A Chilly Sunday

With a morning low of just 34 degrees and a high that reached just 51, today was rather chilly in addition to being cloudy once again.

My blood sugar dropped again, to 159, thanks to taking care with what I consumed yesterday.

After our coffee, Nancy and I played just a couple of brain games due to time constraints, then we dressed and brushed our teeth, and enjoyed a banana on the way to church.

I met with the Vestry for a few minutes before the service to discuss a possible future interim rector. After the service, Nancy and I went to Costco to get gas (up to $4.09 per gallon), then had lunch at Johnny Ocean’s. I went with a bacon cheeseburger and fries, and Nancy chose the pork tacos.

We listened to “Wait Wait… Don’t Tell Me” via podcast on the way home, then finished listening to it while sitting on the couch at home. We also finished playing the brain games we did not have time for earlier.

We napped for a bit, then I spent some time working on a family genealogy article for the next BudZine. I dredged up a few details from the family history book by my father’s cousin, June, then scoured my digital archives for old family photos to accompany the article.

Right at 5:15 p.m., I took off for the Sunday evening recovery meeting, and when I got back home at 7:15 p.m., Nancy had a small dinner of Greek chicken and rice with green beans prepared for our dinner.

After cleaning up and enjoying our dark chocolate peanut butter cups, we began our Sunday evening streaming with the newest episode of “Dark Winds.” We wrapped up our entertainment with the first episode of the new Guy Ritchie series, “Young Sherlock.”

Rain has not returned to the forecast for tomorrow, and there may be some actual sunshine in the afternoon that will push the day’s high all the way to 72 degrees after a morning low of just 42.

Nancy has phone calls with her spiritual advisor Peggy in the morning and her friend Beth in the afternoon. There is nothing on my schedule, though I might take advantage of the pleasant weather—if it actually occurs—to get out once again with my camera and take a few more photos. It will also give me the chance to put in more steps than I have taken in the last couple of days.

+ + +

On this day in 1927, the first Women’s Boat Race between the University of Oxford and the University of Cambridge takes place on The Isis, an alternative name for the River Thames, in Oxford.

March 15, 1933, was the birth date of Ruth Bader Ginsburg, an American lawyer and jurist who served as associate justice of the Supreme Court of the United States from 1993 until her death in 2020. Nominated by President Bill Clinton to replace retiring justice Byron White, Ginsburg was the first Jewish woman and the second woman to serve on the Court, after Sandra Day O’Connor.

Today is the Ides of March, Buzzards Day, Dumbstruck Day, Everything You Think is Wrong Day, International Day Against Police Brutality, International Redefining Wealth Day, National Peanut Lovers Day, National Shoe the World Day, National Voice Over Day, Pears Helene Day, True Confessions Day, World Consumer Rights Day, World Contact Day, World Essential Workers Day, and World Speech Day.

The Sound of Mariachis

This morning dawned with evidence of overnight rain, but as the day continued, we wound up seeing blue sky and sunshine until nighttime fell. Last night’s low was 38 degrees, and the high today reached 56.

My blood sugar was up to 167 today, but that is still far below the numbers over recent days.

Following our coffee and the Saturday online brain games, Nancy and I opted for oatmeal for breakfast, since we anticipated lunch coming and did not want to overeat.

We eventually showered and dressed, and a little after noon, Anne and Joe arrived. We showed them around the new place, and they were impressed.

Then they drove us out to the Bennet Vineyards & Wine Company in Cheshire, Oregon, west of Junction City on OR 36. There was a birthday party with mariachis going on and a food truck was out front selling barbecue.

Nancy and Anne enjoyed a bit of wine tasting. Joe and I went with non-alcoholic drinks, as usual, and we ordered barbecue and shared it with our wives. Then I took pictures of the mariachis during their performance. Later, I posted a trio of images on my Flickr account, the first new photos since January.

After getting dropped off back at home, Nancy and I took a nap. Afterwards, I ran over to Fred Meyers for more cream. They only carry quarts of the brand we usually buy, so we won’t shop there for cream again. I did notice, however, they carry the cold brew I like, so that’s another option.

Nancy put on a pot of rice to prepare for dinner while I was out for cream, but as it was near to being ready, we began to wander about how hungry we were. We wound up eating a little bit, starting with a small salad, then a little serving of rice with Greek chicken.

After clean-up, we began our streaming entertainment for a Saturday night. We started with the first episode in the new series “Scarpetta,” based on the series of novels by Patricia Cornwell, which my father originally introduced me to many years ago. We wrapped up our shows with another episode of “Lincoln Lawyer.”

Tonight will continue with cloudiness, as will pretty much the entire day tomorrow, although rain has disappeared from the forecast until next weekend. For right now. The low will drop to the mid-30s, and Sunday’s high temperature is likely to reach the mid-50s.

Tomorrow is the Fourth Sunday in Lent, and the Vestry has been called to a quick meeting just before the service, which will be led by one of the clergy who have been filling in. We will be discussing the future of the interim position at St. Thomas going to a likely candidate. My other outing will probably be the Sunday evening recovery meeting.

+ + +

On this day in 1942, Anne Miller became the first American patient to be treated with penicillin, which was discovered in 1928 by the Scottish physician Alexander Fleming.

March 14, 1833, was the birth date of Lucy Hobbs Taylor, an American dentist, known for being the first woman to graduate from a dental school—Ohio College of Dental Surgery—in 1866.

In addition to Pi Day, today is Bake a Pie in Solidarity Day, National Potato Chip Day, Celebrate Scientists Day, Crowdfunding Day, Dog Theft Awareness Day, Dribble to Work Day, Genealogy Day, Genius Day, International Ask a Question Day, International Day of Action for Rivers, International Day of Mathematics, International Fanny Pack Day, Legal Assistant Day, National Children’s Craft Day, National Learn About Butterflies Day, National Urban Ballroom Dancing Day, National Write Your Story Day, Save a Spider Day, and Science Education Day.

Ordering a Microwave

It was a cloudy Friday, from start to finish, though there were tiny sprinkles occasionally in the afternoon. The low early this morning was only 50 degrees, and the day’s high reached just 59.

My blood sugar level dropped to 143 with today’s check. In addition to yesterday’s protein, it might have been due to taking my meds late last night, due to some confusion with time.

Following our coffee and the Friday online brain games, Nancy and I had a breakfast of cheesy eggs, bacon and toast with jam. Then we showered and dressed.

I got online, and after doing some research with the help of “Consumer Reports,” we ordered a Commercial Chef countertop microwave from Lowe’s. It should be available for pickup no later than March 24.

We got out of the house and went to Jerry’s to buy some little bumpers for a kitchen cabinet that was missing them, and we also picked up sticky strips for hanging art works. We have not finished putting art around the place yet.

Then we stopped by by Native Coffee on 42nd Street for a mocha, after which we went to Wild Birds Unlimited at the Delta Oaks shopping center to get more food for the birds in our new back yard. The squirrels have also been helping themselves to the mixture.

After that we hit the Market of Choice next door and picked up a few grocery items, including more coffee, a bottle of wine, and rice to go with our evening meals.

We came home and collapsed on the bed. Then, after napping, we headed back to the Mini Pet Mart to exchange a few cans of food Nancy bought that the cats turned up their noses at.

When we got back from that errand, I set out for a walk around the neighborhood, encountering some of those occasional light sprinkles. I made 2.17 miles in just under 46 minutes, a total of 5,100 steps.

Nancy was doing a load of towels and playing the piano. She transferred the towels to the dryer just as I made it back. The washer is acting appropriately now, but the dryer needs some tweaking, so we don’t have to run loads twice to get them completely dry.

Nancy put together the marinade for the Greek chicken while I was out walking, then, after she had a glass of wine, and I enjoyed a little lap time, we continued preparing the rest of dinner. We had forgotten to get more kalamata olives during our grocery shopping, so I ran out to the nearby Fred Meyers to get some. Nancy was just about to serve up dinner when I got back with the olives.

Once we had cleaned the dinner dishes, we settled in for a Friday evening of streaming entertainment. We began with the final part of “Agatha Christie’s Seven Dials.” Next up, we watched Colbert’s Thursday night show, with comedian Wanda Sykes, who is making her dramatic acting debut in an upcoming film. We finished out the evening with this week’s episode of “Elsbeth,” in which the murder took place during a crossword tournament. Mo Rocca made a cameo appearance as the host of a podcast about the game.

Rain is supposed to begin around midnight tonight and continue through the early morning. The rest of the day looks like it might simply be cloudy. Tonight’s low may drop into the high 30s, and tomorrow’s high could climb over 50.

Our big plan for tomorrow is heading up near Junction City with church friends Anne and Joe to the Bennett Vineyards & Wine Company. Anne and Nancy will be tasting the wine, as usual, and Joe and I will avail ourselves of the charcuterie, or whatever else might be available. When they come to pick us up, of course, we will show off our new house to them.

+ + +

On this day in 2020, Breonna Taylor was killed by three police officers forcibly entering her home in Louisville, Kentucky, under the auspices of a “no-knock” search warrant. Her death sparked extensive protests against racism and police brutality.

March 13, 1956, was the birth date of Dana Delany, an American actress, who, after appearing in small roles early in her career, received her breakthrough role as Colleen McMurphy on the ABC television drama “China Beach,” for which she received the Primetime Emmy Award for Outstanding Lead Actress in a Drama Series.

In addition to Friday the 13th, today is National K9 Veterans Day, International Every Girl Wins Day, IUGR Awareness Day, National Coconut Torte Day, National Earmuff Day, National Freelancers Day, National Good Samaritan Day, National Jewel Day, National Open an Umbrella Indoors Day, National Preschoolers Day, Smart and Sexy Day, and World Sleep Day.

Fixing the Washer

This was another cloudy day, without any rain to keep us hiding inside the house. The overnight low was just 50 degrees, and the high reached 61.

My blood sugar jumped back up to 224 at this morning’s check. Since there was protein in yesterday’s meals, it might have had something to do with the tough time I had sleeping. I didn’t get the blood check done until a half hour after the usual time.

Once Nancy and I finished our coffee and made our way through the usual online brain games in a fairly successful manner, we fixed ourselves oatmeal for breakfast.

After the meal, I called James, who had been recommended by Art, about the problems with our washing machine. He suggested it might need the shipping bolts removed, and as it turned out later, that was a correct diagnosis.

After stopping at Native Coffee for a mocha, we drove over to Lowe’s to look for a microwave oven. We were not able to find any that suited us. Also, we could not find a stool for the shower to hold our soap and shampoos. Oddly enough, we did smell a lot of weed in one end of the store.

From there we went to the Market of Choice off Coburg Road for a few grocery items, including hummus, then we went home and snacked on some chips and garlic sauce and hummus and cheese strings.

We napped for an hour, then we got up and picked up Nancy’s meds from CVS and the cat meds from the vet. When we got home, we walked around the neighborhood together. I neglected to use the walking app, so we don’t have a record of the exact time or distance. But we did do at least a mile.

Nancy had a conversation with Kalen, and she and Kurt agreed about the shipping bolts. A little while later, Ronin showed up, with Kathleen, to take care of the bolts. Once that was accomplished, we threw a load of towels in the washer and succeeded in getting them cleaned. Then they went into the dryer.

For dinner we repeated last night’s orange chicken, rice and green beans. After cleaning, we began our evening’s streaming entertainment.

We began with the second installment in “Agatha Christie’s Seven Dials” on Netflix. We followed that with the new episode of “Shrinking,” then we closed out the evening with the new episode of “Hope Street” from BritBox.

Only as it ended did I realize we had gone long past our usual time, so I had to rush to get my blogging done before attempting to get to sleep once again.

The rain is supposed to hold off until tomorrow evening, after another long day of clouds. The low tonight will repeat the 50 degrees from last night, and tomorrow’s high might just make 59.

With tomorrow being Friday the 13th, we might just choose to stick around the house and be safe. But if the rain does hold off, I’d like to get out and do more walking, maybe even with my camera in hand so I can post some new photos on Flickr rather than the collection of old ones I have been going through of late.

+ + +

On this day in 1930, Mahatma Gandhi began the Salt March, a 240-mile march to the sea as a campaign of tax resistance and nonviolent protest against the British salt monopoly.

March 12, 1878, was the birth date of Gemma Galgani, also known as Gemma of Lucca, an Italian mystic, canonized as a saint in the Catholic Church in 1940.

Today is National Girl Scout Day, International School Meals Day, National Baked Scallops Day, National Plant a Flower Day, National Working Moms Day, Popcorn Lovers Day, World Day Against Cyber Censorship, and World Glaucoma Day.

Publishing My Zine

It was wet and overcast again this morning and cloudiness expected for the remainder of the day. More rain is likely in the early morning tomorrow and then, possibly, continuing for at least a couple more days. Last night’s low was 43 degrees, and the high somehow reached 56 without any evidence of sunshine.

