October 21, 2026 – My Podiatrist and Lunch

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Today was a busy one for me. First, I had to drive an hour to visit my podiatrist in Vancouver, all by myself … (I must clarify that I didn’t have to go alone) … got there early, spent 10 minutes with my doctor, then drove another hour home. Max was delighted that I wasn’t gone very long. After returning, I fiddled around the house for a bit, then took Max out for lunch. We went through the Burgerville drive-thru where I got me their new garlic fries and a garlic hamburger, and Max got a regular single cheeseburger and a cup of water. It was a surprise for him because the only thing I usually get him is an ice cream cone once in a while.

We took our lunch downtown and ate at one of the many picnic tables scattered all over the place for the weekend events. It was fun to see how surprised Max was when I pulled out his cheeseburger. He was so surprised that he wasn’t sure it was really for him because I had to coax him to take bites. I took the patty out of the bun and broke it up for him, but he was still reluctant to eat it until I just ignored him. He was sitting on the table during all of this and it was interesting for the people, lots of them, passing by. That may have been the reason he was hesitant to nibble his patty. I offered him a fry but he declined.

After eating, we made our routine trip around town with him leading the way. When I let him choose the direction, I get to see new stuff which is fun for both of us.

After I got home, Jeff dropped by to visit for a bit. He was bummed because one of his old friends, and band members, lost his life in a car accident yesterday. Losing friends is difficult for everyone.

With that thought in mind, which I didn’t intend to think about, in a few days it will be a whole year since Diane left me alone. She’s been the focus of my attention every day so, though the days seemed to drag, losing her feels like it happened yesterday. It’s a very fresh memory that I’m sure will last forever. I’ve accepted the fact that she’s gone, and the kids divert my attention sometimes, but the truth is, in my head, it’s easy to believe she’s just off browsing around in one of the many thrift stores she loved to visit.

Then there’s this evidence that she’s gone where most of us want to go at some point in time.

I’m going to end on that positive note. I appreciate all my friends who have made my transition to being wifeless much easier than most people experience.

Please be safe, and alert when you’re on the roads out there. I’ve seen proof that there are many idiots out there.

October 13th, 2026 – A spooky day

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This is the view Max and I had from the banks of the Columbia River yesterday morning. The entire river was covered with fog, a sure sign that fall was elbowing it’s way into our lives. The temperature was under 40 degrees when we left the house which explains the fog layer. Still, we marched on, unafraid here in Halloween Town where spirits flit about freely. It’s true, they are everywhere.

A couple of days ago, I had an entire narrative to share, one that made sense (so me) but now that I have the keyboard under my fingers those thoughts are gone. That means it’s a typical day in River City.

Today I drove myself to an IHOP in Beaverton where I had lunch with 9 of my old PT Cruiser friends. At one point in time there were hundreds of us who participated in activities simply because we all drove PT Cruisers. It was quite a club. In time, over the years, the PT Cruisers were replaced by newer vehicles and the interaction amongst us shifted from the car to more personal levels based on friendship. We visit often.

I sat between Nelda and Linda while we ate so I was in constant trouble because I have a hard time controlling what I say and when I say it. Things just leap out of my mouth before I have enough time to consider the consequences of what I say. Thankfully, they are all older, like me, and forget current events quickly. We always have a lot of fun when we get together.

October 10th, 2026 – Nephilim Stuff & Tracie

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Today I watched a report on the Nephilim folks mentioned briefly in the book of
Genesis in the Bible. If you don’t know what I’m talking about, that’s OK because I don’t know what I’m talking about most of the time. However, while watching the documentary some cogs kinda clicked into place causing me to form a few cognitive thoughts that I’m compelled to share with you now.

The Nephilim, according to various historical reports, were giants who lived with the masses on Earth a long time ago, like in the early BC’s, before the flood. From what I read about them, they were exclusively males and they reportedly found earthly women fair and decided to get some of them and have children. Sounds like a plan, right?

There are many references that call the Nephilim giants, but some of those are whittled down to meaning that they were very strong and aggressive, not necessarily physical giants. That doesn’t, however, actually mean that they weren’t. Therefore, since I have free will, I choose to believe that they were certainly larger than most folks they hung out with. I lean toward the reference that the humans of the time “looked up to them” which is definitely a reference that means the Nephilim were taller than the humans. You can read the link I planted in the first paragraph and make up your own mind. You also have free will.

