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All day, my tummy was sore; undoubtedly caused by a medication I take. It took almost a week to go away last time. Lucky there is only one more dose of the anti-fungal med. There are also eleven days until my trip to Salt Lake City. I rose before sunrise, and it was cold and frosty outside. The rains have faded again, and we have blue skies intermixed with white cotton-candy clouds; the sun makes it a glorious and warming morning. No gray, at first, but the sky later will fill and return to the Pacific Northwest winter, gray and cold.

I invest my morning in writing another blog. Some days, the words just flow, and others, they are extracted with multiple passes as the details suddenly fill my mind. The morning was a mix of this. While some feel this is a problem that increases with age, I have always had trouble remembering the previous day.

I wrote while I sipped coffee (thanks, Dondrea, for the brew), read my email (mostly deleting), and updated my Quicken transactions to keep on top of my money and expenses. I read the news from the New York Times, the Jerusalem Post, and BBC News. Later, President Trump would say the war was over (it is not, and he, according to the press, started to walk that statement back), and there would be a minor improvement on the stock market. My IRA did not improve.

In the morning, I called Sam at US Bank Wealth Management, and we discussed my tax return and the market. On taxes, I informed Sam that my contrivance to withdraw from my IRA and donate the same money worked to my plans (I am never sure until the CPA runs my taxes), and I will likely repeat that (at some future point when the market has recovered). He was happy to hear that it worked out (I am not required to make mandatory withdrawals yet in my IRA, for those wondering, and after 70+, from what I have read, the giving counts for those). Sam reminded me that we were not even in correction territory on the declines, and he suspects it will be a blip. My IRA now contains little cash; I am nearly fully invested now, and Sam thinks I am running a moderately aggressive portfolio. I agreed with him, said I wished I had some more cash to buy some indexes at a discount, but we will leave things as is (he did offer to sell off some bonds to double-down, but that is moving into a more aggressive position, which sounded more brave than I should be). We agreed to watch from the bleachers for a while.

Later (to cover money things), I also spoke with my local Allstate agent. She had found a better earthquake insurance plan for me at about 1/2 the price, with the same coverage, and it was more traditional-looking. Each part of the insurance is broken out like my homeowners’ insurance. I gave my credit card number, and poof, it was done, and the house, contents, and other intangibles were covered.

I finished the blog, started the Monday laundry, drank lots of coffee, had toast with marmalade, and put out the remaining shredded bread to dry for croutons. I showered, scrubbed all the rash-impacted areas, and after the shower, I applied only a few creams. I dressed, grabbed my laptop, and sat down for a Zoom meeting on Skyrizi, my new treatment for rashes. I was wrong about the time, but we still got the meeting done. Just put in 10:30 in my calendar, not 10, and next headed to Cedar Mills McMinimans for lunch and to get a room for Theology Pub on Thursday at 7.

After a short ride in Air VW the Gray, I arrived and discovered Scott W and Ken (not my pastor Ken, but a former co-worker from Nike), and they asked me to join them. We talked about Nike, the war, and even insurance. I had iced tea for that meal. It was nice to see Ken (he still works at Nike). He did, and this got a wry smile from him, convincing Scott W and me that our retirement timing was good (via layoff).

I then sat at the bar after they left, had a dark beer, their Terminator, and arranged for the room for Thursday. One of my usual waiters was bartending. Instead of sitting at the bar and editing Dungeons & Dragons adventures, I had a nice ad hoc lunch with friends.

I returned home and watched more of Down Cemetery Road, and I really enjoyed the story. The acting is great, and you believe these people are real, as it quickly dispels any disbelief with good storytelling and camera work. The lead actresses, Emma Thompson and Ruth Wilson, hold the story together, and I have enjoyed them in other movies and TV series. Recommended, though it starts a bit rough.

I defrosted some Mount Angel kielbasa for dinner. I made sourkraut from a jar, left over from a previous meal, and opened and heated a can of baked beans to go with it. I heated the kielbasa in a hot pan.

I also toasted the remains of my bread, just some end pieces and some poorly sliced off bits, in the oven with olive oil, sea salt, and generic Italian-style spices. I then sliced it up into croutons. I should have let it dry out for a few days — next time. Still, it was good.

I finished the laundry, but did not fold and put it away. I also assembled, with much more care, and followed the recipe with precision. The bread was good, and I finished my evening with a slice of toast with marmalade. I sliced all the bread, still warm, and reassembled the loaf in a bag. I froze it once it cooled. I do not eat bread fast enough to prevent it from turning furry (milk bread will last for me).