My blood sugar dropped a tiny bit, to 211. This was most likely due to the limited amount of food I ingested yesterday, none of which included protein.

Following our coffee and online brain games, Nancy and I fixed breakfast with cheesy eggs and garlic, bacon, and toast with jam. We cooked up a batch of bacon in the oven, so we have a few slices leftover for next time.

After breakfast and clean-up, we went out by the Mini Pet Mall for more kitty food, then stopped by the vet for one of Grace’s meds, but it wasn’t ready. Then we went by Native Coffee on 42nd Street for a mocha, after which we went to CVS on Marcola Road to get Nancy’s meds. They were ready.

Instead of going directly home, we decided to go find the place that Deborah rented for their visit. It’s in the southern part of Eugene, but still only about 20 minutes from our new place. Though they won’t spend a lot of time here, since Sarah is allergic to cats.

When we got home, I got Nancy to proofread the new BudZine, and when she was done, I went ahead and posted the issue online and on FB as well. By the end of the day there were several likes and a couple of comments.

While I was putting all the zine stuff together, Nancy had started another load of laundry, and, unfortunately, when it hit the spin cycle, it started bouncing around the pantry again. We stopped it and put the load in the dryer. I got a referral from a friend for someone who might be able to solve the washer problem for us. I will follow up tomorrow.

I went out for another walk around different areas of our new neighborhood. I walked 2.28 miles in just under 46 minutes, a total of 4,200 steps. I wound up going past the Rooster coffee shop, but I had forgotten to bring any cash with me, so I had to pass.

When I got home, Nancy had started a pot of rice to go with the orange chicken for dinner. After having her glass of wine, and me doing lap time, we began preparations for the rest of the meal. I got the green beans ready for steaming, and Nancy put the orange chicken in the oven. After 20 minutes, we stirred the chicken in the orange sauce, then served up everything and enjoyed a tasty dinner.

After cleaning up, we began our streaming entertainment for the evening. We started with Colbert’s show from last night, which featured Michelle Pfeiffer and musician Dave Matthews. Then we watched the latest episodes of “High Potential” and “Will Trent.”

Rainy conditions are expected tomorrow, starting around 4 a.m. and continuing through 1 p.m. The low tonight will be around 49 degrees, and tomorrow’s high just 57.

Given the weather forecast, chances are that Nancy and I will spend most of the day in the house. We might be able to arrange for someone to check our washer, and in the evening, when the rain might be gone, I may head to the Thursday evening recovery group. Otherwise, we will simply enjoy our new home.

+ + +

On this day in 1702, The Daily Courant, England’s first national daily newspaper, was published for the first time. It lasted until 1735, when it was merged with the Daily Gazetteer, which continued under several names until 1797.

March 11, 1952, was the birth date of Douglas Adams, an English author, humorist, and screenwriter, best known as the creator of The Hitchhiker’s Guide to the Galaxy. Originally a 1978 BBC radio comedy, The Hitchhiker’s Guide evolved into a “trilogy” of six books, which sold more than 14 million copies, and was adapted into a 1981 television series, several stage plays, comics, a 1984 video game, and a 2005 feature film.

Today is National Promposal Day, 311 Day, Debunking Day, Key Deer Awareness Day, National COVID-19 Day, National Dream Day, National Funeral Director and Mortician Recognition Day, National Immune System Day, National Oatmeal Nut Waffles Day, National Sofrito Day, Registered Dietitian Nutritionist Day, Wash Your Nose Day, World Plumbing Day, and Worship of Tools Day.

A Day Spent Inside

It was a cloudy Tuesday, but it remained dry for most of the day. The rain finally trickled in around 3 p.m. and continued off and on until 8 p.m. The overnight low was 38 degrees, and the high for the day made it to 49.

My blood sugar jumped to 219 this morning, after a rough night spent going back and forth to the bathroom while my intestines reacted to dinner and peanuts.

I spent a couple of extra hours in bed, catching up with the sleep I had missed during the night. Nancy made her own coffee, and when I finally got out of bed, we managed to play the online brain games. My brain was not quite in synch at that point.

Nancy had some toast and yogurt for breakfast. I passed on any kind of food until later in the day until, after showering and putting back on my sweats, I ate half a banana, part of the BRAT recommendation for upset stomachs: Banana, Rice, Applesauce, and Toast.

Just after showering, I lay back down on the bed, put our new heating pad on my stomach, and relaxed for a while. Nancy joined me for a brief time.

After getting up, Nancy checked in with Peg, to see if Annie still had time to stop by our new place before leaving for New Zealand tomorrow morning. Annie’s family hopes to move back to Oregon this summer, so we’ll have plenty of time to catch up then.

Ronin called to let us know he was returning from working on his mom’s place out in Marcola, and then he stopped by to finish putting handles on the kitchen drawers.

I helped Deborah book an Airbnb in Eugene for her and Sarah’s visit in May. We also learned that Tim and Sue will be coming during that same week for a little while.

In the meantime, I wrapped up work on the new BudZine and passed it along to Nancy for her proofreading. I hope to have it published online within the next couple of days.

After Nancy did her wine time, and I joined her for lap time, we made dinner, which consisted of tomato and feta cheese soup with grilled cheese sandwiches. Then we streamed last night’s episode of Colbert, with guest John Lithgow.

A little before 7 p.m., I logged into Zoom for the March Vestry meeting of St. Thomas. It turned out to be a simple and quick meeting. It was done before 8 p.m., and Nancy and I returned to streaming.

We first checked in on the next-to-last episode of the current series of “The Paradise,” then we closed out with another episode of “Murder in the Mountains.”

Rain returns tomorrow and continues over the next several days, off and on, as usual. Tonight’s low is expected to drop to 42 degrees and rise to 53 during the rainy afternoon.

There is nothing on our schedules again tomorrow. I hope to get a decent night’s sleep tonight so I don’t have to lay around all day feeling as tired out as I was today.

+ + +

On this day in 1949, Mildred Gillars was convicted of treason. An American broadcaster employed by Nazi Germany to disseminate Axis propaganda during World War II, Gillars became the first woman to be convicted of treason against the United States, following her capture in post-war Berlin. She was sentenced to ten to thirty years in prison and paroled in 1961. Along with Rita Zucca she was nicknamed “Axis Sally.”

March 10, 1841, was the birth date of Ina Coolbrith, an American poet, writer, librarian, and a prominent figure in the San Francisco Bay Area literary community, she was the first California Poet Laureate and the first poet laureate of any American state.

Today is Harriet Tubman Day, National Napping Day, National Pack Your Lunch Day, Festival of Life in Cracks Day, Histotechnology Professionals Day, International Bagpipe Day, International Day of Awesomeness, International Day of Women Judges, International Wig Day, Mario Day, National Blueberry Popover Day, National Dry Shampoo Day, National Landline Telephone Day, National Organize Your Home Office Day, National Peel Day, National Sending Day, National Skirt Day, National Women and Girls HIV/AIDS Awareness Day, and Paper Money Day.

Another Walk Around

There was evidence of some kind of precipitation all over the car today when we arose from our sleep. But that was the last of it for the day, even though it remained cloudy from start to finish. Sure, there were a few glimpses of blue sky between clouds here and there, but no more rain fell. Last night’s low fell to 37 degrees, and today’s high reached 50.

My blood sugar was back up to 179 today for whatever reasons related to diet and lack of exercise.

Following our coffee and online brain games for Monday, Nancy and I had oatmeal for breakfast. After cleaning up, we got dressed and went over to Trader Joe’s for groceries. It was not quite as crowded as we expected, especially since it was nearly noon when we got there.

On the way home, we stopped at Albertsons on Mohawk Road for a couple of bottles of cold brew.

Nancy and I briefly discussed some ideas for work on the front yard. I even chatted with one of the fellows working on the yard of our neighbor. There is a friend from my recovery fellowship who we will likely deal with when it comes time to dress up the yard after the exterior work on the house is complete.

Nancy took off to visit Kalen for a few hours, while I spent more time working on the Ninth Step for today’s Zoom meeting. Then I went for a walk towards downtown Springfield and then back, putting in 2.31 miles in just over 52 minutes, a total of 5,300 steps. Some of that time was actually spent waiting for a mocha order at the South Valley coffee drive-thru, but otherwise it was all walking.

Following the walk, I did take a nap for about forty-five minutes before getting back to the computer, working a bit on the upcoming BudZine, and then doing some last-minute prepping for the Zoom meeting.

My recovery colleagues and I were well into our responses to the Ninth Step questions when Nancy got home. She helped herself to a glass of wine and joined the cats in the back bedroom while I finished, and when I logged off the Zoom meeting, I joined Nancy and we shared our adventures with each other. I told her about my walk, and she shared her experience with the new kittens that Kalen has taken charge of.

After that, we started working on dinner. We heated up the leftover pinto beans and beef birria, decorated them with shredded cheese, then enjoyed the bowls along with a few corn chips and salsa.

Following dinner and clean-up, we streamed the next story from “The Puzzle Lady” series on PBS. The book series from which the show is adapted currently totals nineteen volumes. The two programs we have seen so far have been quite entertaining, so it might be worth it to get one or two of the books.

Some rain is expected overnight in our area, ending before sunrise and staying away for the remainder of the day. Tonight’s low will get down in the mid-30s, and tomorrow’s high will stop just short of the 50s.

I got an email from the St. Thomas senior warden today, reminding me about tomorrow evening’s vestry meeting on Zoom. I alerted Henry that I would not be doing the men’s recovery meeting.

Nothing else is on our schedule for Tuesday, but if the rain holds off, perhaps I will get out and take another walk in a different area of our new part of town. I might even talk Nancy into joining me, if any aches and pains don’t prevent her accompaniment.

+ + +

On this day in 1954, CBS television broadcast the “See It Now” episode, “A Report on Senator Joseph McCarthy,” hosted by Edward R. Murrow and produced by Fred Friendly.

March 9, 1928, was the birth date of Keely Smith, an American jazz and popular music singer, who performed and recorded extensively in the 1950s with then-husband Louis Prima, and throughout the 1960s as a solo artist.

Today is National Barbie Day, Amerigo Vespucci Day, Bang Clang Day, Fill Our Staplers Day, National American Paddlefish Day, National Crab Meat Day, National Dishwasher Day, National False Teeth Day, National Get Over It Day, National Meatball Day, and World Kidney Day.

Saving Daylight

It was still nearly dark this morning when our alarm clock went off, thanks to the switch to Daylight Savings. And the day remained cloudy and sort of dark, especially compared to yesterday’s sunny blue skies. Some rain was briefly forecast for today, but nothing more than a few light sprinkles ever showed up. The overnight low was 45 degrees, and the day’s high somehow managed to get up to 62, despite the lack of sun.

My blood sugar fell to 155 with my morning check, perhaps because it occurred an hour earlier than usual, thanks again to Daylight Savings.

We immediately showered upon arising, then we enjoyed our coffee and played the Sunday brain games. We followed that with toast with jam, then got dressed.

We headed off to church for the first time from our new home, taking a completely different route. When we got there, Nancy did her altar guild duties, I set up the streaming system for the service.

Following the service, we visited briefly with a few church friends, telling them about our moving experiences. We also did a little snacking on the bagels and cream cheese that were laid out today.

From church, we went up Coburg Road to Costco and filled up the gas tank. The price was up to $3.89 per gallon, nearly 80 cents higher over the past month. Given the current political crises, the price is likely to continue climbing.

Then we drove down to Creswell and bought a loaf of bread and breakfast sandwiches, and on the way out of town, we got a mocha from the Bean Hopper.

During most of the drive down and back we listened to “Wait Wait… Don’t Tell Me” on Spotify, finishing up when we got home.

Then we napped, attempting to catch up on the sleep we missed by having to get up that one hour earlier.

After rising, Nancy started fixing pinto. She also got online and did her change of address on the Oregon DMV site. I caught up on Flickr and started working on Step Nine for tomorrow’s meeting of the Zoom Steps & Traditions group.

Just past 5 p.m., I left for the Sunday evening recovery meeting. The young woman who ran tonight’s meeting was celebrating five years in recovery, but she started by sharing her current experiences with her mother, who is dying and suffering from dementia. That stirred up memories from others of similar times in their lives, so it was a memorable meeting. And there was still light in the sky on the way home.

When I got back, Nancy had the table set for dinner. We started with a small salad, then went with rice, pinto beans, and beef birria, which we smothered in shredded cheese. It was a very tasty meal, and I am very grateful that Nancy often has dinner prepared for us after the Sunday meetings.