During my deep dive into this topic my mind paid attention and I was able to put some actual thoughts to work. The first thought that came to my mind is that the Nephilim are still with us and the vast majority of them are members of the various basketball teams around the globe. The BB players who are married, are married to human females, as far as I know, and they are all looked up to because they are all pretty tall and aggressive.

I’ll leave this topic for you all to ponder and will move on to my friend Tracie if Shear Perfection.

Tracie was Diane’s barber for most of her stay here on earth, and I tended to pay her a visit whenever Diane told me to go. She always gave me a great haircut. Sadly, after today, none of you folks will have access to her services because she told me she was retiring on October 9th. That was yesterday. Then she told me she was working today which makes me wonder when she’s really going to retire.

I wanted to get her very last appointment before she retired, so I stopped by her shop last Thursday to see about that. She had Pastor Ingrid in her chair when I got there and that was a surprise. It’s always a good day when I see Ingrid. The best she could do was 1:30 pm later that day. I immediately entered that appointment into my calendar, and I added two alarms to ensure I wouldnl’t forget,

Sadly, again, I forgot about the appointment and my phone did me no favors by not reminding me as I directed. Therefore, I owe you a large apology, Tracie. I’m sure you were looking forward to seeing me later in the day, and I’m sorry I failed you. Please forgive me.

Now I’ll stop.

First, I must report a possibly disastrous situation regarding our dishwasher. I loaded it and put the soap in the little cup like I was supposed to. What I didn’t consider was the soap I used. Turns out it was some highly concentrated stuff that I thought was the right stuff. I’m here to tell you that this stuff can make a lot of bubbles.

What a mess.

October 3rd, 2026 – Halloweentown

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This is the time of year that St. Helens, Oregon transforms into Halloweentown, reliving the fame the city gained from the Disney movie of the same name. If you have time to see the movie you can get a look at much of downtown St. Helens, but you wouldn’t recognize it. It’s better in person. Bring the kids.

The centerpiece for this event sits in courthouse square.

Yes, Max peed on the Giant Pumpkin.

There are lots of decorations in the square which is a nasal overload for Max. He spends a lot of time sniffing stuff, even the stuff he’s sniffed before. This stuff only comes out once a year so he has to test all his smells against the history of smells stored in his little dog brain. Every once in a while he’ll expel a puff of air through his nose to clear the air, I suspect, so new aromas can be readily detected. I’m guessing, of course, because I have no idea how a dog’s nose works. I just know Max puts his nose in a lot of places I would never consider, like a litter box, or a large hole in the ground that obviously harbors a giant rat who’s ready to tangle with anything. Thankfully, that hasn’t happened, yet.

The taxicab used in the movie is still here,

Yes, Max has peed on those sacred tires.

The marina was masking under a sunny day.

Max is always on guard.

That was our morning.

Just before lunchtime, Kathryn invited me to lunch. I was her second choice, which I understand, but Chuck left to go hunting. She picked me up and we enjoyed a nice lunch at the Warren Country Inn. Amanda was our waitress. She was a good sport.

After lunch I got comfortable in my recliner so I could rest up a little before supper. I’ll have to take Max around the block before that so I should be able to work up a little appetite. I’ll have to consider meal choices during our walk.

I’m taking time off for this tomorrow so maybe I’ll be back on Monday.

Stay safe.

October 1st, 2026

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Wow! It’s October already. If I’d have done this a few days ago I would have called it November 1st. That would be because I didn’t have clue about what day it was. I just knew that we were close to the end of a month. Obviously, what day it is for me isn’t important, even when I have an appointment for or something. Not having Diane around to remind me about appointments has proven to be a problem for me. I’ve missed a few things as a result. That’s just a guess because I really don’t know what I missed.

So, now I have to check my memory to see what I’ve done lately. That really isn’t important because I’m sure the majority of you are concerned about what I do. Last Monday I learned that there are people who read this thing that surprised me. I’m talking about the Bunco Babes that Diane used to pal around with. I’m sure I’ve mentioned them before but I’ll refresh your memory, just in case.

