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It was a hot sunny it-can-be-Oregon-in-May day. May is usually cold and damp. I just turned on the AC as the house reaches 77.

I was back to working from home. We had a crisis of the moment or two. Hours and hours of video conferences. Follow-ups at 8PM.

The stock market and specifically Nike stock went up. The White House then decided to declare Hong Kong no longer receiving special trade conditions as it was now just like the rest of China, and that managed to dampen the Market’s enthusiasm. China’s spokesperson, of course, said that Hong Kong is still special, and the USA should keep Hong Kong’s special status. I am still headed to break even by June on my 401K. Nike stock is just below 100. This all despite the eye-rolling-causing statements from the White House and China.

Susie is better today. The bright light and warm weather seem to be helping. She ate her dinner outside on the deck. She rode her bike.

Lunch was reheated Chinese food (the irony is not lost on me). My fortune cookie said that my decisions tomorrow will be correct. I am so far agreeing.

It was a lovely day, so I took some photos of my roses.

It was a simple day. I did get some writing and reading done today.

Dinner, as it was National Burger Day, was burgers from BJ Brewhouse and potato skins (no green onions) for Susie.

Today’s report for the USA of more than one-thousand five-hundred dead from the virus was as much as the last two days combined. The infection rate also increased. I think I have done this one before, but I like this version: Standing on the Promises of God.

Last night after writing the blog, I discovered my work mailbox was full of notices of people taking off Tuesday, and meetings are postponed because they could not be held on Tuesday as the participants were unavailable. I then took Tuesday off.

Now that really means just not signing into my work laptop for a day. And that is what I did, or really not do today. I just started slow and stayed at that speed most of the day. I did watch 18xx how-to-play youtube videos and believe I would like the games and will get my first “beginner” version, 18Chesapeake, on the game table once we can game again. This game presents me with the rather unique play of buying the stock of companies run by people who are good at train stuff or understand the game while driving my companies into the ground.

Lunch was just soup for me, and I did get dressed late. Susie was up before I was dressed today!

I also did some writing today. I am trying to finish my short story of my hero Howard in Amsterdam. I write a story about Howard after or when I travel. We went to Amsterdam for the Christmas Holiday. We also left on December 28th, which is the day the scientist believe that the virus reached Europe. We just missed it!

I write the Howard story in a stream of a consciousness-like process that gets down the events and some of the pure ironies I like in the Howard stories. I also like to write with a stilted style of 1920s horror author for some of it. I then rework the original to adjust the story and make it logical. After that, I upload it into Grammarly and suffer the insults of having all my grammar fixed. I take that and rework it again, trying to ma,ke (Grammarly put the comma there–it has an issue with its editor once in a while) it flow from one sentence to the next. I often find more color to add that I just hinted at in my first writing. Then there are the wording issues that Grammarly missed (growling at the software when I find them) that I try to fix. Back into Grammarly and the last fixes. Then it is done for the moment. I usually put it away for a few weeks and read it again and just can’t believe it when I find mangled sentences. Then it is finally done.

My muse for writing is Constance Hale and her book Sin and Syntax. It is the book that started me on losing my fear of writing. I recommend it.

I worked last night for about three hours until late last night on a software upgrade. I drank tea to help me keep my focus. We managed to finish the work, but sleep was then impossible. I have my usual migraine from lack of sleep and my asthma woke me gasping a bit. Sucks! Inhalants, caffeine, and painkillers have me better, but I am struggling today-tonight.

I ordered Chinese food to be delivered for dinner. I ordered too much. I know what is for lunch on Wednesday! It is from our local folks at Stir Crazy Kitchen.

So I have been going slow. I am reading a lot today. I have found a 1930s English detective I am enjoying: Maisie Dobbs. The settings fit my writing of Horror adventures which are often set in 1930s Europe, and the focus on surviving the aftermath of The Great War mixed with some mysticism keeps me interested. I have trouble putting it down.

