spaciousreasoning

[spaciousreasoning]

Pizza & Jazz for Dinner

There were overcast skies throughout much of the day, and the lawn and the seat cushions on the back deck were damp this morning, evidently from heavy mist and not rain. The overnight low dropped to 58 degrees, and the high managed to reach only 76 even before the sun began peeking out in later afternoon.

My blood sugar was down to 161 this morning, despite not having had a real dinner. More questions arising about my health.

We swept through our online brain games rather quickly and easily while sipping our morning coffee. Then Nancy did her yoga session, and I checked on the progress of my “Explore” photo from yesterday. It had more than 3,300 views and 80 faves before 9 a.m. The total views for the account at that time were over 5,400.

We made French toast for breakfast, with warmed up leftover bacon. After cleaning up, we went for a walk together, putting in 1.67 miles in about 41 minutes, a total of 4,100 steps.

After the walk, Nancy did some watercolor painting. I spent more time with Flickr. Today is the anniversary of the start of our big 2016 vacation trip, and I will be posting additional pictures from each location on the date that matches. So, today’s photos were from Bodie and Mono Lake in California, adding to the ones that were posted back at the time of the trip.

A bit later we showered and took a nap, then I resumed playing with Flickr. We dressed about 5:30 p.m., and a little before 6 we took off for Roaring Rapids, the pizza place across the Willamette River in Springfield, where a jazz ensemble was playing this evening. Joe and Anne showed up not long after we did, and then two other folks from church joined us a little later.

It was a little breezy when we settled in outside, but that calmed down after a bit. We also noticed that the water level of the river was noticeably lower than when we were last there a couple of weeks ago to bid farewell to the New Zealand family members.

The music wrapped up right around 8 p.m., and we left a little while after that. When we settled into streaming, we started with the Wednesday Colbert program and guest Josh Brolin. Then we took in the second episode of “Leanne” since it was the only thing that would fit into the few minutes left before our starting-to-bed time.

It is evidently getting chillier again tonight, with a low right around 50 degrees. The sun will be out tomorrow, and the high should get up to 80. (There’s a heat advisory for Sunday and Monday, when the highs may reach into the middle and upper 90s.)

There is nothing on the agenda for Friday. We will have to consider any plans for the day once we are done with the coffee and brain games in the morning.

+ + +

On this date in 1782, George Washington orders the creation of the Badge of Military Merit to honor soldiers wounded in battle. It is later renamed to the more poetic Purple Heart.

August 7, 1926, was the birthday of Stan Freberg, an American actor, author, comedian, musician, puppeteer, radio personality and advertising creative director.

Today is Aged Care Employee Day, Cycle to Work Day, India National IPA Day, National Lighthouse Day, National Raspberries ‘n’ Cream Day, National Sea Serpent Day, Professional Speakers Day, and Purple Heart Day.

[spaciousreasoning]

Baby Time

It was overcast this morning, but there appeared to have been no rain, at least in our neighborhood. Neither the streets nor our back deck showed any evidence of having gotten wet. The overnight low was 60 degrees and the high reached 76.

This morning’s blood sugar bounced back up a few points, to 174. My mind is boggling. What is going on with my blood?

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

Then we showered, dressed, and drove out to Marcola to spend a little time with Nancy’s grand-granddaughter Sophie. Also on hand were Nancy’s daughter Kalen and her granddaughter-in-law Seran. It was nice to have a little baby time. Sophie is about a month shy of one year old, and she is beginning to wobble around on her own two legs.

When we got home from our visit, about 1 p.m., we fixed lunch. We had an omelet with cheese, garlic, spinach, and sun-dried tomatoes. We had toast and jelly to go along with it. We were cooking bacon, but it wasn’t done until we had finished the rest of our meal, but we enjoyed a couple of slices each anyway.

After cleaning up the dishes, we ran to the grocery store to pick up sugar, butter, garlic, rice and cream. Once we got home and put everything away, we took a nap.

Following the nap, I spent more time playing with the Flickr account. I added a few older images and updated some of the groups for the number of faves and views that had increased here and there.

Turned out that my attention to the Flickr account paid off again today with another “Explore” pick. It was an old picture from December 2005, taken the same day that one of the biggest faves in the whole collection was taken. And I just got around to posting it two days ago.

After Nancy had her wine time and I joined for some lap time, along with some music and the occasional bits of conversation, I went out around 7 p.m. for an evening walk of 1.7 miles in just under 33 minutes, a total of 3,800 steps. It was nice and cool out, and there were even some very light sprinkles around as I reached the last couple of blocks.

We weren’t up for dinner, having had such a large and late lunch, but Nancy and I did indulge in some pita chips and hummus and a cheese string as accompaniment.

Then we started streaming with the Tuesday night Colbert. His guests were actor Fred Armisen and Illinois Gov. J.B. Pritzker.

Following that we tuned in to the first episode of the new series of “Wednesday,” which started today, appropriately.

We ended with the first episode of “Leanne,” a brand-new comedy series on Netflix starring Leanne Morgan, a comedian, actor and author.

Tonight’s low will reach 58 degrees, and the high tomorrow may get up to 77, and it’s likely to be cloudy again for most of the day.

Tomorrow evening, Nancy and I will meet friends Anne and Joe from St. Thomas for dinner at the Roaring Rapids pizza place, where there will be some jazz group playing as part of their summer music series.

+ + +

On this date in 1965, Pres. Lyndon B. Johnson signed the Voting Rights Act of 1965 into law. The landmark federal statute prohibited racial discrimination in voting. Congress later amended the Act five times to expand its protections.

August 6, 1917, was the birthday of Robert Mitchum, an American actor known for his antihero roles and film noir appearances. He received a star on the Hollywood Walk of Fame in 1984 and the Golden Globe Cecil B. DeMille Award in 1992. Mitchum is rated number 23 on the American Film Institute’s list of the greatest male stars of classic American cinema.

Today is Finish Your Degree Day, National Root Beer Float Day, Ballons to Heaven Day, Farmworker Appreciation Day, National Fresh Breath Day, National Wiggle Your Toes Day, and Sailor Moon Day.

[spaciousreasoning]

Back to the Ponds

The skies remained clear all day. The overnight low fell to 49 degrees, and the high reached 83.

My blood sugar was down to 168 this morning. Another drop, but not far enough. We shall see what tomorrow will bring.

After finishing our morning coffee and playing our brain games, Nancy did a yoga session. I got on the computer and began playing with my Flickr account. Today turned out to be the fourth day in a row with the numbers of views reaching more than 4,000.

After we had oatmeal for breakfast, we took off and took a stroll around the Delta Ponds portion of the river path system. The water level was significantly less than the last time we visited, and the amount of activity was much less. There were ducks and geese around, as well as an egret and a couple of herons. We also saw a flame skimmer dragonfly. I had taken the new Nikon Coolpix P1100 with me and managed to get enough good pictures to post on both FB and Flickr.

When we got home, we had a lunch of sandwiches and potato chips. After posting to FB, we took a nap.

I hopped back on Flickr after the nap and uploaded several additional older images in a couple of albums that only had four pictures. Posting just a few images was how I did things on Flickr in the earlier days. Even though some of my digital archives have gone missing over the years, there are still plenty of files left to comb through for a few more photos to post and keep the account active.

Since lunch had been around 1 p.m., I passed on dinner before going to the Tuesday recovery meeting. Tonight’s meeting was one of the smallest in all the time I have been attending. There were only 12 of us present. The reading was from a story in the Basic Text by an addict who lost his best friend and his marriage due to his addiction. Recovery did not restore the things he lost, but it did help him make amends.

