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I slept in and felt a bit better. I decided I needed a change, and staying home, cleaning, paying bills, writing, and arranging things was not for today. I wrote the blog and did the dishes (got them in the dishwasher and ran them). I still see ants, and more spray was applied to areas not for eating. I have seen none in the kitchen (?!).

I found and made an everything bagel from NYC with cream cheese (thanks, Joyce). I had that with more IKEA coffee and a banana. I finished the blog at about 10:30, published it, cleaned up, shaved, and dressed. I went with a dress shirt and a sweater vest. I boarded Air VW the Gray, the EV was charged to 100%, and I headed to Hood River, Oregon. I planned to head there with Deborah in a week or so and wanted to try this out.

It was a partially cloudy day, but the lack of rain or wind made it a pleasant trip. The sunlight, while fleeting, was lovely. At first, I thought I had taken the wrong spin around Portland, but I soon realized that the Columbia Gorge was like driving to the airport, PDX, and then not going there. Traffic was easy, but I did find the EV complaining that I was too close to other vehicles, and it complained about my lane following. I did one lane change at high speed with only a few feet free as merging traffic was not given any space. Yikes! I also saw someone slam their brakes behind me in slow-moving traffic. Never quite understand that; this is Portland, and we don’t suddenly go fast.

I arrived at Hood River with a 65% charge. This means I could turn around and make it home without a charge. Perfect. This is something to learn, and I soon search for a charge station. There is a fast charge at the city parking lot. I tried my iPhone and ApplePay, but the car stopped charging soon after. I waved a credit card, and now it works. Forty-five minutes and at three times the usual rate in Beaverton; wow! I walk up the hills of Hood River.

Hood River is high above the Columbia River, suggesting a good plan to avoid inundation. I-84 is between the main street, and while there are some places, including a hotel, near the river, there are no homes there. I walked up a block and found a gaming, collectible card games, and Warhammer store, where I bought a paintbrush. I try to buy something when just looking. I did not see anything I would not find in Beaverton other than a nice $4 paintbrush not from Warpaints or Warhammer.

Next, I learned that Trillium Cafe was closed for a remodel. This sent me to Hood River Brewing Co. near the parking lot where the EV was charging. I could track the progress on the VW app. There, I paid separately for a beer, a pint of their ale, and a sandwich. Each is pay-as-you-go. Makes sense for a tourist town. The bartender was friendly, did IT, and currently works in AI. We talked a bit about Python, and the bartender was pleased to have a picture taken (pronouns were not discussed). I forgot the name I was given, and I hope the bartender will check out the blog and send me a note to update this. I gave the bartender one of my cards.

With the EV charged, my beer and an excellent sandwich consumed, and a friend of the bartender meeting me, I headed out. I pointed the EV West and returned the way I came. It was an excellent visit to Hood River.

I stopped at Multnomah Falls, using the left exit on I-84. I parked in the usual place, walked under the highway, and under the railroad bridge that would give any model railroad builder or train enthusiast a happy moment. It looks perfect, and the plaque says 1909. I approached the falls and bought a mint mocha to lighten the cold. I just looked at the falls from a hard bench and did not offer to take anyone’s pictures. I often walk the trail to the bridge, but with my balance issues and cough, testing my climbing skills on Friday seemed unwise. I soon returned to Portland and then Beaverton. The charge was 65% when I arrived, showing a reassuring consistency.

I cleaned the toilets. Next week, I will spend a day cleaning and finishing a few things I started. I organized some of my figure painting but didn’t pick up a paintbrush. I put away the dishes. Boring, I know.

I charged the car again during the day to learn the process. I set the car to 100%. I was tired from the drive and walking, but I felt good. I decided to read and relax today. Later, I decided on Wonton Soup and fried rice for dinner. I was hungry. I took Air VW the Gray to the local Stir Crazy and picked up dinner. I ate all the soup on returning and charging the EV again (I later unplugged it with 100% charge) while watching more Babylon 5. Season 2 has been a mixed bag as we focus too much on the new commander, but the Techno-mages storyline was good and sounds like many of us now: “We are dreamers, shapers, singers, and makers.”

I head to bed early and, after a shower, read. I am back to reading Canadian-based murder/crime mysteries. I manage to nod off, but the door to the backyard is banging in the light winds. I grab a flashlight and, in slippers, robe, and PJs, find and close the gate in the Oregon mist around midnight. I returned to bed with damp PJ cuffs as the grass was wet, but soon, the new bed and I found peace and I slept. No dreams are remembered.