The stock market went up today and then back away from the highs when the White House made rumblings about China.  Experts were also suggesting that it was too soon to enter the recovery on Bloomberg. I watch Bloomberg for a few minutes for The Close report. My 401K loss for the year has reversed by another percent, now -4.6%. A few more good days without the White House and I should break even by June!

I called the brokers and experts at my 401K holding company, Fidelity. I was checking on my retirement options. I can withdraw from my 401K after leaving my employment without penalty at my age, but it must be the whole amount. As tempting as just taking all the money as cash, 30% withheld for taxes, and all of it treated as income in the year (goodbye 40%) I will not being doing the “party now” plan. More to follow.

My song for today is Wake me Up. “Wake me up when this is all over when I am older and wiser” appeals to me today.

My mother, Barb Wild, is home. As she tells the story, she is lucky to have escaped the hospital. It seems that she enjoyed an army of doctors that wanted to test her for everything. Barb Wild is happy to home. My sister cleaned her house and did her laundry while Bard was in the hospital. Mom is so thankful for that!

The reports I have read show the United States counted today more than seven-hundred deaths from the virus. These rates have slipped to the values reported in March in the USA. The infection rate reported in the USA is nearly unchanged for the last few days. I found this today, and I have been looking for a good version for some time: We Shall Over Come.

Today started with grocery delivery from Safeway. I needed cake flour to make a cake today. Corwin’s birthday is today, and he asked for anything other than a yellow cake.

I was up before eight this morning to get the groceries. I nearly slept through the delivery last time, so I set the alarm to get me up. I woke before the alarm and was up with plenty of time. I put away the groceries and put the butter out to soften for the cake.

I had setup 18Chesapeake last night before heading to bed. I wanted to try it out again after the groceries were delivered. Slip it in before everyone woke up.

I managed to re-read the rules and found most of what I did wrong and learned how to run the stock market simulator and the operational round with more confidence. I did not have to return to the rules as much as the first dry-run. This is not a solo capable game, so I played two players.

The game flow was better. It looked quick interesting as you spend the stock phase running your wealth and ownership. In the operational phase, you run the floated train companies with paying dividends or not and driving the stock price up or down. I still had problems understand what a “route” is and why you cannot run it twice and the restrictions on different routes. I will have to read some more and maybe watch some videos as I am now getting too specific issues. I was happy with my improvements and put it away–I have a cake to make!

I managed to make Corwin a Chocolate Torte for his birthday. I have never made one before. I have a wonderful cookbook, The Cake Bible, that I use for baking. I followed the recipe “Perfect All-American Chocolate Torte” to make the dessert. Corwin and Susie liked it.

We used the fun lotus candle and Susie sang.

I also tried to make some Orange Chiffon Cupcakes, and they are best to be forgotten.

Dinner was from Wild Buffalo Wings, and one order had no sauce. We are not sure if it was them or us. We will be more careful next time. Corwin wanted WBW for his birthday.

Mom, Barb Wild, is still in the hospital. They are again running labs and trying to work out what to do. My sister, Linda Wild, is helping where she can.

I have to work tonight to finish an upgrade. It is already Tuesday in India.

I will have to make this short.

Reports today count over five-hundred deaths from the virus today on Memorial Day 2020. It is Memorial Day 2020 and so we will go with Taps.

Today I missed everyone, yes, everyone. Summer is here, and we should be traveling or visiting or maybe playing Twilight Imperium with Casey and friends. Beer and steaks somewhere, not here at the Volvo Cave. Traffic should be a problem. We should be overcrowded in some bar in Portland, drinking something made here. Maybe a concert on the river standing-room-only. I miss it.

Today started later, as it is Sunday. I watched the online church, and I will leave it that I did not attend any more online church after that.

