Picture this

I got up at 8:30, grabbed another blanket because the bedroom was so cold, and went back to bed for half hour or so. I listened to part of an interview, then washed up and got dressed for church. While Chris packed his suitcase and laptop, I freshened a bouquet of flowers by drawing from other bouquets. I got in the car with the bouquet between my feet. Chris drove us to church.

We got there slightly late. I put the arrangement in the fellowship hall and then we sat in church with Faye and Kurt. It was a memorial day themed service. At the end we had communion with the little packets of wafer and juice. Then we went across the hall to the fellowship room where Dad's slideshow was being played. People looked at the pics we had set out. I talked to several people. Most went home and we talked to Kevin who made the slideshow.

Later, we left the church. Kurt said goodbye and headed to his home. Chris and I got in Faye's van and she drove to the airport with Chris navigating. We dropped him off. On the way back, we used her phone to navigate. I pretended I was driving to the directions of the gps. We got lost anyway and had to turn around. I don't know how we changed interstates without taking any exits.

Finally we got back to the church. We cleaned up the picture display and packed it and the flowers into Faye's van. Then I drove Dad's car and followed her to his house. Only she took a left turn and did not arrive when I did.

I found myself alone so I let myself cry. A lot. Then I cooked some frozen veggies. Faye came over with a sandwich from Subway. As she ate, I ate the veggies with a piece of fish that Chris cooked yesterday. She pulled all the wilted flowers from the various arrangements and collated them into two bouquets. I searched my blog for indications that I had written Faye a check when Dad went into Lucy Corr, but that level of detail was not in my blog posts.

We decided to take pics of everything in the house. We started with the dining room. But in some rooms we did not know what belonged to William and what belonged to Dad. We found stuff under the bed that I called Myra to ask what to do. We stopped taking pics because daylight had faded and the bedrooms have no overhead lighting. Faye fiddled with papers that Chris had Kurt print out. I wished Chris were there to answer her questions. I listened to the rest of an interview and worked some online puzzles. Eventually Faye went home and I started my bedtime routine.

Saturday

It rained all night and most of the day. I got up at 9. I washed up and got dressed, and checked e-mail, then changed the water in the plants with green foam and added some aspirin water. I listened to part of an episode of Endgame. I talked to Faye.

Kurt and Patrick went to recycling. Since we were alone, Chris gave me a coconut oil massage. He took a shower and then I took a shower. He started laundry. I found some old patterns and took a pic for Michele. I went for a walk and it rained on me. By the time I got back to the house, Kurt and Patrick were back from recycling.

I got a notebook and started an inventory of the diningroom, livingroom, kitchen and den. Kurt was helping. Faye came over. She said we were writing down too much.

She and I went to the church. We wre goingn to look for push pins at a $ store, but it wasn't there. At the church we set up some pics and tables. We used paperclips for the pics on the tryptic. I talked to the janitor while Faye finished up.

When we got home, Chris had made supper, so I ate the fish and mixed vegetables. Faye ate her Subway sandwich.

I looked through giant desk for push pins, and found old maps. We looked through bags of papers for stmts to show where a mysterious $100 came from in Mom's (now closed) estate account. It was very confusing because several banks changed names 3 times in the last 7 years. Faye found a pic of Dad with a six-seater plane.

I partially made the bed, and typed up my blog post for yesterday. Then I got ready for bed. But we didn't get there much before midnight.

Oops

I got up at quarter of nine to take charcoal. I had some cuddle time with Chris. I sorted papers, and shredded some. I ate a fat bomb.

I listened to part of Endgame summit day 3. He talked about how inflation is good business for govt and central banks. We could lose the dollar reserve status because of devaluation of the dollar. Debasement of the dollar makes poor people poorer and rich people richer.

Faye arrived so I paused it. With Kurt, we went to four banks. Three of them told us they had no accounts related to Dad's name, but that we should check the unclaimed money website in case Mom or Grandma had accounts that my dad missed when they died.

We came back to the house. I made and ate salad. Faye and Kurt went to Subway and ran into Patrick. When they came back, I joined them and we chased down another bank. Faye put a tire over the concrete stop when turning around. A man with a tow rope came by and pulled her out while she was calling for a tow truck. Then we did more chasing, but all dead ends. That bank is gone or bought up by another.

When we got back to the house, I called the commissioner and made an appointment for next week. I took the flower arrangements outside to pull out the bad ones and consolidate the good ones into vases. Faye rearranged one of them. It started to rain.

Chris had gone back to his parents house to pick up his birthday card and take the painting of Michele. I didn't want to stuff it in my suitcase and subject it to the airlines. When he got back, he cooked frozen pizzas for himself and Kurt. I ate leftovers. Faye and I stated tracing bank account balances to see where Mom's estate acct went. There was a mysterious deposit that we don't know what account it came from. We shredded stuff, and went through cards Kurt found. I brushed my teeth and posted to my blog, still not quite caught up. I read some e-mail to try to keep it down under 700 unread.

Chris' birthday

I woke up early, but never heard the alarm. I brushed and took charcoal. I listened to part of Endgame summit Day 2, but then lost internet connection. The speaker was talking about new math and how bad it was. It made me twitch just hearing about it. I pulled out and trimmed flowers.

Faye came over, and we went to the courthouse. We went through security, then to the clerk's office. We had to wait for the court clerk. She had lots of papers for us to sign. She gave us qualification papers, which we needed for the banks. When we were done, we headed to Dad's main bank. I called Kurt who called William to meet us there. At the bank, Faye gave the boys their notification of beneficiary papers, then had the clerk notarize that we did that. We created an estate account and put Dad's money in it. We closed out the bank box. There were bonds in there so we cashed them into the estate account. Chris was ready to go to his parents house so he came to get me while Faye and Kurt waited for receipt on the bonds.

We arrived at the Damours house around 3. Cecily appointed a chair for me to sit in in the den since I was unvaccinated. So I asked if I needed to eat supper at a different table and she said that would be ridiculous. We sat and talked for some time. Then Al dropped me off at the convenience store. I bought kimchi and walked back, making a loop on Angarde for extra exercise. When Al came back, I was stalking a squirrel.

The four of us sat at the small dining table until time to eat. Cecily would not let me help cook or set the table. (I wondered why I hadn't thought of the 'infectious' excuse before.) After we ate prime rib and potatoes and asparagus, we sang to Chris and his parents gave him a birthday card. Cecily gave out ice cream. She worried over everything, then went to bed. After a little more conversation with Al we finally went back to Dad's house.

Faye and Kurt and Patrick were shredding. Faye handed me some papers. I entered more account numbers into the spread sheet. They were probably old and closed, but we had to make sure. Faye left. Chris went to bed. I stayed up to delete e-mail and blog. Kurt played a ghost story from a collection that he regulary listens to. I jotted notes for my blog and deleted a bunch of e-mail, then went to bed.

Wednesday

We slept late. I took shower and swished. I called the county clerk and left a message. Myra texted that she was on her way. I swept the livingroom, and Patrick did the den. Then I did the hallway. I also took a broom to the front porch and sidewalk. Faye called to say the clerk called her to set up an appointment for tomorrow. Then the clerk called me to say the same thing. I made fat bombs, then watered all the flower arrangements and plants.

