spaciousreasoning

[spaciousreasoning]

A Day of Sisters

Today is the Summer Solstice, a day which has been culturally important since the Neolithic era. Many ancient monuments are aligned with the sunrise or sunset on the summer solstice. Most cultures recognize the event with holidays, festivals, and rituals. In Sweden, midsummer is one of the year’s major holidays, when the country closes down as much as during Christmas.

Today is also American Eagle Day, Clean Your Drains Day, National Flip Flop Day, National Ice Cream Soda Day, National Take Your Dog to Work Day, National Vanilla Milkshake Day, and World Productivity Day.

On this day in 1782, the U.S. Congress adopted the Great Seal of the United States. Since 1935, both sides of the Great Seal have appeared on the reverse of the one-dollar bill. The front side contains the Latin phrase “E Pluribus Unum,” or “out of many, one.”

June 20 is the birthday of playwright Lillian Hellman (1905), actor Errol Flynn (1909), guitarist Chet Atkins (1924), Medal of Honor winning soldier and actor Audie Murphy (1925), actor Martin Landau (1928), actor Olympia Dukakis (1931), actor Danny Aiello (1933), recently-deceased Beach Boy Brian Wilson (1942), “This Old House” host Bob Vila (1946), singer Lionel Richie (1949), actor John Goodman (1952), novelist Robert Crais (1953), and singer Amos Lee (1977).

The rain began early this morning, then continued off and on throughout most of the day. The overnight low was 49 degrees, and the day’s high only made it to 57.

My blood sugar came in at 160 this morning, another tiny drop. Better than a tiny increase, of course.

After enjoying our coffee and playing the Friday brain games, we had French toast for breakfast.

Since the rain had started early and Nancy’s interest in picking cherries subsided, we decided to look for adventure elsewhere. Having seen that OR 242 had recently been opened for the season, Nancy suggested we take a drive out there.

We took off about 11:30 a.m., stopping for a nice hot mocha at Old Crow on the way out. Then we headed east along OR 126 until the intersection with OR 242, then we twisted our way until we reached the Dee Wright Observatory, is an observation structure at the summit of McKenzie Pass in the Cascade Mountains. The open shelter was constructed with lava stone and is located in the midst of a large lava flow. It offers an excellent view of numerous Cascade peaks.

Nancy stayed in the car while I climbed the steps and path up to the observatory, fighting the cold, a slight bit of rain, and a good deal of wind. I declined to take my new camera up with me, so I took a bunch of pictures with my iPhone. I was quite chilled by the time I made it back to the car, and we turned the heat up as we struck out for the town of Sisters, just another 15 miles or so away.

Nancy did some internet searching for a place to have lunch and came up with the Sisters Saloon & Ranch Grill. We crept through town in the middle of a long line of vehicles, and we were lucky to find a parking pace right next to the saloon and got a table right away.

Nancy got a turkey sandwich with some homemade potato chips and a ginger beer. I got a prime rib French dip with their homemade fries and a cola.

Sitting in a place called the Sisters Saloon in a town named Sisters, I could not help but think of my own sisters, Deborah and Sarah. Because there were T-shirts for sale, I texted my sisters and asked if they wanted one. I’ll be sending them to Virginia in the next few days.

We started home along U.S. 20, then took OR 126 when it split off. Nancy took over driving along the way, and we got home a little after 5 p.m. We took a brief nap, then fiddled around with various things until 7:30, when we began our Friday streaming.

We kicked off with Colbert’s Thursday show, which featured Paul Simon. He and Edie Brickell, his wife, performed a tune from his new album to close the show.

Then we watched the first episode of “Outraegous,” a new offering from BritBox that is based on the story of the Mitford sisters, six sisters who refused to play by the rules and whose often-scandalous lives made headlines around the world. Set in the 1930s, it is a tale of betrayal, scandal, heartache and even imprisonment.

We finished the evening with another episode of “Death Valley,” in which a murder mystery party turned into a real investigation when a famous actor was found stabbed to death. John reconnected with an old flame while he and Janie investigated.

Tonight’s low is expected to reach 48 degrees, while tomorrow’s high will again be in the mid-50s. Rain is expected throughout the night and all day tomorrow.

Nancy is off tomorrow morning to church for some altar guild prep work for Sunday. Then we have a potluck dinner party with a number of church friends at one of their homes at 5 p.m. We are to take a fruit plate, which Nancy will look for at the Market of Choice near church when she is done with her altar guild duties.

[spaciousreasoning]

‘Lift Every Voice and Sing’

Juneteenth is a federal holiday celebrated annually on June 19 to commemorate the ending of slavery in the United States. The holiday’s name, first used in the 1890s, is a portmanteau of the words “June” and “nineteenth,” referring to June 19, 1865, the day when Major General Gordon Granger ordered the final enforcement of the Emancipation Proclamation in Texas at the end of the American Civil War.

Other less important celebrations today include National Martini Day, Find a Leak Day, International Box Day, National Watch Day, World Sauntering Day, World Tapas Day, and World Sickle Cell Day. OK, that last one is probably more important than the other ones.

June 19 is the birthday of lead Stooge Moe Howard (1897), band leader Guy Lombardo (1901), baseball player Lou Gehrig (1903), bluegrass icon Lester Flatt (1914), actor Louis Jordan (1921), actor Gena Rowlands (1930), novelist Salman Rushdie (1947), singer-songwriter Nick Drake (1948), actor Phylicia Rashad (1948), singer-songwriter Ann Wilson (1950), actor Kathleen Turner (1954), singer-songwriter Paula Abdul (1962), and actor Zoe Saldana (1978).

It was partly cloudy this morning, and it got even cloudier as the day went on. The morning low was 46 degrees, and the high peaked at 71.

My blood sugar dropped a point to 161, which is still in the “red” zone, but it’s definitely an improvement.

After waking up with our cups of coffee and playing the online brain games, Nancy did a yoga session while I perused Flickr.

We had oatmeal for breakfast, then showered, and puttered around doing not much of anything for a couple of hours.

Then, after a treatment from Nancy and a nap, we had pita chips, hummus and cheese for a lunchtime snack.

We went for a walk around the neighborhood, but Nancy’s back was bothering her so she peeled off early for home, and I continued and went through the magnolia garden. I was not using the walking app, but the Apple health app said I had walked 1.8 miles. However, plotting the walk on the map, I come up with 2.25 miles. I think I will go with that number on my daily spreadsheet.

For tonight’s dinner, we repeated some of what we did last night, except we used hamburger cooked with chili and other appropriate spices for the taco meat. We also made a cheese enchilada for each of us. That plus the pinto beans created a great meal. As Nancy said, it’s nice to just make stuff up once in a while instead of going with something prepared or getting all the directions from a recipe.

I took off for my Thursday recovery group at 6:30 p.m. The reading was about the spirit of service in the fellowship, something that I got into early on and continued for my entire recovery. At least until we moved to Oregon. I have not had any interest in pursuing service again. Perhaps it will come in the future. Or, perhaps not. But I will keep going to meetings, which has brought me to where I am today.

Back at home a little before 8:30 p.m., we started our streaming with Colbert’s Wednesday program, with actors Allison Williams and Damson Idris discussing their upcoming movies. We finished up the first series of “The Paradise” and then watched the next episode of “Stick” so the comedy would help soothe our jangled nerves.

