Tag Archives: life

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 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.

August 15, 2026

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Hi. I’m back and I’m in much better shape now. Apparently I’m healing OK. That’s because I’m spending most of my time reclining and watching movies. There are hundreds of them that I somehow failed to see when they were new. Watching old movies is fun. I know I actually saw many of them when they first appeared, but that didn’t matter because since I wasn’t sure, I pretended this was my first time.

My ankle is still swollen. Actually, my left foot is swollen. Not so bad that I can’t walk, but it’s gained a few pounds and doesn’t seem to be going away any time soon. I’m still walking Max which may not be a good idea, but Max told me he wasn’t going on a walk with anyone else but me. So, I waited until the house was empty and took him out on the town. We generally get a couple of miles on these romps.

The Walters clan is camping at Big Eddy this weekend and are dealing with showers that have no hot water. So, Lydia brought her Mom home to get cleaned up so they can attend a wedding that’s on their list. Max was extremely excited about Lydia showing up unannounced. He’s really funny about that because he gets so excited about her arrival, then totally ignores her unless summoned for a neck scratch.

It appears that I got sidetracked right about here because today is the 18th. Therefor, I must have misplaced 3 days somewhere along the line. According to my calendar you didn’t miss anything. During those 3 missing days, I walked about 6 miles with Max. Maybe more. A routine day gets us about 2.5 miles so I just took a guess.

The weather is great during the day and cool at night. Most of my days are spent watching movies that I probably watched previously but forgot. Most of those have been very entertaining. Well, the ones I watched all the way through. Many of them caused me to take a nap off and on. I do that alot.

Lydia has been watching all the “911” series’ and I think she’s seen most of them now. Changing things up, a little, tonight she’s watching S1-E1 of “Law and Order, Special Vicitims Unit” which was made available for public viewing in 1999, the year Lydia was also presented for public viewing. I’d tell you how old she is but you’ll have to do the math.

A little research revealed that there are 26 series and the average season has 20 episodes. That means we will be a slave to our TV for at least 520 hours. During that time they are continuing to film new episodes. Factor in our need to sleep once in a while, and some of us have to work now and then, I predict we will catch up to the current episode sometime in mid 2035. If we want to watch other shows during this time, which we will, it will be necessary to extend viewing time for LAOSVU through 2042 because we enjoy dozens of other shows. I think we can catch up sooner if we spend all our waking hours in our recliners and order in all our food for the rest of our lives.

With all that fluttering around in my head which is a bit cramped with mostly useless information I believe I’ll reconsider my need to do all of that catching up and concentrate on Disney movies.

Here’s a photo to end this before it gets any worse.

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August 4, 2026

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Surprise! It’s only been a few days since my last post so I suspect some of you might be wondering why I’m back so soon. I used to do this every day until my life changed forever when Diane left me. When that happened pretty much all my joy went with her.

Oh, I still have many positive things in my life to keep me engaged, but without her the parameters are different. I’m surrounded by my children most of the time, and I have friends who share events with me. and that’s really awesome, but I miss sharing those events with her.

Sounds like a broken record, right? I’m sure everyone who has to go through this part of life’s journey says the same thing. Unfortunately for you, as I’ve said previously, when those feelings or thoughts get stuck in my head the only way I know how to relieve myself is to type it all out.

Doing that gets my head flying all over the place, ending at places I hadn’t considered. Eventually, I wind up in a happier place thinking about all the fun we had, the places we got to visit, and the family we made . . . .

I got stuck on that last paragraph. Picture me sitting here with my fingers poised over the keyboard, waiting for that next word that seeks relief from my clogged brain, and nothing happens. I’m sure that I’m not the only person that has this problem but it’s disconcerting when it happens. When my fingers are poised over a keyboard, I expect them to be productive. All the sudden they weren’t.

Considering that predicament, I deem it’s time for me to just make stuff up. You know I loved her beyond measure, and I miss her, but I need to move on down the road. So, here I go.

Let’s go back in time to 11/27/2011. Thanksgiving is over, and my head was overflowing with unused words.

Thanksgiving is over and it’s time to get back to work. For me, it’s a trip to the VA for some poking and prodding. I love that part. It’s a simple way for me to get people to touch me for free. Well, there’s a little co-pay, but it’s not much. Worth every penny.

I’ve been scouting around for a new platform to use for my blog and thought I’d give this one a try. Susan recommended it, so it must be a good one. I think I made a couple of entries on Blogger, but can’t remember. There’s an image of a turkey carcass floating around in my head that I associated with that site, but that doesn’t mean anything. The carcass may have an entirely different meaning for me tomorrow. Or in a couple of hours.

