needed my dress shirt, and it needed a wash.

I wrote the previous, Saturday, blog in the morning.

So I did laundry and breakfast. This was followed by me getting dressed and pulling my white shirt from the dryer, mostly dry, adding a tie, and covering it with a sweater. Again, I went with a banker’s tie, not wanting to make a political statement or personal statement. And, I do genuinely love banker’s ties (these are old-style patterns you would imagine a banking VIP would wear back in the days of the film Wall Street). It clashes with my Nike shoes, but I would not wear any other shoes in Beaverton!

I only had time to stack the clean laundry on the floor, but I plan to fold it and put it away on Monday morning. Just too busy and tired today for folding and so on.

I leave with the computer, screen, Bluetooth speaker, and cable and head in Air Volvo to church first. I heard the trolly car alarm on the way as the Volvo auto-braked for a pickup that decided it needed to turn (and slow to a stop) without much warning. I saw and was steering around it when the Volvo panicked. No issues.

At church, the music included getting to sing, in my case poorly singing and losing my place multiple times, two of my favs, The Battle Hymn of the Republic and the Navy Hymn: Eternal Father, Strong to Save. The songs, my emotions are closer to the surface now, made me cry a bit. I remembered all the kids and teachers in Texas killed when we sang.

My good friend Dondrea gave the sermon today; she focused on service as a calling and pointed out how service is often dismissed. For example, she quoted extensively from John Glenn; here is that text: Gold Mother Speech. She explained that we find our best selves in service, and even while many folks serve that are not Christain, all the tenets of Christianity are based on service. It was a good message, and I called later and told her that. Dondrea picked Galatians 5:13 as one of her scriptures, and I think it covers her point well (NIV): “My brothers and sisters, God called you to be free, but do not use your freedom as an excuse to do what pleases your sinful self. Serve each other with love.” Excellent.

I had to rush out. Off to Tigard to see Susie. I was careful to keep my phone out of sight and in my pocket. I managed to reach Susie in more rain without incident. I managed to park in a puddle and avoid a few to stop my Nikes from getting messy.

Susie was just resting after breakfast and was back in her wheelchair with me in the activity room. Rachel was on for Sunday (Jennifer had the day off). So we started with the next film: Harry Potter and the Prisoner of Azkaban.

I enjoyed this movie, and you can see the changes with the new director and changing the actor who plays Dumbledore. I think the action flows better, and the camera work much better. This movie introduces more and more characters and adds the talking voodoo heads that are not in the book. I remember liking the book when it came out, sitting in a bar reading half the book on the day it was published and loved the movie.

Susie enjoyed the movie, and we called Leta, her mother, about halfway through the film, pausing for the call. Leta was happy to see Susie using FaceTime on my iPhone. They chatted for a while, and then we went back to the movie. It is another 2 1/2 hour movie, and I had a hard stop as I had a 3:40 vax appointment at RiteAid. We managed to finish the film, and I left in a hurry with a kiss, and Rachel helped Susie get lunch, now late, after 2PM.

I drove to Popeye’s and ordered their fried chicken, spicy, and had a quick lunch of fried chicken in Air Volvo. I wanted some food in me when I got the Pfizer shot.

I went in and, after a short wait, got my shot from the pharmacist. I was still in my tie and church outfit. I had to take off my shirt as it was in the way (I had a t-shirt under it). I told the pharmacist that I was ready for CPR without my shirt, which she laughed at and then stuck me. I waited 15 minutes before waving and thanking them again. My card is now complete; number four is done!

I do not know if it was lunch or the shot or the rushed morning, but I was exhausted and freezing when I got home. I could not do much but read and take a quick nap.

I finally got going again, too bored to be this tired, and made dinner from the pork chops defrosted in the frig–Glenda should be happy as she always reminds me to eat what we have first. I first pan-fried the chops for this meal after dipping them in egg and bread crumbs with Middle Eastern spices added to the bread crumbs. I then fried the chops in olive oil to set the coating on the stove. Finally, I added preserved lemons, capers, and olives to the pan. I wanted something a bit spicy and salty for dinner. I finished it all in the oven, 350F, for twenty minutes. I made Spanish rice to go with it from a box but added a can of stewed Mexican-styled tomatoes to the rice. That made the rice so much more. I had some canned peaches for dessert.

After that, I read for a bit and then did the dishes. I got a note from Hummingbird House that Susie was back up and watching TV and a pic of Susie. So I sent a pic of me doing the dishes. I think that surprised them.