Once we had cleaned up, we did our streaming for Sunday evening. We started with the newest episode from the current series of “Dark Winds,” which finds Leaphorn and Chee and Manuelito following a runaway to Los Angeles. We finished up with the second half of the Taylor Tomlinson comedy special, “Prodigal Daughter,” which we started the other night. It’s not for people who can’t laugh about religious topics.

There is no rain forecast for Monday, but the clouds will continue, so something wet may fall out of them at some point. The expected low tonight is 37 degrees, while the high might only get to 48.

I will be spending part of my Monday working on the Ninth Step for tomorrow’s Zoom Steps & Tradition meeting at 5 p.m. Nancy might run out to Marcola in the early afternoon to see Kalen, who has recently taken on five rescue kittens. They are in addition to the five cats and three big dogs she already owns.

+ + +

On this day in 1910, French aviatrix Raymonde de Laroche became the first woman to receive a pilot’s license.

March 8, 1902, was the birth date of Louise Beavers, an American film and television actress who appeared in dozens of films and two hit television shows from the 1920s to 1960. She played a prominent role in advancing the lives of black Americans through her work and collaborated with fellow advocates to improve the social standing and media image of the black community.

In addition to the beginning of Daylight Savings and National Oregon Day, today is International Women’s Day and United Nations Day for Women’s Rights and International Peace, National Proofreading Day, Be Nasty Day, Check Your Batteries Day, National Peanut Cluster Day, and National Retro Video Game Day.

A Routine Saturday

The sun was shining almost from the moment we got out of bed today, with blue sky all around. The overnight low was 43 degrees, and today’s high made it to 64, thanks to the sunshine.

My blood sugar was down to 167 at this morning’s check. The decrease was most certainly due to the fact that I did not have anything for dinner, since I was still stuffed from our big Greek lunch on Friday.

Following our coffee and brain games, I got on the computer and checked on my Flickr account. Nancy was giving thought to more organizing, and she opted out of her altar guild duties for today, thanks to the option from Linda, who heads the team. Nancy will attend to the duties tomorrow at church.

Then we made a breakfast of cheesy eggs, bacon, and toast with jam. For clean-up, Nancy washed the dishes for a change, while I dried and put away things, which gave me the opportunity to remember where we have stored all the dishes in the new kitchen.

Afterwards, Nancy did a little rearranging in the second bedroom. We are contemplating adding a cat tower, so she was making room for it.

Then we brushed our teeth, dressed, and headed out into the sunny daytime, heading to the Mini Pet Mart on Main Street to get more cat food and a taller cat tree for the cat room.

When we got home, we placed put the cat tree into the second bedroom, then I checked into Flickr, and Nancy played her piano for a while.

A bit later we napped. When we got up, we sat out in the back yard for a little while, watching the birds and squirrels nearby and the geese and crows overheard.

Before the dinner hour, Nancy enjoyed a glass of wine, and I joined her for lap time. Following that, we began putting together the evening’s meal. I prepared a pot of green beans for boiling, and Nancy heated up the remainder of the Greek chicken leftover, stirred in some of the rice leftovers, and we had another good dinner meal.

We began our streaming with the final two episodes of the current series of “My Life is Murder,” which comprised a single story that involved Alexa and an old police colleague investigating a man suspected of murdering yet another wife.

Next, we turned to another episode in the current series of “Shrinking,” and closed out the evening’s entertainment with the first of three episodes of “Agatha Christie’s Seven Dials,” a new adaptation of the book which was originally written in 1929.

A small chance of rain has returned for tomorrow, though it does not occur until about 5 p.m. Of course, there is a good likelihood that it will come sooner or later or not at all, given the way that weather patterns behave. With one hour of the night disappearing thanks to the arrival of daylight savings time, the day will begin early, and the overnight low is expected to drop to 43 degrees, while tomorrow’s high might not make it to 60.

We will have to account for the missing hour in arising on time to shower and enjoy our morning coffee before heading off to church, where Nancy will have her altar duties, and I will perform my streaming job. Other than church, the only other item on the calendar tomorrow is my Sunday evening recovery meeting. But more organizational efforts will certainly occur.

+ + +

On this day in 1965, a group of 600 civil rights marchers were brutally attacked by state and local police in Selma, Alabama, and televised images of the brutal attack presented horrifying images of marchers left bloodied and severely injured, which resulted in more support for the Selma Voting Rights Campaign.

March 7, 1938, was the birth date of Janet Guthrie, the first female to qualify and race in the Indianapolis 500 and the Daytona 500, both of which she competed in during 1977.

Today is National Be Heard Day, National Cereal Day, National Crown Roast of Pork Day, National Flapjack Day, Plant Power Day, and Sock Monkey Day.

A Chance Encounter

It was a little damp this morning when we awoke, due, perhaps, to a little bit of precipitation overnight. The remainder of the day was cloudy, with the occasional sprinkles falling here and there, but nothing resembling a real rainstorm. Last night’s low was 42 degrees, and the high today reached 56.

My blood sugar climbed to 199. Too much of something, too little of something else. Guessing doesn’t help.

After enjoying our coffee and playing the Friday edition of the online brain games, Nancy and I had oatmeal for breakfast. She checked in with Robin, and we planned to meet him and Joan at Poppi’s again for lunch. Robin’s daughter Annie, who is visiting from New Zealand, had other plans for today.

After taking advantage of our new shower and getting dressed, we drove back to Dick’s Sporting Goods so I could exchange the sweatshirt I bought for a larger size. From there, we dropped off donations at the St. Vinnie’s on Chad Drive, just down from Costco.

Then Nancy and I headed down to meet with Robin and Joan. We passed them walking toward Poppi’s and the Fifth Street Market as we headed for a parking lot. Then, as we walked back to meet them, we discovered them standing on the street corner talking with Annie and Jane, one of the Straub sisters. They had met nearby for some business planning for Annie and her family’s move back to the U.S. Our running into each other was just another one of those chance encounters.

Robin and Joan paid for our lunch today as a housewarming gift of sorts, and instead of walking over to Euphoria Chocolates, we invited them back to 8th Street and offered them a Skinny Dip peanut butter cup for an alternative. They were impressed with everything we had managed to do since they last saw the place.

As they left, Kathleen showed up. She chatted with them briefly, then came into the house and visited with us for a while. When she left, Nancy and I napped.

By the time we woke up, it was nearly 5:30 p.m., so Nancy helped herself to a glass of wine. I finished off the peanuts from Costco, since I was not ready to a real meal after the big lunch. Nancy did get the lunch leftovers out of the fridge and finished them off while we streamed last night’s Colbert show, with Jimmy Fallon as a guest.

Once Colbert was done, I headed over to Costco to get more peanuts. In addition to two big cans of those, I went ahead and got another package of the Skinny Dips, and I also managed to find a nice big package of Ricola.

When I got back, we began streaming the first episode of the new series of “Hope Street,” then we watched an episode of “Best Medicine” that featured Martin Clunes as the physician father of the doctor played by Josh Charles. Nancy had watched it already when I was away at a meeting, but she enjoyed it enough to be willing to sit through it one more time.

It looks like there may be some actual sunshine on Saturday afternoon. Rain has disappeared from the forecast until Tuesday, but that could easily change, as it does. Tonight’s low should be around 45 degrees, and the high tomorrow might get in the lower 60s.

Nancy has altar guild duties in the morning, but Linda offered her the chance to skip it if we’re still tired from moving. Nancy texted Linda that she will let her know in the morning if she has the energy for it.

We have nothing else planned for the day, but with the chance of sunshine, we might be tempted to get out, and I could take my camera and shoot some new pictures instead of relying on old photos from many years past to post on the Flickr account.

+ + +

On this day in 1967, Joseph Stalin’s daughter, Svetlana Alliluyeva, defected to the United States. She became a naturalized citizen in 1978.

March 6, 1893, was the birth date of Ella P. Stewart, one of the first African American female pharmacists in the United States. She gained admittance to the University of Pittsburgh School of Pharmacy in 1914, completed her degree in pharmaceutical chemistry and passed the state examination in 1916.

Today is National Day of Unplugging, National Dentist Day, National Dress Day, National Frozen Food Day, National Oreo Day, Alamo Day, Day of Memorial and Respect for Veterans, Day of the Dude, National Dress in Blue Day, National Employee Appreciation Day, National Middle Name Pride Day, National Speech and Debate Education Day, National White Chocolate Cheesecake Day, No Homework Day, Paralympic Winter Games, and World Day of Prayer.

Stopping by KRVM

Thursday was another cloudy day, and, for the most part, not subject to rain. Although we did encounter a few misty episodes while we were out around mid-day. Last night’s low was just 41 degrees, and today’s high managed to hit 51.

My blood sugar level came in at 192 this morning. More peanuts and not enough protein to help keep it in a better range.

Following our coffee and the online brain games for Thursday, Nancy and I made some cheesy eggs, bacon and toast for breakfast. Then we cleaned up the dishes, showered and dressed. I shaved for the first time in a couple of weeks, having to wait an entire day for my shaver to charge.

We went out to Dick’s Sporting Goods off the Beltline and found a set of sweats for me. They were not as expensive as the ones that carried well-known labels on them, which was a good thing.

Then we went over to the Market of Choice nearby and bought a few groceries, including another bottle of pinot gris for Nancy.

Next, we dropped off some donations to KRVM, which is located on the Sheldon High School property just off Coburg Road, near the other Market of Choice. I also met a couple of the staff and got a baseball cap with the station logo on it for my donation.

Then we came home by way of Native Coffee on Centennial Blvd. We unloaded everything, then I went by myself over to Jerry’s and bought a regular sink strainer. I stopped by to Winco for cream, but that was the only product in the DariGold line they did not have. So, I went over to Albertsons on Marcola Road and bought cream and came home.

We did a bit more organizing, including hanging a picture in the living room. Then, while I fell asleep on the couch, Nancy began fixing dinner. She cooked a fresh pot of rice, steamed some broccoli, and heated up some of the Greek chicken leftovers.

While we were cleaning up after dinner, Ronin stopped by to fix the washing machine. He had done some online research and discovered that all it took was a simple electronic switch to keep the washer from bouncing all over the place while washing.

Nancy and I sat down to watch a bit of last night’s Colbert show, which featured Steve Carell. About halfway into the show, I took off for the Thursday night recovery meeting.

Tonight’s meeting was very well attended. The circle filled up and had to be expanded a couple of times as more people wandered in. The leader for tonight was a fellow celebrating his second year in recovery, and he shared a good story about his experiences.

When I got home, Nancy and I watched the fourth episode in the third series of “The Paradise.” Another body turned up, and Hilkka and Luisa stumbled on barrels full of radioactive mining waste in a storage area abandoned by the military. There are just two more episodes.

Rain is back in the forecast for Friday, though not very much. Just a small chance during the middle of the afternoon. Otherwise, it will be just another cloudy day. Tonight’s low will repeat 41 degrees, and the high tomorrow could get to 53.

We still have nothing on our calendar for Friday, so we will continue to organize things here at 8th Street. We’ve made pretty good progress in our first week, but there are still more than a few odds and ends that need to be sorted. And more art to hang on the walls.

+ + +

On this day in 1616, Nicolaus Copernicus’s book On the Revolutions of the Heavenly Spheres is added to the Index of Forbidden Books, a changing list of publications deemed heretical or contrary to morality, 73 years after it was first published.

March 5, 1871, was the birth date of Rosa Luxemburg, a Polish and naturalized-German Marxist theorist and revolutionary, a leading theorist of the Social Democratic Party of Germany and co-founder of the anti-war Spartacus League, which evolved into the Communist Party of Germany. An influential member of the international socialist movement and champion of socialist democracy, she famously stated, “Freedom is always and exclusively freedom for the one who thinks differently.”

Today is National Absinthe Day, Dissociative Identity Disorder Awareness Day, International Open Data Day, Multiple Personality Day, Nametag Day, National Cheese Doodle Day, National Hospitalist Day, National Potty Dance Day, Reel Film Day, and World Information Architecture Day.

March Forth!

It was raining as we awoke this morning to the sound of the big truck emptying the recycling bins in our neighborhood. The rain continued off and on throughout most of the day, occasionally allowing the sun to peek between the clouds, coming to a halt just about bedtime. The overnight low was 44 degrees, and the high only reached 50.

Thanks to all the peanuts I had after dinner last night, my blood sugar came in at 188 this morning.

Following our coffee and the online brain games for the day, Nancy and I had oatmeal for breakfast.

Then we spent time doing more organizing, going through boxes and piles of stuff, figuring out where things could be stored.

After showering, we did more organizing, including going through the boxes that sat in the garage at F Street with lots of art works stashed in them. Nancy picked out some to hang in our new place, the rest went back into boxes and are headed for the shed for storage.

Around the noon hour, we ran over to JC Penney at Valley River Center to look for some sweatpants for me. I didn’t have any luck. Everything with famous labels on them was priced way too high.