I have to admit I bingle watched more of The Man From U.N.C.L.E first season (1964) today. It is an old black and white, somewhat hopeful TV show with the USA and the Soviet Union working together to ensure the safety of the world. The show was created just before all the actors that play as guest stars are picked up for their own shows. For example, I and sure you would be surprised to see Leonard Nemoy (Mr. Spock) using a Russia-like accent as a stooge in an embassy with Werner Klemperer (Col. Klink) as the ambassador and William Shatner (Capt. Kirk) as a chemist all in the same episode. About half-way through the first season, the acting and writing started to work. I was at first disappointed, and now I enjoy the wacky plots and excellent heroes and villains. I cannot recommend it, but I enjoy it.

I also had bad news from Michigan today. My mother is in the hospital with low sodium and is being kept overnight. So I spent much time waiting and talking and texting. My sister, Linda, in Michigan is handling this the best she can.

Yesterday I also received word from India that the villages I visited so many years ago were damaged by the recent cyclone. This picture from India is from the Kakinada area in AP from my friend Rev. John. I believe I have been to this house or drove by it. I know where it is on a map!

Please help India as they are in lockdown and now this disaster at the same time. You can use UMCOR and ask to help the Kakinada area (specifically the Komaragiri, Nemam, and Pithapuram villages), or I can put you in contact directly with Rev. John if you would like to know more.

So much went wrong today, but we did manage dinner well. Corwin cooked ribeye steaks perfectly on the grill. We had Stella for beer. I washed and made the salad. The lettuce is from the veggie box we got from Olympia Provisions and had to be debugged. It is from a real farm and had clearly shown the lack of pesticides we expect from local food. I washed the lettuce three times. I remember when Susie was working in the Hebrew Home, and the Rabbi would clean all the lettuce over and over. I was finding my inner Rabbi today! We finished the baked potatoes on the grill, and that made them a bit crunchy and tasty. So dinner was perfect–may be blessed!

More than six-hundred Americans perished from the virus today. The New York Times listed the names of all the Americans they know that have died with a few words on some. The death rate has fallen today to March’s levels. The infection rate is holding the same for the last three weeks. I found this “Thank you, Lord.”

This morning was a near mistake. I had not slept much for days, and so I slept into 9:30. The phone rang, missed the call, and then heard the truck! I ran out in my robe and stopped the Safeway truck. I had slept through the delivery of our groceries–I was once again having groceries delivered. With the use of a mask now becoming a political statement, I believe it is no longer safe to head back into Safeway, so I will order my groceries again.

I was initially ordering all my groceries online, and then the deliveries windows were weeks out. It appears that Safeway and others have fixed this so I can order again. Now I feel I have too.

I started on a DIY project. A model room in a book store: Sam’s Study. I managed to get started and then put it away to play a board game.

We decided to try Fury of Dracula, one of my best games. It is a hidden movement game that is the hunt of Dracula. One player is Dracula, and everyone else is hunting the vampire. It is now in its third version (with a fourth edition that is a reprint).

I made Pork Vindaloo today from the same recipe I used before, but that time I used chicken. It was a great success with pork. It is not an easy dish to make, but I am getting more comfortable as I have now done it more than once.

While I was waiting for that, I managed to get a few pictures of my roses. I am not sure what the name of this one is. It looks like a David Austin Rose.

And this rose, with the substantial sharp thorns, is lovely to look at. It is just getting going now.

I did have to get out and get gas for the gas grill. Corwin goofed and forgot to turn it off last time. Happens. Steaks for Sunday. Grilling is mandated this weekend I think.

I also, while keeping distance, went over to the next door’s backyard to see the amazing landscaping Chris is doing. He is putting doing a dry stream in the back. We talked, and it better to work on your house and maybe add rooms than try to buy something and remodel it. Homes are just too expensive.

About the board game, I played Dracula and won. I defeated the hunters three times and managed to score one vampire placed. As Dracula, I managed to circle around the hunters in Germany and France–they thought I was in the East. The hunters found one of my vampires and then had terrible luck and were defeated by it twice.

More than one-thousand people lost their lives to the virus today in the USA. The song is a country version of a hymn, but I like the fiddle playing: Lord, I am Coming Home.