I decided to write the blog tonight, even though I am tired. I put on a lot of music to help me.

Thank you for reading. I am starting to get very tired, so I will stop here. Good night, dear reader.

This is the 28May2022 story not 29May2022 when I wrote it.

Going backward and writing this the following day, Saturday ended with me going to bed after midnight. I had driven from Portland after dropping off Kathleen at her house just outside of Portland. This means I travel, luckily without issue or any traffic, all the way back across Portland and across Beaverton to get to the Volvo Cave. It was more challenging this time as I was tired from a busy day, and the rain made it harder to see and control Air Volvo, but it all was fine.

I fell right to sleep after reading a few pages.

Continuing with the narrative backward, we had met at Richard’s house in Portland across the river and not far from Lloyd Center at our usual time of 6:30. Kathleen wanted to play Arc Nova again. I started out well and fought Kathleen for the lead when I stalled. I could not get the normal animals for my zoo, this is a Euro resource management and worker placement game, and I spent quite a few turns searching for better animals, but none showed for me. I was obviously doing something wrong. It appears that I had not upgraded my animal abilities soon enough, and also, Richard was grabbing a lot of the easy animals.

Richard played a fantastic game and ended the game before Kathleen or I could even get close to a positive score. I did not enjoy Arc Nova as much as I was stalled for some of the game. But that was me and some misplays. I would still say this is the best game of its type. Next time!

We next played a short game, The Quacks of Quedlinburg. This is a quick game where you draw potion ingredients from a bag, and if the mix does not explode, you can draw more. It is a push-your-luck game. Richard had fully blinged his copy and has bags and potion component tokens made from plastic. It is fun, and I had terrible luck with the drawing today, which was very funny. I did lose, but I liked the game. Recommended.

I reached the games with Richard and Kathleen by Air Volvo without any events or increasing the crime rate in Beaverton or Portland. The rain was heavy at times.

Still going backward, I was at home for the afternoon reading and working on my balloon model. Many parts from eBay showed up in the mail today, and I was finally figuring out how I wanted the basket to look. This is a Dungeons and Dragon gaming model, and so it uses D&D physics; thus, the balloon can be smaller and able to fit on the gaming table better.

I stopped by the hardware and got some glue and a 1/2″ drill bit. I have decided to use a transparent rod to hold up the model and then try to suspend it from a hook. I drilled a hole into the balloon, and it was covered in styrofoam snow! Suddenly, as often happens with the DIY models, or kitbashing as it is often called, it is started to come together.

Before this, I had a late lunch and early dinner at Abhiruchi Indian Cusine in Beaverton. Since they reopened, I have not been there due to the pandemic making eating out a challenging life experience. Today, being Sunday and late, there was no buffet styled lunch. Instead, I ordered a plate with a little of everything, which was fine for me. The food is a bit spicy but tame by any standard. I enjoyed a quiet lunch-dinner and was happy to see the same owner working the cash register and their endless refilling of your water glass; I had forgotten about that. It seems that they can’t stand to see an empty water glass in the place.

I had come from the Hummingbird House where Susie is living now. She seems happy in her new Adult Foster Care digs. I got there as she was finishing breakfast. Jennifer was caring for everyone. About 1/2 of the residents are late risers taking some of the stress off of Jenifer. Today, the nurse was present, doing the new month’s paperwork, and closing the previous month. I answered a few questions about Susie’s health; they are still getting to understand her. I was glad they were asking me questions.

Next, Susie and I called Leta, Susie’s mom. Barb, Susan’s sister, was over at Leta’s house making Leta’s flowers ready for the summer. Using my iPhone and FaceTime, Leta gave us a visual tour of the flower and Barb working. Susie and Leta spoke for about ten minutes or maybe more.

Susie was finished with breakfast; I had my repast before heading over. We headed to the more private activity room, and I set up the screen and watched the second Harry Potter film: Harry Potter and the Chamber of Secrets. This movie had the same director, and you can see the connection to the previous film (which we watched on Friday), but the lighting was better, and the kid actors were much better and, well, just barely kids. Overall, it is a better movie, and I have seen it many more times than the first.

Aside: This movie is noteworthy as the director seems to have guessed at the relationships to come in later books. For example, the awkwardness between two of the main characters, Hermione and Ron, hints at the future that has yet to be published. The director got it right.

The movie, about 2 1/2 hours long, seemed to fly by faster, and it was after lunchtime when we finished. I left Susie with a kiss as she would get some lunch and/or take a nap.