Rain is coming tomorrow, possibly starting as early as 9 a.m. and maybe lasting all day long. The low is a familiar 47 degrees, but the high might not climb past 55. That kind of forecast will definitely wind up cancelling our plans to go with family members up to a cherry orchard near Junction City and pick cherries. It might just find us sitting indoors all day long watching the rain come down.

[spaciousreasoning]

Getting Our Steps In

Today is International Sushi Day, National Fishing Day, Clean Your Aquarium Day, International Picnic Day, Lock Check Day, National Cherry Tart Day, Sustainable Gastronomy Day, and National Splurge Day.

On this day in 1873, Susan B. Anthony was fined $100 for attempting to vote in the 1872 presidential election. Although she refused to pay the fine, authorities declined to take further action. In 1878, Anthony and Elizabeth Cady Stanton arranged for Congress to be presented with an amendment giving women the right to vote. It later became known colloquially as the Susan B. Anthony Amendment. It was eventually ratified as the Nineteenth Amendment to the U.S. Constitution in 1920.

June 18 is the birthday of actor E.G. Marshall (1914), actor Richard Boone (1917), movie critic Roger Ebert (1942), musician Paul McCartney (1942), actors Carol Kane and Isabella Rossellini (1952), and singer Ray LaMontagne (1973).

The day started out cloudy, but the sun finally burst through after noon. The morning low was 51 degrees, and the high reached 74.

My blood sugar dropped back into a more acceptable range, to 162. Keeping up with meds and watching what I’m eating certainly helps.

After we had our coffee and played the online brain games—though we did run into some rough spots with a couple of them—Nancy started her yoga session. Then we had a quick cinnamon toast so she could call Peggy, her spiritual advisor.

Once she was done talking to Peggy, we fixed a nice breakfast, which included an omelet with cheese, bacon, mushrooms, and sun-dried tomatoes, plus a couple more pieces of toast with marionberry jam.

Then we got ready to head out for some adventures. We stopped at the grocery store to check our lottery tickets, but we had not won the big pot. Fortunately, nobody else did this week, so we’ll spend another couple of bucks and keep our fingers crossed.

We went to the Jasper Trailhead of the Mill Race Path and walked down to the Middle Fork Path and went to the Willamette River’s edge to enjoy the sound of running water. I had the new camera along and took more pictures for later posting.

Following our walk, we drove over to the Market of Choice on Coburg Road and shopped for dinner ingredients. When we got home, we napped.

My Flickr account got 2,756 views by turnover at 5 p.m. The daisy photo on the Explore page reached 4,067 views so far, plus 139 faves.

For dinner, Nancy put on a pot of pinto beans, loaded with garlic. We served them with lots of cheese and a few spoonfuls of salsa to spice them up. We used the leftover marinaded chicken, chopped it up and cooked it in enchilada sauce. Then we put the chicken in some corn tortillas and made tacos using lettuce, tomato and cheese.

After cleaning up, we got into our streaming programs for the evening. As usual we started with Colbert, watching the Tuesday program, which featured guest Nate Bargatze, the comedian, who has recently published a book, Big Dumb Eyes.

We followed that with the penultimate episode in the first series of “The Paradise.” There are still parts that neither of us remember from the first time we watched it a number of years ago. Part of that, we think, might be that it was edited into a shorter series before. Perhaps six episodes, instead of the eight in this appearance. But there is a second and third series in existence, and the second one is already available for streaming.

Finally, we finished “Dept. Q,” making our way through an episode 70 minutes in length. The kidnapping victim was set free and the bad guys got what they deserved. There are currently ten novels in the Dept. Q series, written by Danish author Jussi Adler-Olsen, so there may very well be more adaptations to stream in our future.

It looks like Thursday may be cloudy all day long. It will start with a low of 46 degrees and may not reach the 70s. The only thing we have planned for tomorrow at the moment is putting out the bins for trash and recycling. Everything else will be on the spur of the moment.

[spaciousreasoning]

The Stitches Come Out

Today is National Eat Your Vegetables Day, National Apple Strudel Day, Global Garbage Man Day, National Dump the Pump Day, National Mascot Day, and Nursing Assistants Day.

On this day in 1885, the Statue of Liberty arrived in New York Harbor. The copper-clad statue, a gift to the United States from the people of France, was designed by French sculptor Frédéric Auguste Bartholdi and its metal framework was built by Gustave Eiffel. The statue was dedicated on October 28, 1886.

June 17 is the birthday of composer Igor Stravinsky (1882), illustrator M.C. Escher (1898), actor Ralph Bellamy (1904), singer Barry Manilow (1943), comedian Joe Piscopo (1951), actor Thomas Haden Church (1960), actor Greg Kinnear (1963), actor and comedian Will Forte (1970), and tennis player Venus Williams (1980).

The day dawned bright and sunny but not too warm too early. The overnight low got down to 42 degrees, and the high peaked at 81. It was shorts weather, I decided, and did not regret it.

My blood sugar popped up to 176 for some reason. It might have been the cashews I was munching on during our streaming time last night. I avoided doing that again.

After having our coffee and playing the Tuesday online brain games, we made cinnamon toast.

My appointment for getting the stitches taken out of my hand was at 10:30 a.m. They called me back a couple of minutes before then, and the snipping and pulling was done quickly. We were on our way out before the actual appointment time.

From the Slocum Center, we went by Down to Earth and found some pastic cups to replace the dangerous glass ones we have been using regularly. We also picked up a rug to go behind the couch, and Nancy grabbed more hummingbird feeder mixture.

We went to Mandy’s to grab breakfast, but there was a big waiting line, so we wound up going back to Springfield and the Busy Bee Cafe. I had an omelet with Swiss cheese, mushrooms and sausage. Nancy had scrambled eggs and bacon again.

When we finished eating, we drove to the UPS store at Mohawk and Marcola roads to get the Quitclaim Deed signed for Beth. It will make it possible for her to qualify for homeowner assistance services, like weatherization, bathroom upgrade for disability and aging needs. I dropped it in the mailbox a few minutes before the mailman made his pass through the neighborhood.

At 5 p.m., when the stats for the day switched to the next (that’s midnight GMT), my Flickr account had received just over 5,000 views. The photo of the daisy that wound up on Explore had a total of nearly 3,500 views and 125 faves. The Explore page does not turn over until about 1 p.m. Oregon time, but the visits to that photo won’t stop.

For dinner, we had roasted potatoes, a bit of the leftover marinaded chicken, and a small salad. Then we cleaned up.

I headed out about 6:15 p.m. for the Tuesday men’s recovery meeting, picking up Henry on the way. It was a normal group, with regular attenders, except for one fellow who came back after a relapse. He was, of course, welcomed back into the room. Chuck led the meeting and shared again about his recent one year back in the fellowship. Much of the sharing was from those who had known Chuck in those earlier years and were quite pleased that he made it back.

When I got home, Nancy had a dark chocolate peanut butter cup waiting for each of us, and then we started in on our streaming for the evening. We began with Colbert’s Monday show, which featured guests Mariska Hargitay and Sen. Tammy Duckworth. Then we tuned in to the next episode of “Art Detectives.” A music producer was battered to death in his studio and rare rock memorabilia was stolen. But when the collection was later found dumped in the river, Mick and Shazia questioned the killer’s motive.

Wednesday will see a lot of clouds during the first part of the day, with the sun finally coming out around the middle of the afternoon. Tonight’s low might only drop to 52 degrees, and the high could stay in the low 70s.

There is absolutely nothing on the calendar for tomorrow, so we will have to figure out how to enjoy the day. Perhaps after our coffee in the morning we can find inspiration, provided we have a good night’s sleep.