Scott and Myra arrived. We all sat in the livingroom and talked about old times in Korea. We all went out to eat at Cava. We sat outside and talked. When we got back, we talked more in the driveway. Myra showed an interest in some of the cars, so it was good that William was there when we got home.

I looked at pics with Faye but didn't do anything with them. We continued our shredding party. Patrick came home from work with a sandwich of some kind and ate it sitting on the floor. Faye and I found the things we will need for the clerk of circuit court tomorrow. Then she went home and I jotted notes for my blog and posted some previous days.

Shredding party

We slept in late because we went to bed late. I took charcoal tablets at 8:30 and went back to bed for awhile. Then I washed up and got dressed and swished. I checked e-mail, and watered the flower arrangements. I got an e-mail response saying the clerk of court got my e-mail last night and referred it to the appropriate person. I walked outside barefoot and foraged for pine needles. I brought them in to cut up and make pine needle tea.

I heated chicken for breakfast at 11. Faye came over and she and Kurt went to the IRS website and created a TIN for the estate account. We all had a shredding party in the den. Faye and I sorted while Kurt shredded.

Chris did laundry and cooked supper. William came over after work. Kurt packed up and went home. William did the shredding as Faye and I separated shredding from recycling. Then he left. Patrick came home. Faye got tired and went home. Patrick sorted but did not shred so I shredded. Patrick took the recycling out to the curb. It seems Dad kept everything, not just for himself but for Mom and Grandma too. We found our grandfather's Coast Guard ID. We never knew he was in the coast guard.

Flower Central

I got up about 7:30, took some activated charcoal and went back to bed. I got up later to wash up and get dressed. A chocolate bar had melted in my computer case and I tried to get it off all the items that it touched. I made phone calls to a life insurance company and Chris reported the death to the retirement system. Faye came over late. The three of us visited four (or more) banks. Having a death certificate helped, but without Letters Testamentary we could not get account information or even find out if there was an account at certain banks. I called the funeral home. They said Dad did not have a CD with them to pay for his funeral, and it would be nice if we paid by the end of the week.I told them we paid the organist directly and she said she would take care of that.

Flower arrangements were delivered from people at Dugway. Faye and Kurt talked to the delivery guy. I helped William clean out old clothes from one closet. I called Faye in to see a picture (and to give her an excuse to escape from the deliver man's stories).

We went out to eat with Faye's friend from work. It was a nice place where you walk along a counter and point out what you want put in your bowl. All sorts of healthy things. We ate outside because it was so cold inside. When she went back for her purse, she met another friend in the parking lot. It started to rain. It;s been a while since I have seen rain. But I just can't get over how green everything is here.

We went back to the house. I worked on creating an asset sheet while Faye tried to create a TIN for an estate account. Finally I e-mailed files to the clerk of court. Faye emoted about how frustrating it was trying to get a TIN and not knowing if it went through. She went home after inadvertantly taking a nap. Kurt found a passbook savings account, which may or may not be closed. I brushed my teeth, jotted some notes and went to bed.

Sunday

I washed up and got dressed. I checked e-mail. I heard Kurt tell Karen on the phone that we'd be home by 2.

Chris drove us to Dad's church. We were instructed to choose a seat from the seating chart. Vaccinated people did not have to wear a mask, so I did. It was a good service, and did not remind me too much of the services years ago. Afterward, I spoke to Floyd in the fellowship hall. Finally Chris came in to get me and we went home.

William and Karen were there packing William's stuff. They also took some antiques. I snacked, then went through papers in Dad's bedroom with Faye. We also went through boxes of stuff like old Christmas decorations and batting. We each took some and put some in the yard sale pile for William to look through.

Chris cooked salmon for me. I gave some to Kurt. We all had supper. Then we went through papers and pictures and stuff in the office. More possible accounts from banks that have changed their name or been bought out. We selected a lot of stuff to be shredded and gave that to Patrick.

I watered the flower arrangements. Faye helped me clear the bed, then went home. I sat down to write my blog, Chris went to bed. Patrick stayed up to shred and talk to me.

Laid to rest

I got up at 7:30, brushed my teeth and did some stretches, then took a shower. Michele helped me find clean underwear. After dressing and putting on vitamin patches, I deleted 100's of e-mails. Chris and Michele microwaved what was in the fridge because it froze overnight. I jotted notes for the funeral in case I could speak. The internet helped. We put our luggage in Faye's van. I got in. Chris rode with Michele. Faye checked out of the motel and we drove to the church. Kurt and Patrick were already there. So was Dad. He looked ok, but not quite like his usual self. I cried a lot. Faye set up pictures on a table. A lady from the funeral home put the CD of Dad's pics and music on a monitor and it looped. People came to pay their last respects.

The immediate family had a prayer after the casket was closed in the foyer. We followed the casket into the church and sat down in front. There was a service and a place in it for people to speak. Kurt spoke and Faye spoke. The pastor read what I wrote, which wasn't much. A couple of other people spoke too. There were at most 30 people there.

Then the family followed the casket out. It went into a van. We all walked to the gravesite where a tent and chairs were set up. The flowers had been moved there during the service. The casket was set in place. The pastor read from the Bible and said a few words. We left while the casket sat there, and walked back to the church for the meal. I got to talk at length to my cousins. Later I changed clothes and dicussed current events with Jeff and his wife and Silvia. Then Chris hurried me up. He and Faye and I got in her car. William, Kurt and Patrick were in Kurt's car. The flowers and food was in both cars. We caravanned all the way back to Richmond, taking the back roads which made the trip longer. We also had to stop several times to look for a place willing to let the public use their restrooms.

It was late when we got in. We unloaded the flowers and the food from Faye's car. Later Kurt and Patrick showed up after going out to eat, and brought in flowers and the box of pictures Faye had laid out at the funeral. I jotted a few notes and went to bed.

Friday

I got up when the alarm rang at 7:30. I closed the windows and locked them. I washed up and got dressed, adding vitamin patches. Patrick got up and took a shower and Kurt got ready. They left about 8:40 to get William. Faye came over and we put my case in her van. Tony came over to talk to us. Then we got on the road just after 9.

We drove north for a long time, passing Kurt several times. We stopped for lunch as Eggspectation, then drove to Shartlesville. Faye and I arrived at the motel at 4. We signed in and unpacked the van. Faye called Donna and David and Kurt to arrange supper. She and I went for a walk, and stopped at a dollar store. I didn't have a mask with me, but fully vaccinated people did not need one and no one asked me for proof. We got some snacks and walked back.

Donna came over and got in Faye's car while I dropped off a motel key for Chris. We drove to the other hotel to pick up pastor David and daugher and Kurt, William and Patrick. Actually they all followed us to the barbeque ranch for dinner. I paid for all of us as Dad would have. I could not eat all the chicken so I brought the white meat back to the motel. Faye and I were talking to Donna when Chris and Michele drove up. Then Chris and Michele and I started watching movies of Michele as a toddler that William copied from VHS tapes. It reminded me of good times when my mom and dad were alive and well. I texted Faye and William to come over to watch. Faye looked at pics of Dad that Chris brought. When the video was over, they went back to their room. Chris and Michele watched music videos while I got online and posted my missed blog posts.