With that, I wrapped up Monday and went to bed. I did not read and soon slept.

Thanks for reading!

 

I rose on Sunday at 7 with my alarm, which seemed early, and it was dark out. It was time change morning, and it sucked. I made coffee as I did not assemble the night before; instead, I set all the clocks. I found the kitchen and my office and watched the sunrise on a cool but dry morning for us. Later, we would get some Oregon Mist, but no rain. It was a warm day, and no coats were needed, but I put one on in the car for the Oregon Mist.

I wrote the blog and managed to complete it before I needed to get dressed to go to church. Shower and the end of the application of one cream for two weeks. I am also running low on one that worked. I will likely refill it soon. I have to schedule a needle biopsy for the tumor in my neck and a colonoscopy. Yes, that sounds like joy. I also have to message my primary doc to refill my prescriptions at the local pharmacy, as I have changed insurance. There is no end to medical stuff as you get to the 60+ range. Stay young!

I drove to church and arrived on time. I took up my position in the back as an usher. I was busy with various food items for the future (pancake breakfast for Easter morning and Jamabolya for next Sunday after-church lunch with a speaker on Black Poineers after the service). At one point, I put down my coffee, missed, and spilled it all over a table and the floor. Z and I were cleaning that up for a while. The new flooring cleaned up with a wipe.

Dondrea gave a witness in the service about food and our experience meeting folks (here at clock 17:11). It was excellent, and I can recommend it. Ken followed up with a brief but history-based sermon that connected to one of Saint Paul’s visits about not returning violence with violence (at 33:30 on the same link). The two presentations fit well together. Recommended too!

I then, turning down an offer for lunch, headed home, dragging a bit, as time change always seems confusing and exhausting. Like being sick or recovering from a car wreck, nothing feels right. I found myself sleeping in my chair after stir-frying frozen Trader Joe’s Chicken Fried Rice for lunch. After two naps, I finally rose, still feeling like this day is just messed up.

I spoke with Deborah and discussed some cooking options. I took Air VW the Gray to M@’s place for Dungeons & Dragons. While details cannot be mentioned here as this is copyrighted material, in all of my D&D play, I have never seen a dragon’s breath weapon recharge every round! Our not-combat-centric group did well, and the dragon ran. We managed to heal everyone (though one player was on two death saves). Sadly, the finale will be while I am traveling, but I hope for a good report. It was more classic blasting and fighting this time than our group is used to. It was fun.

I drive home, and it seems very late. I assemble bread for the bread machine and send it on. But it will fail as I was careless and tossed it in the morning. I will try again on Monday. Puke!

I have a long list of items for Monday! I don’t read and just sleep. I wake as my tummy is hurting again. I took the same med last Sunday, and the reaction is familiar. Hmmmm. I will be up and down in the early morning on Monday to allow my colon to release. Ugh, but no ‘code browns.’

I rise at 7:30 on Monday. It seems early, I am tired, but like summer early. I like it. My weight is down again to 226. Again, not the recommended approach for weight loss (yuk!), but it is at least something!

Thanks for reading!

 

Saturday is often busy as I connect with people who work on the weekends, but I was once again without any morning items and thus could go slow. But it was the last of Standard Time, and best to get going. I completed the blog by 10:15. I made some mistakes, and, as usual, I discovered them after I published. I quickly fixed them.

I talked to Deborah a few times and texted “Good morning” when I started my morning. We enjoy connecting at the start of my day and when Deborah finishes her day. It is important to us.

I wrote, listened to music, and reviewed the impact of President Chaos-Battleship on my IRA. I sipped my coffee (thanks, Dondrea, for the excellent brew), the darkness and bitterness reminded me of the US econmy which is showing signs of stress with falling employment numbers and now spiking oil prices.

I have lost all my earnings from last November in my conservatively invested IRA! Rising interest rates, huge increases in gas and heating prices, and increasing Federal deficit spending usually spell a deep recession. Ugh! Buckle up!

Aside: I remember as I let the bitterness fill me from the coffee that President Bush ended up as a one-term President after the same issues and starting a war; his party thought him unbeatable. Bill Clinton got two terms, even raising taxes in a recession and imposing retroactive taxes. I remember those tax years and paying lots; yikes! But there was a balanced budget.