Bunco is a dice game. The Bunco Babes is a gang of 12 grown women, mostly, who gather to roll the dice at each other’s home, or chosen venue should one be needed. Each member sponsors an event throughout the year, and they have a long range plan that covers things to eat at each gathering. One thing that’s consistent is the games are played on a Monday. I’m not sure if it’s a specific Monday. like the 2nd Monday of the month maybe, or the third. It seems to change once in a while because, possibly, the host in charge might have to go shopping for one reason or another, or some other crises that can’t be averted. When it’s changed, it’s changed to another Monday.

The location changes sometimes, too. Like last month. Lydia used to play with them as an alternate but has stepped into Diane’s spot which means playing here, where we live, would seem like the logical place, right? Well, it was originally scheduled to take place at Jennifer’s home but something came up that required a different place. Jennifer, Lydia’s Mommy, asked if they could moved it to the house Lydia and I live in and I wondered why it wasn’t planned to be here in the first place because Lydia was technically the Bunco Hostess last Monday. It’s not like I’ve been displaced, in my own home, a number of times over the years but I never minded because there was always fun stuff to eat. That, and Max loves all those ladies and I really think he can read a calendar, knowing that they are playing somewhere and would eventually wind up here. He’s particularly fond of Dominique who is not afraid to get on his level so he can rearrange her makeup. They are best buds after knowing each other for the last few years.

Dominique is the lady who mentioned that she hasn’t seen any new posts recently which surprised me because I’m terribly unaware of who reads this stuff. So, having missed a few days without a post gave me motivation to ensure I won’t go for such long periods of time without publishing something. Not doing it was easy. Now I’ll have to work on something every few days that’s worth the effort. That’s the hard part.

Most of what I write is gibberish and I’m humbled that there are people who enjoy it. Going forward with this plan means I need a replacement editor. Diane was my editor for everything and not having her here is difficult and I’m tempted to just write it and publish it without reading it over. Once it’s done, it’s done. Simple. But. Lydia said she would do it so that’s good. She remembers stuff and can help me fill in the gaps. I’ll be curious to see how long she can endure this responsibility.

Downtown St. Helens is putting on it’s Halloweentown garb. You should visit us.

September 19, 2026

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I closed my eyes for just a moment and when they opened I find that another week has passed me by. It’s amazing how losing loved ones can distort my perception of things like that. Nothing seems to be different as the days pass because, I suspect, I just stroll through the days not thinking about anything in particular. I get up, eat breakfast, take Max for his morning walk, watch a movie, eat lunch, take a few naps during an afternoon movie, take Max for his evening walk, eat supper, watch another movie, go to bed.

It’s a simple schedule. Once in a while I’ll get a text from one of our friends, and our children communicate daily. Many times Jeff will just show up to talk for a bit and to let Max lick his nose. Max gets all jittery when Jeff shows up, or kids of all ages appear and touch him.

On the way home from this morning’s walk, we stopped at Red Apple for some missing groceries. Shopping isn’t something I do well even when I make a list. I didn’t have a list this morning so I did what I normally do … I walk up and down every aisle and get items that catch my eye. Maybe it’s on the list, maybe not. Either way, I get things I use. Much of what I get are things that I can eat right away, like cantaloupe, water melon, grapes, apples, etc. Today I didn’t get any of those things because I knew there was a dead chicken in the fridge that needed my attention for tomorrow’s 3rd Sunday Family Feastible.

Yes, tomorrow is another one of those days.

I blinked, again, and now it’s Monday, the 21st. Two days gone, just like that.

I devoted all my time to cooking the dinner for our Sunday meal. Jennie was planning to make lasagna but I figured she puts in a lot of effort for this event and volunteered my culinary skills for the main course. It was unanimously accepted because all I know how to cook is home made egg noodles an, for some odd reason, everyone likes it. Thankfully, I had two dead chickens in the freezer waiting for this occasion. They caught my eye while I was wandering around aimlessly the last time I went to COSTCO.

I started the chickens in a pot of water on Lo and went to work doing a bunch of other stuff. It was no surprise that I forgot all about the chicken so it was a good thing I put it on Lo.