Thursday

After just an ok night of sleep, I got up. I washed up and put on vitamin patches. I gathered up laundry and the bedsheets and towels. I put it in to wash, and helped Kurt treat collar stains, then turned on the washer. I made egg salad for breakfast.

Faye was busy to I took Kurt to two banks. They gave us some info, but not all we wanted. Kurt and Patrick went out to eat. While I was home alone, a florist van delivered a plant from Aunt Jean's family. I wondered who might see the van and guess a death in the family.

Kurt looked through Dad's 2020 tax records for banks Dad might have accounts at. I pulled sheets from the dryer and made the bed.

I took William to two banks. One had an account but the other didn't. That was all the info we could get. When we got back, I called Faye to meet us at Bank of Virginia, but when we got there, it was closed down.

I ate a piece of chicken for supper. We looked through financial papers, and tried to cross reference. Faye found out that the mysterious blue key goes to a lock box. I folded the laundry and put it in my suitcase.

Faye and I looked for pics of Dad in pic albums that we found. Kurt found a case with home videos transcribed to DVD. We watched one of the Farmers' Market in Allentown, and one of Michele. I had to pause it so Faye would go home because it was late. I got ready for bed and packed my suitcase.

Wednesday

I woke several times during the night, but got ok sleep. I got up about 9 and took a shower. It was difficult with all the 'accomodations' around the tub. I put on a new set of vitamin patches and brushed my teeth. Faye called to say she was having car trouble and would be over later. Kurt and I went to BbnT bank to find out what we needed to get amount of account. They can't tell us anything without death certificate, and letters of testimentary. When we got back, William was at the house. The three of us were talking in the front yard and Faye showed up. We went inside and William left. Kurt and I looked at a list of accounts written in short notation. It was hard to understand and we cross-referenced it with other lists. Faye ordered funeral flowers and talked to Janet. Faye took the will to Kevin B to scan and print the will and also pick up the CD of music and pictures. It will be played at the funeral and posted on the funeral home website. Of cours we found more pictures after it was made. I sat outside reading barefoot while Kurt and Patrick went out to eat. When they got back, Kurt took me to Wegmans for a few groceries. Then we looked at pics with Faye until she went home. I got ready for bed and jotted a few short notes.

Pictures, pictures, everywhere

When I was ready for bed, Patrick was well underway vaccuuming. He was very industrious. If only he had started earlier. I searched high and low for my mp3 headphones. I had given up on them when I noticed one end sticking out from my laptop. I retired for the night and slept better than last night.

I got up around 7:30ish. I washed up and got dressed. I put on vitamin patches and brushed my teeth. It was almost 9 so I woke up Patrick and asked him to move the laundry he left in the livingroom. I had just minutes to check e-mail before the pastor arrived. Faye showed up at the same time. We sat in the livingroom and discussed the funeral service. But for some reason had a hard time staying on topic and getting decisions made. Finally the pastor said we could call him anytime and he left.

I cooked two eggs and ate them while talking to Faye. She called for an interpreter for Donna, and to arrange an organist. She got a note from the funeral home that Dad might not be ready by Saturday and did we have an alternative date for the funeral. We had so much invested in the Saturday service that we thought to have it anyway, but call it a memorial service.

We searched through hundreds of pictures looking for ones of Dad. I took pics of them with my phone and transferred them to my laptop. I also searched through old picture files and moved them to a special file. Then I cropped the phone pics and went to move them to the special file, but it was gone. I made another special file. Faye found more while I was cropping. She called Kevin B and he said just come over 'cause he had software to crop them. So I packed up my laptop and we headed over.

When we got there, he downloaded the special file to his computer. But I hadn't finished all the pics so I had to move them to the file and he had to download again. He was able to marry the stream of pics to an instrumental piece called “I did it my way”. We talked about the service, etc, and the conversation got off topic. It was an interesting conversation but finally we left so he could get ready for his next thing.

We went back to Dad's house. I heated chicken and casserole for supper. Faye and I talked about what to do tomorrow. We put pics away, finding another book of pictures. She called the funeral home and they said everything was fine now and ontrack. The doctor had finally signed the death certificate. After more chitchat, Faye went home. I called Chris. Kurt arrived. I talked to Kurt and then Chris called back about making flight reservations. I called Faye to see if she could drive him to the airport. Then she called him. I talked to Kurt some more, and then he and Patrick went out for a very late night meal.

I brushed my teeth and deleted e-mail. I looked at the found picture album. I was very young when the pics were taken. I wrote my blog post as best I could remember. I found the special file - the other laptop! I had no good way to get them to this laptop, but then it is a little late now that the pics have been turned in. Then I got ready for bed, hoping to be asleep before Kurt and Patrick get back.

* My dad as a much younger man. *

Flights and more

I did not sleep well Friday night. Every time I fell asleep, I woke right up. Chris finally left to sleep in the living room. He came to get me at 5 and I was wide awake. Intending to leave at 5:30, we washed up and got dressed. I threw a few last things in my suitcase and then packed my laptop. Chris put the stuff in the car and we headed to the Salt Lake City airport via gps.

When we got there, he dropped me off at the terminal. I went inside and found a terminal to check in, but the man standing there looked at my ticket and said to go ahead to the clerk. I waited in line, then carried my suitcase up. She processed it and gave me my tickets. Then I hit the restroom before going to security. That was another long line, even though I was in the priority lane. Glad I went BEFORE I got in that line. After checking my pass port, I went to a line of carrels where I put my items in bins. There was one bin underneath, and when I pulled it out to fill it, another one took its place. Since there were 4 carrels in a row, other peoples bins got mixed in with mine. After being personally scanned, I had to determine which bins were mine. Some were obvious, but laptops look kind of alike.

Anyway, on to the gate. I just stood in line there until first class boarded, and I got on. We were seated kind of apart. The seat was too tall for me and my heels did not touch the floor. It was an hour till we were high in the sky and I could recline. Thankfully part of my snack was in the computer case. I ate the brown banana and some 96% dark chocolate. But then the stewardesses came around with boxes of snacks. I read the ingredients on each one. I ate about half. All were organic, but some had sugar or the vague 'natural flavors'. We were told we had to keep our masks on even while we ate (between bites). Ugh.

I had held together pretty well, but sometimes tears would fall. One stewardess asked me if something was wrong and I told her about my dad. She patted my shoulder and said she was so sorry. Then she told all the other stewardesses and they each made a point of coming to say something comforting. That did not help me hold it together. Five minutes before we landed, they wrote a message on a card and signed it, and wrote my new gate number. As I de-boarded, one handed me a baggie of extra water bottles and extra snacks. Truely first class service.