[spaciousreasoning]

A Day for the Roses

Today is National Fudge Day, Take Your Cat to Work Day, Arborist Appreciation Day, Clean Your Kitchen Vents Day, Fresh Veggies Day, and International Waterfall Day.

On this date in 1824, a meeting at Old Slaughter’s coffee house in London resulted in the formation of what became the Royal Society for the Prevention of Cruelty to Animals (RSPCA). It is the oldest and largest animal welfare organization in the world and is one of the largest charities in the United Kingdom.

June 16 is the birthday of photographer Irving Penn (1917), writer and critic Joyce Carol Oates (1938), actor Valerie Mahaffey (1953), rapper Tupac Shakur (1971), and actor John Cho 1972).

Monday turned out to be a very nice day, starting from the overnight low of 43 degrees and rising to a high of 76 during a sunny afternoon.

My blood sugar was up a couple of points, to 162. That’s officially in the red zone, but it’s just barely there and after so many high numbers in recent weeks, it really isn’t much.

After we enjoyed our cups of coffee and played the Monday edition of the brain games, we just had a slice of cinnamon toast each.

I had an appointment for a haircut at 11:30 a.m., and that only took about fifteen minutes because it’s not a difficult job for a professional stylist.

Then Nancy and I had a late breakfast at the Pump. I had my favorite from their menu, the Mediterranean omelet. Nancy went with a scrambled egg, potatoes and toast.

Following our meal, we drove to Costco and filled up the tank. The price was $3.49 per gallon. Then we went across the street to PetSmart for more kitty litter and deoderizer for the cat box.

To avoid the line of cars heading south on Coburg Road, we took Crescent Drive to North Delta Road and then went south on Delta Highway to the Valley River Center. We checked JCPenney for a belt, but I no luck. The size 42-44 I already have is too large, but the next one down, 38-40, is too small. So I’m sticking with the larger ones and plan to punch an extra hole to make it tight enough to keep my pants from falling down.

After abandoning the belt plans, we parked near the Greenway Pedestrian/Bike Bridge, crossed to the South Bank River Path and walked to the Owen Rose Garden, where I took a lot of photos of lovely roses, a dozen of which I later posted on Flickr. (Just FYI, one of the images posted after yesterday’s family picnic made the Flickr Explore page, the third time that has happened since May 13.)

Once we finished the circuit and returned to the car, we drove back up Delta Highway to the Market of Choice at Delta Oaks and bought more chicken for our dinner, along with a few other items. When we got home, Nancy got the chicken prepped and soaking in a marinade, then we took a nap.

The original recipe called for the chicken to be grilled, but since we don’t currently have a grill, Nancy simply cooked the pieces on high heat. We enjoyed the chicken with a bit of leftover rice and freshly steamed broccoli. The chicken was very tasty, thanks to the marinade. There were several pieces left over, and we may use them to create another dish in the coming days.

After cleaning up and having a dark chocolate peanut butter cup for dessert, we sat down for our Monday streaming choices. We began with the next episode of “Duster,” followed that with the penultimate episode of “Dept. Q,” then closed out the evening with the fourth episode of “Stick.”

Tomorrow is looking to be a sunnier version of today, with an overnight low of 45 degrees and a high in the upper 70s.

The first item on the schedule for Tuesday is getting the stitches in my hand removed in the morning. After that, our day is wide open.

[spaciousreasoning]

A Family Picnic with Two Fathers

Along with Father’s Day, today is Global Wind Day, National Prune Day, National Turkey Lovers Day, and Nature Photography Day.

On this day in 1846, the Oregon Treaty extended the border between the United States and British North America, established by the Treaty of 1818, westward to the Pacific Ocean.

June 15 is the birthday of singer-songwriters Waylon Jennings (1937) and Harry Nilsson (1941), and actors Jim Belushi (1954), Helen Hunt (1963), Courteney Cox (1964), and Neil Patrick Harris (1973).

It was mostly sunny for most of the day before turning mostly cloudy later on. The overnight low was 40 degrees, and the high reached 78.

My blood sugar fell again, going below the red zone, just barely, to 159. That’s certainly better than it continuing to climb higher.

After our coffee and brain games, we had cinnamon toast, made in our new Cuisinart toaster. Then it was off to church for the first Sunday after Pentecost, also known as Trinity Sunday, a celebration of the doctrine of the Trinity, the three persons of God: Father, Son, and Holy Spirit.

Lunch at Pastini followed, and then we had planned on going to JCPenney at Valley River Center to get a belt a size smaller than the two I bought most recently, after which we were going to take another walk on the nearby river path.

But a text came in from Nancy’s family that they were planning a Father’s Day celebration down by the Mohawk River on the ranch property. It was the first Father’s Day for Kyle, Nancy’s grandson, whose daughter was born last September.

Nancy and I went straight home after lunch and took a nap, as neither of us had gotten a decent night’s sleep. About 4:30 p.m., we headed out Marcola, arriving at the dome close to 5. While Nancy and I and Kalen walked down the road to the “picnic” area, others drove there with supplies for the meal, including a grill for cooking up the corn on the cob, the hotdogs and hamburgers, and the steaks that a couple of people had brought.

Doing this meant, of course, that I once again missed my Sunday evening recovery meeting, but I assured Nancy that I was in no danger of relapsing. I did take along my new camera and captured lots of pictures of all the family members present as well as the natural surrounding. Sadly, I missed getting photos of a family of ducks swimming by up the river because my good hand happened to be holding a hot dog at that moment and the camera was turned off while I ate.

Everyone packed up and left a little before 8 p.m., while the sun was still up, of course, and Nancy and I made it back home by 8:30.

We watched the final episode of the latest series of “The Cleaner,” in which Wicky becomes involved with the crazy members of a family at a wedding where an assault resulted in lots of blood which needed to be cleaned up.

Next we caught the seventh episode of “Dept. Q.” Carl made dangerous allegations to powerful men, while Rose tried a fresh angle to uncover more information about journalist Sam Haig’s demise.

Tonight’s low might reach 47 degrees, but tomorrow’s high may top out in the low 70s. The day will start out cloudy, with more sun showing up in the afternoon.

Nancy turned over her Monday hair appointment to me so she could schedule one for another month away and let her hair grow a bit more. After the 11:30 a.m. cut, we will have some lunch, then we will go get a new belt for me and go take another walk on the river path with the new camera.

[spaciousreasoning]

Back to the Farm

In addition to Flag Day and Army Day, which turned out to be a bit of a fustercluck this year, this is World Blood Donor Day, National Bourbon Day, National Rosé Day, World Gin Day, World Blood Donor Day, Doll Day, International Bath Day, International Knit in Public Day, Monkey Around Day, National Strawberry Shortcake Day, and World Juggling Day.

On this day in 1822, Charles Babbage proposes a “difference engine” in a paper to the Royal Astronomical Society. A difference engine is an automatic mechanical calculator designed to tabulate polynomial functions. The name is derived from the method of finite differences, a way to interpolate or tabulate functions by using a small set of polynomial co-efficients. Some of the most common mathematical functions used in engineering, science and navigation are built from logarithmic and trigonometric functions, which can be approximated by polynomials, so a difference engine can compute many useful tables.

June 14 is the birthday of actor and singer Burl Ives (1909), actors Gene Barry and Sam Wanamaker (1919), journalist and politician Pierre Salinger (1925), singer-songwriter Boy George (1961), and tennis player Steffi Graf (1969).