We then walked around the mall a little bit, and we grabbed a dark chocolate mocha at a little place called Café Aroma.

We returned home and napped, then started doing even more organizing. I went through a couple of boxes with collections of my stuff in them. I found space for a few things, but some other things I don’t have any use for these days. I wrote KRVM to see if they might use a microphone and audio recorder I no longer need. I’m looking forward to getting a reply from them.

While Nancy and I were busy organizing, Ronin came by and added knobs and handles to the kitchen cabinets and some of the drawers. I also gave him a combination lock that has been in my collection of junk since I got it in, maybe, the seventh grade?

Then Nancy made up the marinade for our Greek chicken dinner and put it in the fridge to do its job. Then we stuck it in the oven to cook right about 5 p.m., and I prepared more green beans for cooking, and heated up the leftover rice. We sat down to have the meal at 6 p.m., and then we cleaned up afterwards.

Our streaming began this evening with the newest episodes of “Will Trent” and “High Potential.” Then we tried out the pilot episode of “RJ Decker,” based on a novel by Carl Hiaasen, about a former news photographer who spent time in jail and then turned into a private investigator. Of course, it takes place in Florida.

We still had a little time, so we also streamed the first half of Taylor Tomlinson’s new comedy special, “Prodigal Daughter,” her take on what it’s like growing up in a church environment. Having done that myself, I enjoyed what she had to say about religion.

Thursday looks like it will be mostly cloudy again, with tonight’s low around 42 degrees and tomorrow’s high maybe reaching 50.

Our organizational efforts are certain to continue tomorrow. We have nothing scheduled for the day, though I will consider attending the Thursday night recovery meeting if I don’t wear myself out figuring out where to put things.

+ + +

On this day in 1933, the U.S. Senate confirmed American workers-rights advocate Frances Perkins as Secretary of Labor. She was sworn in the same day, making her the first female member of the United States Cabinet. She served in that position until 1945.

March 4, 1934, was the birth date of Barbara McNair, an American singer and theater, television, and film actress whose career spanned more than five decades. McNair’s professional career began in music during the late 1950s, and she performed all around the world, touring with Nat King Cole and later appearing in his Broadway stage shows in the early 1960s. 

In addition to March Forth, today is Hug a G.I. Day, National Grammar Day, National Sons Day, Brain Injury Awareness Day, Courageous Follower Day, Discover What Your Name Means Day, Global Day of the Engineer, Holy Experiment Day, HPV Awareness Day, International Scrapbooking Industry Day, National Backcountry Ski Day, National Dance the Waltz Day, National Marching Band Day, National Pound Cake Day, National Safety Day, Stop Bad Service Day, Toy Soldier Day, World Day of Fight Against Sexual Exploitation, and World Obesity Day.

A Place for Everything

This was another mostly cloudy day, although the sun did shine through a few times, and we actually saw shadows being cast. Last night’s low was only 43 degrees, and the high today climbed to 60.

My blood sugar came in at 163, which was a significant drop from yesterday. I had thought that all the peanuts I indulged in would keep the numbers high, but maybe the orange chicken we had for dinner balanced that out.

Following our coffee and online brain games, we made cheesy eggs with bacon and toast for breakfast. Then, after cleaning up, we did more organizing around the house, finding a place for everything and putting everything into its place. OK, not everything. There are still a few boxes sitting around that need to be emptied, and other bits and pieces lying around taking up space.

Nancy talked briefly with Kalen, and we got the word again on the monthly “rent” we will be paying. In addition to the basic payment, we are also taking care of some insurance and taxes.

Then we got dressed and ready to go out and run errands. We started by fortifying ourselves with a mocha from the Native Coffee on Centennial Blvd. Then we went by the Mini Pet Mart for cat treats and food.

From there we went to drop off more things at St. Vinnie’s and went by SELCO for some cash, then we checked out a secondhand store on Main Street, hoping to find something to use as a chest for our linens. There was a nice-looking chest, but they wanted way more money than we wanted to spend.

We moved on to Jerry’s and picked up a couple of bathroom mats and tiny curtain rod for the hall shelf space right outside the bathroom. Then we hit Albertsons for kitty poop bags.

Next, we tried looking at Fred Meyers for a tiny curtain for the hall closet, but we had no luck. All we wound up buying was Ricola.

We came home and napped, then started doing more organizing. Ronin showed up to put up the curtain rod over the back door, and we got the curtains hung to provide a little more privacy. Ronin also helped us put up a magnetic board on which we then posted a bunch of our travel-related souvenirs.

Finally, we made dinner, cooking a fresh pot of rice, heating up the leftover orange chicken, and making a small salad to kick off the meal. Once we ate and cleaned up, we streamed some of Colbert’s Monday night show.

Just before I took off for the Tuesday evening men’s recovery meeting, the neighbor couple between us and Kathleen dropped by with a nice gift of flowers in a little pot the wife had created. I put out the trash for tomorrow prior to driving away. Later, after Kathleen pointed out that recycling gets picked up also, I put out the big blue bin which is full of cardboard and wrapping paper. We already have enough standing by to fill it up again right away.

It was nice to make it back to the men’s recovery meeting, though I felt too tired to pay much attention to what was being shared. I focused as much as possible on each person speaking, which made my attendance worthwhile. It was also good to see Henry again after a couple of weeks.

When I got home, Nancy said that Kathleen had come over with Seran and Sophie to check out the place while I was away. I checked to see if they were still over and Kathleen’s, and I took a small bag of photographic related things I wanted to get rid of to see if Seran wanted any of them.

Then Nancy and I streamed a recent comedy special by Kumail Nanjiani, “Night Thoughts.” It seemed like a better choice that the first episode of the “Count of Monte Cristo” series which recently debuted on PBS.

There was a little rain as we left the men’s meeting tonight, and there is supposed to be more overnight and through most of the day tomorrow. Tonight’s low will be around 43 degrees, and tomorrow’s high could reach just 50.

There is nothing planned for tomorrow, but we will probably wind up doing more organizing. We hope to get even closer to having all our shit together. And if the rain sticks around all day, it will be easy to stay indoors and do the work.

+ + +

On this day in 1913, thousands of women marched in the Woman Suffrage Procession in Washington, D.C. It was the first suffragist parade and the first large, organized march on Washington, D.C., for any political purposes. Organized by suffragists Alice Paul and Lucy Burns for the National American Woman Suffrage Association, the parade’s purpose was to “march in a spirit of protest against the present political organization of society, from which women are excluded.”

March 3, 1947, was the birth date of Jennifer Warnes, an American singer and songwriter who has performed as a vocalist on several film soundtracks. She has won two Grammy Awards and collaborated closely with Leonard Cohen.

Today is National If Pets Had Thumbs Day, Purim, World Wildlife Day, 33 Flavors Day, Canadian Bacon Day, Caregiver Appreciation Day, Floating Lantern Festival, Global Omega-3 Day, Iditarod Trail Sled Dog Race, International Ear Care Day, International Irish Whiskey Day, National Anthem Day, National Cold Cuts Day, National I Want You to be Happy Day, National Moscow Mule Day, National Mulled Wine Day, National Sportsmanship Day, National Town Meeting Day, Navy Reserve Birthday, Peach Blossom Day, Simplify Your Life Day, Soup It Forward Day, Talk in Third Person Day, Unique Names Day, and World Hearing Day.

A Working Shower

Our Monday was partly cloudy, with no sign of rain. There was a bit of sunshine during the afternoon. The overnight low was 46 degrees, and the afternoon high made it up to 62.

My blood sugar was up to 195 at the time of the morning check. This was mostly due to the lack of decent meals yesterday and maybe too many peanuts throughout the evening.

Following our coffee and the online brain games for Monday, we dressed and went out to run a few errands. We first returned the F Street keys to the rental agency, located on W. 11th Street in Eugene.

Then went to Lowe’s and bought a shower curtain rod, a curtain rod for the back doors, and knobs for the cabinet doors and drawers.

We followed that lunch at Pastini, then got a few groceries from Trader Joe’s. We came home via Native Coffee on Centennial Blvd., after which we tried to install the shower curtain rod, which uses tension. We could not get that done, and after texting Ronin, he showed up not long after and helped us do that. Then we set up the shelves over the toilet with Ronin watching.

When Ronin left, Nancy took a shower, but the hot water was not strong, so some kind of adjustment needed to be made. After texting once again, Ronin came back and fixed the hot water. Then I took a shower, after which we napped for a little bit.

Later I went to Jerry’s and got a new shower curtain liner. I also looked for some cabinets that we might use for our linen, but there was nothing that fit that bill.

When I got home, Nancy was working on getting through to the insurance company to cancel our renter’s insurance. The national company has taken over handling all those kinds of things, which turned out to be a real pain in the ass getting through their system.

For the first time in nearly a month, I went out for a walk, this time around our new neighborhood. I did 2.09 miles in just over 44 minutes, a total of 4,900 steps. Some parts of this area have no sidewalks, so walking in the street is necessary. But it was nice to get out and enjoy the decent weather.

For dinner tonight, we fixed more of the orange chicken we got from Trader Joe’s today, along with a bit of leftover rice, and a pot of green beans. After cleaning them up in the nice new kitchen sink, we began our entertainment for the evening.

We started with the newest episode of “Dark Winds,” then we discovered a new offering from PBS, which they call “The Puzzle Lady” but was originally broadcast in Britain as “Murder Most Puzzling.” It was an enjoyable mystery, and we look forward to the other two stories.

During the murder mystery, I checked into my Flickr account because I was thinking there might be another “Explore” today, based on the timing between them. Sure enough, a very simple photo of a big wall with a single window was selected as my 18th contribution.

The rain has disappeared from the forecast for tomorrow, but the day is expected to be cloudy once again, with a low tonight of 44 degrees and a high in the upper 50s.

We will continue settling into our new home, but the only thing on the calendar for tomorrow is the men’s recovery meeting in the evening. It’s been more than a week since I’ve been to a meeting, mostly due to all the insanity associated with the move to our new place.

+ + +

On this day in 1962, Wilt Chamberlain set the single-game scoring record in the National Basketball Association by scoring 100 points. No other NBA player has ever scored more than 90 points in a game since then.

March 2, 1860, was the birth date of Susanna M. Salter, an American politician and activist who served from 1887 to 1888 as mayor of Argonia, Kansas, becoming the first woman to serve in that role in the United States and one of the earliest in any U.S. political office.

Today is American Citizenship Day, Fun Facts About Names Day, International Rescue Cat Day, National Banana Cream Pie Day, National Egg McMuffin Day, National Old Stuff Day, Read Across America Day, World Teen Mental Wellness Day, and World Tennis Day.

A Sunday Without Church

A brief period of rain began around 10 a.m. It returned in the early afternoon and continued throughout the remainder of the day. Last night’s low was 40 degrees, and today’s high barely managed to get up to 51.

My blood sugar came in at 160 again, the second day in a row. The good numbers were likely the result of all the hard work we did yesterday in terms of clearing out F Street and moving things around here at 8th Street as we tried to find places for all of our junk.

During our coffee and brain games, Kathleen showed up with Mark, the guy doing the work on the shower. Which is why we opted out of attending the service at St. Thomas today. Once Mark was finished and cleaned up, Nancy and I fixed oatmeal for breakfast.

We are still unable to use the shower, since one or two small tasks remain. And we don’t have a shower curtain rod in place. We may wind up showering at Kathleen’s a couple more times.

A little later, Ronin came over to do his shower chore, and Kathleen came with him. Nancy asked for some ideas for the second bedroom, and Kathleen suggested moving all the cat stuff into a corner that was not immediately visible from outside the room. It’s not the first good idea she has come up with.

Kathleen also started putting together the coat rack we bought for the living room, and I joined in to assist. It was much easier to construct than the desk Nancy and I did the other day. Now we have a place to hang a few jackets and hats and shelves for shoes.

When Kathleen and Ronin left to run shop at Jerry’s—Ronin is replacing tools that were stolen from his truck last night—I went to Costco to fill up on gas ($3.69 per gallon!) and also to pick up some peanuts and Skinny Dip peanut butter cups.

On the way back, I stopped at Jitterbug Java and got a Mexican Mocha, then I ran into Fred Meyers for a package of Ricola.

After Nancy enjoyed a glass of wine, and I caught up again on my Flickr account, we made a couple of bacon, egg and cheese sandwiches for our dinner. Then we began our evening’s streaming entertainment.

We started with the final episode of “Grace” from the current series. Another series is planned, and this one ended with some hints about what might be coming. We finished off our watching with another episode of “Murder in the Mountains” from “Walter Presents” on PBS. The program ran for 20 series under the title “SOKO Kitzbühel,” but only two of the series are currently shown through “Walter Presents,” and we are approaching the end of the two.