To start Saturday, I was up about 7:30ish and not rushing. I read my emails and got ready for the day. Finally, I was feeling a bit more rested.

It rained all day, and there is, again, two more inches of rain in the back corner of the French drain. The plan is to plant the area this year with grass to get rid of the muddy look and well the mud. Mushy grass is better than dark mud. I did buy some more grass seed, but it would have to float today, so maybe another week before I can do that.

I slept into 7:20ish and could have stayed there all day. I took off the day from work. The weeks of starting back to working at the office, moving Susie, and just living a more normal life have been hard and stressful. I am exhausted every day. So today, I would take it slower and return to a more relaxed speed. I planned to reach Susie at Hummingbird House around 10ish, so I could start slow.

Aside: I also had paid $7,400 to Allegiance Senior Care for the next month. I plan to keep Susie there for the foreseeable future as she seems to like it. I have put aside enough money to cover at least the next six months.

I watched the markets this morning; I had moved some money to my investment account and bought back into the market near the bottom (I hope). For those interested, I split my investments into Ford and Tesla–the primary electric car producers and likely take-over targets, I think. I used to have Ford stock before, and I am buying back at almost the same price I bought last time. My investments are, in two days, up 5%, with Ford rising slower than Tesla (but it pays a dividend).

I packed up and managed to avoid any events on the trip to Tigard. No police tickets this time.

Susie was not ready when I got there. While Susie was showering and dressing, I took the time to order my next vaccine at RiteAid on Sunday. It is time to get the latest update. I am going with the cocktail by adding Pfizer to my existing Moderna. This is my boaster for being over 50.

Susie had breakfast next, and having no plans, I just read my email and watched some cooking show on TV while Susie ate what Jennifer made her for breakfast. Scrambled eggs with potatoes were welcome, even pureed, and Susie ate most of her breakfast and enjoyed her strawberry milk drink.

Susie spoke to her mother, Leta, using my iPhone and FaceTime. They enjoyed a twenty-minute conversation. Susie’s speech has not improved much, but her energy level has increased, which helps.

After the call, Susie had more breakfast and then headed with me to the activity room. I put on the first Harry Potter movie, which I discovered is dark for my screens. So, it was difficult to make out the action all the time. But the sound was good, and we knew the story. I forgot how different the first movie was from the rest and how small the child actors were. But, I liked it again, and the first film follows the book quite close, which I have read at least twice.

Jennifer, who works and lives at Hummingbird House, checked in with us often while also working with the other residents. There are five residents, including Susie. We watched the whole movie, and then Susie headed to lunch.

I left with a kiss. I stopped at the Cheese Cake Factory for my lunch at Washington Square Mall, just minutes from Susie’s digs. I had to wait ten minutes for a table for one.

I had an intelligent waiter, Ashely, and we agreed on her fav salad, the Sante Fee, and a box to take 1/2 home. I planned to have the rest of the salad for dinner tonight. I also had a gin and tonic, a double, which made the meal feel festive. Next, I went with the Mango Lime Cheesecake, despite Ashley recommending a lighter Raspberry cream version. I love the lime version, and I used to make it.

I had not been back to the Cheese Cake Factory except to pick up a cheesecake since the pandemic’s start. I forgot how good their food is and how pleasant a meal is. I will be back soon!

I headed directly home in Air Volvo without any more events or increasing the crime numbers in Beaverton.

I just rested and putted about the house. I did get some work done on the ballon model, and some new parts showed today I need to finish, so that is great.

I had a bagel from New York City supplied by the Smiths, plus Jason and the rest of my salad for dinner. I had turned down another dinner with Mariah as I wanted to just stay in today.

I did some reading and then decided to get the blog done.

Looking at my roses, Mister Lincoln has bloomed. It is a huge hybrid tea rose.

The pink moss rose, ending up as a movie, is lovely (it is once-blooming so enjoy it now):

The Herbalist is starting to get going. It will bloom all summer but looks like a one-time blooming Lancaster Rose:

The painted rose, a forgotten variety called Picasso from the previous owners of Heritage Roses in St. Paul, Oregon, shows the painted look–you can almost see the brush strokes on the petals. It, too, is a multiple blooming rose:

Lastly, the China Rose, also called Old Blush, is blooming full-out and grown five feet tall after being cut back. This is the best rose I have gotten from it in years–it must love the rain:

The other roses will bloom soon. The newly planted roses do not have buds yet, so we might have to wait until next year for them.

Well, that is all I have for today.