When I got home, Nancy had a small plate of chicken and rice leftover from last night ready for me, along with a little bit of sauteed spinach. She had eaten around 7 p.m., after she spent about an hour talking on the phone with one of her acupuncture colleagues from Tucson.

Following the meal, we watched Monday night’s Colbert. His second guest was Robert Reich, an American professor, author, lawyer, and political commentator who worked in the administrations of presidents Gerald Ford and Jimmy Carter. He served as Secretary of Labor in the cabinet of President Bill Clinton from 1993 to 1997 and was also a member of President Barack Obama’s economic transition advisory board.

We closed out the evening with the final episode of “Ballard.” The mystery of the serial killer was solved, but at the very end, Ballard was arrested. She was suspected of killing a former colleague who had been part of a corruption case. The producers were obviously expecting a second season to come along. Nothing official has been reported on that subject, but we sure hope it will be in our future.

There may be a little rain early in the morning and clouds might stick around all day. The low will only get down to 60 degrees, and the high might just reach 75.

We hope to get out to Kalen’s tomorrow morning to see the great-grandchild and her mother. Other than that, there is nothing on our schedule for the day.

+ + +

On this date in 1926, Harry Houdini performed his greatest feat, spending 91 minutes underwater in a sealed casket submerged in the swimming pool of New York’s Hotel Shelton. Houdini claimed he did not use any trickery or supernatural powers to accomplish this feat, just controlled breathing.

August 5, 1906, was the birthday of John Huston, an American film director, screenwriter and actor. He wrote the screenplays for most of the 37 feature films he directed, many of which are today considered classics. He received numerous accolades including two Academy Awards and three Golden Globe Awards.

Today is Blogger Day, National Couscous Day, National Dash Cam Day, National Night Out, National Oyster Day, National Underwear Day, and Work Like a Dog Day.

[spaciousreasoning]

Hosting Dinner

It started out cloudy again today, but it began to clear up by about 11 a.m. Last night’s low was 55 degrees, and the high today got up to 77.

My blood sugar was up again, this time to 182. There are so many possibilities that I can’t begin to figure out what is going on. I just keep my fingers crossed.

We had our coffee and played the Monday brain games, then Nancy did her yoga and I dived into Flickr.

We had oatmeal for breakfast after a little while. Then we took Grace to the vet, and afterward we went to the Mini Pet Mart in Springfield to get more cat food. We stopped at Old Crow for a blended Mexican Mocha on the way home.

The new checks I ordered with the local address for my Vantage West account arrived today, a week ahead of the expected delivery.

We made meat and cheese sandwiches for lunch and had them with potato chips. We followed that with a brief nap.

Then I ran to the grocery store again to pick up some parmesan cheese that we had forgotten yesterday.

Following that quick little task, Nancy and I went out about 2:20 p.m. and walked up to the magnolia garden and back, a total of 1.34 miles, in just over 30 minutes, with 3,700 steps.

About 5 p.m. we started putting together the dinner for tonight for Nancy’s daughter and son-in-law, Kalen and Kurt. Nancy had found a new recipe for chicken with a lemon sauce that was quite delicious. We had rice and zucchini to go with it. After dinner, we had strawberries, whipped cream and shortcake for dessert.

Then we talked with Kalen and Kurt until almost 10 p.m. Our conversation covered a wide range of topics, including the new house, the old ranch house, politics, family, and other adventures.

Nancy and I finished cleaning up the dishes and I managed to get started on my writing for the day.

Tonight’s low will get down to 51 degrees, and the high tomorrow may hit 80. There will be lots of sunshine for most of the day.

There’s nothing on our calendar for tomorrow until my recovery meeting in the evening. With such a thin agenda for the past several days, we may try to do something adventurous during all our free time.

+ + +

On this date in 1964, Michael Schwerner, Andrew Goodman and James Chaney were found dead in Mississippi. The three Congress of Racial Equality field workers were murdered by members of the Ku Klux Klan in response to their civil rights work, which included promoting voting registration among African Americans, most of whom had been disenfranchised in the state since 1890.

August 4, 1901, was the birthday of Louis Armstrong, an American trumpeter and vocalist. He was among the most influential figures in jazz, his career spanning five decades. Armstrong received numerous accolades including the Grammy Award for Best Male Vocal Performance for “Hello, Dolly!” in 1965, as well as a posthumous Grammy Lifetime Achievement Award in 1972. His influence crossed musical genres, with inductions into the DownBeat Jazz Hall of Fame, the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame, and the National Rhythm & Blues Hall of Fame, among others.

Today is National Chocolate Chip Cookie Day, Assistance Dog Day, Hooray for Kids Day, National White Wine Day, Single Working Women’s Day, and the U.S. Coast Guard Birthday.

[spaciousreasoning]

A Simple Sunday

Mostly cloudy all day. The overnight low was 51 degrees and the high climbed to just 73, a few degrees cooler than expected.

This morning’s blood sugar was back on the rise, up to 170. The questions still abound but the answers are few and far between.

Nancy and I enjoyed our coffee and then played the online brain games for Sunday. We managed to get them all done with time left to shower and have cinnamon toast before leaving for church.

For the Eighth Sunday after Pentecost, Frank, the associate presided once again, and parishioner Jon gave the homily. He did mention one of the scripture readings in passing, but his main focus was on the future of St. Thomas and how he hoped that we would all work together to keep the church alive.

Following church, we went up and got gas at Costco ($3.49 per gallon). We got more than 14 gallons, at a cost of around $50. It has been a while since we waited that long to fill the tank. And we are now less than 2,000 miles away from the next check-up.

Then, we had lunch at Johnny Ocean’s Grille. I had the usual pad Thai and Nancy got the pork tacos with rice and beans. We are both quite happy that we were introduced to that place, and we keep coming back regularly because the meals are always more than just satisfactory.

Strangely enough, when we got home, we did not nap. Instead, I went to work on my Flickr account. Nancy finally finished the Connelly book, so next Sunday, we will take it to church and pass it along to Frank, the associate.

After a massage from Nancy, we both took a little nap. I went back to work more on Flickr when I got up. There was a lot of noise from children playing outside all afternoon, obviously having a lot of fun.

I left a little past 5 p.m. for the Sunday recovery meeting. I did the reading from the “Just For Today” book. It was entitled “Trusting People,” and much of the sharing centered on that subject. Even though our fellow members are not perfect, we are still each other’s best hope.

When I got home for dinner, Nancy had the plates ready to put on the table. She had boiled up more potatoes and steamed so broccoli to go with some of the leftover meatloaf.

After eating, Nancy volunteered to take care of cleaning the dishes while I went out for a walk. My route took me 1.74 miles in a little less than 32 minutes, for a total of 3,700 steps.

The streaming menu for this evening began with the next-to-last episode of “Ballard.” The serial killer was finally identified, but it resulted in another death.

Rather than finish the series tonight, we opted for an episode of “Father Brown.” It had been some time since we last watched it. Occasionally the episodes have proved to be a little too cozy for us, but tonight’s proved a little more watchable. Father Brown investigated the murder of a Colonial Postal Service officer while a fair came to Kembleford.

It looks like the clouds will not be around tomorrow as much as they were today. The low tonight will be around 52 degrees, while tomorrow’s high will climb into the mid-70s.

Nancy will take Grace to the vet tomorrow for a check-up, and then Kalen and Kurt are coming for dinner. Nancy found a new chicken recipe that we will try out on them.