There might be a little more rain tonight, but tomorrow will be free of any precipitation. At least according to the current forecast. Tonight’s low will be in the mid-40s, and tomorrow could see a high of 60, thanks to the sunshine that will appear in the afternoon.

Our plans for tomorrow include returning the keys from F Street to the rental agency, then keeping our fingers crossed for at least a partial refund of our $2,000 deposit. We will go shopping at Jerry’s to find nobs for the cabinets and drawers in the kitchen, and we might try and locate something in which to stash the linen we have. And, maybe, figure out where everything else that is still sitting in the middle of the living room can be stored.

+ + +

On this day in 1692, Sarah Good, Sarah Osborne, and Tituba were brought before local magistrates in Salem Village, Massachusetts, beginning what would become known as the Salem witch trials.

March 1, 1917, was the birth date of Dinah Shore, an American singer, actress, television personality, author, and talk show host who rose to prominence as a recording artist during the Big Band era and achieved even greater success a decade later in television, mainly as the host of a series of variety programs.

In addition to the beginning of International Ideas Month, today is National Peanut Butter Lover’s Day, Asiatic Fleet Memorial Day, Baby Sleep Day, Endometriosis Awareness Day, Finisher’s Medal Day, International Women of Color Day, Namesake Day, National Horse Protection Day, National Hotel Slipper Day, National Pig Day, National Wedding Planning Day, National Welsh Corgi Day, Peace Corps Day, Plan a Solo Vacation Day, Public Risk Management Awareness Day, Refired Not Retired Day, Self-Injury Awareness Day, Share a Smile Day, World Civil Defense Day, World Compliment Day, World Seagrass Day, and Zero Discrimination Day.

Farewell to F Street

Today was cloudy all day long, but there no rain until late in the evening, despite previous reports that there might be some earlier in the day. The overnight low was 33 degrees, and the day’s high reached 50.

My blood sugar came in at just 160 today, a result, perhaps, of the two more or less healthy meals we enjoyed yesterday. Not to mention the physical labor.

After our coffee and the online brain games for Saturday, we made cheesy eggs and toast for breakfast. Then we went to Kathleen’s house to shower again.

The man coming to finish the work on our shower won’t be able to make it until tomorrow. At least according to the most recent information. So, we decided to skip church on Sunday and wait for the shower repairs. I asked my fellow church service streamer to handle those chores tomorrow, and he agreed.

We went to Market of Choice for a list of groceries that included coffee and wine, and we stopped by Native Coffee on Centennial Boulevard for a mocha on the way home.

Our first mail delivery arrived today, and the only thing sent directly to this address was a small package from my sister, Deborah. It contained a greeting card and a cross from our mother’s collection sent as a blessing for our new home.

The fellow from Jefferson who was coming to get the treadmill texted that he was delayed an hour. In the meantime, I texted my friend Art to see if he had a truck, in case the guy from Jefferson flaked out. But Roger and his wife did show up and paid us the full asking price in cash. We helped load the treadmill in their truck, and they took off for home.

As Kila was finishing up the cleaning job at F Street, we put the Sanipac bins outside the garage door, then departed from there for the final time. We stopped by Albertsons on Mohawk Road to get cream and cold brew. When we reached our new home, we unloaded the fig tree and the vacuum cleaner with the help of a neighbor who pulled into his driveway just after we got to ours.

After a bit more organizing, we managed to enjoy dinner at the table, instead of standing at the counter as we did for breakfast. We heated up the last of the Greek chicken and cooked fresh pots of rice and broccoli.

After cleaning up, we moved over to the sofa to enjoy an evening of streaming entertainment. We began with the most recent episode of “Elsbeth.” We followed that with the next episode in the third series of “The Paradise,” then closed out the evening with the final episode of the sixth series of “Miss Scarlet.” There is no word yet on whether the show will return for a seventh series, but we hope it does.

There was some light rain for a brief period late this evening, but more is not expected until late Sunday morning, and then it may continue through the remainder of the day. Tonight’s low will be in the high 30s, and tomorrow’s high could reach 55 degrees, despite the rain.

We do not have a specific time for tomorrow’s work on the shower, but when we are able to get out of the house, we will spend some time at Jerry’s looking at handles for the drawers and cabinets in the kitchen and a new mailbox. We also are looking for a chest or trunk for all the linens which currently have no home. No doubt we will do more organizing here at 8th Street.

+ + +

On this day in 1993, Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco and Firearms agents raided the Branch Davidian church in Waco, Texas, with a warrant to arrest the group’s leader, David Koresh, starting a 51-day standoff.

February 28, 1948, was the birth date of Bernadette Peters, an American actress and singer who, over a career spanning more than six decades, has starred in musical theater, television and film, performed in solo concerts and released recordings. A critically acclaimed Broadway performer, she has received seven nominations for Tony Awards, winning two, and nine Drama Desk Award nominations, winning three. Four of the Broadway cast albums on which she has starred have won Grammy Awards.

Today is National Chocolate Souffle Day, National Pancake Day, Car Keys and Small Change Day, Floral Design Day, International Repetitive Strain Injury Awareness Day, International Sword Swallowers Day, International Tongue Twister Contest Day, National Customized Wheel and Tire Day, National Essay Day, National Public Sleeping Day, National Time Refund Day, National Vegan Lipstick Day, Open That Bottle Night, Rare Disease Day, and U.S. Snow Shoe Day.

Back on the Internet

There was fog around this morning, but we were in a different part of town, so it was not the same thing we have been used to. Last night’s low dropped to 31 degrees, and with some sun coming around in the afternoon, the high went up to 54.

My blood sugar rose again to 200, most likely due to the lack of good food yesterday. The same bit of sandwich for lunch and dinner is not the best choice, and my glucose agreed.

Nancy and I had our usual morning coffee, but we were not able play any of the brain games because the HotSpot from my iPhone had reached its limit. The Xfinity tech showed up just after noon, and after working on the installation for a little more than an hour, our internet connection began operating.

That was after we went out a breakfast at the Pump Café. We had gone to Addi’s first, but there were no seats available, so we opted for our second choice. After the meal, we went by Native Coffee on Centennial Blvd., then returned to the house to wait for our internet.

Then we did more organizing, and I wound up taking a number of things out to the shed in the back. We also tried running the washing machine, after calling in Kathleen for help getting it started. Unfortunately, during the first load, it went off balance and nearly walked out from under the deck that covers it and the dryer.

We stopped the washer and put the clothes in the dryer, which required more than one cycle to get everything dry.

Once the Xfinity tech got everything running, we tried to do the brain games, but we only made it through the Spelling Bee before Nancy decided she needed to rest a bit. While she happed, I caught up with some of the computing I missed out on because of the lack of internet connection.

Once Nancy was rested, we headed over to F Street and grabbed several of the boxes of art that had been sitting in the garage since our arrival in April of 2024. We went back later to meet Kila, who is cleaning the place for us. We took her a list that the rental agency sent us with directions for cleaning. I am not holding out much hope for a refund of our deposit.

We also made arrangements with someone from the FB Marketplace to buy the treadmill, which still sits in the living room at F Street. We will meet them there at some point tomorrow, and then we will also take home the one remaining item, a small fig tree.

While we have nearly gotten the living room and kitchen and front bedroom organized, there is still a lot of material that we need to find a place for. Some things may sit in the shed for a while before we figure out how to handle them.

We briefly considered fixing up some of the leftovers for a dinner, then we changed our minds and went out for dinner at Johnny Ocean’s. Nancy and I both got a chicken and rice dish which was quite tasty. We considered stopping by Trader Joe’s to get a couple of grocery items but then realized that Friday evening is not the best time to go there.

When we made it home, we got back into streaming. We started with the monologue from last night’s Colbert show, plus his “Meanwhile” follow-up. Then we caught the first episode of the “Scrubs” return and closed out the evening with an interesting episode of “Will Trent.”

There is the possibility of a little rain tomorrow afternoon and evening. The low tonight will be around the mid-30s, and Saturday’s high is likely to slip into the low 50s.

We will do more organizing during the day, as well as dealing with Kila and cleaning up at F Street and meeting the folks buying the treadmill whenever they manage to get down our way.

+ + +

On this day in 1973, members of the American Indian Movement occupied Wounded Knee, on the Pine Ridge Indian Reservation in Oglala Lakota County, South Dakota, in protest of the federal government, following the failure of an effort of the Oglala Sioux Civil Rights Organization to impeach tribal president Richard Wilson, who was accused of corruption and abuse of opponents.

February 27, 1897, was the birth date of Marian Anderson, an American contralto who performed a wide range of music, from opera to spirituals and with renowned orchestras in major concert and recital venues throughout the United States and Europe between 1925 and 1965. Anderson was an important figure in the struggle for African-American artists to overcome racial prejudice in the United States after the Daughters of the American Revolution refused to allow her to sing to an integrated audience in Constitution Hall in Washington, D.C. With the aid of First Lady Eleanor Roosevelt and her husband, President Franklin D. Roosevelt, Anderson performed a critically acclaimed open-air concert on Easter Sunday, April 9, 1939, on the Lincoln Memorial steps in the capital.

Today is International Polar Bear Day, National Protein Day, International Stand Up to Bullying Day, National Kahlua Day, National Pokemon Day, National Strawberry Day, No Brainer Day, Retro Day, Skip the Straw Day, The Big Breakfast Day, and World NGO Day.

Moving, Day 2

Early today there was a lot of fog and mist and cloudiness, but that gave way to just ordinary cloudiness for the entire day. The morning low was 30 degrees, and we noticed the presence of frost on our car, which was parked in front of the new house, where there is no garage. The high today only reached 49.

My blood sugar was back down this morning, no doubt due to all the exercise we got yesterday while doing our moving. My steps app recorded 4.4 miles worth of walking around while packing and moving.

After our first coffee and online brain games in the new house, we spent some time organizing the kitchen, figuring out where to put all the dishware and food products. Kathleen showed up before needing to head off to work for the day, and she passed along some good ideas.

We finally got over to F Street to load up most of what was left there, including all the clothes and shoes in the bedroom closet. Ronin was present to help out once again.

After we brought the load back to 8th Street, I ran to Jersey Mike’s to get sandwiches and drinks for us. We had half the sandwich for lunch, and we ate the other half for dinner.

Before getting lunch, I stopped at the Walgreens near us to order another prescription refill. It was available within a couple of hours, and I picked it up from the drive-thru on my way back from another visit to F Street to get my clothes and Nancy’s shoes, along with a few other items.

Nancy and I spent a good couple of hours putting together the desk we bought for my computing spot in the corner of the living room. We used up a lot of my personal hotspot connecting to the internet. The Xfinity tech is supposed to show up tomorrow to give us back our real internet connection.

In the meantime, we did stream Colbert’s show from Wednesday night and the latest episode of “Shrinking.”

There is still plenty to do, especially in the second bedroom, where the cats are sharing space with lots of boxes and other miscellaneous material. Also, someone is coming tomorrow to finish some work on the bathroom. We can use the toilet, but the shower was not ready, so I walked over to Kathleen’s and Ronin’s to take a shower this evening. Nancy was too tired, so she will get first dibs on our shower tomorrow.

Tomorrow is supposed to be sunny, with a high of 58 degrees following an overnight low of 33. We will likely see more frost on our car, something we have not gotten used to with access to a garage.

In addition to continuing our organizing tomorrow, we will also be meeting Kila in the late afternoon at F Street so she can do the clean-up there. She will be back on Saturday to finish. We also hope to meet someone from a town north of here who is interested in the treadmill, which Ronin and I had to take apart today in order to get it out of the room it was in.

+ + +

On this day in 1909, Kinemacolor, the first successful color motion picture process, was first shown to the general public at the Palace Theatre in London.

February 26, 1932, was the birth date of Johnny Cash, an American singer-songwriter who is one of the best-selling music artists of all time, having sold more than 90 million records worldwide. His genre-spanning music embraced country, rock and roll, rockabilly, blues, folk, and gospel sounds, a crossover appeal that earned him the rare honor of being inducted into the Country Music, Rock and Roll, and Gospel Music Halls of Fame.

Today is National Pistachio Day, Black Lives Matter Day, Carpe Diem Day, Digital Learning Day, For Pete’s Sake Day, Introduce a Girl to Engineering Day, Letter to an Elder Day, Levis Strauss Day, National Toast Day, Tell a Fairy Tale Day, and Thermos Bottle Day.

Moving, Day 1

Early this morning it was very cloudy, but it cleared soon and blue skies dominated the remainder of the day. There was not a drop of rain in sight. The overnight low dropped to 36 degrees, and with the sunshine, the high made it to 53.

My blood sugar jumped to 200. Part of that might have been due to the fact that I slept only a couple of hours, thanks to the stress I was feeling in anticipation of the moving that was planned for today. Nancy did not have a restful night either.