I’d tell you what I did last Friday, but I can’t remember.

Yesterday it was sunny and we had a mini-USS Cleveland reunion at our house. In attendance was Gary, Cindy, Brian, Susan, Diane, Ziva, Panzee, Ozzie, and me. Gary & Brian remember each other from their time aboard Cleveland, but I don’t remember either of them. Probably because they were snipes, working below the main deck, and I was a deck rating working above the main deck. Everyone in the Navy understands the unspoken division between the two. We were never allowed to talk with one another, and we were all fed a different times to ensure there was no contamination from one group to the other. Apparently it works really, really well. It’s nice to learn that this division doesn’t translate to relationships in civilian life.

Gary & Cindy live in Washington. Brian & Susan don’t. Neither do I or Diane. But, all four of us who don’t can see Washington from the towns we live in. What a treat that is.

After everyone left I gave Diane a hearing test and we learned that she really is deaf in her left ear. I’ve known that for a long time but she refuses to get her hearing checked. Instead, she’d rather punish me for not answering her questions when she has her deaf ear turned toward me. It probably doesn’t help that I usually don’t talk very loudly. I do that for a reason, of course. Since her ear is already damaged, for some reason, I don’t want to take the chance of making it worse by making loud noises. So, I talk softly. Sometimes I just move my lips when she’s looking at me but that seems to make her angry. Thankfully, I can still outrun her and after 30-40 feet I forget why I’m running and she forgets why she’s chasing me. The dogs love conversations like that.

We hope everyone had a wonderful, safe Thanksgiving weekend, and that the turkey was all consumed, or sent home with visitors, so you can eat something “new” tomorrow. Send good thoughts to an old family friend, Jeff K, who is in a coma at OHSU. It’s complicated.

Today we went to church, like normal, but that doesn’t seem to help keep me from getting into trouble. We even took Diane’s Mom, Jean, like normal. We were the last people out of the church, ensuring the doors were locked and the garbage removed, and everything. It was a little ominous, weather wise, when we left the house. Apparently all of the weathermen got together on Saturday and decided it was going to rain at 10:30am sharp and, by golly, it did. There were minor breaks in the downpour so we had to time it right, ensuring it was at it’s heaviest, before heading to the car. We made it home safe and dry, then Diane made me and Jean exit the vehicle before she drove it into the garage. Thankfully, it wasn’t raining very hard at the time, so it wasn’t bad.

We heated up a mess of leftovers that included turkey, chili, baked potatoes, dressing, and salad. I had everything but potatoes and salad. I also had cheese and crackers, and a glass of expired milk. After feeding the milk to me, Diane reported that the date on the bottle indicated it should have been consumed by November 18th. Not too bad, but it suddenly tasted awful and gave me a stomach ache.

Jack & Wynette stopped by for a while on their way home from a funeral in Longview. We had a nice visit and it was good to see them, as always. Wynette’s letting her hair grow long. Looks great. Jack reported that he and Wynette have spent a lot of time, lately, looking for bras. It wasn’t immediately clear who they were for so I found it very informative. I’ve been thinking about looking for bras, myself. Diane doesn’t approve, telling me I don’t need one. In self defense, I never said I was going to buy one. I just wanted to look for one.

I learned that Jack’s hands are a C cup. I also learned that mermaids wear sea-shells because b-shells are too small, and d-shells are too big. I never knew that. I’m always learning new stuff from Jack. I always look forward to seeing those two.

Now it’s dark and nearing time for me to go to bed. We need to leave in before 7am in the morning to make sure I’m at the VA by 8am. It’s a long drive but, since I’m not allowed to sit behind the steering wheel, I can sleep all the way over. And all the way home. Which I probably will.

I hope all is well with all of you. I feel better now that I’ve moved beyond that roadblock in my head.

August 1, 2026

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It’s been about 10 days since my last post so I’m really falling behind on sharing the new. If I was smart, I’d keep my wheel book handy and jot down things of interest you might enjoy but I’ve never been accused of being smart. That means you’ll just have to put up with whatever I can remember. There’s nothing on my calendar during those days which means either I didn’t do anything, or I just forgot to add them to the calendar. Odds are it’s the latter.

Yesterday Carolann and Terry paid me a visit yesterday. It was a very nice way to end July. They were beckoned to the Columbia Funeral Home so Carolann could deliver a eulogy for a friend. It was very thoughtful of them to think of me during this trying time. That’s just the kind of people they are. We sat in the back yard and talked a while until they had to leave. Max was on his own with us and stayed right with us the entire time. I took him to McCormick Park and let him loose in the “No Leashes” area before the visit.