+ + +

On this date in 1492, Christopher Columbus departed from Palos de la Frontera, Spain, with three ships: the Santa María, the Pinta and the Niña. They first sailed to the Canary Islands, then restocked provisions and made repairs before departing for what turned out to be a five-week voyage across the ocean to… well it wasn’t America.

August 3, 1926, was the birthday of Tony Bennett, an American jazz and pop singer. He received many accolades, including 20 Grammy Awards, a Lifetime Achievement Award, and two Primetime Emmy Awards. He sold more than 50 million records worldwide and earned a star on the Hollywood Walk of Fame.

Today is American Family Day, Big Forehead Day, Clean Your Floors Day, National Friendship Day, National Sisters Day, National Grab Some Nuts Day, National Watermelon Day, and the start of National Farmers Market Week.

[spaciousreasoning]

A Slow Saturday

Clear as a bell, blue skies everywhere. Last night’s low was 53 degrees, and today’s high reached 84, only a degree higher than forecast.

My blood sugar was back down in safe territory once again, to 142. There is still no clear reason, though I am sure some medical professional would have plenty to lecture me about.

We drank our coffee and played the Saturday brain games. Nancy’s iPad would not rotate, and we did not figure out how to fix it until after we were done. All it took was a simple reboot.

We had oatmeal for our breakfast, then I ran to one of the nearby credit unions for some cash to pay Sarah for her work at the 8th Street house.

While waiting for, Nancy and I took a quick walk around the neighborhood, wandering by a yard sale just down the street from us. There was nothing that grabbed our attention. But we made 1.16 miles in under 23 minutes and did 2,700 steps.

When Sarah finally stopped by, we gave her the money and thanked her for all her efforts. She started interior demolition work on the old ranch house yesterday, but she said it was much easier.

About noon we made meat and cheese sandwiches and had potato chips. Then we went to Market of Choice on Coburg Road for a little grocery shopping. We picked up hamburger and chicken for a couple of meals, and a few other items. Turns out, however, that we forgot about getting more parmesan cheese. Good thing we did not need that for dinner tonight.

After getting home and napping, Nancy spent more time reading the latest Michael Connelly book, while I played around in my Flickr account. I had posted a lot of old Tucson Folk Festival photos during the middle of the night when I was wide awake. That was probably the reason that the number of views went just above 4,100 today before flipping at 5 p.m.

A little after 6 p.m. we started making dinner. Nancy put the meatloaf ingredients together and popped it into the oven. I put the potatoes on to boil and sliced up the rest of the big zucchini we started on two meals ago. Everything came together easily, and we sat down to eat a little before 7. We seem to have this dinner-fixing thing figured out.

For streaming entertainment this evening, we watched the first episode of a new addition to the BritBox line-up: “A Spy Among Friends.” In England in 1963, Nicholas Elliott works for MI6 but is left in turmoil when he learns his close friend and colleague Kim Philby had been secretly working as a double agent for the KGB and has defected to the Soviet Union.

To finish the evening we went with Marc Maron’s new stand-up special on HBO, “Panicked.” The comedian and podcaster offers up his perspective on our increasingly uncertain world.

Tomorrow is looking like a mix of cloudy and partly cloudy. The overnight low will be around 53 degrees once again, but tomorrow’s high could wind up in the mid-70s. That would be nice, since the highs later in the coming week might get into the 90s, not something we will be looking forward to.

We’ve got church on the schedule for tomorrow. Associate Frank is presiding again, and it looks like one of the congregants is giving the homily.

After church we will likely run up to Costco and get gas for the car. We might stop on the way home and pick up some parmesan cheese in case we make something that calls for it in the next couple of days.

+ + +

On this date in 1939, Albert Einstein and Leo Szilard wrote a letter to U.S. President Franklin D. Roosevelt that warned that Germany might develop atomic bombs and suggested that the United States should start its own nuclear program. It prompted action by Roosevelt, which eventually resulted in the Manhattan Project, the development of the first atomic bombs, and the use of these bombs on the cities of Hiroshima and Nagasaki.

August 2, 1905, was the birthday of Myrna Loy, an American film, television and stage actress, known for her ability to adapt to her screen partner’s acting style. Originally typecast in exotic roles, often as a vamp or a woman of Asian descent, her career prospects improved greatly following her portrayal of Nora Charles in 1934’s “The Thin Man.” She would reprise the role of Nora Charles five more times.

Today is National Ice Cream Sandwich Day, National Mustard Day, National Coloring Book Day, National Disc Golf Day, and Sandcastle Day.

[spaciousreasoning]

Lunch in Cottage Grove

There were blue skies to start the day, if a little bit hazy, perhaps from some of the local fires here in Oregon. But there were not any real clouds for most of the day. The overnight low was 56 degrees, and the high got all the way up to 88.

At least my blood sugar went down a few points this morning, even if only to 190. Argh!

After we finished our morning coffee and played the Friday edition of the online brain games, we made some cinnamon toast. We wanted to keep our breakfast small, so we didn’t spoil our planned lunch.

I worked on my Flickr account, counting the views and faves that had come in for the images I posted while awake in the middle of the night. Nancy started re-organizing all the stuff hanging on the fridge, making it much less chaotic and getting rid of things that did not need to be kept.

About 12:30 p.m. we headed down to Cottage Grove for lunch with Robin. Carol, a friend from Phoenix working on the recovery history project with me, called during the drive down, and we had a nice conversation.

We met Robin at the Coast Fork Brew Pub for lunch. He got a tuna salad, Nancy had a BLT, and I got a French dip au jus plus some aioli horseradish. We had a nice long visit, and then Nancy and I drove through a local coffee stand for a blended mocha.

We took OR 99 to Creswell to get a new loaf of multigrain sourdough bread, then we stayed on OR 99 all the way back to Springfield. We first went to the Mini Pet Mart on Main Street for more cat food. Nancy found out there are several other of the same stores around the area.

Next, we stopped by Albertsons for a few items to go with making dinner.

When we got home it was nap time. When we woke up from the nap, we discovered that we had missed a call from my sister, Deborah, two minutes earlier. We called right back and talked with her for a little more than an hour about the trip to Portugal she and my other sister, Sarah, had just come back from. They had a very good time, according to Deborah.

We also learned that her job is finally coming to an end in October, when another company finally takes over the work. Until then, she will be looking for another job since she is still a few years away from being able to retire.

When we hung up, put some potatoes on to boil so we could mash them for our dinner. When they were done, we made the rest of dinner with the last of the Tuscan chicken.

After cleaning up, we watched the Thursday Colbert show, which had Kamala Harris as the guest. She has a book coming out in September about her campaign for president titled “107 Days.” She recently made the announcement that she is not running for governor of California, and she explained that even though she is not in public office now, she is still concerned with making certain we all get to work to retain our power over the government.

After Colbert, I went out for a quick after-dinner walk. I put in 1.78 miles in just under 34 minutes, and a total of 3,900 steps. Nancy opted out.

It was right at 9 p.m. when I got back, and we watched the eighth episode of “Ballard,” and the cold cases her squad has been working on have started to come together.

Tonight will see another low of 56 degrees tonight, and a high in the low 80s is possible for tomorrow.

We’ll get some cash in the morning to pay Demolition Sarah for her latest hours on the house work. Kurt has called a time out on the 8th Street house. He and his crew were starting to do the same today to the ranch house out on the property off Mohawk Loop.

+ + +

On this day in 1965, Frank Herbert’s novel “Dune” was published for the first time. It was named as the world’s best-selling science fiction novel in 2003.