The skies were blue this morning but the temperature remained cool, starting with a low of 44 degrees and reaching a high of just 70.

My blood sugar declined nicely, to 166. I would like to think the bit of walking done yesterday and the decent dinner helped.

Following our morning coffee and online brain games, Nancy and I had oatmeal for breakfast. Then we showered and dressed, and a little while later we headed out to Marcola. We wandered around the family farm with Kalen and her friend Iris and a total of four dogs. I took my new camera along and engaged in a bit of photographic fun.

Also present were Kurt, Kyle and Aaron, who were working on cutting hay and fiddling with the various related machines. Seran showed up with Sophie a little while later. Eventually Kalen, Iris, Nancy and I walked back to the dome. Nancy and I munched on chips and cheese while we visited a bit more.

Then Nancy and I headed for home, stopping briefly to take a few pictures of some big rolled hay bales along the way. We swung by Albertsons for some heavy cream and chicken bouillon, items necessary for making tonight’s dinner. We also got an iced mocha at Old Crow.

After taking a nap, I spent some time on Flickr. My account received 2,505 views for the day, and I uploaded three shots from the farm walk. Nancy had a glass of wine.

For our dinner, we heated the leftover rice, cooked some green beans, and stirred up an easy version of chicken piccata using a bit of chicken that had been put aside from that used for the Tuscan recipe we finished off yesterday. That turned out to be quite tasty.

Following the clean-up and a brief respite, we turned to our streaming for the evening. We began with Thursday’s Colbert, featuring guest John C. Reilly. Then we watched the final two episodes of “Sherlock & Daughter,” which left an opening for a possible sequel.

Tonight’s low may reach 44 degrees again, but tomorrow’s high promises to get into the 70s, with sunshine almost the entire day.

I will return to church tomorrow to handle the service stream, and Rector Ann will be back at work, both presiding and preaching. Sunday evening, of course, I will get to my recovery meeting. Between those occasions, there’s no telling what trouble we might get into tomorrow.

[spaciousreasoning]

Another Wellness Check

Besides this being a Friday the 13th, June 13 is International Axe-Throwing Day, National Blame Someone Else Day, National Chamoy Day, National Dance/Movement Therapy Advocacy Day, National Weed Your Garden Day, World Softball Day, and Random Acts of Light Day.

On this day in 1774, Rhode Island became the first of Britain's North American colonies to ban the importation of slaves.

June 13 is the birthday of Irish poet, playwright, and Nobel Prize laureate W. B. Yeats (1865), actor Basil Rathbone (1892), author and poet Dorothy Sayers (1893), actor and stuntman Ben Johnson (1918), actor and comedian Paul Lynde (1926), actor Malcolm McDowell (1943), actors Richard Thomas and Stellan Skarsgård (1951), actor and comedian Tim Allen (1953), actress Ally Sheedy (1962), and singer-songwriter David Gray (1968).

Despite the promise of eventual sunshine, the day remained overcast. The overnight low was 48 degrees, and the high only got up to 61.

My blood sugar jumped up to 187 this morning. It might have been my missed pills yesterday morning or the rich dinner of Tuscan chicken.

Nancy and I got done with our coffee and online brain games in time for me to leave at 8:30 a.m. for my doctor’s appointment. This was my annual wellness check, and it included having to draw a clock face with hands pointing to 11:10 while remembering three words: banana, sunrise, and chair. Happily, my A1C registered at 7.4, which is up a wee bit from last time, but still in a decent range, especially considering how the daily numbers have been looking.

When I got home at 10 a.m., Nancy was cooking up bacon and had started on the omelet with cheese, sun-dried tomatoes and mushrooms. The toast had also been done, just before we discovered the new toaster we ordered from Cuisinart was at the front door.

After eating and cleaning up, we put a load of clothes into the washer. Then we went to Jerry’s to look for a new hallway rug and get copies made of the key to the new house. We had no luck with a rug, but we got three copies: one for me, one for Kathleen and one for Kurt and Kalen.

From Jerry’s we went to Market of Choice at Delta Oaks for coffee and wine and other things. Then we stopped at Albertsons just before going home to get some cream and cold brew.

Once we had taken a little nap, we went for a walk along the river path, starting from Clearwater Park. I took the new camera, but sadly I forgot to check the battery level before leaving, and it ran out of juice after only 30 pictures. But we did manage to get in about two miles of walking. And it was cool out. The sun that was supposed to show up had not appeared by then.

While Nancy enjoyed a glass of wine, I spent more time on Flickr. Then we started in on dinner. We cooked a pot of rice, steamed more broccoli, and warmed up the last of the leftover Tuscan chicken. We followed that with a dark chocolate peanut butter cup for dessert and began our Friday evening streaming.

We started with the Wednesday Colbert, with guests Colman Domingo and four cast members from “Slow Horses,” which returns for a fifth season in September. Then we watched episode four of “Death Valley.” John and Janie investigated a murder in an amateur dramatics group, which prompted John to take a role in their next stage production.

Then followed the sixth episode of “Murderbot.” A major setback sent the team into turmoil. Mensah gambled on a risky procedure, and LeeBeeBee had a change of heart. We closed out the evening with two episodes of “Stick.” Pryce finally got Santi out to a tournament, but things almost go badly when he coaches a little too harshly.

Tomorrow is promising to be sunny once again, beginning from a low of 42 degrees and climbing to 70 for the high.

We have nothing adventurous on our calendar for Saturday, though there is a memorial for the membership of the fellowship who killed himself a few weeks back. I still have not decided whether I will attend or not, since I did not know the man at all. Being there would be supporting others, but I will likely wait until the last minute to make a decision.

I doubt that either of us will want to attend any of the local No Kings rallies, but we certainly will not care to watch coverage of the Flag Day parade in Washington, D.C. We might just wind up sitting at home doing other things all day long. However we wind up spending our day will be reported on here tomorrow. Stay tuned!

[spaciousreasoning]

Along the Delta Ponds

On this day in 1939, the Baseball Hall of Fame opened in Cooperstown, New York. Among baseball fans, “Hall of Fame” means not only the museum but the pantheon of players, managers, umpires, executives, and pioneers who have been inducted. The first five men elected were Ty Cobb, Babe Ruth, Honus Wagner, Christy Mathewson and Walter Johnson. As of January 2025, 351 people had been elected to the Hall of Fame, including 278 former professional players, 23 managers, 10 umpires, and 40 pioneers, executives, and organizers.

Today is National Loving Day, Democracy Day, International Falafel Day, National Peanut Butter Cookie Day, National Jerky Day, and Red Rose Day.

June 12 is the birthday of director and producer Irwin Allen (1916), George H.W. Bush (1924), Anne Frank (1929), actor Jim Nabors (1930), sportscaster Marv Albert and pianist and composer Chick Corea (1941), and actor Timothy Busfield (1957).

It was slightly cloudy this morning, but there was more sun as the day went along. Last night’s low was 45 degrees, and it only got to 75 degrees this afternoon. It’s nice to return to cooler weather after a couple of very warm days.

My blood sugar was up to 179, probably because we had no dinner after the late lunch yesterday.

We enjoyed our coffee and brain games, then Nancy did some stretching and yoga and I jumped into my old digital photo archives again, looking for more pictures to share on my Flickr account.

We Nancy finished her exercising, we took off for the Creswell Bakery to get another loaf of multi-grain sourdough bread and a couple of chipotle ham brioche breakfast sandwiches.