As per the stewardess' directions, I found the train to the next concourse and walked slowly to the new gate. I sat and waited until boarding started and realized I would be in the last to board. Fearing no place in overhead bins, I checked my carry-on and went to the restroom. Then I came back and stood in line. Finally we boarded. I was seated between two big men. I crossed my arms and did not touch anything. The one on my left talked to me off and on which made the trip shorter, although it was only an hour and a half.

When we landed in Richmond, I was going to take a pic, but forgot. I walked quickly to the public area where I met my father-in-law. He gave me a quick hug and we went to the baggage claim area. Amazingly, even though I checked my suitcase and carry-on at different times, they came out almost together and right near the front. So we were out in no time. I followed him to his car and he loaded the trunk. He programmed his gps for my dad's house and we left the lot. I tried making conversation, but it led to wrong turns so I became quiet.

When we got to the house, William was cleaning out the white car. Al unloaded my luggage and William took it in the house. We had a bit of conversation and Al went home. I talked to William and he showed me a pic of Dad in the nursing home bed (an 'after' pic). Faye came over and we hugged and talked. She and William said there was no food in the house, so I ate more of the nuts and chocolate that I brought for the plane. William went home to Karen. Faye and I wrestled with skpye on several computers until we were able to get all 5 of us in a group chat (including Kurt). We discussed the funeral and other arrangements. I made notes.

It got late and we ended the call. I got ready for bed. Patrick wanted to talk a little. Then I laid down and tried to sleep in Dad's bed. Conditions were not ideal. Patrick was walking around. I was cold, and then hot, off and on. But I did sleep for some chunk of time so it was better than the night before.

.....................................................................................

Daylight came in around the blinds. My body did not know what time it was. It wasn't on Utah time or on EST. Finally I got up. I re-did the sheet and relized that there was a plastic sheet under it. I took that off and put more blankets on the bed. I made a thicker knee pillow. I cleared off part of the dresser and put the clothes from my suitcase there. I stacked up the walker, rollater, and rolling chair to make room to walk around. I washed up and got dressed and put on vitamin patches. I opened two windows. They were incredibly dirty so I got out the vacuum and cleaned out spider webs and such. I also wiped them with a cloth.

Patrick was asleep in the den. I looked through the fridge and found eggs, carrots, yogurt and apples. In the freezer was chicken, casseroles, corn, broccoli, etc. I ate a carrot. I looked through the food cabinet. I read all the labels and pulled the good ones to the front. There was coconut milk and coconut water and packets of tuna. I made some fermented coconut milk and started a shopping list.

I checked e-mail. Faye arrived at 9:30. We went through lock boxes looking for Dad's birth certificate so we could fill in information for the funeral home. We also picked out pants and shirt for him to wear. We looked at pics of him. I messaged her some from my phone. She printed them out on Dad's printer. Finally we got to the funeral home and it looked deserted. Faye called and they said to come in. We went in and a man greeted us, but turned us over to the female director. She discussed the forms to be certain we had them correctly filled out. Faye noticed that we didn't bring a tie and the director asked about a jacket. I thought Dad should be dressed more formally than less formally so Faye went back to the house for a jacket and tie. But it took a long time because she couldn't decide. So she brought several of each and we decided on the black suit and a subdued patterned tie.

We finished up at the home and went back to Dad's house. She spoke to the local pastor on the phone from her car. He offered to call the pastor in PA where Dad will be buried. Then we went to Subway so she could buy lunch. On the way back we stopped at the bank for me to cash a check, but I could not find the check, so we went to the house. She ate her sandwich while I ate casserole, tuna, and we split an apple.

I cleared the messages on Dad's home phone, taking note of those that seemed important. Faye called to cancel his prescriptions. She tried to cancel the credit card as well, but got the runaround and then silence. The pastor called to say that the funeral would be at 11, so I messaged a bunch of people to let them know. She called the funeral home in PA to arrange for the casket and flowers. The home wrote an obituary and sent it to Faye for approval. I read online about identity theft and we deleted a bunch of middle names, maiden names and even the last names of the survivors.

She went home, and I put a piece of chicken and some water in a pot on the stove. When it was hot, I poured the water over casserole to heat it, and put chicken on top. I sat down at my laptop to eat. A podcast started to play, but I couldn't tell which window it was coming from. A disant cousin messaged me that the cemetary director had some questions, so I called the director. When he heard which funeral home was doing the service, he said they would handle everything and not to worry.

Chris messaged me, then called. I muted the podcast to talk to him. Faye called, too. She let me know that she found the will and we discussed hotel arrangements. I called Chris back. We talked about him coming up. He was willing to stay two weeks, but then all my plants would die. After hanging up, I ate some frozen blueberries and listened to the podcast. I paused it to type this blog post. Patrick came home from work. I asked him to vaccuum and he did. Then I posted this write-up and got ready for bed.

* These ducks were in the parking lot at Subway. *

A new angel in heaven

I had my usual morning. Chris gave me a massage and I took a shower and made breakfast. I checked e-mail and saw that Faye was posting on Facebook so I called her. She told me about her visit with Dad yesterday, and we discussed other things. Then Chris reminded me it was time to go. He put my sewing machine in my car and I drove to the chapel. I opened the building and turned on the lights. I set up my machine and my sewing project. The two girls showed up first, then Jenni and their mom. We waited a few minutes in case someone else would come but no one did. Then Jenni taught the girls to make baby hats while I sewed on my project. Their mom started a hat too, and used my machine to finish the book mark she started two weeks ago. I finished my project except for the white border. We packed up and I went home.

Chris came and took the machine out of my car. I went outside to treat gopher holes. Then Chris came out with my phone. It was Faye, calling to say Dad had passed away. I sat down in stunned disbelief. We were both feeling a little lost. We talked about who to call. I hung up and called Karen, and then Kurt. I called William and Karen was with him. They went to see Faye while I got on Facebook to let extended family know what happened. I also texted a few people. Chris called Michele and his parents. They called Marie and she e-mailed me.

Chris offered to make me supper but I wasn't ready to eat. I went out for a walk to clear my head. I found several droppings from some canine animal. I told Chris and he came out to look, saying it was probably coyote. I picked up the droppings and put some in several gopher holes. Then I washed my hands and ate supper. I watched one short video, then Chris and I talked about flights to Richmond tomorrow. I called Eileen to ask her about the SLC airport. She thought everything was labeled well. We had a nice chat.

Then I started packing. Chris tried to install the Delta app on my phone and for some reason it did not work. He called Delta and waited over an hour. I am not sure they ever answered. Packing is usually something I do over the course of a week, but only had an evening to make all the decisions. Chris got frustrated with me (and Delta) and went to bed. I stayed up long enough to blog and pray that I didn't forget anything important (or expensive to replace).

Take a gopher to breakfast

I took half of the sleep supplement last night and skipped the headphones. I slept ok and woke up a little groggy. Chris got an early call but did not have to leave to handle it. He stayed up and I stayed in bed, trying to visualize healthy outcomes. When I got up, it was almost 8. I watered the plants and made lemon water. I swept up gnats and removed their hiding place. I checked on the gopher. The tub had been pulled to the edge of the porch and it was empty with the rock still on top of it. There was a feather by the door so maybe a bird moved the tub to let the gopher out and took him to breakfast?