August 1, 1933, was the birthday of Dom DeLuise, an American actor, singer, director, and producer. Known primarily for comedy roles, he rose to fame in the 1970s as a frequent guest on television variety shows. He is widely recognized for his performances in the films of Mel Brooks and Gene Wilder. Beginning in the 1980s, his popularity expanded to younger audiences from voicing characters in several major animated productions.

Today is National Girlfriend Day, Homemade Pie Day, National Planner Day, National Promise to Care Day, National Raspberry Cream Pie Day, National Water Balloon Day, Respect for Parents Day, World Lung Cancer Day, and World Wide Web Day. It is also the beginning of National Wellness Month.

[spaciousreasoning]

A Bridge Not Far

This morning started with a few clouds, then they began piling up through the rest of the day. The low last night was 57 degrees, and the high managed to reach 85.

My blood sugar jumped up to 194 this morning. I have no bloody idea what is going on here.

Following our morning coffee and the daily online brain games, Nancy did a yoga sessions while I did my computing, which included he usual dive into Flickr.

When she was done with yoga, Nancy called her brother, Robin, and planned for us to go down to Cottage Grove on Friday to meet him for lunch.

Then we made breakfast, cooking an omelet with cheese, spinach and sun-dried tomatoes, plus leftover bacon and toast with jelly.

We showered and dressed, then we headed out to Marcola. I dropped Nancy off for a visit at her daughter’s place, then I went to the Shotgun Creek Recreation Site to look around and do a little photography.

After spending about an hour wandering around a few of the trails, I continued to the nearby Earnest Covered Bridge to take a few pictures using my DSLR. The Earnest Bridge appeared in the Jimmy Stewart movie “Shenandoah,” filmed during the mid-1960s.

The film company requested permission to alter the bridge to reflect Civil War architecture, and it received new siding and paint in 1965. The original covered bridge at the site was built in 1903. It was replaced in 1938 by Lane County. The cost of the new bridge included $72 for wrecking the old one.

I made it back to Kalen’s about 2 p.m., and Nancy and I continued our visit until about 3:30. Just before leaving we went to the garden on the property and took home a couple of very large zucchini. Along the way I decided to skip the usual Thursday recovery meeting.

Around 6:30 p.m. we began making dinner. While Nancy warmed up the Tuscan chicken leftovers, adding a bit more cream, sun-dried tomatoes, and spinach, we also boiled more potatoes and fried up a pan full of the zucchini. We finished making the meal, eating it, and clean up after in the space of about 40 minutes.

We kicked off the streaming with Wednesday’s Colbert, with guest Liam Neeson discussing his role in the new “Naked Gun” movie.

After that, when the sun was nearly down and the temperature had dropped out of the 80s, the two of us took another quick walk around the neighborhood, going the reverse of yesterday’s route, and did 1.14 miles in just over 27 minutes, a total of 2,900 steps.

We continued our streaming after that with the third episode of “Code of Silence,” then we took in the next in the current series of “The Madame Blanc Mysteries.”

The sun is supposed to return for the full day tomorrow. The overnight low is expected to be 56 degrees, while the high temperature might just stick in the mid-80s.

We will be meeting Robin for lunch in Cottage Grove at Coast Fork Brewing at 1 p.m. We ate there once before with Robin and Joan.

+ + +

On this day in 1790, the first U.S. patent was issued to inventor Samuel Hopkins of Philadelphia for a potash process. Hopkins had petitioned for a patent on an improvement “in the making of Potash and Pearlash by a new Apparatus and Process.” The patent was signed by President George Washington, Attorney General Edmund Randolph, and Secretary of State Thomas Jefferson.

July 31, 1912, was the birth date of Milton Friedman, an American economist and statistician who received the 1976 Nobel Memorial Prize in Economic Sciences for his research on consumption analysis, monetary history and theory, and the complexity of stabilization policy.

Today is Lifeguard Appreciation Day, National Avocado Day, National Chili Dog Day, National Intern Day, National Mutt Day, National Raspberry Cake Day, and Uncommon Instrument Awareness Day, a reminder to music lovers that there are many special and uncommon instruments just waiting to be discovered.

[spaciousreasoning]

Mid-Week Muddle

Today started out overcast but the skies cleared around 10 a.m. and remained that way until late in the afternoon. The overnight low was 57 degrees, and the high crept up to 86.

My blood sugar remained in the “safe” zone this morning, at 154.

After enjoying our morning coffee and playing the online brain games, Nancy did a yoga session, while I jumped on the computer, starting with Flickr, then taking care of the latest City Recognition updates for ABRS.

I also ordered some more checks for my credit union account. I used the last one to write our donation to St. Thomas for August. I went through the credit union account and found the company they recommend for getting checks. I got just one box because the current address here in Springfield will be changing at some point later this year or early next year. It did not seem reasonable to buy more than a single box. We don’t use that many checks after all.

After her yoga, Nancy went out back to tend to the plants and water the yard, and she asked me to start fixing the oatmeal for our breakfast. When we were done eating and cleaning up, she called her brother, Robin, to see when he wanted to get together. I got back to Flickr and finished uploading the second batch of images from the 2024 Tucson Folk Festival.

When she finished talking with Robin, we started cleaning up. I swept up the study and kitchen, then vacuumed the living room rug, while Nancy started with the bathroom, then dusted all over, and finished up sweeping the bedroom.

Just about 12:30 p.m. we made meat and cheese sandwiches for lunch and had them with potato chips.

A little bit later we got out to run some errands. We started at Down to Earth near downtown Eugene. We were looking for mesh filters for our French press coffee maker, but they don’t carry them any longer. But we found a new pair of kitchen shears to replace the dull ones we struggle with at the moment, and a couple of birthday cards for family members with birthday approaching in the near future.

Next, we went by Rooted Remedies so Nancy could return the bottles from previous tinctures and buy more supplies.

Then we headed home, stopping first at Albertsons for sandwich meat and cheese, cold brew, and stain remover, then swinging through Old Crow for a blended Mexican mocha.

We applied some of the stain remover to a shirt I wore on Saturday that got stained by the meat from the dish I had at our afternoon repast. The stain did not come out in the wash, so we did not put it through the dryer. Most of the stain disappeared using one of the pads we bought, but we’ll wait until we have a full load before running the washer again.

After that, I got back on the computer and uploaded three more pictures of Nancy in various locations and six more from a visit to the Kelpies near Falkirk during our trip to Scotland in 2019. The photos of the Kelpies immediately began to gather a growing number of faves.

After wine time for Nancy and lap time for me, we started making dinner a little past 6 p.m. We boiled more potatoes and steamed more broccoli, and Nancy heated up some of the leftover Tuscan chicken, supplementing the sauce with a little more of the heavy cream. Once we served up the potatoes, we mashed them with butter and salt and enjoyed them with the rest of the food.

We followed dinner with a couple of streams, the first being Tuesday’s Colbert show with Jamie Lee Curtis as the guest. Then we watched the seventh episode of “Ballard.” Bosch makes another appearance and delivers a shocking lead in the LAPD corruption case. Then Ballard and the cold case team dive into the mysterious murder of a teenager with ties to a local gang.

With the sun having set and the temperatures cooled off sufficiently, Nancy and I went out for our usual short walk around the neighborhood. We covered 1.16 miles in just under 26 minutes, with a total of 2,800 steps.

We passed near the house which burned on Monday during our walk. According to news reports, 80 percent of the main house was destroyed, along with numerous trees on the property and brush in the backyard and a shed. Firefighters were able to stop the fire from spreading to other properties in the area, and no one was injured.

When we got home, we streamed one more program, the fourth episode of BritBox’s “Outrageous.” Daughter Unity’s presence in Germany and her growing support of the fascist regime there results in her making shocking headlines back in England.