We enjoyed the tasty treats seated at a table in the bakery’s front yard, then headed back to Eugene, where we tried to visit Down to Earth to find some plastic drinking glasses and reduce the likelihood of slicing my hand up again. But there was no parking to be had close by.

So we drove over to JC Penney’s at the Valley River Center to look for a new hallway rug to replace one that’s been tripping us up lately. They did not have any of the right size, so we drove across the parking lot and got on the river path through the Delta Ponds section.

I had taken my new Nikon Coolpix P1100 along to get some nice pictures of the creatures we usually see there. We did see a great blue heron, as we often do there, but we saw plenty of turtles and ducks and geese and a river otter. The photos turned out great, and I posted ten of them on Flickr.

When we arrived at home, we took a nap, then afterwards, we enjoyed some chips and cheese to hold us over until dinner. That came about 6 p.m., and consisted of the leftovers from Monday’s meal, the Tuscan chicken, roasted potatoes and broccoli.

Then I was off for the Thursday recovery meeting, which was hosted this evening by Dennis, who was celebrating 24 years today. He is a regular at the Sunday meeting, but it was good to see him this evening and hear him share his recovery story. There were others present who also lauded him during their own turns.

Back at home about 8:30 p.m., we watched the Colbert from Tuesday night, with guests Nicolle Wallace of MSNBC and singer Cyndi Lauper. We followed that with the sixth episode of “Sherlock & Daughter,” in which Sherlock and Amelia spot villains all around them.

Tomorrow could be cooler than today, with clouds throughout the day. The low tonight will be about 47 degrees, but the high will remain in the upper 60s.

My day begins early, with an appointment for my annual wellness check at 9:10 a.m. on the other side of Eugene. I will likely leave about 8:30 in order to make it on time. I won’t have to be early because I did the check-in online today, including several questions asking about how my age is affecting my health.

[spaciousreasoning]

‘Personal History’

Today is National Corn on the Cob Day, National German Chocolate Cake Day, Yarn Bombing Day, and National Making Life Beautiful Day.

On this day in 1509, King Henry VIII married his first wife, Catherine of Aragon. It did not work out too well, and he wound up trying five more times. I’m not sure he was ever truly satisfied.

June 11 is the birthday of actor Gene Wilder (1933), actor Chad Everett (1937), actor Adrienne Barbeau (1945), actor Hugh Laurie (1959), and actor Peter Dinklage (1969).

Clouds covered the sky this morning, and the overnight low got down to 47. With a minimum of sunshine today, the high only made it to 74.

My blood sugar dipped back out of the red zone this morning, to 159. Perhaps it was last night’s delicious Tuscan chicken dinner.

After we enjoyed our coffee and played the usual online brain games, Nancy did yoga while I played around on Flickr. Then we had oatmeal for breakfast, after which I spent more time on Flickr.

We met Kalen at the new house about 1 p.m., and I took pictures with the new camera and the iPhone. There is much to be done before we can move in, but we think it will all turn out well.

Then the three of us went to Cornucopia for a late lunch. Kalen had a salad, Nancy got an “all-day” breakfast sandwich with coleslaw on the side, and I went with the usual Swiss and mushroom burger with tater tots and ranch dressing for dipping sauce.

On the way home after lunch, we stopped by Old Crow for a mocha. We told the staff person it might just be our last hot mocha, if the warmer weather returns. They do make an iced mocha as well as a blended version, so we are still good to go.

Nancy and I took a nap when we got home, then showered after so we would be presentable for the evening. Then Nancy had a glass of wine while I played around on Flickr again. I am going through a lot of my early digital archives and posting images which deserve to be preserved online.

Because we were still full from our late lunch, we did not eat again before leaving a little before 6 p.m. for Hult Center, where we had tickets on Row 3 for tonight’s performance by Mary Chapin Carpenter. We had seen her just two years ago at the Fox Theater in Tucson, but we were ready to enjoy her once again.

Brandy Clark, who was unfamiliar to both of us, opened the show. There were some technical difficulties that made us concerned about the rest of the program, but once Mary Chapin came out, all our fears disappeared. Her voice and presence are wonderful, as are the lyrics to so many of her songs, including those she performed from her latest album, “Personal History.” The upper levels of the hall were not full, but all those present were every bit as enthusiastic as Nancy and I were, and it was a joy to sit close enough to actually see the faces of the performers.

Tomorrow promises a cloudy morning and mostly sunny afternoon but similar temperatures to today, from a morning low of 47 degrees to a high in the low 70s.

And with nothing on our agenda, we will have to discuss our plans for the day over our morning coffee. We will no doubt spend some time humming some songs by Mary Chapin Carpenter.

[spaciousreasoning]

The Absurdity of the Universe

On June 10, 1854, the U.S. Naval Academy graduated its first class of students. In 1935, Dr. Bob (Robert Smith) took his last drink, and Alcoholics Anonymous was founded in Akron, Ohio, by him and Bill Wilson.

June 10 is World Art Nouveau Day, National Iced Tea Day, National Ballpoint Pen Day, National Bed Bug Prevention Day, National Call Your Doctor Day, National Egg Roll Day, National Forklift Safety Day, and National Herbs and Spices Day.

Today is the birthday of singer-songwriter Howlin’ Wolf (1910), writer and Nobel Prize laureate Saul Bellow (1915), actor and singer Judy Garland (1922), author and illustrator Maurice Sendak (1928), actor Gina Gershon (1962), comedian Bill Burr (1968), and model and actor Kate Upton (1992).

It was sunny but cooler when today began. The overnight low was 55 degrees, and after clouds arrived in the middle of the day, the high still managed to reach 86.

My morning blood sugar was up to 174, no doubt due to the pasta we had for dinner and the chocolate ice cream bar that followed for dessert.

After we enjoyed our coffee and played the online brain games, we had oatmeal for breakfast.

Nancy left for her physical therapy appointment a little after 10 a.m., and I got on the treadmill and did half a mile in a bit over 12 minutes. It was the first purposeful walking since my surgery last week, but my right foot started experiencing a little arthritic pain, so I stopped.

Nancy returned home a little early because she did so well with her therapy, and it was her final appointment. Then we had pita chips, hummus and cheese before taking off right at noon to make my appointment at the Slocum Center.

After arriving and checking in, we wound up waiting for a few extra minutes until I was called back for my appointment. I was met by both a physical therapist and a nurse practitioner. The importance of protecting the tendon was thoroughly explained to me by the nurse before the therapist created a small splint to keep the middle finger from moving too much in the wrong direction. My stitches were covered with a band-aid and are scheduled to be removed next week. Other appointments for were also made for the future, including more therapy for the hand in a couple of weeks. In the meantime, my hand is much more free than it was for the past week.

When we left Slocum, we drove up Coburg Road to Costco where we filled up the car with gas ($3.39 per gallon). Then we took a back road from Costco over to the Market of Choice just down the Beltline. We picked up supplies for dinner and a few other items. From there we took the Delta Highway to the junction with OR 126, then home. After putting everything away, we lay down for a nap.

We began preparing dinner about 5 p.m. I helped out more than I had been able to for the past several days. We had the Tuscan chicken once again, with a side of roasted potatoes and steamed broccoli. It was just as delicious as the last time we made it, and there is enough for at least a couple more meals before coming up with another dish.

I took off for the men’s recovery meeting, taking a copy of the NA history book with me for Art. My friend and passenger Henry had a toenail removed earlier in the day, and he regaled me with every possible detail of the procedure.