I read a book by the Happylight. Chris left for the office. I added to the shopping list. I read e-mail. At 11:30, I made breakfast. I listened to an episode from the heart summit: Cataracts are a marker of mortality as much as breast cancer. Usually heart-related. Alzheimers is a vascular disease as is glaucoma. MRI doesn't pick it up, but OCT can. Heart disease can be vit A deficiency. Citruline helps with nitric oxide.

After breakfast, Chris came home for the day but said he had to stay on post in case they need him. I packed a Louie Armstrong CD and player and the cooler. I headed to Tooele, and stopped at the lot at the top of the mountain to look around. Because of the trees, I couldn't see much. Then I continued my trip, listening to Louie Armstrong and thinking my dad would like the music.

First I shopped at Luckey's, then went to Melanies. Afterward. I walked over to look at plants outside of Cal Ranch. Then I went to the $store where I thoroughly enjoyed spending as much time as I wanted because no one was waiting on me. I put those purchases in the car and walked to Macey's. When I was done there, I stopped at Great Clips which was in the same parking lot. Sadly they had a line. I waited a few minutes, but had to get the groceries home (the milk would not fit in the cooler. I drove back to Dugway.

Chris had picked up a Swansons package for me from the post office. He came out to my car to help carry in groceries. He cooked me fish for supper. I checked e-mail until Chris pulled the fish from the oven. I took pre-supper supplements, then walked over to Johnnie's house to water her plants. On the way home, I felt raindrops. I was undecided whether I should put my car windows up or leave them down. In Alabama, that seemed to control the rain.

I read articles while I ate the fish. I went outside to see if my plants needed watering and it seemed like a storm was brewing, so I put up my windows. I went back to reading articles.

I made tea and we watched two episodes of the superhero thing. They were much darker than the two episodes yesterday. I brushed my teeth and sat down to finish e-mail, and write my blog post.

Captured gopher

I used the headphones and fell asleep. I slept ok. I woke up ruminating and almost forgot to do some mental programming. It was interrupted by my alarm. I got up, watered the plants, and started the lemon water protocol. I found where the gnats are hiding and swept them up. I don't know why they were hiding in a place with no food or water.

I took a shower and got dressed. I cut the fabric I will need to complete a project on Saturday. I watered gopher holes in an effort to get them to move. I read a book, then turned on the router.

I did several internet searches, collating the results. I checked e-mail and deleted a lot. Finally I made breakfast. Chris came home for lunch for a short time, bring me the mail. I watched TheHighwire: Chinese were combining SarsCov with HIV protein and Hep C back in 2006. Lewybodies were found in the brains of macaques infected with the spike protein. For strep throat, antibiotics are prescribed so the patient won't develop antibodies because those antibodies will also attack the heart. The mRNA shots contain billions of encoded messages, inducing a higher spike protein load than natural exposure of person to person contact. Misfolded proteins can cause misfolding in proteins they touch. Adult doses were used in the Pfizer adolescent trials.

I went out the front door and found a gopher on the porch. I tried to shoo him away with the rake handle, but he wouldn't go. He attacked the handle and even bared his teeth at me. Finally I got a plastic tub from recycling and placed it over him. He was not happy. I put in some chewed up sugarcane and he liked that. I sent Chris a text asking what I should do with it.

I went back to my laptop, reading about the magnet challege where people who were vaccinated show how a magnet sticks to the injection site, but not to other sites. I also posted the class for Saturday on the local FB page.

When Chris did not respond, I went outside to scoop up dirt and fill the holes the gophers made. They have been very active. I was inside when Chris came home briefly before mass. I told him the story of the gopher and he said the gopher must be sick to act like that. He left for Mass.

I put scrambled eggs with peppers in the toaster oven. I made a salad with the leftover sprouts, plus anything I could find growing outside. The lettuce is growing well, and the one I thought had died, is coming back from the roots. I also picked some dandelion and cut out the latexy stems.

I listened to an interview . Chris came home with a pizza. I watched David Martin, who is both a doctor and a lawyer, explain the proof he posted showing that Fauci broke the law in bringing a virus here from China for research at UNC Chapel Hill. I made tea and we watched two episodes of some new superhero show that Chris noticed on Netflix. I fell asleep on the couch for awhile. Then I sat at my laptop to compose my blog and catch up on the latest notifications. Chris went to bed and I followed when I finished.

Busy day

I used the headphones last night, and slept ok. I woke up when my hand lost circulation lying under my head. I heard Chris taking a shower. I stayed in bed doing mental programming, intending to have a particularly effective detox. I got up to handle plants, gnats, worms, etc.

I went through the usual list of activities that consitutes meditation morning. Chris came home for lunch while I was cleaning the kitchen. He put the mower in my car for me to return because he anticipated coming home too late. I read e-mail for while, then went to Johnnie's house to water some plants. I also checked all her bathrooms to make sure nothing was dripping. I dispersed some gopher mounds in the side yard.

When I got home, I got out the weed whacker and used it to mow down the tall dandelion heads. It was heavy and after I took it apart to get more string out, something happened and a boo-boo appeared on my leg. I drove to Self-Help to return the mower. The man pulled it out of my trunk and asked that I rinse the dirt off next time. Then I went to the gas station. The first pump I tried turned out to be diesel only. So I had to wait for the other one to open up. I was surprised to see the price was over $3 per gallon.

From there I went the round about way to the ACS building. I took some yam plants to Rusty's office. As we were talking, Jenni arrived to see what art supplies ACS had on hand. So she invited me to tag along. It turns out they have a sewing machine, and some fabric and stuffing there, as well as paints and lots of give-away items. We talked about doing an acrylic pour class.

I went home, then remembered I had food scraps in the car destined for the compost pile at the garden. I drove over to the garden, turned on the soaker hose, and made sure every inch of it was buried beneath the wood chips. Then I emptied the scraps into the compost pile made of tires. I talked to the people laying out irrigation in the next garden. Then I went home.

I made breakfast as supper. I listened to a podcast on the latest news. Chris came home from work. I went outside to move the gopher trap and fill the other gopher holes so I can tell which ones are new tomorrow.

I made tea and we watched the last episode of Night on Earth and the first episode of Our World, which is also a documentary on nature. I went outside to water my greens (in the dark), then brushed my teeth and sat down to write my blog post.

Prayer for a good outcome

I used the mp3 headphones last night, but they ran out of energy quickly. I wish there were a way to tell how much battery power they have left. I had a hard time falling asleep after that.

I woke up early, noting that Chris was gone. I went back to sleep for a bit. I did mental programming until the alarm went off. Then I got up to address the plants, the gnats and the lemon water. I also read a book for a bit. I plugged my headphones in to recharge.

I heard a siren and looked out the back doors to see an ambulance driving this way. It stopped at our neighbors house. I sat in my sewing room and watched as men milled around until finally a stretcher came out with a person on it. I could not tell more, but soon the vehicle drove away. I sat at my laptop in case the lady next door contacted me via FB. But she did not. I called Chris to let him know, and I said a prayer.