 

I slept in on Thursday, and the day was colored all day by sadness. I am affected by the terrible news for liberals now called ‘doom scrolling.’ I have also been working on organizing and cleaning the house, not traveling (even locally), and not playing that many games, painting figures, or any fun stuff. I have also finished my plan to get the EV charging and a new mattress. I always find it a bit of a letdown when things finish. I am not making a call for help but just recording my day. The blog is about my experiences and what the day brought. I was sad but not troubled. Dear reader, please don’t panic!

I found coffee (leftover IKEA coffee made in my French Press) and made an NYC bagel (thanks, Joyce) with cream cheese. I also had my morning banana, which I both like and need for the potassium. Even without the walking and just housework, my weight is stable at 230 pounds. Just on the edge of 220, my goal. My doctor and I agree to keep all the prescriptions unchanged and enjoy better sugar levels and lower blood pressure; it is good for me.

The cough is still bothering me. My nose runs nonstop, and I place tissue boxes throughout the house. But the coughing is less, and despite the high use of Kleenix products, I believe the issue is slowly getting better. I have no action to take but to keep at it.

I wrote for part of the morning but did not return to the blog until after 4. Deborah and I spoke on the phone for a while, but my lack of focus prevented me from finishing. I learned that the mattress people would be here at about 1:30. Also, the parts for The Machine were delivered—one huge box and a small part.

Lunch was at McMenamins Cedar Mills with Scott, two Hammerhead beers, and a tuna fish sandwich for me. We meet weekly and discuss life, what we are doing, and what the other person needs to know. For example, my CD has one month to go, but if I don’t do anything, it will reset and lock for another six months at 0.5%. It is almost criminal behavior from US Bank, but I have read that banks are everywhere trying to avoid paying higher rates by locking in customers automatically to lower rates. Scott has also seen this behavior; we will both be ready to move cash. We also discussed travel and Scott’s plans to travel to Europe; he is retired, but his wife works for a Europe-based company, and Scott may be her +1. I later sent Scott the link to IMPAX, my IRA account, and likely my target for a transfer from Fidelity. I want to be boring, socially responsible, and able to withdraw my earnings. I think IMPAX will work.

Air VW the Gray, with a full charge performed at the house, gets me home before 1:30. The mattress delivery happens before 2 and is done quickly. The new 5″ foundation is dark and disappears into the bed frame, which is perfect. The new mattress is plush and hugs you. If you sit on the edge of the new one it is not stiff. I think it will be great. They haul away the old mattress and foundation, which were over twenty years old.

Next was the Zoom meeting S/PRC for the church—effectively, the HR committee for a Methodist Church. Nothing from that meeting can be repeated here; it is confidential. But I will share that I quoted my last Fortune Cookie at the end of the meeting: You will soon become more passionate and determined about your vision. That’s a good message, I think.

I made the beds and was tired. I purchased the next set of books from Lousie Penny, a brain cookie, and started to read more Inspector Gamache stories (number 14 from 2017, Glass Houses). I find these a good answer to being sad and could feel the darkness lifting as I return to Canadian Crime and Penny’s fantastic storytelling. When I read some mysteries, I believe I could do better or want to write one like it, but for Agatha Christie, Rex Stout, and Louise Penny, I am just enjoying them.

I shower, dress in my PJs, and read early. I soon fall asleep with Amazon Music back on for the cheaper rate for one person and the new Amazon device playing. I have an Echo Show that lets me read the time and plays ‘Music to Sleep by.’

(We are back to gray skies. A little color in the house always helps, and tulips are my favorite)

Thanks for reading!

I rose at 6:30 to finish the blog before the 8:30 appointment to install the ChargePoint EV charger in the garage. I wrote the blog and published it as the EV Charge PDX arrived. I had left the garage open with the EV pulled out so they would have plenty of room. I had already had a NYC bagel (thanks, Joyce) and started to use the rest of the IKEA coffee. I found it in the pantry when I went to get more coffee. There were two folks to install the connection in my house’s electrical panel (updated a few years ago), and Rob, the official who sent me the emails and took the payment, helped me understand the workings of the charger. It is an Internet device, which surprised me a bit. I need an Internet connection to charge the car, which is interesting. Once again, I am happy I updated my connection to be faster. I was surprised that the main was not pulled to install (my laptop battery is usually charged to max), and I have a UPS for the Internet access point via ZippyFly. I get about 90 minutes once there is an outage. Instead, the breakers are slid into the still-hot box and set off, and the wiring is completed. As standard, the exposed cable is in a metal conduit.