After my musing, I showered, applied all those creams, and so on (no cuts while shaving). I dressed and boarded Air VW the Gray with a 60-something percent charge. I had talked to Michael R, and we agreed to meet at 1 to have lunch and chat. Today, we did not have enough time to play a wargame, Class of Wills: Shiloh 1862. I did teach Michael R the card game Flip 7, and we played a few rounds (he won).

At the Broadway Grill in Portland, I had the calzone (more like a folded pizza) with meatballs. Michael R had a Mad Greek salad. I had their beer, a favorite, Mr. Toad’s Wild Red. It is dark red with hints of IPA’s strong flavors.

I dropped Michael off at the OMSI MAX Station to catch the train to his next appointment. I headed over to Lucky Labador; the EV scored a parking spot in their lot. I got another beer (it seemed like a two-beer day), got a bowl of peanuts, and tried to focus on editing a Dungeons & Dragons adventure I want to publish at DriveThruRPG. It was hard to get back into editing and rules for 5E D&D.

At 5:30, after getting a bowl of soup for dinner, a passable corn chowder, I headed to Richard’s. There I was early, and the game was Museum. I had not played it before. It is a complex card-matching game with three matching processes that I never got straight in my head. Kathleen had it down and won, followed closely by Richard, then me, and then Laura. Our scores at the bottom showed our confusion as we expected some things to score that did not. Still not a bad game, but I think it’s hard to teach and would take two or three plays for me to get it. Others, like Kathleen, got it right off. I thought the game did not flow well, and I have played better games. Still, I would play it again.

We played a favorite, Quacks of Quedlinburg, with Kathleen taking over the teaching (Laura did not know it, and I had to be reminded of a few rules). Richard got lucky and stayed that way, but I chased him. Richard actually won every pull! The game is a pull-from-a-bag, push-your-luck game. I played conservatively and never exploded my caldron. We played the basic setup, and it was fun. We agreed that next Sunday, I will bring Grand Hotel Austra (now advertised as an Expert Level game). We will play with the add-ons, Let’s Waltz.

I drove home after talking taxes with Richard. I then, getting there about 11, set all the clocks forward that do not change themselves (my phone and computer) and then went to bed (after updating my creams). I read not more Hornblower (the next book has little nautical stuff but a historical fiction escape story), but returned to Eric Cline and his book on the translated text from finds in Egypt. It is an excellent book, Love, War, and Diplomacy: The Discovery of the Amarna Letters and the World They Revealed (2024). I soon was nodding off, stopped, and slept. I do not remember dreams, but I must have been delivering clay tablets in the dream ancient Middle East.

Thanks for reading.

 

I rose with the sun at 7:00ish. Spring Forward is this coming Sunday morning, which will change that for a while, but I will rise later for a few more days. And yes, we really should do away with this.

Friday’s activities were bookended with a 10:30 doc appointment. I wrote, but did not finish in time. I also made coffee, and with the wars, the horrid Epstein new revelations (how can there be ‘new’?!), the bitterness of my cup matched my mood, and one must resist calling out, “How long?” We, liberals, have a long struggle ahead of us.

While I was getting coffee, the old sticky tile I put down years ago is starting to pull up and may be a hazard. Ugh! With me facing over $9,000 in co-pays and so on from my new insurance, and the stock market going up and down but over time just flat, I would like to avoid withdrawing cash from my IRA until the last minute. Repairs to the crawl space are four digits, and the tile fix is also in that space. I need to pick just one for this year. I called Jeff, my fix-it guy, and he was installing some flooring and suggested some fixes and costs. We will meet next week so he can do the work while I am away.

I have to shower and scrub, but apply no creams, as there is a visit to the dermatologist today. I want no exposure risk for them, and I want the cream to hide nothing (it is mostly absorbed, I was later told by the doc, and there is no risk of exposure, and in small amounts it is not a risk for others — I am used to chemotherapy and am very careful still). Dressed and all that (and managed to cut myself shaving; it always amazes me that I can still make that mistake), I boarded Air VW the Gray and quickly arrived at Goodskin.

The doc and staff were thrilled with the progress and were surprised but delighted that the Skyrizi company and support folks were jumping in to help (I would spend hours on the phone with them setting up apps, accounts, and even scheduling delivery of injectables). Training with the injection pen and reviewing risks and procedures for reporting back to the Skyrizi folks on results, side effects, and timing. Doc suggests continuing to use the successful items as part of the maintenance process, with Skyrizi as the solution for psoriasis. Even Skyrizi is a maintenance injectable. All exciting, but I never like to be on the cutting edge of medical stuff. I like to be boring and spend more time talking to my doctors about travel options.