After reading e-mail for hours, I started making breakfast. I had just sat down to eat when Chris came home for lunch with no mail. I read as I ate. Eventually he finished his lunch and went back to work. There are bigwigs here so he spends more time at the office.

I watched a video where a panel of doctors discussed the spike protein as the most damaging part of the corona virus and that the mRNA in the shots programs our cells to stop making their regular proteins and start making spike proteins. They also discussed the transmission from vaccinated to unvaccinated.

Around three, I got dressed for dirty work. I found a place to rake and filled two boxes with wood chips. I took them to the garden, where they almost covered the remaining space, so I raked it thinner to cover. I met the retired librarian. We had a nice chat and he lent me a drill bit. He also showed me all the stuff publically available in the garden shed - like a timer and pressure regulator and drip hoses and tomato cages. I took the drill bit home, and tried drilling a hole in the piece of tree trunk, but it didn't make much of a hole. I took the bit back to him. I also talked to Jenni who was out working in her garden. She pointed out several compost bins at the garden. She likes thistles so I invited her to dig up the one growing in my garden.

When I got home, it was after 5. I picked dandelion greens, cut them up and beat them in with two eggs, and put that in the toaster oven. I also made a salad and talked to Chris who just came home from work and was watching Michele game with the voices. They changed their gaming night from Wednesday to Tuesday.

I finished a video while eating supper. I watered the plants outside, and the compost piles. Chris helped me set up a VPN. I made tea and we watched two episodes of Night on Earth. We saw a plethora of animals roaming cities at night. Then I brushed my teeth and read a few last e-mails before finishing my blog and getting ready for bed.

Missing bits

I did mental programming last night and again this morning. I woke up several times during the night and woke up Chris. He was long gone when I got up around 7:30. I watered the indoor plants, swept up the new gnats, and started the lemon protocol. I read a book, and later turned to e-mail.

At 11:30, I started making breakfast. Chris came home for lunch with no mail, and did not stay long. After breakfast, I carried some yam and tomato plants to Housing for the clerk. On the way home, I picked up a large piece of tree that did not get chipped like the rest. I brought it home to make a bee house. I looked for a drill, and finally found one. But I could not find the drill bits to make the holes. I tried putting the trimming attachment on the electric lawn mower to see if that would work even though the blade doesn't, but it didn't work. It sounded like it wanted to, though.

I read e-mail most of the afternoon. I made more green mix. I cut a stalk of aloe and ate part of it. It had lots of latex, so I let the other pieces drain off until later.

I made supper and watched a recording of a school board meeting where the school board walked out because parents wanted to stop the school mask mandate. So the parents elected themselves a new board. When Chris came home, we pulled in the potted plants that were outside because it is supposed to go down to 30 tonight.

I watered the outdoor plants and made tea. We watched two episodes of Night on Earth. High tech cameras followed animals and fish in the dark. An owl monkey urinates on his hands and feet so he can smell his way back home at night. Pitcher plant glows at night in a way humans can't see but insects can.

Afterward, I brushed my teeth, glanced at e-mail, wrote to my blog, and went to bed.

* a dust devil *

Mother's Day

I slept ok last night after taking half a sleep supplement. I woke up a few times but went back to sleep. I got up about 8. I watered the plants and used the short version of morning protocol. I read from my book, then turned to the internet. I watched a video on three types of breathing to clear out your lungs. I tried wearing the oximeter and it showed my oxygen level go up. I got dressed for church and found a card on my pillow from Chris.

We went to the chapel for service. They had a vase of roses for Mother's Day. There were 6, and only Eileen and I were moms, so we split them after the service and each took three. When we got home, I cut off the ends and put them in a vase. I made breakfast, changed my clothes, then ate breakfast. Chris gamed with the voices, including Michele (who did not talk to me). I watched news videos, and read articles for most of the afternoon.

I walked to Johnnie's house and watered the plants on the counter top. Everything else seemed to be ok. I went home with a few yellow leaves and put them in the compost. I watered the compost. I planted some seeds indoors and added dirt to the sugarcane plants.

I went raking, then took two boxes of wood chips to the garden. Other people were there, but not close enough to recognize. I spread compost tea and chips, then went home. I put supper in the oven to heat, then Chris and I went to E building to get some sprigs of mint. He planted them in vermiculite when we got home. I watered outside.

I ate supper, then read. At 8, I made tea, and we watched two episodes of “Night on Earth”, which is a docuseries about what animals do at night in different locations. We watched a small frog freeze to death at night, only to thaw out in the morning.

After brushing my teeth, I posted to my blog, listened to part of an interview on heart health, then got ready for bed.

Postage stamps are copy-righted

I used the headphones to fall asleep last night. When the music ended, I pulled them off and nearly tore out my eardrum because of the suction. I fell asleep then stayed in bed until almost 8 even though Chris got up earlier.

I made lemon water and watered the plants.. Michele called to ask questions about the skirt she is making. I don't think she has ever followed a fashion pattern before so I am proud of her. She showed me other patterns she intends to make and I think they are very ambitious. She likes cuffs and collars and plackets and set-in sleeves. God bless her.

After the long call, I looked at Spoonflower to find postage stamp fabric for Patrick. Most of the colorways I didn't like. I considered uploaded my own pic, but stamps are copyrighted, so that might be illegal. Just buying a print that someone else took of stamps might be illegal, too. Sigh.

Later, Chris gave me a massage, then he showered while I made breakfast. I showered after, then ate breakfast while he got the laundry started. After breakfast, I read outside, but the lawn chair was not comfortable and the fabric is ripping. I came inside and got on my laptop to read e-mail and articles. I walked to the post office to pick up my latest Swanson order.

It was after 4 when I went outside to mow. I did both side yards and it was exhausing, even with front wheel drive. It was quite dusty too. I came inside to rest and rehydrate. I listened to Reiner Fuellmich, a lawyer, talk about the legal case against Germany for the damage of lockdowns and the reasons why they were not necessary. When I had the energy, I put three eggs in the toaster oven to bake. I went outside to water the lettuces and kale. When I came in, it was time to eat. I meant to make a salad, but it didn't happen.

I read a few articles and checked Facebook. Faye had just posted something, so I knew she was near her phone. I called and heard nothing. So I called again and again. Finally she called me and we could hear each other. She told me about her visit with Dad yesterday and with the therapist. I guess the home will keep him a while longer for rehab. He is due for a checkup on the new medication.

I made tea, then we dressed the bed with clean sheets. I chose a VHS tape called Dinosaurs - a comedy from the 90's. There were two episodes and it was over by 10. I wrote my blog post and got ready for bed.

Is a bigger mower better?

I slept surprizingly well last night, considering that I did not use headphones or do the usual stretches. It was almost 8 when I got up. I watered the indoor plants, then started the lemon protocol. I swept up gnats. There were more since I didn't sweep yesterday. The worm bedding feels barely wet, but hydrometer says 99% humidity. When I watered the plants on the front porch, I noticed that something is eating my strawberries.