Tonight’s low is supposed to be 57 degrees again, but tomorrow’s high might not make it out of the 70s. And it looks like the whole day will remain cloudy. A chance of rain was mentioned for overnight.

Once again, our calendar for tomorrow is clear, but Nancy might go out to Marcola to visit with her daughter. I might tag along and take a few pictures of the Earnest Bridge along the way. I did discover a few photos of it from one of our visits before moving up here, but there have been some improvements to the bridge since then, so I should take the opportunity to record the changes.

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On this date in 1932, Walt Disney’s “Flowers and Trees” premiered. It was the first cartoon short to use Technicolor and the first Academy Award winning cartoon short.

July 30, 1936, was the birthday of Buddy Guy, American singer-songwriter and guitarist. Guy has won eight Grammy Awards and a Lifetime Achievement Award, the National Medal of Arts, and the Kennedy Center Honors. He was ranked 27th in “Rolling Stone” magazine’s 2023 list of the greatest guitarists of all time.

Today is the International Day of Friendship, National Cheesecake Day, National Father-in-Law Day, National Support Public Education Day, National Whistleblower Day, Paperback Book Day, Share a Hug Day, and World Snorkeling Day.

[spaciousreasoning]

Demolition Nearly Done

It got down to 53 degrees overnight, and the high today reached 90, three degrees warmer than had been forecast. That’s about par for the course these days.

This morning’s blood sugar dropped down to 148, which is a big relief. Although it will feel even better if it manages to stay in that range the next day or two.

After we finished our coffee and did the brain games, Nancy did a little yard work while I worked on my Flickr account. When Nancy was done with the outside chores, she came back in and made a protein drink for our “breakfast.”

We showered and dressed and made plans to run some errands. We stopped at two credit unions and got cash to pay Sarah for the demolition work she has been doing on the house on 8th Street. It is getting closer to the time when the actual renovation work can begin.

Then we went to the Mini Pet Mart for kitty litter and cat box deodorizer. It was our third visit within just about a week. We are glad we finally checked the place out, because they carry just about everything that we need for taking care of Grace and Chica, and the fact that it is a local store makes it even better.

On the way to Market of Choice on Coburg Road for a few groceries, we decided to go ahead and grab some lunch at Pastini. Along with the pasta, today we got soup instead of the usual salad because it was creamy tomato basil. It was the second time lately that we went with the soup, and we were not disappointed.

After lunch we went to Market of Choice, then we came home and napped. Neither of us had a very good night of sleep last night, and the nap just about left me even more tired.

Among the things we picked up at Market of Choice were small potatoes and more broccoli, and we used them both as side dishes with leftover Tuscan chicken as the main course. We had dinner in time for me to take off for the Tuesday men’s recovery meeting.

Henry had texted earlier in the day to confirm he wanted to attend this evening, so I picked him up on the way. It was a smaller meeting tonight, with just about twenty men. There were no treatment center folks in attendance, and the focus tonight was on Clyde, who was celebrating his 35th year in recovery. I was fortunate to meet him in the Steps & Traditions group I was part of last year, and I have met his wife at the Sunday evening meeting and gotten to know her as well. Once we move to the new house, they will almost be neighbors.

When I got home, Nancy and I streamed the Monday Colbert show, then we tuned in to the sixth episode of “Ballard.” The cold case squad’s serial killer investigation took a high-stakes turn, and with 72 hours to secure the case before losing it to Homicide, the team raced to find connections between the victims.

Wednesday will begin with some partly cloudiness and a low around 58 degrees. The skies will clear briefly, then the clouds are likely to return in the afternoon, and the high will likely be near 90 once again.

With nothing on the agenda for tomorrow, we might sleep in to make up for what we missed last night. Of course, sleeping in will have to end before 9 a.m., because that’s when Nancy has to give Grace her morning meds. And by then, we will both need some coffee.

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On this date in 1958, President Dwight D. Eisenhower signed into law the National Aeronautics and Space Act, which created the National Aeronautics and Space Administration (NASA). The Act followed close on the heels of the Soviet Union’s launch of Sputnik.

July 29, 1905, was the birthday of Clara Bow, an American actress who rose to stardom during the silent film era of the 1920s and successfully made the transition to “talkies” in 1929.

Today is International Tiger Day, National Get Gnarly Day, National Lasagna Day, National Lipstick Day, National Wing Day, and Rain Day.

[spaciousreasoning]

A Fire Nearby

Another blue-sky morning, with temperatures rising from the overnight low of 50 degrees to a high of 86.

My blood sugar was back up this morning to 186, perhaps due to taking my after-dinner pills so late and the lack of protein at dinner.

After we finished our coffee and morning brain games, I spent time with my Flickr account. Nancy did another yoga session. Then we fixed oatmeal for breakfast.

Once we were done with the oatmeal, I started working on Tradition Four for today’s Zoom meeting. It turned out not to be as difficult as I thought it would be, and I managed to get done within a couple of hours.

At about 1 p.m. we made our meat and cheese sandwiches and had them with potato chips for lunch.

Then, around 2:15, we took a nap. An hour later we got up, and I started on Tradition Five, just in case. I managed to get most of it done as well. We will tackle it during our first meeting in September.

About 5 p.m. I tried to log in, but there was no response. I texted Micheal, and he was running a few minutes late. Not long after we all joined the Zoom, the screen suddenly froze, and I was unable to rejoin. Then I noticed a message in my email app that my connection was down, so I used my phone’s hot spot to connect, and we were finally able to get the work under way.

A little later, Nancy leaned in and reported that there was a fire in the neighborhood. She could see the smoke and we heard sirens. A few minutes later, a firetruck drove by our place with lights and siren going. I told the other guys that probably explained the earlier disconnect.

When we were done with the meeting, I helped Nancy finish making dinner. I mashed up the small potatoes that were finished boiling. Then I chopped garlic and sun-dried tomatoes, and tore stems off a bunch of spinach. All those ingredients went into the Tuscan chicken. We also had broccoli. The meal was delicious as usual.

Once we cleaned up, Nancy and I went out for a walk, starting in the direction from which the smoke appeared. Turned out that a house on the corner of D and 69th streets was where the burn happened. A shed in the back yard appeared to be completely burned. A portion of the house itself was also involved.

We finished our usual after-dinner walk of 1.15 miles in just over 27 minutes, because we stopped a couple of times to talk to other people who were out to look at the fire damage. We got in 2,800 steps.

The Wi-Fi was still down when we returned, so I logged into the hot spot again to check up on the Flickr account. Just before the Zoom meeting, I had posted a single picture of geometric minimalism on Flickr, and it had garnered 56 views and seven faves when I checked in after the walk.

The internet connection was finally restored about 9 p.m., so there was time for just one show. We chose the fifth episode of “Ballard,” in which the cold case team uncovers disturbing new information in the Pearlman case, so they focus in on a new suspect.

Tonight’s low might only get down to 56 degrees, but the high tomorrow will reach into the upper 80s.

There is nothing on our calendar for Tuesday except for my Tuesday men’s recovery meeting in the evening. There’s no telling what we might get up to otherwise.

+ + +

On this day in 1868, the 14th Amendment to the U.S. Constitution was certified, establishing African American citizenship and guaranteeing due process of law. The Amendment was a response to issues affecting freed slaves, and its enactment was bitterly contested. States of the defeated Confederacy were required to ratify it to regain representation in Congress. The amendment was one of the most litigated parts of the Constitution, forming the basis for numerous landmark Supreme Court decisions.