I headed next to La Provence even though I knew the price tag would be a bit high for breakfast (Tom’s Pancake House’s traditional American stuff was $25+, and thus maybe it was OK), but I wanted to celebrate my recovery and my 2025 tax success. Have to remember to celebrate our successes and revel in something that went right. Ky was my bartender and used a catch-phrase, “On it!” I finished the blog and tried the rossto and poached eggs. Not that great, and also, I am still eating smaller amounts; I did not finish it. But I drank lots of coffee and water. No tummy issues. The croissant was lovely, as always. I watch one of the staff bring out sheet pans of croissants over and over. I imagine there was a glow around him as he carried French-style goodness to the distribution warming oven. Ky was friendly and grew up in southern Oregon. He was good company, but I spent much of my brunch writing.

I stop at the comic store and find two more issues that look interesting. I ask the staff how the cost works. The store buys everything delivered, and any unsold items are boxed for folks to search for back issues. Later, they sell the leftovers for a few bucks. Some items have been languishing for years.

The Lands of Unknown: Skinless Man 1 of 2 has a great story and artwork. It is a weird tale set in a mythical world, reminding me of Elric stories (when short and to the point), and I will get 2 when it comes out. The other one, The Last Day of H.P. Lovecraft 4, is dark, and I thought it was not that good. Howard used endless sentences and few stops (he had an endless, breathless sentence style). I have to get back to writing my story! But a good break. I read these on and off during the afternoon.

Back at the house, writing some church funding letters. Yup, time to ask for money again. It is like Pledge Week at PBS. Awkward but necessary, and it gives folks a chance to help.

I applied all the creams, took a nap, despite all the coffee, and then got a shake from my watch to stand or do something. I take a walk to my usual creek, about 1/2 mile away. My knee is sore of late, but there is no problem. My neighbor, driving her huge black SUV (with dark windows looking like something ICE would use), honks, and Harper waves to me. I see the school buses, and yes, it is school out time.

The cherry trees (and other stone fruit trees) are blooming. The crocuses are almost done, and the tiny weed flowers are back. Spring always seems early in the Pacific Northwest (if not soggy); I grew up in Michigan, expecting the long haul to flowers with the longer frozen winters. The creek is full and lovely. Someday, I will build an RC boat with a video camera and film my jungle exploring with my Attenborough-style voice narration: “Here we enter the Rock Creek and explore the spring floods.”

I walk back, and my watch is excited that I am exercising and starts tracking this. I pass two Little Free Libraries, and I will have to bring a few good options to trade. I saw something I might want. I mean to put one up someday in the shape of a TARDIS, but I have many plans I have not found the focus to start.

Home, I connect with Deborah, and we chat for a while. Later, she will call, and we will say good night. It is good to start and end the day together.

I head next to REI, where I find some maps of the Utah National Parks, buy National Park Annual Passes, and the protective covers that have an insert showing a local National Park. It does cover the President’s pictures. The Trump Administration has not continued the usual desire to have no living person on Federal items. From what I saw, it is the new normal to supply a cover for that part of the pass. I also bought an orienteering compass that I always carry when in remote areas (along with a good map). I went with the cheaper model, and the declination must be done manually (-6° in Utah and -7° in Oregon). I like to carry one set to the correct value instead of manually correcting it for each reading. Still, it was good. Gary from REI also suggested heading south from The Arches Park to The House on Fire (here). It is a mile hike with some rocks. We will see if we, not that strong at hiking, will be upto it. Richard had recommended it too.

Aside: My REI membership dates back to the 90s, when I did some software work for them in RPG III on an AS/400. My second visit to the Seattle area. I worked on their payroll system.

I looked at the maps and reviewed our trip details. I made the bed. I had stripped it and washed the sheets. I put on the other set. I alternate. I put on my PJs and read the rest of Ship of the Line, and one of the hardest of these stories. The hero, Hornblower, has to surrender his ship after 1/2 his crew was killed in a brutal 4-on-1 battle.

Cat replied to my text, and I had to reorganize my schedule for Wednesday to meet with her family. Cat was ill and is spending some of her time recovering here in Oregon. She is much better.

I finished the book; there is just one more book in this 3-1 printing. I soon sleep. Dreams fill the night, but all are forgotten. I slept until around 6:45, when I woke, and my watch suggested it was time to stand. Hmmm.

Thanks for reading!