I wrote my blog post for yesterday. I watched New World Next Week. I dug up an aloe plant to take to town, and planted in small pot. None of the roots were attached so I decided to keep it until it roots. Chris went to work. I continued to read. I took a break to walk down and water Johnnie's plants. It was a warm but very windy day. I emptied food waste into compost. I also tried the lawnmower again, but it would not run.

After breakfast, Chris came back and ate pizza. I had the grocery list ready to go. First we took his car to Self-help and checked out a mower. The clerk and Chris put it in the trunk. When we got home, Chris took it out by himself. Then we went to Tooele. We shopped at Lucky, then went to Melanie's. After shopping, the Bemer lady gave me two free treatments with her Bemer machine. Then we went to Macey's for the rest of the groceries.

When we got home, I mowed the back yard. The mower was bigger and heavier than mine so I rested while reading articles on my laptop. Michele called because she had trouble with the sewing machine I gave her. I talked her through it. She expects to complete a skirt this weekend. MmmmHmmm.

I was going to mow some more, but the wind kicked into high gear and it sounded like rain. I heated supper then ate it while listening to interviews from the Truth over Fear summit. Later, I made tea and we watched two episodes of Warehouse 13. Then I swished while watching a self-video of a man who went to CVS and got a vaccine - not the shot, but the vial. He took it to a lab for testing. I can't wait to hear how that turned out.

Then I poste to my blog and got ready for bed.

Underestimated

Last night I had trouble regulating my temp so it interrupted my sleep. But I got up just before the alarm went off. I watered potted plants, started the lemon protocol, then went outside to water the flowerbed plants becauseI had forgotten last night. I put the beet tops which were rooting in vermiculite in bag to protect them from whatever is eating them. It must be the gnats. I changed water for all the things rooting in water. I searched high and low for my 4-cup measure and finally found it in the oven where I had put it to dry. Then I fed the worms a frozen dinner (food scraps).

I skipped the Happylight because the days are much longer now. I read e-mail and listened to news casts. To take advantage of the sun, I went outside and mowed on the sunny side.

When the lemon protocol was over, I made breakfast, listening to a presentation called “the brain is the battlefield of the future” by Dr Giordano. Pretty scary stuff. Chris came home with junk mail and lightbulbs from a contractor who said these were from Home Depot. Then I watched The Highwire. They interviewed the school admin that wants the teachers to wait until school is over to get their shot. Also, they interview a man and his autistic son. They co-wrote a book called Underestimated after the son was taught to touch letters to spell out his responses. He was very smart and articulate. His brain was working well, but his body could not express itself in speech.

Heather came by for some plants. I gave her tomatoes, sweet potatoes and yams. I started mowing again, then decided to go to the other side. But then the mower did not come back on. I checked the blade and the battery and the key. Nothing wrong but no power. All I could do was take the battery inside to recharge. The charger turned green right away so I don't think the charge was the problem. Sigh.

I did some more reading on the internet, then brought some seedlings inside. I called William for his opinion on the mower and he said to charge the battery also. I went to Coyote Run, near the Self-Help to rake up some decaying wood chips. I took them to the garden where I spread compost tea and the chips. I did not have cardboard.

When I got home, I put supper in the oven and read e-mail. Chris came home from Mass and then left to buy a pizza. I finished the warm super, then I made a salad. After more reading on the internet, I made tea, and watered the outdoor plants while it heated, we watched two episodes of Warehouse 13 which came from Netflix. Then we went straight to bed.

The first mowing of the season

I got up before 8. I watered the plants, and exercised, dry brushed, etc. It was a pretty good meditation morning. Afterward I cleaned the bathrooms and then the kichen. Chris came home for lunch with packages from the post office. He said something smelled bad and I figured it was the soggy lemon peels that had been soaking in white vinegar for months. The post on the internet said let it sit for two weeks, but I forgot. Later I realized it was the vinegar smell that was so strong. So I fished out the pieces of lemon rind and dropped a few in the gopher holes in the back yard.

I called Myra and we had a long chat. I looked up missing lunula. Different sources say different things. I checked e-mail. I went to Johnnie's house, and found a package on her porch so I took it inside and checked on her plants. I went home for a few minutes, then drove to the pavillion. I talked to lady who met me there with a bag of yarn she was giving away. We had a nice long chat. When I got home, I mowed part of yard, then plugged in the battery to recharge. It was the first mowing of the year and consisted mostly of dandelion heads. I also went to the garden to spread compost tea.

I made a late breakfast. I tried to find a post Faye made that I finally thought of a comment for. Somehow it wasn't there. Then I made tea. We watched The Mitchell's vs the Machines on Netflix. It was better than it sounded and I think Michele would like it. Then Chris went to bed and I stayed up to blog ( and look for that post again).

A day in the sun for indoor plants

I awoke early, probably at Reveille, and started mental programming. I probably dozed off, though not for long. My alarm rang in the bathroom where I had left my phone. I got up to turn it off. I went to the kitchen to load up on water. I made lemon water but did not drink it right away. I put ingredients in the bread machine and turned it on. I watered the indoor plants and checked on the worms. Then I drank the first draught of lemon water.

I sat by the Happylight and read a book. Then I took the seedlings outdoors. I added some seed starter to a 6-pack and planted beans in it. I added dirt to the tomato in a sac. I turned on the router and ordered Wall O Water tomato teepees. I read e-mail and saw that Kroger is testing using drones for delivery. 5G can interfere with flight signals from airports. 5G phones turned on inside a plane will adversely affect the efficacy of the instrumentation.

I made breakfast. Chris came home with the mail. There was a card from MaryAnn. A lady had called from Chris' office wanting some plants. So I took some and went to his office with the plants. I hadn't thought to bring a mask, so Chris gave me one from his office and it practically fell off my face. I went to Kelsie's office and gave her the plants. We had a nice chat before she had to attend a meeting. I gave Chris his mask back and I walked home.

I finished my breakfast as I listened to the Corbett Report which was about the history professor that Clinton thanked in some speech. The professor had studied a secret group, or he was part of it. It was long and involved.

It was a nice sunny day. I put orange peels out to dry. I sat just inside the shed and broke up clods, filling a large bowl. I spread some of it in the compost tea, and some along the flowerbed. I took a break to read e-mail and that went longer then I planned.

Before 6, I went raking. As I worked, Chris passed me on his way home. I took the boxes of wood chips to the garden. There were other people there, for once. I spread compost tea and horse manure on the garden, then laid down the last big piece of cardboard. I covered it with wood chips and realized my garden was over half done. When I got home, I watched part of a podcast on internet privacy. He recommended VPN's and using Signal as a secure messaging app. I tried calling Dad's cell phone, but no one answered. Patrick called. He told me about all the work he did in the yard, and his job at the library. Then I called Faye to find out about Dad, and she had nothing to report because she could never get a hold of the therapist.

While talking to Faye, I went outside to water the lettuce plants and some of the grass. Then I brought all the plants inside. I made tea and whipped up a batch of seed crackers. I threw them in the oven and we watched the first DVD of Hornblower. I brushed my teeth and wrote my blog post for today.

