Monthly Archives: December 2021

Electric Cars

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It’s been about a week or so since I discovered that authorities have intervened to prohibit one more electric car feature that had me right on the exciting verge of obtaining one of those vehicles. First it was the auto drive feature which really tweaked my interest from the start. I mean, how cool would it be to just set the vehicle to auto drive, then climb in the back seat for a nap while traversing the massively boring trip through LA. It’s normally a very slow trip so the danger of damage caused by a speeding, out of control vehicle is minimized. Still, I can see the potential for disastrous results if such technology fell into the hands of someone less responsible than my humble self.

It’s my understanding that the auto drive feature isn’t totally disabled. One can activate it but someone in the driver’s seat must keep both hands on the steering wheel. I’m actually OK with that because I think I could find a small child, who can’t reach the pedals, to sit in the driver’s seat and hang on to the steering wheel for me.

Now, after making the auto drive feature more difficult to use, they’ve taken away the games from the driver. I’m thinking, “Really! They allow us to install games on the iPad-like dashboard then make it illegal for the driver play them? What’s the point of that?” OK, they make it difficult for the driver to play because they will have to push a button to verify they aren’t driving. That makes sense, too.

I’m saying this with tongue in cheek because I’m not someone who plays games on my iPad. Therefore, in my electric car I would simply sit and watch while my passenger played. That makes sense, too, right? Quite a safety feature.

Now that I’ve got all that off my chest I’ll share that I think installing video games on a device that’s in a prominent position for both driver and passenger is about the most ignorant thing I’ve ever heard of. Making Tesla gaming available is like daring the driver to not play them while driving.

O, wait! People play on their phones all the time while driving so, perhaps, playing on a larger screen, installed in your dashboard, will make it easier to keep an eye on the road while playing since they won’t be looking down in their laps in an attempt to fool people into believing they aren’t playing with their phone. Until they run into someone. Then everyone knows.

The previous information is based on personal opinions of which I have many and, so far, opinions which I can share at will.

I’d continue but don’t have anything worthwhile to share. It would just be a continuation of the foregoing, wasting words for absolutely no reason.

Hope all is well with all of you.

My High School Sweetheart

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She had another birthday today, just like she did last year, and the year before. It happens every year on this day, just like clockwork. Today’s birthday is her 75th and she’s blessed me by letting me share the last 53 of them with her. I hope it never ends.

My gift for her today was freedom to go with our daughter, Jennifer, on a shopping trip without worrying about returning at a specific time. Since she’s the main care giver for her Mom, she doesn’t get to do that often any more. It’s important that she does when given the chance.

They took little Jessie (Jessiah) with them and they were gone for nearly 7 hours. That’s not a complaint or a criticism, just a fact. Jessie is 5-months old and the mellow one of the two children Jennifer Foster’s. This is him in a bad mood after being strapped in a car seat or a stroller all that time:

While they were gone I kept watch over Diane’s Mom to ensure she was fed, watered, and not allowed to leave the house. The latter really isn’t isn’t a problem because although she’s still pretty mobile, when she gets up it’s usually to lock all the doors.

I was told the girls both had a good time, spreading lots of smiles in their wake as they rolled Jessie around Washington Square Mall in search of adequate bras for both of them. I suspect that was one of the reasons they were OK with me staying home.

Lunch was supposed to be at the Cheese Cake Factory, but with all the shoppers wanting to eat at the same time it would have been a 1.5 hour wait. So, they went to Subway and had a sandwich. Personally, that would have been my choice, and it’s one Diane and I used to visit fairly often.

This is my true love (the one on the right). I count my blessing every day that the cosmos aligned properly and allowed me to win her heart. I fear one day she’ll wake up and see the error of her ways and make me leave. So far, so good.

Happy Birthday Sweetheart.

DeJa’Vu All Over Again

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I woke up this morning at 0545 thinking that it’s been a while since I shared something with all of you. This caused my brain to swirl (counterclockwise) with myriads of possibilities for topics to address. I lay there for a while, waiting for the swirling to stop, but it never did, so I extracted myself from bed and headed for the kitchen where I found a fairly fresh baked loaf of bread. This caused the swirling to stop and shift into a more immediate need for sustenance in the form of peanut butter toast. Since I’d not had any in a while, I toasted two slices of bread while I looked for the cat.

Yeah, I know. Looking for the cat really doesn’t have anything to do with toasting bread. It’s just that while toasting is going on there’s a period of idle time that required me to be doing something, so I looked for the cat. She had to eat, too. I didn’t find her right away, but had time to put some kitty bisque in her bowl with the optimistic belief that she would show up and, she did. Right on time.

By the time I go my toast buttered, and got settled in my chair, she was done eating and looking for a lap to nap in. Actually, it’s more like a lap to shed hair and lick herself all over. During these times it’s necessary to keep one hand on her to keep her away from my toast. She likes peanut butter. I give her a little lick once in a while by swiping some on one of the fingers of my cat hand, risking dozens of diseases, while I gobble my toast. By the time I’m done, so is she and she settles down for a short nap.

It’s a short nap because guilt creeps into my head as I think about Diane sitting alone with her mother. Now, sitting with Mom isn’t all that difficult, but she isn’t much of a lap person which makes me feel like I have the advantage. Cutting the cat nap short by standing, thereby removing the lap, I ready myself for the trip down the hill.

Another reason I scurry down the hill is because I know Diane has a pot of coffee brewing and I need some. It’s a horrible affliction but I read somewhere that coffee is good for the heart. Choosing to believe that, I imbibe every morning.

The weather here in the Pacific Northwest is very wet right now. And, it’s getting colder as winter sneaks up on us.

The foregoing words reflect pretty much every day now. It was started on December 6th and the only thing that’s changed is that I don’t often find fresh home baked bread and I don’t eat peanut butter toast every day – just once in a while.

Since Diane stays nights with her mom, I’m the designated cook for both of them. That’s really just a continuation of our arrangement before Diane changed home addresses and that’s OK. I like to cook and doing that, as I’m sure I’ve reported previously, means I don’t have to clean up the mess I make. Still, I’m careful not to make it too messy

Today is Thursday, December 16th, the day some of us fellows from church meet for coffee at the Kozy Korner Cafe. Regarding that, I’m curious to know why it isn’t the Kozy Korner Kafe. Makes more sense and doing so would allow me to shorten the name to K3. As it is it’s a more complicated K2C. Just a thought.

The Girls who wait on us at the Kozy, Kerry and Kerry are the best. They deliver coffee to us without us having to ask. We sit down and full coffee cups appear like magic. It’s kind of interesting that toward the end of summer I ran across one of the Kerry’s at Safeway and didn’t recognize her until she said “Kozy”. I knew I knew her, but the synapses weren’t firing correctly. She understood the look of confusion on my face as I struggled to say her name. Very odd. I’m sure that’s the kind of confusion people who have dementia suffer. Well, that’s me. Diane tells me I have dementia so it must be true. Instead of worrying about it I just embrace it even though it makes Diane cranky. It’s easier to ask than to remember.

She doesn’t like me asking her to repeat things to me that she’s shared in the past, and I know it’s true; but I also know that Diane remembers stuff and I don’t hesitate to ask.

Considering all off that, perhaps dementia should be spelled DeMen’Tia, kinda like DeJa’Vu. Or, just get rid of the word dementia and stick with DeJa’Vu since that’s pretty descriptive for the malady.

Looks like it’s time to stop this nonsense.

I hope everyone is well and looking forward to a blessed Christmas.