July 28, 1866, was the birthday of Beatrix Potter, English writer, illustrator, natural scientist, and conservationist. She is best known for her children’s books featuring animals, such as The Tale of Peter Rabbit, which was her first commercially published work in 1902. Her books have sold more than 250 million copies. Potter was also a pioneer of character merchandising. In 1903, Peter Rabbit was the first fictional character to be made into a patented stuffed toy, making him the oldest licensed character.

Today is Buffalo Soldiers Day, National Milk Chocolate Day, National Soccer Day, National Waterpark Day, World Hepatitis Day, and World Nature Conservation Day.

[spaciousreasoning]

More Hay Bale Photos

Today started out mostly sunny, but clouds began moving in during the afternoon. The low last night was 49 degrees, while the high reached 80.

My blood sugar was down a few more points this morning, to 178. Not a vast improvement, but certainly better than increasing by any amount. We shall see what tomorrow brings, as usual.

After our coffee and Sunday brain games, we had cinnamon toast before preparing to leave for church.

Today was the Seventh Sunday after Pentecost. Associate Frank presided today, without the assistance of the deacon. As usual, his homily was well-considered and well-delivered. Especially since, as is often the case, the scripture readings for today left something to be desired.

I wanted to take more pictures of the hay bale piles we had seen yesterday, so Nancy and I had lunch at Chiefs Brew House in Coburg. We both had burgers with tater tots. Afterwards, we headed further north on Coburg Road looking for more of the stacks of hay bales.

To get back home, we took McKenzie View Drive along the north side of the McKenzie River, avoiding all the traffic through the middle of town that we normally encounter on the way back to Thurston. We even narrowly missed colliding with a young deer, but otherwise we made it back without incident.

We did stop at Old Crow for a blended mocha before getting home, but we stuck it into the fridge because we took a nap right away.

After getting up, we tried calling my sister Deborah to talk about my sisters’ trip to Portugal. They got home yesterday and reported no jet lag. I’m certain we will eventually hear more about their adventures, since not much info came our way during their cruise.

As the afternoon progressed and we considered what to do about dinner, I decided to pass on the Sunday recovery meeting and spend the time at home relaxing. Nancy had her wine, and I got a little lap time, and when that was done, I spent a few more minutes on my Flickr account. I posted a few shots of the hay bales and a couple more pictures of Nancy for the new album.

It was close to 7 p.m. when we started fixing dinner. Instead of going for a full chicken recipe, we opted for an omelet with garlic, cheese, spinach and sun-dried tomatoes, plus toast with jelly. It came together quite easily and tasted very good.

After dinner, we took a walk around the block together, making 1.16 miles in just over 26 minutes, a total of 2,700 steps.

Our Sunday streaming started with the fourth episode of “Ballard.” She and her colleagues uncovered an LAPD conspiracy with connections to a Mexican cartel. Their other cold case heated up when clues lead to a dangerous showdown with a potential suspect.

Following that, we went with the third episode of “Outrageous,” the story of the Mitford family in pre-war Britain. The writer, Nancy, started to work on her new novel, but life started becoming stranger than fiction.

Both tonight and tomorrow are likely to be a bit warmer than today, with the low only getting down to 54 degrees, and the high moving into the low 80s.

Nancy has nothing on her calendar for Monday, but I will be hard at work on the Fourth Tradition questions for the recovery Zoom group which meets at 5 p.m.: “Each group should be autonomous, except in matters affecting other groups or NA as a whole.” I am hoping it will not take the entire day to complete the assignment.

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On this day in 2017, Sam Shepard, an American playwright, actor, author, screenwriter, and director, died at age 73. Shepard’s plays were known for their bleak, poetic, surrealist elements, black comedy, and rootless characters living on the outskirts of American society.

July 27, 1922, was the birthday of Norman Lear, an American screenwriter and producer who wrote, created, or developed more than 100 shows, including numerous popular 1970s sitcoms such as “All in the Family,” “Maude,” “Sanford and Son,” “One Day at a Time,” “The Jeffersons,” and “Good Times.” His works introduced political and social themes to the sitcom format. He died on Dec. 5, 2023, at age 101.

Today is National Scotch Day, Bagpipe Appreciation Day, National Chicken Finger Day, National Crème Brûlée Day, National Love is Kind Day, National Parents’ Day, National Sleepy Head Day, National Tree Day, and Take Your Pants for a Walk Day.

[spaciousreasoning]

A Day for Enjoying Art

It was a little overcast once again this morning when we got up, but the clouds pretty much cleared away by about 10 a.m. The overnight low was 53 degrees, and, happily, today’s high in Springfield was just 80. It also remained nice and mild during most of our adventures out of town.

My blood sugar was back up again, to 208. Here we go with more yo-yo.

After drinking our coffee and playing our Saturday brain games, I started doing my computing while Nancy did a little contemplation. While doing so, she came up with the idea of visiting the Hallie Ford Museum of Art in Salem. She decided she needed some inspiration for her own artwork.

So, Nancy began making cheesy eggs with bacon for breakfast. I helped make the toast. After eating and cleaning up, we showered and got dressed. Then we hit the road.

Our first stop was Costco, to fill up the tank ($3.39 per gallon). Even for a Saturday morning we did not have to wait long. From Costco, we took Coburg Road north, all the way to Harrisburg, where we stopped at Lola’s Coffee for a blended mocha. We wanted very much to avoid driving on I-5.

Heading out of Harrisburg, we got on Peoria Road, heading to Corvallis. Before we made it there, however, we got shunted off on a detour, and we eventually came to OR 34, which we then took west until we intersected with OR 99W.

We continued on that route until we reached OR 22, which we followed into Salem and then found our way to the Museum. Or at least a few blocks away, where we were able to park and pay the city for the privilege of doing so.

Between our parking spot and the Museum, we ran into Hoopla 2025, a 3-on-3 street basketball tournament held annually in downtown Salem. It’s the biggest 3-on-3 street tournament in Oregon and the second largest in the U.S.

Fortunately, it did not get in the way of getting to the Museum, and for the next hour or so we enjoyed the museum of Willamette University. It is the third largest art museum in Oregon. Opened in 1998, it is located across the street from the Oregon State Capital. Hallie Ford exhibits collections of both art and historical artifacts with a focus on Oregon related pieces of art and artists. The museum also hosts various traveling exhibits in two of its six galleries.

The current exhibitions included the works of C.S. Price and Crow’s Shadow Institute of the Arts Biennial. There are four permanent exhibits of previously unviewed works; American Indian art; selections from the museum’s European, Asian, and American collections; and the museum’s collections of works on paper, stored, studied and displayed in the Print Study Center.

When we were finished with our Museum shuffle, we checked for local restaurants of the Mediterranean variety and came up with a couple. But the first one we walked to was empty and nobody was behind the counter when we entered. We turned right around and headed for a second choice, which turned out to be Damascus Kitchen, one of several food vendors in a single location, a little like a food court at a mall.

Once we had finished our meal, we started the return trip, once again avoiding I-5 by taking OR 99 most of the way. We made a quick stop at the Albertsons to pick up a few things for dinner tomorrow, and while we were there we ran into a friend from church. He was wearing an NAU T-shirt, and it turns out that he attended there, something we had not known about him before. We may ask him more about his history after church tomorrow.

With the late lunch still in our stomachs, we passed on another meal and settled in to do some streaming. We started with the second episode of “Code of Silence,” followed by the final episode in the current series of “Astrid.” Then we giggled our way through the first episode of the new season of “South Park.” If you are already a fan and have not yet seen in, be sure to tune in for the fun.