Following our coffee and the online brain games for Wednesday, we made toast with jam for our breakfast. Then we dressed and began getting things ready to move.

Ronin checked in early and let us know he would be helping out during the first part of the day. Kyle had to take Seran to the airport, and Kurt had other plans until about 2 p.m.

After loading up our car and Ronin’s truck, we brought everything over to 8th Street. Kyle and Seran were there with Sophie, checking out the progress before taking off for the airport.

After we transferred the first loads into 8th Street, Ronin and Nancy and I went to Addi’s for lunch. Then we went back to F Street and met Kyle and Sophie, who had dropped Seran off for her trip to Tucson. We started loading up our vehicles with lots of stuff.

Around 2 p.m., Kurt showed up with his truck. We loaded more things up, piling them up high enough to require straps to hold them down. When just about every nook and cranny had been filled, the four vehicles headed out for 8th Street.

As we began to unpack, the neighbor who lives between our new place and Kathleen’s house arrived and offered to help move things in.

Eventually we got everything unloaded, most of which was placed haphazardly around the house. We will certainly be involved in a lot of organizing in the days to come.

When everyone else had gone, Nancy and I went back to F Street and brought the cats and their litter box and food and toys and the like back to the new place. Nancy had cleared a corner of the second bedroom, and she spent time helping the cats calm down from the move. She enjoyed a glass of wine during that time as well.

A little later, we got a call from Kathleen, who had prepared some chicken chili to share with us for dinner. We spent some time with her and Ronin, going over the events of the day and hearing what Kathleen’s work day had been like as well.

We finally headed “home” for the first evening. We made the bed and arranged a few things, and I brought out the laptop to do my evening blogging and to catch up on my Flickr account for the evening.

Thursday promises to be cloudy, though there is no rain at all in the forecast. Tonight’s low will likely hit the freezing mark, while the high for the day will be around 53.

Most of our day tomorrow will likely be spent digging everything out of bags and boxes and putting them away in the new collection of cabinets or deciding there is no place here to hang on to them. I will certainly put together the new desk that was ordered, securing a place for it in the corner of the living room.

+ + +

On this day in 1870, Hiram Rhodes Revels, a Republican fro Mississippi, minister in the African Methodist Episcopal Church, and college administrator, was sworn into the U.S. Senate, becoming the first African American ever to sit in Congress.

February 25, 1930, was the birth date of Wendy Beckett, better known as Sister Wendy, a British Catholic religious sister and art historian who became known internationally during the 19902 when she presented a series of BBC television documentaries on the history of art.

Today is Inconvenience Yourself Day, Let’s All Eat Right Day, National Chocolate Covered Nut Day, Pistol Patent Day, and Quiet Day.

One Last Day

Our part of town was very wet when we got up today, but the rain was not coming down. It did begin later in the morning and then continued off and on throughout the remainder of the day. Last night’s low was just 42 degrees, and today’s high barely reached 51.

My blood sugar jumped up to 193, according to the level check at 7:30 a.m. The increase was likely due, in part, to the raisin and walnut cookies we enjoyed yesterday afternoon while visiting Kalen.

Following our coffee and online brain games for Tuesday, Nancy did a yoga session, since she imagined there might not be a time and place over the next couple of days. I went into the study and got on the computer to update my Flickr account and other social media. I also changed my address for a couple of online accounts.

The postman placed a “vacant” card in our mailbox yesterday, but it may be a week to 10 days, according to the post office, before mail begins arriving at the 8th Street address.

For breakfast we made oatmeal. It might be the last breakfast in the rental. Then we showered and dressed and put the sheets from the bed in the laundry.

The remainder of the morning was spent collecting things to put into the car and take over to the 8th Street house. While we were unpacking and placing things inside, Kathleen wandered down from her house and Seran showed up with Sophie.

Nancy and I left to grab lunch at Mezza Luna in downtown Springfield. After enjoying slices and Caesar salad, we went to Xfinity to schedule the connection for the new house. Someone will come this Friday between 1 and 3 p.m. Until then, I will have the hotspot from my iPhone to connect my computer to the Internet.

We napped when we got home, then packed up another load and took it to 8th Street. Kyle and Ronin were cleaning up when we got there. We put away a few things and brought a couple of items back with us to help with making dinner. On the way home, we stopped so Nancy could get a bottle of wine.

It looks like we may get to make the big part of the move tomorrow afternoon. It is supposed to be clear by then. Ronin will bring his truck, Kyle will bring his Subaru, and Kurt will bring his pickup and, hopefully, a trailer. Whatever is left after the move we hope will be small enough to fit in our Subaru.

Nancy called Kila to see about scheduling the cleaning for Friday and Saturday. And the rental agency gave instructions for dropping off the keys at their office. I emailed back and said we would do that on Monday of next week.

Nancy enjoyed a glass of her newest wine purchase, while I spent more time on Flickr, adding three new photos to the collection. I also packed a few more boxes from the study into the car for transporting to 8th Street in the morning.

Then we put together our final dinner in the rental, cooking up leftover Greek chicken and rice and building a small salad. After we enjoyed the meal and cleaned up, we did our evening streaming.

We started with last night’s Colbert show, which included guest Ray Romano and also Emma Thompson taking the Colbert Questionert. Following that, we watched “Finding Your Roots,” with guests Spike Lee and Kristin Chenoweth learning about their family histories. We closed out our last evening in this place with another episode of the third series of “The Paradise.”

A little more rain is expected before the day ends, but tomorrow appears to be clear throughout. The low tonight will be in the mid-30s, and Wednesday’s high could be in the low 50s.

Tomorrow’s agenda will revolve entirely around moving. Everything might not get delivered to 8th Street before the end of the day, but we hope the big items will, which means tomorrow night we will wind up sleeping in our new home.

+ + +

On this day in 1920, Nancy Astor became the first woman to speak in the House of Commons of the United Kingdom following her election as a Member of Parliament three months earlier.

February 24, 1811, was the birth date of Edward Dickinson Baker, an American politician, lawyer, and U.S. army officer, who served in the U.S. House of Representatives from Illinois and later as a U.S. senator from Oregon. Also known as an orator and poet, and a long-time close friend of Abraham Lincoln, Baker served as a colonel during both the Mexican–American War and the American Civil War. Baker was killed in the Battle of Ball’s Bluff while leading a Union Army regiment, becoming the only sitting U.S. senator ever to be killed in a military engagement.

Today is National Tortilla Chip Day, I Hate Coriander Day, National Steakburger Day, National Trading Card Day, Twin Peaks Day, Whooping Crane Festival, World Bartender Day, and World Spay Day.

Drawing Close to the Move

It rained very nearly all day long today, from the time we got up until the time we went to bed. There were a few periods when it was reduced to a drizzle, but there was nothing dry about the day. The temperature range went from a low of 45 degrees to a high of just 48.

My blood sugar was down a couple of points, to 181. It’s always better to see it drop than to jump up to a higher number.

Following our coffee and the online brain games for Monday, Nancy did a brief yoga session. I got on the computer and checked Flickr and other social media.

Then we made a breakfast of cheesy eggs with bacon and toast and jam, after which we showered and dressed and started a load of laundry.

We began packing up all the extra dishes to take to 8th Street. We left just a few for eating the last couple of meals in the rental.

Along with the dishes, we piled a couple other items in the car and took them over to the 8th Street house, where Kurt and Kyle and Ronin were working to wrap up the last few items in time for us to make the big move.

From there we went to Costco to fill up on gas ($3.55 per gallon!), then we drove out to Marcola to spend a little time with Kalen. We also took a few jars back to her that had been used to provide honey for Nancy.

We were still visiting when Kurt made it home, and we left shortly after that, stopped at Albertsons for more firewood and kindling, and went home to begin prep for dinner.

I also made it to my Steps & Traditions Zoom group just in time at 5 p.m. We went through the questions on the 8th Tradition fairly quickly. Our next meeting, covering the 9th Step, will be in two weeks.

While Nancy and I waited for the Greek chicken to cook in the oven, we streamed the first episode in the third series of “The Paradise,” the Spanish-Finnish police drama. It had disappeared from Prime’s listing for a few days, but it’s all back now.

Then it was time to eat dinner. Along with the chicken and rice we had a pot of green beans. It was nice to taste the delicious sauce made with garlic, lemon juice, Dijon mustard, and olive oil, and sprinkled with feta cheese.

Once we had cleaned up, we settled back in to stream another couple of shows, starting with “The Lincoln Lawyer” and winding up with “How to Get to Heaven from Belfast.”

The rain is expected to continue all through the night and all day long tomorrow, with a narrow range of temperatures from a low of 44 degrees to a high of 53.

We will be making more trips to 8th Street tomorrow, carrying more things that can fit into the back of the Subaru, and make it easier for transporting most of the big items on Wednesday, weather permitting, or Thursday.

+ + +

On this day in 1898, Émile Zola was imprisoned in France after writing “J’Accuse…!”, a letter accusing the French government of antisemitism and wrongfully imprisoning Captain Alfred Dreyfus.

February 23, 1950, was the birth date of Rebecca Goldstein, an American philosopher and novelist, who has written ten books, both fiction and nonfiction, and holds a Ph.D. in philosophy of science from Princeton University. She is sometimes grouped with novelists such as Richard Powers and Alan Lightman, who have created fiction that is knowledgeable of, and sympathetic toward, science.

Today is Curling is Cool Day, Diesel Engine Day, National Banana Bread Day, National Dog Biscuit Day, National Hospitality Workers Appreciation Day, National Play Tennis Day, National Rationalization Day, National Tile Day, National Tootsie Roll Day, Pinocchio Day, and World Peace and Understanding Day.

First Sunday in Lent

There was a bit of a drizzle when we got up this morning. The precipitation continued throughout the day and into the evening, sometimes light, other times heavy. The overnight low was only 45 degrees, and today’s high just reached 51.

My blood sugar, on the other hand, went a few points higher, to 183. Sometimes I wonder how much my difficulties sleeping might contribute to the glucose levels.

After our coffee and the Sunday online brain games, we had toast with jam, then we dressed and headed to church, for the First Sunday in Lent. Once again, the streaming went without any troubles, though the computer did take its time updating software at the end of the service when I went to shut it down.

We went straight home and made a lunch of tomato soup and grilled cheese sandwiches with potato chips on the side.

Then we napped, as we were both tired from lack of sleep and the ongoing stresses associated with the upcoming move to the new house on 8th Street.

Once the nap was over, we went out and stopped at Old Crow for a mocha, then ran to Albertsons for cat food, mayo and cold brew.

I took off about 4:30 p.m. to make it to the business meeting for the Sunday recovery group. Then followed the regular meeting.

When I reached home about 7:15 p.m., Nancy had dinner ready. She had cooked a fresh pot of rice, then mixed some of that with leftover pinto beans and beef birria. We sprinkled the dish with shredded cheese and spooned on a little salsa.

After cleaning up, we began the evening’s streaming, starting with the second episode of the new series of “Dark Winds.” We followed that with the final episode of the current “Shakespeare & Hathaway” series.

Rain is forecast to continue through Monday and Tuesday. Wednesday shows up alternating between rain and sunshine, which may wind up making our plans for moving that day a little difficult to follow through. Tonight’s low might be around 45 degrees again, but tomorrow’s high could fail to reach 50.

The only thing on our schedule for the next two days is doing more organizing and packing and moving some things to the 8th Street house, rain or not. Family will step in to help move the big things on Wednesday, or whenever. Thursday and Friday will center on taking care of the smaller things. And Saturday will be focused on cleaning up the rental unit in hopes of getting back some of the $2,000 deposit.

+ + +

On this day in 1872, the Prohibition Party, known for its historic opposition to the sale or consumption of alcoholic beverages and an integral part of the temperance movement, held its first national convention in Columbus, Ohio, and nominated James Black, an American temperance movement activist and a founder of the Prohibition Party, as its presidential nominee.

February 22, 1892, was the birth date of Edna St. Vincent Millay, an American lyrical poet and playwright, and a renowned social figure and noted feminist in New York City during the Roaring Twenties and beyond. She won the 1923 Pulitzer Prize for Poetry for her poem “Ballad of the Harp-Weaver.”

Today is National Margarita Day, National Walk Your Dog Day, Be Humble Day, National Cook a Sweet Potato Day, National Heart Valve Disease Awareness Day, Play More Cards Day, Recreational Sports & Fitness Day, Single Tasking Day, Supermarket Employee Day, and World Thinking Day.

Raising Funds for Counseling

Other than being covered by clouds, the day was pretty decent, with a low of just 39 degrees, and a high of 56. There was no precipitation at all.

My blood sugar was up to 179, which was a bit of an increase over yesterday, but it did not rise into dangerous territory.