 

 

Going backwards, I returned to a brain cookie, Hornblower nautical historical fiction, Ship of the Line, and enjoyed my mind drifting off to 1805 Spain. If a reader wants an alternative and does not mind a fantasy version (thus dropping the 1930s unfortunate racism), Naomi Novik’s Temeraire series, with nine books, is an excellent alternative (I think I read the first two). I read until I could not stay away, closed the book (an older three-book hardcover I had bought on my trips and had mailed to the house; I remember checking it out years ago, and it was my first introduction to the Hornblower series), turned off the light, and soon slept. I dreamed I was back at university, at a graduation (not mine), and I was having trouble finding a seat, and it seemed I was too close to the front. I woke with my alarm.

Before this, Corwin and his dog Henry stopped by. I had made Mount Angel brats (famous for their Oktoberfest in Oregon), which I had bought when Deborah and I were here. I made spätzle from a bag of Mount Angel’s dried version. I first cooked bacon cut into lardons and added it, along with some bacon drippings, to the noodles once they had been cooked in boiling water for twenty minutes. I heated some sourkraut from a jar. Two sausages for each of us (I saw that Corwin shared some with Henry). No beer, as Corwin gave up drinking. We tried some Star Trek: Lower Decks, but we could not get into the comedy. We changed to the last two episodes of The Agency and enjoyed finishing the first season. I love a spy movie as does Corwin. Corwin and Hank headed home.

Hank got more food than we planned when I somehow managed to dump my food on my lap: spätzle everywhere. I retrieved my brat before Henry found it. He enjoyed the noodles and bacon.

Moving backwards more, I was late for a near-forgotten church Zoom meeting, the SPRC Committee (for those who do not speak Methodist, this means the HR committee). I was 15 minutes late, but managed to help. The meeting’s content is kept private, and I cannot discuss it here.

Before this, I was in Hillsboro picking up my taxes, and that put the meeting out of my mind. I use Cornerstone Tax, and they finished in less than two weeks (with me dropping by more stuff yesterday to answer a question: “Yes, that is zero,” meaning that Nike stock options are still underwater—more like in a deep trench). I owed nothing despite withdrawing $45K from my IRA and then giving it all away. I was afraid there was some exception I did not know about that would mean I would have to pay. Nope, my plan worked. The Kicker, an Oregon tax feature that refunds two years of income overage (unique to Oregon, which requires budgeting income over two years on the bi-annual planning and then returning the excess to the people of Oregon), was high this year. It is a very popular plan. My exit from Nike was in scope, and I received a $3K+ refund from the state (you must file taxes to get it, which also improves compliance with local tax laws).

I read the return and continued on the blog, and then remembered I should be at the house. I did get coffee. Bob called me to say that I was late.

Before this, Brad, my old boss, Scott W, and I met for lunch at McMenamins Cedar Hills for a weekly meeting (though, of late, more of an every-other-week meeting). We talked about health issues, as men of a certain age do, finances, and mostly travel. Scott W and Brad talked about their kids (I am always happy to listen). We talked about the Art Exhibition at Jenkins Estate on 21-22 this month. I had my usual lunch box of half a sandwich, small soup, and small salad, as did Scott (I have tuna while Scott has turkey). Brad went for a burger with the Cajun-style tots. We plan to meet next week.

Aside: Details about other folks’ health, travel, and finances will not be discussed here. Those are not my story to tell.

Before this, I rose at 7ish and found some coffee and a banana for breakfast. I made coffee (a gift from Dondrea) and enjoyed it. Its dark flavors reminded me that we liberals have a long way to go before Justice with Compassion becomes the watchword of the USA. I read the news and emails and updated my Quicken entries.

Later in the day, I would sell all my holdings in ISHARES 0-3 MONTH TREASURY BND (SGOV) to pay bills. I just got the last dividend. SGOV has an annual dividend of about 3.5%, paid fractionally every month. If one pays state tax on dividends, these are immune to state taxes, making the real return higher. Changing to my IRA, with the war turning sour for the markets, I now have an unrealized loss of over $60K (on Friday when I write this). I know not to react and will hold on to my cash a bit longer.

Deborah was busy teaching today, had a great class (details are for her to tell, not me), and was tired but happy. We talked here and there all day. We also managed to work out the constraints for our trip and agreed to leave some details to the wind, as we need to see what the weather brings us. I did book the first two hotels. We will spend Friday in Park City and travel to Moab on Saturday. She called me as she was about to sleep. We enjoying starting and finishing our days together.

I wrote the blog in the morning. And that takes us full circle. Thanks for reading.