At the park he ran off a lot of energy and spent only a little time in the creek which surprised me. He loves the water but he seemed to be just happy running circles around the big dogs in the park.

I’m thinking I need to eat something with lots of protein for lunch. I’m cooking 4 ears of corn while I ponder about that and think I’ve settled upon some fried chicken from the Safeway deli. Maybe I’ll buy Max a beef bone to gnaw on. He seemed to like the ones I bought him a few weeks ago.

Later … I went to the store and got some things I that weren’t on a list, anywhere, and forgot to get Max a bone. Now I’ll have to go back. Maybe I’ll take him with me on the next trip.

Today is Saturday. Jennifer has been invited to attend a surprise birthday party for our good friend Noydena. She and Jennie have been friends forever and Noydena is essentially a family member. The party is at Big Eddy County Park near Vernonia. I’m sure Noydena has no idea what’s coming so it should be a lot of fun. Max gets to go with us which I know will please him to pieces.

This morning when I took Max for his first walk, it was raining. I haven’t been paying any attention to the weather, or news, so that was a surprise. Max didn’t care, nor did I. I just put our raincoats on and went to the river. It was really nice because the rain deterred most folks from walking our way.

When we got home, Max focused his puppy-dog eyes on me and gave me a friendly growl letting me know he wanted a treat for being such a good dog. So, I got one of his current favorites and headed for the back door so he could go outside and bury it for later. I stood in the doorway watching him and he just stood there watching me. He was in th e middle of the yard during this standoff and wouldn’t move until I turned my back so I couldn’t see where he dug the hole. He must like the taste of dirt with his treats. I’ve talked with him about this, but he won’t tell me what the appeal is of eating a treat that’s been buried for a week.

I may have mentioned that our friend Gretchen blessed me with her presence last week, but couldn’t find a photo to share. I just now found this one from our trip to the Happy Garden Chinese eatery here in town. We had plenty left over for the trip home. I pulled the trailer out into the driveway so she could have a private place to spend her nights and she stuck around for a few days. Gretchen was one of my co-workers at PGE for many years and we became good friends with me and Diane. So, having her visit was very nice. We spent a lot of time just sitting in the living room talking about everything.

Since I didn’t get permission to use this photo I may be in trouble but that’s OK. Maybe she might determine that another trip to St. Helens is necessary so she can read me the riot act. Or, maybe she’s OK with this and will visit again just for fun. If she does, I’ll get a better photo to share.

Here’s the better photo. I know this is true because Gretchen called me about the one above. I’m thinking she might have to take over as editor so I can have someone with common sense give me guidance.

Here’s me at the same location at the same time.

Now I must eat. I bought a bunch of stuff a few days ago and probably should look it over to see if it’s still appealing.

Stay safe.

July 22, 2026 – Trip to the Beach

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Today is Wednesday. Yesterday Lydia asked me what I had planned for tomorrow, which is today, so I checked my calendar and found nothing listed so I said, “Nothing. What’s on your mind?”

She said, “well, I need more yarn to finish my current project so I’m going to Cannon Beach for more.”

I said, “why Cannon Beach?”

She said, “because that’s where I got the yarn I’m using and I need the batch numbers to match,” in a tone that meant I should know that.

Not one to miss a chance to go to the beach, I said, “that sounds fun. What time are we going?”

She said she would get up a little earlier than she did today, meaning yesterday, because stayed in her bed until noon. As it turned out, she got up and was ready to go by 0900. That worked just fine for me because that gave me time to take Max for a walk along the river, which I did, this morning.

I woke up about 0730, ate my breakfast to decrease the chances of me falling down, then took him to town about 0830 and had him back by 0930 which ensured we could get to her yarn shop by 1130.

The drive over was fast because Lydia doesn’t drive slow, and uneventful because she’s a good driver. We took Max with us and he was ecstatic because going anywhere in a car is one of his favorite things to do, any time.

Once we got to Cannon Beach a parking space appeared out of nowhere so Lydia grabbed it. We had to walk a ways, but that was OK because we were surrounded by friendly people and lots of dogs. Max was in heaven. He got a sniff of every one of them.

While Lydia was getting her yarn Max and I just walked around visiting people. I was amazed that there were so many people wandering around in town. It was almost like walking around the streets of Honolulu again.

On the way out of Cannon Beach, we stopped by Ecola State Park for a while. She had never been there. So, here we were …

Regarding previous events, I’m sad to announce that in addition to the fair beginning on July 15th, I inadvertently failed to report that Jerrie Anne Diane Cate attained the lofty age of 15. That’s significant. She is, as you may have guessed, the youngest offspring of Jeff and Heather and is named after Diane and me. I’m very honored that she bears my name and I know Diane is also honored. I’m truly sorry I failed to let everyone know in a more timely manner. Perhaps Jerrie will forgive me for this failure.