Tomorrow promises to be another sunny day, starting with a low of 52 degrees and climbing within reach of 80.

Other than church and the Sunday recovery meeting, tomorrow is likely to find us sticking close to home.

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On this date in 1788, New York ratifies the U.S. Constitution and becomes the 11th state. Today New York is the fourth-most populous state in the country, with nearly 20 million residents, and the 27th-largest state by area, with a total area of 54,556 square miles.

July 26, 1856, was the birthday of George Bernard Shaw, Irish playwright, critic, polemicist and political activist. His influence on Western theatre, culture and politics extended from the 1880s to his death and beyond. He wrote more than sixty plays, including major works such as “Man and Superman,” “Pygmalion,” and “Saint Joan.”  The leading dramatist of his generation, Shaw was awarded the Nobel Prize in Literature in 1925. He died on Nov. 2, 1950, at the age of 94, of renal failure precipitated by injuries incurred when falling while pruning a tree.

It is also the birthday of Blake Edwards, Jason Robards, Stanley Kubrick, Darlene Love, Mick Jagger, Helen Mirren, Rick Bragg, Kevin Spacey, Sandra Bullock, Jeremy Piven, Jason Statham, Olivia Williams, Kate Beckinsale, Sam Beam (Iron & Wine), and Jacinda Ardern.

Today is National Aunt and Uncle Day, National All or Nothing Day, National Bagelfest Day, National Coffee Milkshake Day, National Day of the Cowboy, National Dog Photography Day, and World Tofu Day.

[spaciousreasoning]

A Prosaic Friday

The day started out a little cloudy, but the blue sky soon dominated. We rose from an overnight low of 52 degrees to a high of 84. But that was better than 90.

My blood sugar was back up to 183 this morning. Must have been the damned cashews. Or the mocha shake we had late in the afternoon. Or who knows?

After our coffee and the Friday edition of the online brain games, Nancy did a 15-minute yoga session. I continued my computing from much earlier in the day, adding to my Flickr account and watching the views climb.

Then we had oatmeal for breakfast, and Nancy was done just in time to call Peggy. Just as they began their conversation, I went out for a walk, enjoying my new shoes and a playlist from Spotify. I did 2.43 miles in a little more than 45 minutes, a total of 5,300 steps.

Nancy was wrapping up the talk with Peggy when I got home, then we showered and took a nap.

A little after noon, we made meat and cheese sandwiches for lunch, accompanied by potato chips.

After lunch, I began doing more organizing on Flickr. I created a separate album for the Tucson Folk Festival photos, including the pictures from 2024, which I have not uploaded yet. I think they got lost in all the excitement for our move. I also created a new album for pictures of Nancy, the ones already posted and ones that have never been posted that I managed to find going through old folders.

While I was busy with that, I heard Nancy chuckling over Instagram posts of of Scottish response to the visit by the Felon in Chief.

We were waiting for Robin to come over in the afternoon after a dental appointment, but he called back later to cancel because he was too tired.

We considered going out for dinner for a brief period, but then we decided to finish off the chicken piccata leftovers. And we did that, along with freshly steamed broccoli, after Nancy had her glass of wine and I did some lap time.

Once we had cleaned up all the dishes from dinner, we started our streaming for the evening. We began with Colbert’s Thursday program. His main guest was Gov. Josh Shapiro of Pennsylvania, who made quite an impression on both of us.

Next, we watched the first of two episodes of “Code of Silence,” a BritBox drama about a young deaf woman recruited by the police to help an investigation through lip-reading a group of suspects under surveillance.

We closed out the evening with the final episode of “Stick,” which was almost enjoyable enough to convince me to like golf. Plus, it ended with “When My Time Comes” by Dawes.

It looks like tomorrow morning may be a little cloudy once again, but the skies clear up well before noon. The overnight low will be about 54 degrees, and the high might not even reach 80, which would be a pleasant change of pace.

There isn’t anything on our calendar for tomorrow, but after another day with very little happening, we might find ourselves getting out and having some fun.

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On this day in 1755, British governor Charles Lawrence and the Nova Scotia Council order the deportation of the Acadians. Today, most descendants of Acadians live in either the Northern American region of Acadia, where descendants of Acadians who escaped the expulsion of the Acadians re-settled, or in Louisiana, where thousands of Acadians moved in the late 1700s. Descendants of the Louisiana Acadians are most commonly known as Cajuns, the anglicized term of “Acadian.”

July 25, 1844, was the birthday of Thomas Eakins, American painter, sculptor, and photographer. Widely acknowledged to be one of the most important American artists, he painted several hundred portraits, usually of friends, family members, or prominent people in the arts, sciences, medicine, and clergy. The portraits offer an overview of the intellectual life of contemporary Philadelphia of the late 19th and early 20th centuries.

Today is Carousel Day, International Red Shoe Day, National Hire a Veteran Day, National Merry Go Round Day, National Thread the Needle Day, National Wine and Cheese Day, and World Drowning Prevention Day.

[spaciousreasoning]

A Mundane Thursday

Yet another blue sky and sunny day here in the Willamette Valley, with an overnight low of 54 degrees and a high of 85.

My blood sugar this morning dropped to 161. Whatever was hiking it up appears to have moved on. I hope.

After we had our coffee and played the online brain games, Nancy did her yoga and I did my computing, including the usual Flickr updating.

After having oatmeal for breakfast, we showered and dressed. Then Nancy talked with Kalen while I continued to compute.

A little after noon, we had lunch with sandwiches and chips. Then we drove down to Creswell for bread. We stopped by the Bean Hopper in Creswell for a mocha shake before hitting the road back to Springfield.

Then we went to the Mini Pet Mart for cat food, and Albertsons for olive oil, vinegar and eggs. They were out of cold brew, so I planned to get some later.

When we got home, we napped. Then I got back on the computer and tried to squeeze some magic into the Flickr account. I did some other updating of some of my web items.

Right around 5 p.m. Nancy got her glass of wine. I joined for a little lap time and some chat about numerous things, including the future of our eventual home.

At some point, I decided to pass on the Thursday recovery meeting. We fixed dinner, steaming some broccoli and heating up leftover chicken piccata and rice.

After we cleaned up, I ran to another Albertsons to get my cold brew for tomorrow morning. I also bought more broccoli. A bag of cashews jumped into my basket as well.

When I got back Nancy and I went for a short walk around the neighborhood. We did 1.15 miles in just over 26 minutes, a total of 2,800 steps.

Once the walk was over, we watched Colbert’s Wednesday program, with guests Steve Buscemi and Molly Gordon. Then we streamed the penultimate episode of the first season of “Stick.” It looks like it has been renewed for a second season.

Friday is supposed to be a little cooler, with a high of only 80 degrees, up from an overnight low around 55.

Nancy’s chat with Peggy was rescheduled for 10 a.m. tomorrow, but after that we might find ourselves looking for something to do that is a little more exciting than what we did not do today.

+ + +

On this day in 1567, Mary, Queen of Scots, was forced to abdicate and was replaced by her one-year-old son James VI. After an unsuccessful attempt to regain the throne, she fled southward seeking the protection of her first cousin once removed, Elizabeth I of England.

July 24, 1920, was the birthday of Bella Abzug, an American lawyer, politician, social activist, and a leader in the women’s movement. After battling breast cancer for several years, she developed heart disease and died on March 31, 1998, from complications following open heart surgery.

Today is National Cousins Day, National Tequila Day, Amelia Earhart Day, National Drive-Thru Day, National Refreshment Day, and Tell an Old Joke Day. Have you heard the one about…

[spaciousreasoning]

Linn County Explorations

It got down to 54 degrees last night. Actually, the low occurred just before dawn came along. And the high made it to 90 today.