Rob and I spent an hour trying to add the charger to the ChargePoint app. This failed, and Rob left as I knew how to do it. About an hour later, the app managed to add the charger (and their help desk also called), and I could charge Air VW the Gray. I checked it often as I did not want to find a fault in the new equipment or wiring (fire, explosion, and simply not working). Everything worked for a short charge. I could later charge 100%; in total, I spent six hours charging. All good.

I sanded and did some more work on the boxes to contain the giveaway costume jewelry from Susie’s (my late wife’s) vast collection. I also have a special box for Barb, Susie’s sister, for the gold and other lovely items. I will mail the family there next week. Part of the process.

I looked at many of the pieces and remember Susie wearing them and how excited she was for some more unusual pieces. For example, the ivory from the mammoth bones in Alaska from Native Americans was one I remember and saw again. The Looney Tunes earrings she would wear when she was feeling off or facing a hard day at work will now head out to family members and maybe get a smile for them. The gold hoops for more formal days when hosting a dinner or other event when she was a manager for Marriot. Time for these to go and find another life, but it is a treasured memory to see them one last time.

I decided on PF Chang’s for lunch and had their Hot and Sour soup, a glass of 14-hands Merlot, and their broccoli beef with lo mein noodles. I am unsure if it was the noodles, but I thought it was not as good as last time. I will try it again with fried rice and see if I still like it.

The wine, cough, and cleaning have worn me out, and I will admit I went slow and cleaned only a bit. It is not depression from all the items for Susie; somehow, while sad, the plan to send them on had been good. I go slow.

I am short any fresh veggies, out of paper towel rolls, have no Kleenex (see previous), and have no toilet cleaner. Time to take Air VW the Gray out. I stopped first at the local gaming store and found a copy of the expansion for Pandemic (this is a game Deborah and I played in Michigan), On the Brink. I am painting figures for Pandemic from Kickstarter, and I wanted to get the role cards with the person’s picture so I can match them to my painting. My original copy, which I gave away to my regret, had the expansion. My copy of Pandemic is the second edition without the expansion, which I found used at a considerable discount. I bought the expansion, including the Petri dishes for the cubes, another set of cubes, dish, and outbreak in purple, more roles (what I was looking for), and interesting expansions, including a terrorist play (including the unique role card for a terrorist). Interestingly, the expansion is designed to replace the original box with all of the items fitting in the box. I am not ready to recycle the boxes until I have played it once. I punched and combined the games later (the original game is still playable after the expansion).

Next, I stopped at 185th Market and was happy to spend only $20 on fresh veggies and bananas. They were happy to see me, and we talked about all the places I went to during my absence. I pay cash to reduce their cost (about 3% for using a credit card). Finally, I stop by Safeway and get cleaning supplies and some steaks, chuck NY strips (a bit tough), and paper products. Aws is my checker, and we are happy to see each other. We shake hands and smile. Good to see him. He is here legally; his family left Iraq during the war.

When I return home, I unload my bounty, plug in the EV, and charge it until 100%. I do this not late, as I want to be awake when I first charge the VW. I will set the charging to later and consider the hourly usage variation program from PGE. As I am retired, much of my limited electrical usage is during the day and peak hours, but I am trying to be reasonable about this.

I make dinner by blackening some Brussels Sprouts, sliced in half, and steaming them in a frying pan with some water and a lid. I like to ensure my veggies are cooked. I bake and then microwave a yam. I will eat it with just butter and Vietnamese cinnamon. I get out my cast iron fry pan and fry my NY strip-style steak. It is chuck beef; it will be tough. It might have been better if I had salted it over the day. Still, I fry it and then bake it to finish it. It is more roast than steak but still good.

I have moved on to season 2 of Babylon 5. I found the story was a bit confused with the cast change, and some themes that were only hinted at in the first season are now rising. I still enjoyed it, but please don’t start there!

 

Most of Tuesday was spent at the house getting things more ordered. I cannot say I cleaned that much, but the bedroom looks more organized. I need to add some more bookshelves to the house. I try not to keep books, but there are some nice ones that I will not send on to Goodwill; now I have piles of them. I need more shelves.

I started the day rising at 7, waiting for a repair person for The Machine, the LG washer/dryer I got in May 2024. It has developed an unwanted feature of pouring the rinse water through the front of the machine via the dispenser drawer. I had already tried the cleaning and care rituals but to no avail of removing the extra waterfall new process. I dressed early and was ready.