Now I leave you with this PDA.

July 12, 2026 – On My Own

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I’ve been released into the wilds, on my own, without supervision of any kind. The road ahead for the next few days looks a bit rocky.

Daniel and Jennifer deserted St. Helens to board a cruise ship for a week of frivolity sailing around in the Caribbean Sea. They’ve been working up to this for a long time that began at the first inkling of the COVID outbreak. They were scheduled to be on the cruise at that time, but it was cancelled at the last minute. What a bummer that was for them. This time everything worked just fine and they are now on their 3rd or 4th day of their cruise. This photo is from a stop at the Dominican Republic.

Lydia is in charge of the Littles while Mom and Dad are on vacation which means she won’t be staying with me. Hence, I’m alone. I will, however, rise to the challenge of not falling down, or hurting myself by other methods as I traverse this challenging period of my life. There’s no doubt I will weather this storm and maintain my dignity till the end.

Eating properly is the big challenge, as it always has been since Diane left us. I do OK, but I’m sure many would disagree with some of the choices I’m making. For instance, I had ice cream drenched with the remains of a small half full jar of freezer jam from 6/23/20 that I found in the freezer. It looked to be in good shape and it was only 6 years old. I figured it was good as new, and I was right. It was very good. That was my dessert yesterday evening after a nutritious meal of buttered popcorn. I think there was a ham & swiss cheese sandwich in there somewhere, but I’m not sure.

I went shopping yesterday and did my best to get the things that were on a list that I left at home. I do that once in a while. The solution, for me, is to go up and down every isle in the store and get anything that gets my attention. Normally, this method results in me obtaining most of the things I think I need, plus a few extra things that are questionable.

Oh! Another treat I made myself yesterday was fajitas, with a pound of sliced up beef. It was pretty good, as I recall. I think I had those earlier in the day, before the ham sandwich. I had to cook the meat before it got rancid and I bought it to ensure I got a decent amount of protein to help manage my blood sugar issues. I’m working on a plan where I must eat steak frequently to ensure my protein intake is adequate. I actually don’t know what adequate means so the success of this process hangs loosely on my ability to make good guesses. What could go wrong?

July 9, 2026 – Jerrie’s a Hero, Kinda

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This happened a few days ago, but I keep forgetting to mention it.

Max and I were driving home from a walk on the river, going down 1st Street to a mandatory left turn that puts you on Columbia Blvd. It’s a sweeping curve and doesn’t require either direction to stop. It’s just common sense that causes those who have it to slow down. Just as we approached the turn, we encountered a guy on a dirt bike coming around the corner way too fast. When he saw my big black truck aimed directly at him, his front tire began to wobble as he tried to get back into his lane.

As he lost control I managed to stop the truck and waited to see what was going to happen. The bike solved the problem by dumping itself, and the rider on the asphalt as a speed slow enough the it slid a little closer to me, but stopped about 5 feet short. He didn’t hit us but I’m sure he was convinced he was going to die right there.

He jumped up after extracting himself from the tangled mess he’d made, laying in the middle of the street with his legs still wrapped around the bike. After getting the bike upright, he shoved it to the side of the road. He was limping as he moved so I presumed he suffered injuries, but I couldn’t be sure that was his natural way of getting around since it was my first time seeing him walk. Limping might be his normal way of getting around and after his close encounter with death, it seemed feasible, so I just let it be.

While he was busy, he kept saying, “I’m sorry” not knowing I was more concerned about him than he was about me. He assured me that he was going to be OK and I believed him because he wasn’t leaving a trail of blood or body parts, and his clothes were not all ripped up, so I stayed in the truck to keep other drivers from running over him. He had to make another trip to gather up some things that fell off the bike when he crashed. As he was doing that we had a brief conversation about how it would probably be a good idea in the future to take this corner a little bit slower the next time he happens to come this way. He agreed.

Once the road was clear I asked him again if he was good to go and he assured me he was. I think he was more embarrassed than hurt at this point and so I went on down the road.

That would have been an excellent time to have a dash cam so I could share all that ecxcitement with you.

In the end, I’m just happy that he was able to stop his slide before winding up under my truck. I probably should have insisted that I call 911 and have him checked out but by not doing so I probably saved him a bunch of money he couldn’t afford to spend, but would have been covered by all of us who have car insurance and pay extra for uninsured motorists.

I should have taken a photo, right? I take pictures of everything else, but not this knucklehead.