My blood sugar this morning was all the way up to 227. That’s as high as it has been this entire year. I’m completely lost as to what is going on. If there’s something internal happening, it’s not anything that’s making me feel bad. If this keeps up, I will definitely need to check in with the PCP.

After our morning coffee and online brain games, we made breakfast. We warmed up some of the bacon we had already cooked and used the last three eggs to make a cheesy omelet, with plenty of the garlic powder that just arrived from Penzey’s yesterday. On top of that, we had toast with jelly.

Peggy asked that today’s talk with Nancy be moved to later in the week, so we prepared to go out and have an adventure.

Before we took off for that, we got some cash and stopped by the house on 8th Street to pay Sarah and check with Kurt on the progress. We learned a couple of interesting details from Kurt. First, there was evidence of smoke damage in the attic area, with some actual burn on a couple of pieces of wood. Second, there was an area of the attic that had been set up as a place for growing and stashing pot. Remnants of grow lights and other related detritus were found.

Overall, the demolition is getting close to being done, and the first major step in the renovation will be to bring in a couple of new beams to support creating a vaulted ceiling. Watching all this is going to be a lot of fun.

After bidding farewell to Kurt and Sarah, we took off for our adventure in Linn County. When we had previously investigated the waterfalls we found along McDowell Creek, we saw there were several other falls nearby, so we did a bit more research. One list contained more than 160 waterfalls in Linn County, though, as it turned out, many of them are little more than rocky spots and small drops along creeks. At least we got out of the house today, though.

Our first stop was just north of Sweet Home in the little community of Waterloo, where the Waterloo Falls is located. The falls there are the lowest of several small waterfalls and rapids which occur along the South Santiam River. Waterloo Falls has been named and recognized as such for well over a century, taking its name from the nearby town.

Heading down to the river’s edge to get some shots, I slipped and fell on my ass. Fortunately, nothing was broken, although I did suffer some minor scrapes. I carefully continued my quest for a good vantage point, which finally included taking a few pictures from the bridge that crossed the river nearby.

Heading back south along US 20, we paused twice in Sweet Home to get more photos of two bridges, the Whittemore pedestrian bridge and the Weddle Bridge, both now located in city parks. I had gotten pictures before, but they were taken with my phone, and I wanted to take more with my DSLR.

Next, we continued along US20, past Foster Lake, and took Quartzville Road a few miles to both Coal Creek Falls and Big Alder Creek Falls. Both of those were examples of unofficial waterfalls because they were relatively small, and neither was terribly accessible. But, as Nancy said, it was fun simply exploring.

Once our explorations were over, we returned to Sweet Home, stopping at The Point for a late lunch. Nancy got a burger, I got a chicken sandwich, and we both enjoyed the excellent tater tots.

After a quick stop in Sweet Home for a blended mocha dessert, we made it home around 4 p.m., whereupon we took a brief nap.

When we got up, I downloaded the photos from the day and uploaded several of them to Flickr while Nancy had a glass of wine.

Because of our late lunch, we passed on another meal and sat down to stream around 7:30 p.m. We began with the Tuesday Colbert show, with guests Bad Bunny and Leanne Morgan. We finished off the evening with another episode of “Murder in Sweden.” Two boys find the body of a mother in the woods after the Midsummer celebration, and as the team works on the case, suspects multiply.

Tonight’s low will get down around 56 degrees, and tomorrow’s high is forecast in the mid-80s, which means it could reach 90 again. But we’ll keep our fingers crossed.

+ + +

On this day in 1962, Jackie Robinson became the first African American to be inducted into the National Baseball Hall of Fame. On April 15, 1947, Robinson had made his major league debut at Ebbets Field before a crowd of 26,623 spectators, more than 14,000 of whom were black. While he failed to get a base hit, he reached second on a throwing error and scored the winning run in the Dodgers’ victory.

July 23, 1892, was the birthday of Haile Selassie, the Ethiopian emperor who reigned from 1930 until 1974.

Today is National Gorgeous Grandma Day, National Sprinkle Day, National Vanilla Ice Cream Day, Peanut Butter and Chocolate Day, and International Yada Yada Yada Day, in honor of the phrase popularized by an episode of “Seinfeld.”

[spaciousreasoning]

Walking and Talking

Last night’s low reached 50 degrees, and with nothing but sunshine in the forecast for today, the high made it to 85. At least.

My blood sugar was all the way up to 200 this morning! Nancy suggested it might have been the mocha we had at 5 p.m. yesterday. Plus, it felt like I slept poorly. My neck was tweaked for a good portion of the morning.

After we had our coffee and played the Tuesday brain games, it was yoga time for Nancy. I got on the computer and checked Flickr and FB.

After Nancy’s yoga was complete, we had oatmeal for breakfast. Then Nancy called our friend Beth for a nice long chat. She and Bob have moved back to Minnesota, and she texted some pictures of their new place to Nancy.

As Nancy was beginning her conversation, around 10:30 a.m., I started my solo walk and put in 2.71 miles in just over 50 minutes, a total of 5,800 steps. Nancy and Beth were still talking when I got back.

After their conversation, I got neck rub from Nancy that helped to alleviate some of the pain. Then we showered and dressed.

Next, we made meat and cheese sandwiches for lunch, enjoying them with potato chips.

After lunch, while Nancy talked with Kalen, I went back to the computer once again. I created a map of the U.S. with the states colored according to where I have lived, spent a lot of time, passed through, and never been. I don’t know yet what it will be for.

I took a nap, and once Nancy finished talking with Kalen, she gave me another massage treatment.

Right at 4 p.m., Henry called to check in about going to the men’s meeting tonight. His sisters left last Wednesday, and, he told me later, it was just in time, as they were beginning to get on his nerves.

Nancy took the lead in fixing dinner with leftovers of chicken piccata and rice, and she took one of the zucchini from the back deck and sliced it up and fried it, covering it with parmesan cheese when the pieces were done. It was just as tasty tonight as last night.

I left to pick up Henry a little after 6 p.m., and when we arrived at the meeting place for the men’s recovery group a van full of fellows from a treatment facility was also pulling in. There were close to thirty men present, but someone from the church brought out some additional fans to help cool off the room.

Tonight’s reading was about the Fourth Step, and once we finished the content, the sharing began. There is always much to be said about that particular step, especially the “searching and fearless inventory” section. In addition, more than one person pointed out, not only should we be open and honest about our shortcomings, it is important to recognize the assets we have which help us work a successful program.

Back at home, Nancy and I watched the Monday night Colbert, with guests Sandra Oh and Dave Franco. Then we tuned in the seventh episode of the “Astrid” series. The heir of a rich Breton family was found dead in a bar. The problem was that he had supposedly died two years earlier. Raphaëlle and Astrid traveled to Brittany to uncover the dark secrets of the troubled family.

Tomorrow will be sunny again, and the low tonight will be around 56 degrees. Tomorrow’s high will reach 87 or higher.

Nancy has a phone call tomorrow morning with her spiritual advisor, Peggy. I may go for another walk while that is happening. Afterwards, whatever happens will remain to be seen.

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On this day in 1933, aviator Wiley Post returned to Floyd Bennett Field in New York City, completing the first solo flight around the world in seven days, 18 hours and 49 minutes.

July 22, 1928, was the birthday of Orson Bean, American film, television, and stage actor and comedian.

Today is Mango Day, National Hammock Day, National Penuche Fudge Day, Pi Approximation Day, Spoonerism Day, and World Brain Day.