The meeting itself was attended by regular members tonight. Plus there were three men in attendance marking clean time anniversaries. Chuck had reached one year, Marvin had 23 years, and Bryan marked 27 years. In addition to hearing their stories, there was more sharing about Jerry, the member who died a couple of weeks ago after a long illness.

Once I was home, Nancy and I tuned in to the Monday Colbert show, which featured guests Neil DeGrasse Tyson and William Shatner, who shared about a program they are presenting about the absurdities of the universe. Shatner is showing remarkable energy for a man who turned 94 years old earlier this year.

Then we watched the next episode of “Sherlock & Daughter,” in which Sherlock searches for the missing jewels and their connection to the kidnapping of his friends, turning to the insurance investigator, Birtwistle, for assistance.

Wednesday is supposed to be cloudy off and on, beginning at a low of 50 degrees and rising to the low 70s. By the time we head off to see Mary Chapin Carpenter’s show at the Hult Center at 7 p.m., it will be cooling off. Perhaps I will switch back to long pants for our night out. Incredibly, we will be seated in the third row from the stage, right in the middle.

[spaciousreasoning]

‘History Has Its Eyes on You’

On this day in 1954, Joseph N. Welch, special counsel for the United States Army, lashed out at Senator Joseph McCarthy during the Army–McCarthy hearings, giving the famous rebuke, “You’ve done enough. Have you no sense of decency, sir, at long last? Have you left no sense of decency?” We saw the replay of this on Saturday night’s live telecast of the award-winning Broadway play “Good Night, and Good Luck” on several channels and streaming platforms.

June 9 is Donald Duck Day, National Meal Prep Day, National Strawberry Rhubarb Pie Day, Eat Flexitarian Day, and National No Apologies Period Day.

American journalist and author Patricia Cornwell was born June 9, 1956. She has long been one of my favorite novelists. Other famous people born on June 9 include songwriter, luthier, and inventor Les Paul (1915), “Wicked” author Gregory Maguire (1954), actor Michael J. Fox (1961), screenwriter and playwright Aaron Sorkin (1961), actor Johnny Depp (1963), actor Gloria Reuben (1964), and actor Natalie Portman (1981).

It started warming up very quickly this morning. From an overnight low of just 55 degrees it rose all the way to 95 by mid-afternoon.

My morning blood sugar was back up, into the red zone at 169. Not too far out of bounds, and I hope to see it soon declining.

After enjoying our coffee and online brain games, Nancy and I had oatmeal for breakfast. Then Nancy left for her chiropractic appointment at 10:30 a.m. She was home in less than half an hour, as is usually the case with those appointments.

After missing it during last night’s Tony Awards broadcast, Nancy found the video of the “Hamilton” cast performing a medley of the songs from the show and we both got chills watching it. The “history has its eyes on you” was especially poignant.

Got a text just before noon postponing today’s Zoom group meeting. One of the members could not make it. Maybe in the next two weeks I will be able to do a little more work on the Fourth Step. (I doubt it.)

For lunch we had tomato soup and grilled cheese with potato chips.

Then we went to Shutterbug, the camera store over on Coburg Road, and I bought a Nikon CoolPix P1100, my first non-DSLR is several years. It’s way bigger than I thought and has a 125x optical zoom. I played with camera, learning its ins and outs, and worked on my Flickr account for much of the rest of the afternoon.

For dinner we had the remainder of the chicken spaghetti. Then, in response to the day’s heat, we had chocolate ice cream bars for dessert.

Our Monday evening streaming selections started with the first two episodes of “Art Detectives,” a new series on AcornTV. DI Mick Palmer specializes in solving art-related crimes with his new associate, DC Shazia Malik.

We followed that with the next-to-last episode of the current series of “The Cleaner” and the fourth of eight episodes of “Sherlock & Daughter.”

Even though it might only reach a low of 58 degrees tonight, tomorrow’s high is expected to reach only into the 80s, and the afternoon will see clouds rolling in to help keep things cool.

Nancy has what might be her final physical therapy appointment in the morning and will return in time to get me to my appointments at the Slocum Center. I will follow up on the health of my hand and get in a little therapy for it as well. If all turns out well, I should make it to the men’s recovery meeting in the evening and take one of the NA history books to Art.

[spaciousreasoning]

Celebrating a Birthday

June 8 is Pentecost Sunday. Also called Whit Sunday, Whitsunday or Whitsun, it is a Christian holiday which takes place on the 49th day after Easter. It commemorates the descent of the Holy Spirit upon the Apostles of Jesus while they were in Jerusalem celebrating the Feast of Weeks, as described in the Acts of the Apostles.

Today is World Oceans Day, Name Your Poison Day, National Cancer Thriver Day, National Kids Day, Race Unity Day, and World Brain Tumor Day.

June 8 is also Thomas Paine Day, the day the English-born American Founding Father, French Revolutionary, inventor, and political philosopher died in 1809. Born in Norfolk, England, in 1837, he authored “Common Sense” and “The American Crisis,” two of the most influential pamphlets at the start of the American Revolution, helping inspire colonial era patriots to declare independence from Great Britain. His ideas reflected Enlightenment-era ideals of human rights. I read “Common Sense” by the third grade, being highly interested in the American Revolution. It was probably one of the things that helped establish me as a liberal thinker.

It was another warm and sunny day, starting from a low of 53 degrees and rising all the way to 93.

This morning’s blood sugar was back down out of the red zone, at 155. Having taken the last of my antibiotics early in the day, I am hoping it remains lower in the days to follow. As long as I continue to maintain a decent diet, of course.

Nancy and I had our morning coffee and played some of the online brain games. We stopped before Keyword to have cinnamon toast. Then Nancy went to church, and I opted to stay at home with my bandaged arm.

Nancy reported that Rector Ann was back, though she only performed the baptism of a pair of young twins. Frank, the associate, presided and preached, and once again his homily was enjoyable.

A second copy of the NA history book showed up on our doorstep this morning. I texted Carol and she said to share one of the copies with Art. She also suggested that as one of the graphic designers I could have a copy from both of the publishers who printed the book. I do not think I need two copies of the book.

On Saturday, my Flickr account collected more than 6,000 views. That is almost as many views, as there were the day my waterfall photo made the Explore page. It is likely that yesterday’s count was due to all the extra covered bridge photos I posted.

Today I continued my work on Flickr by tagging numerous photos, adding them to various groups, and starting to add more pictures from the visit to Ireland in 2006. Thankfully, searching with Google I was able to come up with more information to post about the new selection of pictures. I am sure it will continue to be of use for any addition images I add to the collection from the adventure in Ireland.

When Nancy returned from church, she microwaved the leftover bits of the chicken and broccoli casserole, and we enjoyed those for lunch. We followed that with a short nap, after which we finally got around to completing the Keyword portion of today’s brain games.

At 5 p.m., we tuned in to the live presentation of the Tony Award show carried via the Paramount+ streaming platform. Cynthia Erivo did a wonderful job as host, and the first hour was quite enjoyable, even if many of the plays and performers were not familiar to us.

We left about 6 p.m. to drive out to the family’s residence in Marcola to celebrate Keira’s 21st birthday, which actually occurred earlier in the week. Since Nancy was driving, we left after dining but before dessert was served so she could get us home before it became too dark.

Then we watched a single episode of “Sherlock & Daughter.” Amelia went under cover to search for clues at Clara’s home and Sherlock visited prison under pretense of meeting his foe, Moriarty.

Tonight’s low could remain in the 60s, and it is likely we shall see another high in the 90s tomorrow.