Dead fish

I slept ok last night, except for a few hot flashes and being woken early with Reveille and Chris getting ready for work. However, when my alarm went off at 7:30, I got up without a single I'd-rahter-be-in-bed thought. I drank several cups of water, then washed some dishes and started the lemon protocol. I watered all the seedlings and checked on the worms. I spritzed the sack of future carrots.

I read my book for half an hour and did some tapping. I laid out all my supplement bottles, then put on a talk about crypto. I listened to that while I parsed out 14 days of supplements, and added more to my cart. It took so long that it was time for breakfast when I finished. Thankfully Chris was late coming home so we were not in each other's way.

After breakfast I read e-mail and caught up on the latest news. Thousands of koi fish in Coconut Grove died overnight and authorities don't know why. Trying to break away from the internet, there was always one more thing to read or watch. Finally about 4:30 I went outside to water the compost and throw in more scraps. I saw new holes back there, so I blended up some sardines and poured some of the water in each hole. I even added some castor oil pellets.

I read some more, focusing on low fodmap foods. There are many lists but they don't all agree. Then I checked Johnnie's house and plants. Her plants were fine, but gophers were frollicing in their yard. I went home and back to reading news stories, other e-mail and articles.

Chris came home and started cooking ground beef. I went raking in Coyote run, then headed to the garden. I spread compost tea and cardboard, then emptied the box and the tub of chips on top. There was a pipe with water running out of it in front of the gardens. I turned it off. When I got home, I asked Chris if I did the right thing, and he said yes. I thought all outdoor water was turned off at some central source so the pipe wouldn't freeze.

I took the pre-meal supplement, then set the timer for 30 minutes. I read a pdf of a 3-day jump start to improve brain function. I was doing everything on the list already, except taking the supplement they recommended. I went to the site to read the ingredients. Most of them I already had, except the caterpillar fungus. Is that a thing now? I guess it improves memory because you are not likely to forget eating it. (I skipped that).

I started listening to Day 7 of the sleep summit. I paused it to made tea. We watched a Netflix movie called Stowaway. I didn't like the ending. I brushed my teeth and sat down to look up one of the actresses, then to write my blog.

Lots of cardboard

I had trouble with the headphones because I couldn't find the music files amonst the silent files. Finally I just took the headphones off. I slept ok, and used my morning hypnogogic state to do some mental programming. I got up at 8:15. I used the alternate morning protocol. For the molecular hydrogen tablets, I used the alkaline water. But it did not dissolve any faster.

I checked the back porch, expecting to find everything blow away, but it seemed to be all there, if a little rearranged. I did not read, but turned on my laptop to rearrange the files on my headphones so the sound of Tibetan gongs would be first and the silent tracks would be last. I installed the next deeper track. I updated Al and Cecily on my father's condition. I listed to Sharyl Atkisson talk about water wars around the Colorado River, then read another article about shrinkflation, where a retailer sells a slightly smaller product for the same price - hiding the fact that the per unit price has gone up.

I washed up and got dressed. I listened to a brain improvement interview (selling a 6-week course), until it was time to go. Then we drove to chapel. I didn't see communion cups at the front table. Since this is the first Sunday of the month, I mentioned it, and the chaplain went to get some. Then he and I forgot. Just before the end of the service, Chris mentioned it and then the chaplain went through the liturgy and the 5 of us took communion. After the service I asked the chaplain if I could have the empty boxes in the fellowship hall and he said yes. So Chris and I broke them down and carried them home. They were fairly large.

When we got home, I made breakfast and Chris made lunch. I looked through e-mail for some time. Then I went for a walk, and identified a new spot of wood chips. When I got back, I read e-mail for awhile, then went to that spot to rake. From there, I went to the garden to spread some cardboard and cover it with chips.

I cooked some eggs in the toaster oven. I watered the plants outside and with help, moved the gopher trap to a new hole. Then I went inside and made a salad. I said a prayer, then ate supper at my laptop. I watched a podcast about a company that inserts DNA in probiotic spores and then sprays it on food post-harvest so they can track it to the consumer. It survives cooking. If someone gets sick, they can test him to find out the exact field where the food came from. The speaker says we have to have GMO foods to survive climate change. He did not answer the question about health effects on animals who ate it.

I played songs from The Phantom of the Opera and sang along. I made tea and we watched two episodes of Shadow and Bone. I don't understand what is going on, but Chris seems to like it. Then I wrote to my blog and got ready for bed.

* This headline applies to Israel. *

A day of nice chats

I did not sleep as well as I had hoped last night, even after taking half of the sleep supplement. I got up around 8 and Chris was already up. I drank several cups of water, then watered all the indoor plants and the worms. I started the lemon water routine, brushed my teeth, and read a book for half an hour. Then I read e-mail for several hours. I called Faye and we talked about her visit with Dad yesterday. Then I tried to call him. He did not answer his cell phone, and when I called his room, an automated voice said 'call refused'. It would have been around lunch time for him, so that might have had something to do with it.

I asked Chris for a massage and he complied in time. Then he took a shower and then I got mine. I put on a shirt and shorts since the weather was so nice. I made breakfast, then packed up my bookmark project and some fabric. Chris put my machine in the trunk and I headed to the chapel.

When I got there, I remembered the second machine. So I went back for it and Chris put it in my car. I got both machines set up in fellowship hall and prepared to work on the purple project. But then one of the girls was knocking on the door so I let her and her sister in. Their mother wasn't far behind. We all did the project and worked on whipstitching. One tried to stitch her name with the machine, then asked me. I embroidered it on with a hand sewing needle. Then the girls went out to play while we adults had conversation. After they left, I packed up my stuff, wondering how the pins got left behind. We had to use needles instead. Sigh.

When I got home, Chris told me I had missed a call from Beverly. So I called her back and we had a nice chat. It was a gorgeous day, so I drove over to Coyote Run and raked up a batch of rotting wood chips. I decided to swing by the post office on my way to the garden. I picked up several packages and ran into Melissa, my next door neighbor. We had a good conversation. She's tired of her gophers, too. After that, I went to the garden. I spread some compost tea and added more water. I was out of cardboard, so I laid down packing paper and covered that with wood chips. I was going to dump a failed mushroom experiment only to discover that a small pink mushroom was growing. Hmmm. Then I went home. I put three eggs in the toaster oven. Then I watered stuff outdoors and turned the compost piles. I also filled gopher holes. I ate supper while watching Day 5 of the sleep summit. It comes with some guided meditations, but you have to download their app to get them.

I made tea and we watched “I care a lot” on Netflix. It was the most engaging, edge-of-my-seat movie I have seen in a long time. A care home executive runs a con where she gets older people remanded into her care by the courts, sells off their assets, and then runs through all their money to pay her care home fees. But this time she picked the wrong mark. Afterward, I put away my laundry and we made the bed. I heard strong winds outside and hoped my plants would be ok. I wrote my blog post with no notes to go by. Then it was time for bed.

* While I was picking out this pic, I heard the wind blow the wheelbarrow over. *