Following our coffee and Saturday’s online brain games, we had oatmeal for breakfast. Then we showered and dressed.

Just before noon, we left for the party for the recovery anniversary of Nora, Art’s wife, who was celebrating 40 years. Nancy and I enjoyed a quick bite of lunch, chatted with several people, then returned home and napped.

Later, we packed up a few plants from the back deck and took them over to 8th Street and stashed them in the back yard.

When we got home, Nancy had a glass of wine. I spent a little time working on my Flickr account, adding three more photos to the collection. With a bit more time before we had to leave for the Center for Community Counseling fundraiser, we streamed an episode of “Murder in the Mountains.”

Then we took off for the fundraiser, which was the most social thing Nancy and I have taken part in for a long time. It was held at Venue 252 near downtown Eugene, an upscale urban event space created out of the old Eugene Planing Mill.

We had been invited by Cindy, the former senior warden at St. Thomas, to join her table of other church member for the occasion. The Center for Community Counseling has long been associated with the parish, and this annual fundraiser helps keep the place afloat.

Nancy and I took off before all the events of the evening were done so we could get home and give Grace her meds. Thanks to that, we were close to our usual schedule of wrapping up our day and beginning to wind things down.

The chances of rain for tomorrow are high, and we are expected to see it beginning early in the morning and possibly continuing throughout the rest of the day. Tonight’s low may stick to the mid-40s, with tomorrow’s high in the low 50s.

We will, of course, attend church in the morning for the First Sunday in Lent, but I might choose to pass on the Sunday evening recovery meeting, depending on how the rest of the day works out.

+++

On this day in 1848, Karl Marx and Friedrich Engels published The Communist Manifesto amid the Revolutions of 1848 in Europe, also known as the springtime of the peoples, and it has become one of the world’s most influential political documents.

February 21, 1903, was the birth date of Anaïs Nin, a French-born American diarist, essayist, novelist, and writer of short stories and erotica.

Today is National Sticky Bun Day, Card Reading Day, Language Day, National Grain Free Day, and World Pangolin Day.

No Bed Frame Found

There was quite a bit of fog when we first got up today, but it went away rather quickly, and the sun was briefly visible along with a few areas of blue sky. Then the clouds took over for the rest of the day, but there was no precipitation. This morning’s low was 32 degrees, and the high actually got up to 47.

My blood sugar dropped down to a reasonable 160, according to the day’s usual 7:30 a.m. testing.

After our coffee and online brain games, Nancy and I made a breakfast of cheesy eggs, bacon and toast with jam.

Then we dressed and went out to look for a bed frame. We went first to a couple of places in Springfield, then went all the way around on the Beltline and started at the western end of 11th Street in Eugene.

We went by the Native Coffee out there and got a nice hot mocha, then we checked out Lowes and another furniture store. We could not find anything that we wanted or that was within our price range. So, we decided to just keep the one we have for the time being and make sure it gets assembled carefully after moving it to the new place.

On the way home, we went by Trader Joe’s and Albertsons for some groceries. Then we came home to nap.

We had intended to go out to Marcola to spend a little time with Kalen, but she had some errands to run and was not back by the middle of the afternoon, so we let her know we would try again Sunday.

Then Nancy had a glass of wine, and I joined for lap time, which was accompanied by a nice selection of music from one of her Spotify playlists.

After that, we watched the Thursday night Colbert, with actor Melissa McCarthy and author Michael Pollan. Colbert also promoted his Tuesday night show, which will be broadcast live following the State of the Union address. Our guess is that more people will watch Colbert’s show than the political mumbo jumbo that kicks off the evening.

Next, we made dinner with leftover rice, pinto beans, and beef birria, accompanied by shredded cheese and corn chips with salsa.

Then we went back and streamed a few more shows. The first was the second episode of “How to Get to Heaven from Belfast.” After that came the fifth episode of the “The Lincoln Lawyer.” We finished with the latest episode of “My Life is Murder,” in which Alexa solved the “accidental” death of a young college student.

Very little rain is expected for Saturday, except for a little bit overnight. The rest of the day is simply going to be cloudy. The low tonight could be near 39 degrees, and tomorrow’s high might reach 56.

We have two events to attend tomorrow. The first, starting around noon, is the celebration of 40 years of recovery by Art’s wife, Nora. In the evening, we have been invited by a church friend to attend an annual fundraiser for the Center for Community Counseling, which shares space with St. Thomas. Between the two events, we might visit 8th Street to see what progress was made today, and, perhaps, even drop off a few more items to store before the big move.

+ + +

On this day in 1998, American figure skater Tara Lipinski, at the age of 15, became the youngest Olympic figure skating gold-medalist at the 1998 Winter Olympics in Nagano, Japan.

February 20, 1902, was the birth date of Ansel Adams, an American landscape photographer and environmentalist known for his black-and-white images of the American West.

Today is National Love Your Pet Day, Clean Out Your Bookcase Day, Hoodie Hoo Day, National Caregivers Day, National Cherry Pie Day, National Comfy Day, National Handcuff Day, National Leadership Day, National Muffin Day, National Student Volunteer Day, National Tartar Sauce Day, National Whistleblower Reward Day, No One Eats Alone Day, No Politics Day, Women in Blue Jeans Day, and World Day of Social Justice.

Planning the Move

Once again, today passed without much in the way of precipitation, though it did remain rather cold throughout. The low this morning was 33 degrees, and the high only reached 42.

My blood sugar level rose to 188 this morning, perhaps due to the sugar in the orange sauce that was added to the chicken we had for dinner last night. Or the too many handfuls of peanuts I indulged in during the evening.

After enjoying our morning coffee and playing the usual online brain games, Nancy did a yoga session. I checked my Flickr account and other social media.

Then we fixed oatmeal for breakfast, wanting something simple because we planned a lunch later with family members.

After eating and cleaning up, we showered and dressed. I posted our treadmill for sale on FB Marketplace after deciding there would not be room for it in the new place, and it had not been used more than two dozen times in the fifteen months or so that we had it.

While Nancy talked with Kalen about our plans for the day, and invited her to join us for lunch, I loaded a couple more things into the car to drop off at 8th Street on the way to lunch. Kathleen was there when we stopped, having her own lunch, and Kurt was busy installing the last parts of the kitchen counter.

Then Nancy and I went on to lunch at Poppi’s in the 5th Street Market, meeting Robin and Joan there. Kalen showed up a little bit later, and we enjoyed a nice meal and conversation. I had an order of eggplant dip and pita bread and some strips of gyro meat with tzatziki. Both sauces had quite a bit of garlic in them, which was quite tasty.

After the meal, the five of us walked to Euphoria Chocolate shop in the 5th Street Market Alley. Robin indulged in his usual chocolate-dipped ice cream bar. The rest of us stuck with a single truffle of different flavors. I went with Extra Dark, as usual.

Then we all made our way back to the 8th Street house, so we could show off the work to Robin and Joan, who had not seen it yet. They were both quite impressed with the progress that has been made.

After talking briefly about the move, Kurt and Kalen and Nancy and I decided to try and get it done on Wednesday of next week, if the weather allows. Until then, Nancy and I will move over as many of the smaller things as possible.

Once we were done, Nancy and I came home and napped. When we got up, I got online to check Flickr again, and Nancy poured herself a glass of wine. Then I suggested we stream last night’s Colbert, and we did. The guests were Sen. John Osoff of Georgia and actor Kyle MacLachlan.

After that, we took a dinner break. Nancy made another small salad, while I heated up the leftover orange chicken and stirred in some of the extra rice.

Following dinner and the clean-up, we went back and streamed the latest episode of “Shrinking” and “Grace” to close out the evening.

The forecast for Friday suggests there won’t be any rain, but the temperature is likely to drop below freezing tonight and might get into the mid-40s tomorrow.

Nancy and I are going to look at a couple of furniture stores tomorrow to see if we can find a new bed frame. The current one has its problems, and it would be nice to get one in time for the move. Maybe even one that has some drawers underneath to give us a little more room to store things.

+ + +

On this day in 1884, more than sixty tornadoes struck the southern United States, one of the largest tornado outbreaks in U.S. history.

February 19, 1958, was the birth date of Helen Fielding, a British journalist, novelist and screenwriter, best known as the creator of the fictional character Bridget Jones.

Today is Tug of War Day, Great American Spit Out, Iwo Jima Day, National Airboat Day, National Arabian Horse Day, National Chocolate Mint Day, National Lash Day, National Vet Girls Rock Day, Prevent Plagiarism Day, U.S. Coast Guard Reserve Day, World Anthropology Day, and World Cholangiocarcinoma Day.

Replacing a Toilet

Today turned out to be relatively free of precipitation, though it was rather cold. The overnight low was 33 degrees, and today’s high only made it to 43.

My blood sugar fell a few points, to 166, thanks, no doubt, to the protein consumed during yesterday’s meals.

Following our coffee and online brain games, Nancy listened to a “sermon” on Ash Wednesday by Diana Butler Bass, while I worked on Flickr and other social media updates.

Then we made egg, cheese and bacon sandwiches for breakfast. After which we showered and dressed, then packed a few more things to prepare for the upcoming move.

Next, we went to the Market of Choice off Coburg Road to get a few grocery items, stopping at Old Crow on the way out of the neighborhood. On the way back, we swung by 8th Street to check progress. Part of the kitchen counter had been picked up by Kurt earlier in the day. The final piece was to be ready later today, but Kurt had gone home feeling unwell.

Nancy and I measured the two bedrooms at the new place, after having measured the same ones in the rental. The new primary bedroom is a tiny bit smaller. The secondary is a tiny bit bigger.

Then we went to Jerry’s to get a new toilet, to replace the toilet purchased earlier which was evidently broken in some way. We also bought some numbers to post on the house, although the deliveries that have been made lately seem to indicate there is not really a problem recognizing the address. We dropped off the toilet then came home and napped.

After we woke, Robin called and talked with Nancy, and they planned for us to meet with him and Joan tomorrow at 1 p.m. at Poppi’s, the Greek place at 5th Street Market.

Nancy had a glass of wine, and I joined her for lap time. Then we started working on dinner. I put on a pot of rice, and Nancy put chicken in the oven to cook before stirring them into a mandarin orange sauce. We also made a small green salad with tomatoes to start the meal.

After dinner and clean-up, we began the evening’s streaming with the first episode of a new series on Netflix, “How to Get to Heaven from Belfast,” a dark comedy and thriller from Lisa McGee, the writer and creator of “Derry Girls,” which we enjoyed previously.

We followed that with the latest episode of “Will Trent” and closed out the night with another episode from “Miss Scarlet” on PBS.

According to the forecast, some snow may fall late tonight and early tomorrow, but the rest of the day appears to once again be free of any precipitation. Tonight’s low is expected to hit 32 degrees, with the high climbing to the low 40s.

Other than our lunch plans with Robin and Joan, the only other thing on the schedule for tomorrow is my Thursday evening recovery meeting. My attendance will, however, depend on what else goes on during the day.

+ + +

On this day in 1970, the Chicago Seven were found not guilty of conspiring to incite riots at the 1968 Democratic National Convention.

February 18, 1922, was the birth date of Helen Gurley Brown, an American author, publisher, and businesswoman, and editor-in-chief of Cosmopolitan magazine for 32 years, taking it from a women’s magazine written by men to one of the most widely sold women’s magazines, now available in more than 100 countries.

In addition to Ash Wednesday, which is the beginning of Lent, and the beginning of Ramadan, one of the five pillars of Islam, today is National Drink Wine Day, National Battery Day, National Crab Stuffed Flounder Day, Pluto Day, and Thumb Appreciation Day.

More Funding for Renovation

Everything in our neighborhood was damp this morning, but if there had been any snow overnight, it had disappeared into the wetness. There was sunlight shining through the clouds at different times, and there was some occasional precipitation. The overnight low was 34 degrees, and the high today reach just 43.

My blood sugar registered at 176, though the increase was not likely due to the few minutes later than usual when it was checked. It might have had something to do with the far too many peanuts I enjoyed during the evening’s streaming.

Following our coffee and online brain games today, Nancy did a session of yoga. I updated my Flickr account and checked email and other social media for anything new and exciting.

We made oatmeal for breakfast, then we dressed and went out to CVS to pick up Nancy’s refill. After that, we went by 8th Street to check on the progress at the house, hoping it would help quell the nervousness we have been feeling about the timing of the upcoming move. Kyle was finishing up the tiles in the bathroom, and Ronin was connecting the mini-split, which then was able to pump out both heating and cooling during the test.

From there, we stopped off for a mocha at the Native Coffee on 42nd Street, then we stopped by Albertsons on Main Street for firewood, Ricola and cold brew.

Once we reached home, Nancy called Sam at Edward Jones to arrange for more money to pay for the renovation work. He called back after a few minutes and helped set up the funding. He also announced that he and his wife are expecting their first child.