The day all now spins around an unpleasant event, a traffic ticket. I managed to be seen by an officer of Beaverton when I touched my phone to have it call a number while driving. My hands-free was getting it wrong, so I reached over, pushed the listen button, and told my phone to call such-and-such, a crime in Oregon. It is a $265 ticket for the first offense. This was on 217 on my way back to work after seeing Susie, a road apparently packed with Beaverton’s finest watching you drive as you can’t obvious speed on the construction-filled road. Also, you can’t really change lanes that much, so much for getting a moving violation. So, while I am OK with this from a legal point of view, it still sucks. I also feel they should get a life–but that is just me grumbling.

The officer was kind and friendly and even explained that I was to be charged with a first offense. I could take a class to reduce the ticket to just $40. But, unfortunately, I can’t promise to show up at a class and see my sick wife every day–even an online one. So I paid the whole amount and signed it and mailed it this evening with the thought that I don’t need one more thing, a legal something, to do: Get it over with.

Aside: This time, I made a copy of the ticket as it is nearly impossible to know if a ticket was processed without noting the control number and date it was issued. The last ticket I had, a speeding ticket to the State of Oregon, was over ten years ago, but I remember that I failed to copy it and was scared it was lost in the mail, and I had no way of knowing if it was received.

So that event soured my day.

I was up at 6:30ish and managed to have breakfast of a banana and a bagel, a New York City poppy one delivered from NYC from the Smith plus Jason family. I learned today that Jason and Natasha will be here on Saturday but are too busy and tired for dinner. They are moving from NYC to Stanford to complete Natasha, now Doctor, internship. From the East to the West Coast and will spend a single day in Oregon.

After breakfast, I showered and dressed and was late for work, getting there at 8:10 or so. I had no meetings in the morning, so that was OK. I then handled a few items and headed out in Air Volvo off to raise the crime rate for Beaverton at 10:30, running late again. But, again, I managed no police entanglements or other events inbound to see Susie.

Susie was awake and watching TV in a recliner that she looked very comfortable sitting in. I called Susie’s mother, Leta, who was home this time, and they talked for fifteen minutes. I then sat with Susie for another ten minutes until my time ran out.

During these moments, my sister had rushed to check on my mother, Barbara Wild, who was not answering the phone or the door. Mom had just overslept and ignored or did not hear the phone and the knocks. But this had unsettled Linda and me, but everything was OK.

I left Susie with a kiss and began my life of criminality on Highway 217, often called the Devil’s Bowling Ally. It was full of traffic. I then committed my crime of getting frustrated with the failed voice control for hands-free on the Volvo. I remember looking in the mirror and wondering if they saw me push a button on my phone (amazed that they could see that through the tinted windows) or if I had an unpaid parking ticket or a brake light out. Nope, it was the phone use. No warning from the officer, but the funny printout from the thermal printer in the cop car that is a ticket now, no handwritten stuff anymore. My day ruined by the cheerful officer; I could leave, the policeman told me.

I returned to work, looked at some Python code, and did some magic with Cloud9 Amazon-based cloud servers. I managed some more coffee but limited my use of stairs as I was undoubtedly distracted now, and my coordination was not too good. I left at 5ish and drove Air Volvo with some caution, and left my phone on the car seat.

I got home and made a steak dinner (frozen New York Strip) with corn (also frozen). I fried the steak and then finished it in the oven. It was a bit overdone for me, but the thinner strips of steaks are hard to time right. I still enjoyed it and put today’s event behind me.

I read some more this evening. I finished The Destruction of the Steamboat Sultana a few days ago. It was a page-turner for me, and it contained a good description of the tribulations of the lives of Union prisoners in the American Civil War. The writing was good; the narration would make Shelby Foote happy, and the footnotes were extensive (unlike Mr. Foote’s books, but I would recommend his short book Stars in their Courses to understand the emotion of the ACW battle of Gettysburg). If you like history books like Dead Wake by Eric Larson, which I strongly recommend, you will like this one.

I am today back to brain cookies and SciFi reading. Now I am continuing the second book in a series: A Desolation Called Peace. I enjoyed the first book, and the second is holding up well, and I love Space Opera. I will likely be returning to other books, some more serious books, including one about US Constitutional words, but the recent politics has me running for brain cookies!

I was coding some Machine Learning today at work. I will be doing some of that over the holiday. It is just pure joy for me to code. But, again, I am tired after work and will try to get organized to finish my ballon model soon. I got some more parts in the mail today that I needed. Excellent!