Nancy has a chiropractic appointment in the morning, and I have my Zoom group at 5 p.m., though I have done no more work on the Fourth Step in the last week due to the limited use of my hand. I will go with what I have already prepared. Otherwise, we are most likely to remain inside most of the day in the comfort of artificial cooling.

[spaciousreasoning]

Turning Warm

June 7 is Daniel Boone Day, June Bug Day, National Black Bear Day, National Chocolate Ice Cream Day, National Prairie Day, National Trails Day, World Caring Day, World Food Safety Day, and National Bubbly Day.

Today is the birthday of Liam Neeson, the Irish-America actor, born in 1952. He has received nominations for an Academy Award, a BAFTA Award, three Golden Globe Awards, and two Tony Awards. In 2020, he was placed seventh on The Irish Times list of Ireland’s 50 Greatest Film Actors. He is also known for his philanthropy and activism and is a Goodwill Ambassador for UNICEF. He is starring in the upcoming “The Naked Gun,” in which he plays Frank Drebin Jr., the son of the character played in the original version by Leslie Nielsen.

It stayed relatively warm overnight, with a low of only 54 degrees. We put a light quilt on the bed before retiring to keep from sweating. The day turned quite warm, reaching 89. In fact, it was so hot that we turned on the mini-split for cooling.

My blood sugar was up this morning, to 165. That’s not a terrible number, but I hope it will continue to decline before the diabetes follow-up with my PCP next Friday.

We enjoyed our coffee and the Saturday brain games before beginning to make another breakfast omelet of cheese, spinach and sun-dried tomatoes, with a side of bacon, and toast with jam.

Because Nancy has been handling all the dish washing duties since my surgery, she decided to put the breakfast dishes into the dishwasher. It was the first time we had used the machine since we moved in more than a year ago. Everything turned out just fine.

After eating, we headed out to run a couple of errands. We stopped first at a camera shop to get a new strap to hold my camera during the period that my hand needs to recovery from the surgery.

Then we went to Market of Choice off Coburg Road to get a few items for tomorrow’s birthday dinner for Keira as well as a couple of things to use for tonight’s dinner.

While Nancy took a nap after our shopping trip, I worked on adding more pictures to my Flickr account, specifically a second photo of the covered bridges that only had a single picture posted previously. There remain several of the bridges that have not been seen on my account because I took pictures with my iPhone, not with my Nikon. At some point, I hope to get back to those bridges and do more work.

Starting about 4 p.m. we watched the live presentation of George Clooney’s “Good Night and Good Luck” on HBO. It focused on the conflict between veteran CBS journalist Edward R. Murrow and U.S. Senator Joseph McCarthy.

Nancy had a glass of wine while watching the follow-up to the play’s performance on CNN with Anderson Cooper and a variety of guests, including Clooney and present and former members of the press.

Dinner this evening consisted of chopped chicken, mushrooms and sun-dried tomatoes in a tomato sauce over capellini, with shredded parmesan on top.

Following dinner, we showered so we could save some time in the morning and get to church on schedule. I already turned over streaming duties to Joe since my bandaged hand might make it difficult to handle, and Nancy will have altar guild duties. Plus, Rector Ann will be present, mainly to perform a baptism for a pair of twins.

Once we were all cleaned up, we began our streaming entertainment for the evening. We began with the fourth episode of “Duster.” After Jim learns that he’s being pursued by an assassin, he and Saxton’s son Royce are ambushed by rogue thieves while on a high-stakes delivery. Meanwhile, Nina and Awan trace a cryptic message to an unexpected place.

We followed that with the first two episodes of “Sherlock & Daughter,” starring David Thewlis as the famous detective. Blackmailed and sidelined from investigating, Holmes finds hope when a young woman arrives on his doorstep, potentially holding the key to solving the kidnapping of an ambassador’s daughter.

Tonight’s low will be another warm one, around 57 degrees. And tomorrow’s high could very well reach 90 with no clouds in sight. I’m glad we have machines to keep us cool during the day.

After doing church in the morning, we will seek out ways to avoid the heat. Then, in the evening, we’ll be off to the dome for Keira’s birthday bash.

[spaciousreasoning]

A Day to Remember

During the Second World War, the landing and associated airborne operations of June 6, 1944, for the Allied invasion of Normandy, often referred to as D-Day, was the largest seaborne invasion in history. The operation began the liberation of France, and the rest of Western Europe, and laid the foundations of the Allied victory on the Western Front.

In less dramatic news, the YMCA was founded in London on this day in 1844. In 1889 a fire destroyed all of downtown Seattle. In 1892 the Chicago elevated rail system began operating. And in 1933, the first drive-in movie theater opened in Camden, New Jersey.

June 6 is also National Huntington’s Disease Awareness Day, National Donut Day, National Eyewear Day, National Yo-yo Day, National Applesauce Cake Day, National Gardening Exercise Day, National Higher Education Day, World Green Roof Day, and, of course, National Drive-In Movie Day.

This is also the birthday for American folk singer Holly Near (1949), American actor and playwright Harvey Fierstein (1952), American comedian Colin Quinn (1959), English actor Jason Isaacs (1963), and American actor Paul Giamatti (1967).

Today was a mixture of sunny, partly cloudy, and cloudy. The morning’s low was 49 degrees, and the high reached 85.

The blood sugar level this morning was down to 139. Perhaps last night’s casserole had some magic ingredient in it.

After our enjoying our coffee and playing the Friday online brain games, we went with oatmeal for breakfast again.

About 10 a.m., Nancy, headed over to church for altar guild preparations for Sunday. I spent most of the time on the computer, scrolling through social media. Nancy texted that she was on her way home, I laid down for a quick rest. When she got back, we had a lunch of pita chips, hummus, and cheese.

Nancy also got a phone call from her brother Robin, who told her that their sister Joan had already taken off for Colorado.

Shortly after we finished our snacking, granddaughter Kathleen showed up to spend some time with us while Ronin was seeing the chiropractor for work on his shoulder. When Ronin finished his appointment, he came back and joined us, and we all chatted for a time. They left just before Kalen showed up to help trim Chica’s withers, then she stuck around to visit for another hour and a half. We talked a little bit about ideas for the new house.

Once Kalen left, I went down for another nap. While I slept, Nancy had her glass of wine on the back deck. Around 6:30 p.m., she came in to wake me up and announced that dinner would be coming up shortly. She warmed up some of the leftover chicken, broccoli and rice casserole, which was every bit as tasty as it had been the night before.

Friday’s streaming entertainment began with the previous night’s Colbert program, featuring Cynthia Erivo, who also performed a song from her brand new album. She will be hosting this weekend’s Tony Awards show.

Following that, we caught the next episode of “Murderbot” and the first episode of “Stick,” starring Owen Wilson as a washed-up golf pro who is trying to turn his life around by coaching a promising young amateur.

We turned on fans in both bedrooms and the living room to try and disperse some of the warmth left over from the day. The low for tonight might only get as low as 55 degrees, and tomorrow’s high could equal today’s 85 or go even higher, since no clouds appear to be in the forecast.

Given my relative lack of physical activity for the last couple of days, I hope to get out and move around a little bit. Part of that will no doubt come from our visit to the grocery store to get food for the birthday party on Sunday for Keira, Nancy’s youngest grandchild, who just turned 21 this week.

[spaciousreasoning]

History Arrives

June 5 is Hot Air Balloon Day, National Gingerbread Day, National Moonshine Day, National Veggie Burger Day, Sausage Roll Day, Thank You Day, and World Environment Day.