About 1 p.m., Nancy and I snacked on corn chips with garlic sauce and salsa accompanied by cheese strings. Then we napped.

When we awoke, Nancy realized we need more cat food, so we drove to Mini Pet Mart for that and kitty treats. We got rained and sleeted on along the way. We reached home to find that Ronin had already mowed the lawn. Then rain and sleet fell briefly in our neighborhood not long after he left.

After reading something online, Nancy wanted to watch some bits from Colbert’s Monday show on YouTube, including an interview with a Texas candidate that was banned by CBS from appearing on air.

I spent a little time working online, including more editing of a couple of stories in the next edition of BudZine. Nancy packed up a few more things from the kitchen to get ready for moving to the new house.

We started preparing dinner a little after 5 p.m. I got more green beans ready for cooking, and Nancy mixed together the last of the chicken marsala and rice, and we finished with more than enough time to clean up.

I left to pick up Henry for the men’s recovery meeting not long after 6 p.m. It was a well-attended meeting, and we heard from Dave, who was celebrating 38 years in recovery. He said he did not want anyone to wish him “Happy birthday,” so, of course, many others who shared did exactly that.

When I reached home, Nancy and I streamed the newest episode of “Finding Your Roots,” with Henry Louis Gates, Jr., offering findings of family history for musicians Flea and Lizzo.

More snow and rain are possible in the morning, according to the forecast, following a night without any more precipitation. Tonight’s low will be right around freezing, and tomorrow’s high might make it to 40.

Tomorrow is Ash Wednesday, but we are not planning to attend the service at St. Thomas at noon. We are more likely to find ourselves doing more preparation for moving, since the deadline is fast approaching. We are lucky to have so many hands willing to help.

+ + +

On this day in 1801, a tie in the Electoral College between Thomas Jefferson and Aaron Burr is resolved when Jefferson is elected President of the United States and Burr Vice President by the U.S. House of Representatives.

February 17, 1879, was the birth date of Dorothy Canfield Fisher, an educational reformer, social activist, and best-selling American author in the early 20th century, who strongly supported women’s rights, racial equality, and lifelong education.

In addition to Shrove Tuesday and the lunar new year, today is National Random Acts of Kindness Day, Analog to Digital TV Day, Champion Crab Races Day, Fasnacht Day, My Way Day, National Cabbage Day, National Café au Lait Day, National Public Science Day, National Tennis Pro Day, Who Shall I Be Day, and World Human Spirit Day.

Gas Cost Up Again

It snowed briefly this morning, barely sticking because the ground was already wet from overnight rain. The sprinkling continued through most of the day, and once the temperature dropped again, there were a few more snowflakes falling. Last night’s low was 34 degrees, and the high only reached 43.

My blood sugar registered at 171 today. Dinner was a little later than usual, thanks to waiting until I returned from my Sunday evening meeting. The chicken marsala is quite rich, but definitely worth it!

After having our coffee and playing the online brain games, we made breakfast. Because there were only two eggs left, we went with egg, cheese and bacon sandwiches, with chipotle mayo on the toast.

We showered and dressed, then put a bunch of towels into the washing machine. I loaded the packed items we did not drop off at 8th Street last week back into the car. When the towels were done washing, we put them in the dryer. Then we took off.

Our first stop was the 8th Street house, where we dropped off the things from the car. Then we drove by the Native Coffee along Centennial Blvd. to get one of their good mochas. The next stop was Costco to fill up the gas tank ($3.34 per gallon). The third price increase in three visits.

Then we headed back down Coburg Road to pick up a few food items from Trader Joe’s. It was very crowded, but we managed to find a place to park and were in and out of the store in ten minutes. However, an REI is going into the empty space next to Trader Joe’s, and that is liable to make the parking even trickier, especially during busy times of the day. We might need to hit Trader Joe’s between 8 and 9 a.m. in the future to avoid parking hassles. Or we could go to the one in Corvallis or Salem.

We drove back across Hayden Bridge Road to stop at CVS for Nancy’s prescription and pick up some bundles of firewood from Albertsons. But it turned out to be lunch time for the pharmacy, so we just got the wood and came home.

After napping for almost an hour, we snacked on a few corn chips with garlic sauce and salsa, along with string cheese. After checking on my Flickr account and uploaded three more photos taken on the UA campus in 2007, I got my iPad and continued reading the new James Lee Burke mystery for a short while.

Then Nancy got herself a glass of wine, and while she sipped on it, we discussed our impending move to the new house.

A little later, I got up and started preparing the green beans for our dinner. Then Nancy came in and stirred up the chicken marsala and rice for the rest of it. Once again it was a tasty meal.

Kalen had returned Nancy’s call from earlier during dinner, so Nancy called her back after we finished dinner. I went back to the computer and did some work on the forthcoming BudZine.

Once Nancy finished her chat with Kalen, we retired to the living room for our evening’s streaming and started the fire we had set up before dinner. We then watched the latest episode of “Grace” on BritBox, which focused on revenge catfishing and murder. It was a nail-biter.

There is more snow in the forecast, beginning around midnight tonight and continuing for a few hours. The rest of the day tomorrow appears to just be cloudy. Meanwhile, tonight’s low will be around 32 degrees, and the high tomorrow could reach into the 40s.

The only thing on our calendar for tomorrow is my men’s recovery meeting in the evening. We might run to CVS earlier in the day to pick up Nancy’s prescription. Other than that, we could find ourselves doing more organizing and packing for the move, which must be complete by the end of the month. Of course, that also depends on the renovation work at 8th Street being complete, which is why we stop by on a regular basis to check on the progress.

+++

On this day in 1937, Wallace H. Carothers, an American chemist, inventor, and the leader of organic chemistry at DuPont, received a U.S. patent for nylon.

February 16, 1957, was the birth date of LeVar Burton, an American actor, director, and television host, who played Geordi La Forge in “Star Trek: The Next Generation” and Kunta Kinte in the ABC miniseries “Roots.”  He was also the host of the PBS Kids educational television series “Reading Rainbow” for 23 years and received 12 Daytime Emmy Awards and a Peabody Award as host and executive producer.

In addition to Presidents Day, today is National Almond Day, Daisy Gatson Bates Day, Do a Grouch a Favor Day, Elizabeth Peratrovich Day, Family Day, Innovation Day, and Shrove Monday, also known as “Collop Monday,” “Rose Monday,” “Merry Monday,” or “Hall Monday,” an annual Christian holiday observed on the Monday before Ash Wednesday.

Anticipating Lent

It was not exactly foggy right off the bat this morning, but it changed in that direction during the first few hours. It remained cloudy through the day, occasionally sprinkling lightly. This morning’s low was 41 degrees, and the day’s high rose to 48.

My blood sugar registered at 161, a nice drop from yesterday, probably thanks to the day’s protein: bacon with breakfast and chicken at dinner.

After having our coffee and playing the Sunday online brain games, we had toast with jam. The cinnamon/sugar mixture had been packed away already for the upcoming move.

We went off to church for the Last Sunday after Epiphany, occasionally known as Transfiguration Sunday, since that was the Gospel reading today. Nancy had altar guild duties, and I did the streaming, which worked again without any real problems.

Today’s post-service coffee hour was hosted by the choir. It was referred to as “Shrove Sunday” since there will be no Shrove Tuesday gathering. There will be an Ash Wednesday service at noon, kicking off the season of Lent, but Nancy and I have not decided whether we will attend.

After spending some time visiting with other parishioners at coffee hour, Nancy and I went to lunch at Pastini for the first time in a few months. We began listening to “Wait Wait” on Spotify on the way home, and we finished listening to it on the couch.

When it was over, we napped for a little more than an hour. I finished reading the Kellerman novel and bought the latest book from James Lee Burke’s series on Dave Robicheaux, The Hadacol Boogie. My father introduced me to the author with In the Electric Mist with Confederate Dead, and I have read many of his others over the years. I even met Burke at a bookstore signing one time in Tucson.

A little after 5 p.m., I took off for the Sunday even recovery meeting. Art’s wife, Nora, was celebrating her 40th anniversary in recovery, and the meeting was far more crowded than it has been recently. There is another big celebration for Nora this coming Saturday, which Nancy and I will be attending.

When I got home, Nancy had dinner ready. We started with a small salad, then had a nice serving of the leftover chicken marsala with rice.

Our Sunday streaming began with another episode of “The Lincoln Lawyer,” then we finished the evening with the first episode in the new series of “Dark Winds,” based on the Tony Hillerman series featuring Navajo Nation Police officers Joe Leaphorn and Jim Chee.

Rain is expected to return not long after midnight tonight and will likely continue through the entire day. With tomorrow night’s temperature getting down to 35 degrees, the precipitation could include something else, but we will see. The high tomorrow might only get to 42.

Once again, we have nothing on our calendars for Monday, but we might manage to get more organizing and packing done, especially if the rain keeps up from getting out to do anything else.

+++

On this day in 1879, U.S. President Rutherford B. Hayes signed a bill allowing female attorneys to argue cases before the U.S. Supreme Court.

February 15, 1820, was the birth date of Susan B. Anthony, an American social reformer and women’s rights activist who played a pivotal role in the women’s suffrage movement.

Today is Daytona Pole Day, International Angelman Day, International Childhood Cancer Day, Love Reset Day, National Black Girl Magic Day, National Gumdrop Day, National I Want Butterscotch Day, Remember the Maine Day, Singles Awareness Day, World Hippo Day, and World Whale Day.

A Day of Love

There was more of a cloudy and rainy morning than a foggy one today. And it wound up sprinkling lightly most of the day.  Last night’s low was only 43 degrees, and with the clouds and precipitation, the high only got to 47.

My blood sugar jumped up to 182 at this morning’s check. It might have had something to do with all the heavy cream in the sauce of last night’s chicken marsala, or the lack of other protein during the day, or the absence of walking, other than simply wandering around stores.

Following our coffee and brain games, we showered and dressed. While Nancy was finishing up, I started making oatmeal for breakfast.

We left about 10:30 a.m. to head for St. Thomas so Nancy could take care of her altar guild duties. I took my iPad and read more of my Kellerman book while I waited.

When Nancy and Linda and Dale had wrapped up their work, Nancy and I headed for Lowe’s to look for a new home office desk and a hall tree. Both were online, but neither is stocked at the store.

So, we went out to the Native Coffee a few blocks away, then returned home, and proceeded to order the computer desk and hall tree from the online store. They will be delivered by Monday, February 23.

Then we made a late lunch that featured an omelet with garlic, feta cheese, spinach and sun-dried tomatoes, along with toast and jam.

Once we had cleaned up, I went to catch up with my Flickr account, which was nearing 10,000 views for the day. The “explored” photo had garnered more than 6,000 views and 200 faves by that point. By 4 p.m., when the account flipped, there were more than 10,000 views on the entire account, and more than 6,700 views and 220 faves on the one photo.

Nancy called Kathleen and chatted briefly with her. Kyle and Seran had dropped off Sophie for Kathleen to watch while they went to a movie.

We napped for an hour. Then I got up and read more in the Kellerman book for a little while until Nancy got her wine. Then I took some lap time, and we discussed the activities of the day.

When we were done with that, we started working on dinner. We had a few green beans and more of the chicken marsala. Then, after cleaning up, we took our water and our dark chocolate peanut butter cups to the living room and began the evening’s streaming entertainment.

Our first show was the latest episode in the “My Life is Murder” series. After that, we checked back in on “Hidden Assets.” Then we closed out the evening with “Murder in the Mountains,” which we had not seen for a little while.

More rain appears ready to fall during the early hours of tomorrow, but by sunrise the precipitation is expected to be finished and no more is in sight for the rest of Sunday. The low tonight will be about 41 degrees, and the high tomorrow might reach 51.

Other than church in the morning and my recovery meeting in the evening, we have nothing scheduled. We might attempt to pack up a few more things and drop them at the 8th Street house, though we don’t wish to get too far ahead of the moving game.

+ + +

On this day in 1859, Oregon was admitted as the 33rd U.S. state. And on this day in 1912, Arizona was admitted as the 48th and last contiguous state.

February 14, 1847, was the birth date of Anna Howard Shaw, a leader of the women’s suffrage movement in the United States, and a physician and one of the first women to be ordained as a Methodist minister in the United States.

In addition to Valentine’s Day, today is Congenital Heart Defect Awareness Day, Global Movie Day, International Book Giving Day, League of Women Voters Day, Library Lovers’ Day, National Black Literacy Day, National Call in Single Day, National Condom Day, National Cream-Filled Chocolate Day, National Donor Day, National Ferris Wheel Day, National Football Hangover Day, National Impotence Day, Pet Theft Awareness Day, Read to Your Child Day, World Bonobo Day, and World Sound Healing Day.