At 9, the repair person came, studied The Machine, made it run a rinse, and covered the floor with water. Also, extra water will be needed to shop vacuum the water in the pedestal drawer. The repair person agreed that it was broken. He ordered parts to rebuild the whole water rinse in The Machine and will return on Sunday to install them. It was 9:20. I used towels to stop the mess and cleaned up the water in The Machine on Wednesday, letting it all drip out of The Machine first. Ugh!

I wrote the blog while the repair person made a mess. I continued to write until about 11, as I was not in a hurry. I published the blog. I took the next box of items for Goodwill, some memories from years ago, but now just more clutter. They accepted the items as no oil in the lamps included in the box.

I then stopped by and drove through Carl’s Jr for a Western Burger and onion rings with a Diet Coke. Yes, I ate in the Air VF the Gray. It was a heavy lunch, but good. Well, maybe the onion rings could have been better (no reason to order them again). I stopped by Michael’s Arts and Crafts Supply for wooden boxes. I plan to put random piles of Susie’s costume jewelry in the boxes and send them to family members. I returned to the house, got the mail, and returned to bringing order to the house. I sorted Susie’s remaining jewelry into four piles of costume items and cute earrings. Another pile for Barb, Susie’s sister, for the gold chains, gold and gems, and rings. I got a larger box for Barb.

I stained the boxes in the garage and let them dry. Because it is cold, it will take a day or longer to dry. I used the same board and sawhorses I set up to do the patching work. There is now enough room in the garage for the EV and the temporary work table.

I spent hours separating Susie’s endless earrings, a nearly uncounted number of pins, some necklaces, bracelets, and even two-dollar bills (Susie always kept the $2 bills she found). I untangled most of the necklaces, but a few were tiny gold chains and would not come apart, including the first item I gave Susie (I cried when I saw it). It was cheap but gold; it was all I could afford in college. I had forgotten that the chain became hopelessly tangled, and Susie put it away. It was still there after forty years. I put the two items that are hopeless with her ashes. We will send the chains with her someday.

The lamps in the bedroom have not been plugged in for years. Reading lamps worked better. I moved the lamps out to be sent to Goodwill. I cleaned off all the books and sorted them. I only found two, which I would send to Goodwill. I located a place for another bookshelf I need to install later and moved the books there that I am not expecting to read soon.

(Looking like the Mad Hatter’s book collection or a stack of items from a Dr. Seuss drawing!)

I recycled the magazines I was holding back on ship model building. I do not see myself returning to that at the moment. And if I do, I have plenty of books on the subject. Those are expensive and hard to replace; I will keep them.

I stacked the books on the nightstands, removed the old clock radio, ordered an Echo Display to replace it, dusted and vacuumed, and got out the broom to chase away some cobwebs that had built up while I was not paying attention. The room looks a bit stark now, but I will move a few personal items in once I get it cleaned and sorted.

I did the dishes and took out the trash. The trash bin and recycling are full already. I managed to get some more in. I read for a while, showered, and slept. I missed my clock to tell me what time it was and my music (I will likely relent and turn back on music at Amazon). I woke once to prove hydration and slept again.

Thanks for reading.

Monday is my Saturday, as I have no plans (usually) on Mondays, and everyone is back to work, so I have no appointments to meet anyone. This week is exciting as it is when I have three events: Fix The Machine (Laundry), Install the EV charger, and replace the mattress in the master bedroom.  M@ (i.e., Matt V) came over and helped with the garage, and now the EV fits in it, and the location for the charger is ready. I patched the walls in the garage (going back to before I owned the house) and the hole for the new drains for The Machine. Once the machine is fixed, I can push it against the wall and be done with it. I am not traveling for January, and Deborah is coming for a week. I decided to clean and update the house in these two months. I had not planned to buy a new car or to repair the laundry, but all provided opportunities to grow and learn.

I rose at about 8:30 and found the coffee and the last Costco pastry. I started on the blog and updated the transactions in Quicken. I also updated my 401K balance, which is not automatically tracked with the end of January value. Since October 2024, I have seen no significant change as the markets swing in a narrow range from various stories (i.e., Elon good/bad, AI sells chips, AI now cheap and Chinese, Tariffs Yes/No, and so on ). From my reading, there is no more talk about EVs being the go-to, green energy, or repairing failing infrastructure.