After discovering that the chicken was done I went to work getting the bones and skin out of the pot. That took a while because the chicken was totally dismantled. It was a messy process.

For the noodles, I used 6 eggs. I’ve explained my process previously so I won’t go over that again. If you are new to my blog, and want to know more about it, look here. It’s the entire process that I copied from a post I made in 2010, or thereabouts.

I got the noodles cooked, added the chicken, and an entire jar of chicken bullion for flavor. Then I turned the burner off, put the pot on the floor in the garage, and went to bed. I don’t have space in the refrigerator for the pot so I have to use the cement floor. I’ve done this many times in the past and, so far, no one has complained. That could be because the next morning I put the pot on Lo and let it go until I boiled the hell out of it.

Almost all of it was eaten, with just enough remaining for me to have leftovers for a few days. Noodles just get better when they’re aged a little. That’s an opinion. I also like stale popcorn.

Hope all is well with you. Stay safe.

September 11, 2026

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9-11. Do you remember what you were doing this day 25 years ago? If you’re like most of people old enough to have been aware at that time know exactly what transpired that morning. I may have shared my story with you more than once previously, but I’m going to do it again anyway.

I was working for PGE at the Portland World Trade Center at the time. Diane was also working in the Portland area and our morning routine was to have the news on while we prepared for our 1-hour trip to work.

When the video of the first impact on the WTC in New York came on we, and the world, watched the horrific devastation in silence. It was difficult to see it happening because things like this don’t happen in America, right? It was painful, sad, and terrifying as we watched the South Tower collapse

The newscast showed the strike over and over to ensure no one missed it. A look at the clock revealed that we’d better get on the road to work because things on our side of the world hadn’t changed. It was business as usual.

The Portland WTC conference rooms on my floor had multiple TVs running when I got to work, each one tuned to a local channel. Many people walked in and out of the one I occupied to see what was going on. Many of use stayed in the conference room and waited for the steps for resolution to fall into place knowing it would be a slow process.

As we watched, the 2nd plane crashed into the North Tower, then stared in disbelief as it, too, crumbled to the ground in a heap of rubble.

Knowing what went on in both towers after each strike humbles most people. All those brave people who saved so many lives, then lost their own. It was devastating.

The rest of that day was very quiet and I don’t think a lot of routine work was accomplished. The news reported on this event all day long and everyone made visits to the conference room multiple times to see if things had magically changed.

We finished our day and went home wondering what was going to happen next.

Now, here we are 25 years later and the terrorists are still very busy. Most of the activity is located outside the USA, but we’re still the target.

As we remember this atrocity, I wish you peace. We should forgive and move on, but we shouldn’t forget what can happen in the blink of an eye.

Please keep those who serve in the military in your thoughts and prayers. They put their lives on the line every day.

September 5, 2026 – NCAA Football is back!

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Yes! Saturday football is back and both the Beavers and Ducks play today. Life is good, all things considered. Oregon State plays University of Houston at 0930, and U of O plays Boise State at 1230.

I got up semi early so I could walk Max and be home for the start of the 0930 game. Semi early was around 0700 so I could eat breakfast. My daily routine is for me to eat my Jimmy Dean breakfast while Max wanders around the back yard on his tether. During this time, I leave the patio door open so Lucy and Louis can wander in and out at their leisure. They’ve become fond of their trips around the back yard. I’m not totally sure where they actually go because of the bushes that surround the house. They have lots of hiding places.

Because of the foliage, It’s easy for them to remain invisible when I try to make sure they are back inside before I leave for the walkabout with Max. A search of the house didn’t reveal either of them so i decided to just leave and take off. I always stick my head out and call for them but doing that doesn’t ever reveal a response, but I feel it’s necessary just in case they decide to acknowledge my superior position in our relationships.

Neither one came to me after the call, which I expected, so I locked the patio door and we headed North on Shore Drive. That was Max’s choice. I let him choose the direction at each corner. This morning his choices wound up with us taking a record breaking morning walk of 1.8 miles. I have to admit, that during the latter moments of this walk i vetoed some of his choices, and made command decisions about how long he was allowed to stand still smelling something that got his attention.