American stage, film, and television actor Robert Lansing was born this day in 1928. Lansing is probably best remembered as the authoritarian Brigadier General Frank Savage in “12 O’Clock High,” the 1964 television drama about American bomber pilots during World War II. During his career, which spanned five decades, Lansing appeared in 245 episodes of 73 television series, 11 TV movies, and 19 motion pictures. He also played interstellar secret agent Gary Seven in a “Star Trek” episode that was originally intended as a backdoor pilot for an unsold new series. He died in 1994.

On June 5, 1968, Presidential candidate Sen. Robert F. Kennedy was assassinated while campaigning in Los Angeles. His death came just two months after the killing of Martin Luther King Jr. in Memphis.

This morning was a little hazy when we got up, but the sun eventually began shining through. Last night’s low was 48 degrees, and the high of 77 happened around 5 p.m.

My blood sugar went up a couple of points to 168. Not bad at all following a day of a great deal of stress and some real pain.

Nancy and I had our morning cups of coffee and played the Thursday brain games. I discovered that it is difficult to play some of the games with one hand.

We had oatmeal for breakfast. I felt like a kid just learning how to eat.

After breakfast, I put a plastic bag over my right arm to take a shower. It was not as difficult as some tasks, although it is impossible to wash your left armpit with your left hand. I also needed a little help to dry off.

For lunch today, Nancy repeated the meal we had yesterday for lunch, an omelet with cheese, spinach and sun-dried tomatoes, with a side of bacon and toast with jam.

Following lunch I was on social media when I came across a very nice review of the Arizona NA history book, so I texted Carol about it. She asked if my copy had arrived and said the USPS tracking indicated it had. I went out to the mailbox and the only thing in it was the book she had sent. I unwrapped it and showed it to Nancy as we prepared to take a nap. She promised to read it soon. I was simply grateful that the work I had done to fix the cover art had turned out so well.

After 30 minutes, I finally got a call from the Slocum Center about my follow-up appointment. We scheduled it for next Tuesday at 12:45 p.m. The scheduler said that a physical therapist would also be present. I hope that by then I can shed some of this bulky bandaging and have the use of my right hand once again.

I finally searched how to set up voice-to-text for my desktop so that I can get around the limited use of my hands. A short video on YouTube popped immediately. It is just about as easy as dictating to my iPhone. It will certainly make hitting my blogging deadline much simpler, and I can get to bed on time.

Nancy took off for the grocery store with a list of items for tonight’s dinner. We will be making a chicken, broccoli and rice casserole that we have done before. I passed on going with her because I did not want to sit in the car and wait for her or get dressed and go in to the store with my arm in a sling.

Once the casserole was cooked, we had our dinner. A few drops of soy sauce really contribute to the flavor.

Then, after cleaning up, we began the evening’s streaming entertainment. We began with the Wednesday Colbert program, which featured guest Mark Hamill. We followed that with the sixth episode of “Dept. Q” and finished the night with the third episode of “Death Valley.” It’s a comedic and cozy murder mystery, much easier to watch before turning in for the night than something violent and scary.

Tomorrow’s weather starts out cloudy and cool, with a low of just 54 degrees. Then the sun shows up late in the day, and the temperature rises to just over 80.

While I continue to take it easy for the sake of my healing hand, Nancy will go out tomorrow morning to do some altar guild prep for Sunday. Her daughter and granddaughter will be stopping by at some point in the afternoon, and her sister Joan might wind up spending the night here before taking off on Saturday to see her son in Colorado.

[spaciousreasoning]

Living Left-Handed

June 4 is National Cheese Day, National Hug Your Cat Day, International Corgi Day, National Cognac Day, National Old Maids Day, National Tailors Day, and Shopping Cart Day.

On this day in 1917, the first Pulitzer Prizes were awarded. Laura E. Richards, Maude H. Elliott, and Florence Hall receive the first Pulitzer for biography (for Julia Ward Howe). Jean Jules Jusserand receives the first Pulitzer for history for his work With Americans of Past and Present Days. Herbert B. Swope receives the first Pulitzer for journalism for his work for the New York World.

Dennis Weaver, an American actor best known for his work in television and films from the early 1950s until just before his death in 2006, was born on June 4, 1924. Weaver’s two most famous roles were as Marshal Matt Dillon’s deputy Chester Goode on the western “Gunsmoke” and as Deputy Marshal Sam McCloud on the police drama “McCloud.”

The day started off cloudy and a little cool, with a morning low of 47 degrees. There was some sunshine during the day, and the high managed to reach 73.

My blood sugar dropped a few points, to 165. Down, but not enough. After our coffee and brain games, we had a slice of cinnamon toast each.

We took off for my hand appointment at 9:15 a.m. We arrived at the fourth floor of the Slocum Center on time and checked in with a little more paperwork. Then we waited until almost 10:30 a.m. before a nurse came in and took me back to the prep area.

After going through more questions and answers, changing into a gown, getting in a bed, and being hooked up to an antibiotic feed, I waited again until a few minutes past 11 when the surgeon showed up with the anesthetic to numb my hand. Then, a little after 11:30, another nurse appeared and steered the bed into the operating room.

The three nurses present began prepping for the surgery, moving lights, setting up instruments, wiping down my arm and hand and moving them into position. By the time the doctor arrived, it was only a few more minutes before the procedure actually started. In less than ten minutes everything was done, the extensor tendon had been repaired, the wound was stitched closed, and the doctor moved on to her next patient.

The bandaging of my hand and arm began. I had arrived with just a band-aid covering the wound, but by the time I was returned to the prep area, my whole forearm was swathed in order to keep the tendon from being harmed during the recovery period.

Nancy was summoned from the waiting area to help me dress, the instructions for post-op care were delivered, I was given a sling for the arm, and we were sent on our way. Nancy drove home, of course.

We stopped off at the vet so Nancy could pick up more meds for Grace, and once we were home, she took over fixing lunch. She made an omelet with cheese and sun-dried tomatoes, warmed up a few pieces of bacon for each of us, and made toast. I tried buttering the toast with one hand, which did not go smoothly, but after Nancy cut my omelet into bit-sized pieces, I was able to use the fork with my left hand and feed myself.

Most of the afternoon was spent hanging out, trying to keep my arm in the right position, taking OTC pain meds every six hours, putting up with pain as the numbness wore off. I did manage to post on FB about the procedure, accompanied by a photo Nancy took of me wearing the sling. There have been lots of reactions and comments, for which I am grateful. It’s nice when people care!

After 6 p.m. Nancy started to work on dinner. She roasted more potatoes, steamed more broccoli and heated up the last of the Tuscan chicken. Once again, it was a delicious meal.

A little bit later Nancy drove to the grocery store for a couple of things, including more cold brew for my morning coffee intake. I went along for the ride.

We started our streaming when we got back, beginning with Colbert’s show from Tuesday, with guest Jacinda Ardern, the former prime minister of New Zealand. She has recently published a memoir, titled A Different Kind of Power. Next we returned to “Dept. Q” and closed the evening with “The Paradise.” I am skipping details because typing with one hand is quite time-consuming, and there’s a deadline for getting these posts online.

There promises to be more sunshine tomorrow, starting from a low of 50 degrees and rising to 76 or so. With my arm in the sling, any activities will be limited. Of course anything we manage to do will be reported here tomorrow. There may be limitations, of course, unless I can figure out how to better handle the typing.