I wrote the morning away. I am taking high blood pressure (HBP) cold meds because my nose will not stop running. Today, I plan to take no trips and clean and organize the house. I made beef and veggie soup from a can for lunch. I wanted something good for a runny nose and cheap. I finished and published the blog.

A load of bagels showed (thanks, Joyce).

I looked up what USAID did on the US government websites (here, the websites were shut down for the agency) and found that it spent $43 Billion last year, or 0.004% of the US budget, with most of it in Afghanistan. I learned that it was the US government agency you would use to ship items free on ships and military aircraft (finding unused space in both). The agency was created in 1961 by the Republican Eisenhower administration to consolidate all the programs done during and after WW2 to help Europe and other countries affected by the war. Its mission was to prevent suffering by building hospitals, funding maternity care, and providing access to US military and government services for free (like space on a military flight). It was independent of the US State Department and was closely linked to Congress and the US military. Thus, if you have farming equipment you want to ship to Africa, this is the agency you use to get the transport done using US government ships and aircraft for free. I disagree with the actions taken against this agency, though I believe they have been sloppy with some programs, and some reform is always good.

After cleaning up and shaving, I dressed and started removing things from the top of the Hunter cabinet; some had been there since Susie’s last Christmas at the house. I found many glass items with memories from our lives together. Some I photographed, but all were carried one at a time to the glass recycling. I will keep the memories, but the things are part of the clutter now and make me sad. It is time for them to be recycled.

I tossed most of the candles but lit one to scent the house. I also moved many items to a box to be taken to Goodwill. I was able to put away a few items. I cleaned the photo frames and cabinet top from a thick cover of dust. The space is now back to looking well, with photos back up and the top mostly empty and uncluttered.

I also organized and dusted my chess table space. I spent the whole day loading updates for my Millennium Mephisto Phoenix M Chess Computer to the current version, an expensive birthday present for myself from two years ago. This consists of a few touches and then waiting. It can now connect through the Internet. I still have to buy the interface ($99) if I start to play online, as nothing is free in chess! I can also buy ($99) engine updates to get the best engines. Rated at 2400 as is, I do not need the engines. With the software updates and Raspberry 4 2G running, the LINUX-based device is now always cutting edge. I bought an early release and got a discount. Without a discount, it is expensive ($1,199 for the computer and another $1,099 for the board).

Corwin stopped by to get his mail, and then Deborah called. Corwin found a snack for 90 minutes and enjoyed my fine cable shows. Deborah and I talked on the phone for a while. After, Corwin and I headed out to the Barnes and Noble bookstore. I bought a magazine. I went through the ritual of what is connected to my old account, alohawild@me.com, which was my last choice, and it worked. Next, we went to McMenamins Cornelius Pass Roadhouse for an early dinner. We had a curious spice-Italian-styled beef dip sandwich with fries and beer for me. Corwin no longer drinks alcohol and is trying to eat healthier.

By the way, my weight is down to 230 pounds now. Slowly but surely, I am headed to 220, my goal; I credit the drug MetFormin, my doctor’s persistence with lab results, and my desire to live until 120. As I have recorded in my blogs previously, my labs are good, with an A1C down to 5.1! My doctor said, “Retirement has been good for you!”

Air VW the Gray gets us home, and Corwin and I clean up the bedroom. Corwin lifts the mattresses for me, and I vacuum and remove all the stuff under the bed. We move the bed close to the wall. With Susie falling out of bed, I moved it out to make it safer. We put it back to get more room back.

Corwin takes a few of Susie’s candles home (some are duplicates). I put on Babylon 5, the old sci-fi show, and enjoy one of their two-part episodes, which moves the underlying story forward; it’s more of a Space Opera than a recurring TV show. This episode is the framework for the later animated movie from 2023 and includes some of the comedy that I found a bit surprising in the film; yes, the show got silly a few times. While I loved the movie, it is an acquired taste and cannot stand alone.

I removed the layers of dust from the stand, pulled out all the Blu-rays, DVDs, and CDs, wiped the dust from them, and put them back. I was at first thinking of sending the disks to Goodwill, but I might watch some of them, and they are free in a world where corporations want you to rebuy things you have purchased before. So I think I will hold on to them longer. I vacuumed the area in front where all the dust went.

I read, showered, put the sheets and blankets back on the bed, and climbed in wearing my PJs. I soon, after talking a shot of night cough and cold meds, slept until 7ish. No dreams that I remember, but I woke happy so it must have been a good night.

Thanks for reading and dreaming with me.