When we got home, Lucy showed up at the patio door seeking asylum but there was no Louis. Lucy plowed her way through the door, pushing Max out of the way while she growled and hissed at him until she was safely inside. I checked outside a few minutes later and found Louis running for the door. It was obvious that he was ready to regain the safety of his house.

With the exception of the temporarily missing cats, my morning went as planned. I even had time to clean up the dishes prior to the game, bt I didn’t do that. Instead, I plopped down in my chair for a bit, then was quickly trapped in place by Max and Louis.

I’ll let you know about the games later, if I remember.

Jennie called me a couple of days ago and invited me to lunch at Burgerville. Gilligan’s was working and she insisted that we take advantage of her employee 50% discount. That’s a pretty good deal because there were 6 of us. I made a mistake on my order because I failed to to get my customary chocolate malt instead of a soda. I drank the soda before I realized what I had done, so ordered one to take away before leaving the premises.

Here’s Jennie being a busy Mom.

On the way out of the facility, a young man appeared behind the door and asked for money to eat because he was out of food stamps and he was hungry. I handed him the malt and went to the car. I didn’t need the malt anyway. Later, I chastised myself for giving him the malt instead of taking him inside for a proper meal. Maybe I’ll run into him again.

Since the patio door is properly guarded, I feel confident that I can kick back and take a nap. See you later.

September 2, 2026

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Yes, I’m still here.

Jeff and Gilligan came to get me for a trip to the Columbia Theater to see “Coyote vs. ACME” . While walking Max down there, I noticed that the movie was premiering at our humble little theater. Being a fan of Wiley, I thought it would be a fun movie to watch. But I don’t go too movies alone. For me, that’s not normal, or fun. I would have been just fine waiting for it to appear on one of the many movie channels I watch.

I’ve gone to other movies with Jennie & Daniel, but it’s been a while and I do not remember which movie it was.. That doesn’t matter because going with family makes it way more fun for me.

Going to see Wiley was excellent, and I got popcorn. It was a live action film that was full of fun stuff. You should all go see it.

A couple days after the movie date, I was walking Max downtown and discovered a wall painting on the back of the theater that I’ve never seen before. I can only believe that it was added to support the movie.

What do you think?

Front of theater …

Back of theater …

Here’s me just to give you a little perspective …

There is no name on the painting so I have no idea who did it. I do, however, know of a artsy store on the main street that displays amazing paintings by the owners.

No that I see this photo it’s evident that I need to shave. Also, it was raining the entire time we walked down there.

Love the rain.

August 22, 2026

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I mentioned previously that I spend a lot of lately watching movies. Doing that is a major aspect of my rehabilitation therapy for my fractured ankle. Watching movies keeps me off my feet and it seems to be working because the swelling has gone down and my pain level is minimal.

Here are some of the movies that have helped me recover: “”Hail Mary”, “Novocain”, “Mercy”, “Naked Gun”, “The Devil Wears Prada 2”, “Downsizing”, “Danica”, “Toy Story 4”, “Moana”, “Stuart Fails To Save The Universe”, “Redux Redux”, “Equilizer 1, 2, 3, & 4”, “Hoppers”, “Mickey 17”, “‘Good Luck Have Fun Don’t Die”, “Furiousa”, “Afterburn”, “Alex Cross”, “She Rides Shotgun”, “Cleaner”, “A Working Man”, “Mission Impossible: The Final Reckoning”, “Weekend in Taipei”.

There are more but I haven’t remembered all of them, yet. Also, there have been a few binge events for some series that I have yet to finish.

I have to report that I had a partial fall the other day. It’s a partial because I didn’t fall all the way down, just to my knees in, in the Safeway parking lot. My knees got dirty but it was really nothing. Probably not worth reporting, but I made a vow that I would be honest about my stability.

Speaking of stability, Jeff has made great strides in following my example. He’s scheduled for a new knee installation soon. It’s for his right knee. That knee has been a bother for him for at least 25 years so it’s about time he got a new one. So, while he’s waiting for the surgery, he wrecked his left knee just to keep things going. I think he’s just setting the stage to have that knee replaced, too.

I’m babysitting Siah this afternoon. This is how I do it.

We had lunch together then we watched a little Disney and now he’s playing games on his tablet. It’s a tough job.

Hope all is well with all of you.