It is with profound sadness that I reflect on the current state of affairs in the United States of America. We, as a people, have regressed backward in the 55 years since you were brutally assassinated in Memphis, TN. If you were still here today, it would seem hard for you to imagine that the differences that divided us back in the 1960’s still exist today and you might even consider it worse. There’s no accountability and there’s no peace. It’s still justice vs. injustice but now it’s also truth vs. fiction. You asked us to “never succumb to the temptation of bitterness” but, oh, Dr. King, I am bitter.

I’m bitter that former President Donald J. Trump has not been indicted for his crimes. I’m bitter that the Republican-controlled Senate failed to convict Trump not once, but twice, for his impeachable offenses. I’m bitter that all of the January 6th insurrectionists have not all been prosecuted for their treason. I’m bitter that Fox News, Newsmax, One America News, Breitbart, and the like continue to spew hate and misguided information to their viewers. I’m bitter that the number one killer of schoolchildren is due to gun violence. I’m bitter at the state of homelessness due to a lack of affordable housing and adequate mental health care. I’m bitter at the climate change deniers and the lack of all out effort by big corporations to seek greener alternatives to save the planet. I’m bitter at the Republican party, especially the Freedom Caucus, who seek not for the betterment of their constituents but rather seek power for themselves and their wealthy donors. I’m bitter at the lack of consensus building in Washington, DC and the fact our enemies are taking advantage of the divisiveness in the US today. I’m bitter at the way the rules changed to ensure three Trump-selected, conservative, jurists landed on the Supreme Court. I’m bitter that universal healthcare is somehow perceived by those on the right as controversial. Dr. King, you preached and practiced non-violence but I am bitter that a teenage murderer, Kyle Rittenhouse, literally, got away with murder. I’m bitter that Colin Kaepernick was banished from the NFL for kneeling during the national anthem before games in protest of police brutality. I’m bitter that discrimination still exists. I’m bitter that our nation of immigrants no longer welcomes them with open arms. I’m bitter that telling the truth can get you killed in America. Dr. King, I’m sorry but I’m bitter.

You told us, Dr. King, “Our lives begin to end the day we become silent about things that matter.” I simply cannot be silent, Dr. King. It’s cost me some friends and a few family members, who vehemently disagree with my perspective. Where has truth, common decency, integrity, and common sense gone? In the words of Rodney King, “Why can’t we all get along?” Belief in falsehoods certainly isn’t helping and we all need to speak out against these lies. Our society must not be silent about wild conspiracy theories that perpetuate hate and division. According to the NY Times, 71% of Republicans truly believe in the Big Lie that the last presidential election was stolen from Trump! “Repeat a lie often enough and it becomes the truth”, is a law of propaganda attributed to the Nazi Joseph Goebbels. We must not become immune to fallacy. Like you said, “Rarely do we find men who willingly engage in hard, solid thinking. There is an almost universal quest for easy answers and half-baked solutions. Nothing pains some people more than having to think.” We must speak up. We must speak out. We must think. We must believe in truth, not fiction.

I’m sorry, Dr. King. Since you’ve been gone, we haven’t done enough in service to others. We’ve failed. We’ve tried but we’ve all – on the Left and on the Right – succumbed to the temptation of bitterness. I want liars, criminals, and insurrectionists to pay for what they’ve done. They’re not making America great, they’re ruining America. No one wins in a society like what we have now and I’m deeply sorry about this state of affairs. I wish we had listened to a real leader like you because you would have helped us, “…learn to live together as brothers” because it looks like we will all “perish together as fools.”

I know.  I know.  I know.  It’s been way, way, too long since I’ve posted anything.  Please forgive me.  I’ve been kind of busy.  To quickly bring you up to speed, I survived Dry January without a drink and somehow, someway, made up for lost time by drinking nearly every day since.  All is good but I’m definitely pissed off and have decided to take out my frustration with the written word.  A “Dear Asshole” letter seemed absolutely appropriate to the individual or individuals who have created financial havoc for me in the last 30 days. 

Dear Asshole,

You’re attempts to sabotage my online presence, compromise my bank account, and fraudulently use my credit cards has failed and failed miserably.  I’m still online, I have a new checking account number, and new ATM and MasterCard.  I wonder was it worth it?  Was trying to steal from me worth it?

My bank caught your feeble attempt and refused to cash $8,000 in fake checks.  You couldn’t charge anything on my MasterCard or pull cash from my ATM.  What pray tell did you hope to gain?  Really, it must be frustrating for you if this is what you need to do to get by.

Is our American society so bankrupt of opportunity that you can’t get a job or is  this your attempt at employment?  Are you suffering, Brother, and desperate enough to do just about anything to provide for your family?  If you are, I probably would’ve helped you out of the goodness of my heart.  Trying to steal from me, however, is unacceptable.  Now, I have no mercy for you and hope that you get caught, are jailed, and they throw away the key.

You did succeed in getting me to close my Facebook account.  Yet, for that small win, I’m still out there on Instagram and Twitter and I communicate with my friends overseas via WeChat and WhatsApp.  It’s just as well.  Facebook was getting too political for me anyway.  As a bleeding heart Liberal, I couldn’t stand the misinformation shared on Facebook and the seemingly in culpability of so many who spread falsehoods.  It’s just as well.  I was spending too much time on the app anyway.  So far, these other online platforms aren’t as explosive, in my opinion, but they just as easily could be if I let them.

It’s high time for you, dearest asshole, to rethink your life.  Is it so rewarding to profit off the pratfalls of others for your own personal gain?  Wouldn’t you rather work an honest day for an honest day’s pay and live an honest life?  Maybe or maybe not.  Either way, I pity you.  If trying to get ahead by stealing from others is your idea of success, you are terribly misguided.

So, in signing off, know this – you are a loser.  You are never going to win.  Even if, some sucker does indeed leave themselves vulnerable enough so you can steal their money.  You’ve lost.  I urge you to turn things around and take the honorable path.  No matter how hard your life is, you’ll win in the long run. Taking from others is not the answer.

And, if you don’t take my advice?  Suck ass, which is exactly what you’re going to be doing in prison.

Sincerely yours,

Charlie

I’m only in day 9 of a Dry January. Can I make it a dry month?  A personal trainer friend of mine suggested the idea to me and my wife because it’s what he does with his wife every year. I’ve not not had a drink in January since I was 17. It’s only day 9 but it feels weird. Not necessarily in a bad way just fundamentally different than what I’m very much used to doing – having a couple of glasses, sometimes a whole bottle, of wine every night. I’ve also found out that my youngest brother does a Dry January every year. What has my world come to?

So far, the most difficult moment came during Friday night’s Blazers vs. Cavaliers game. As an adult, up until a couple of days ago, I had never been to a professional sporting event without at least some alcohol in my blood. According to an article in Good Housekeeping, there are 8 benefits of doing a Dry January including:

1. You’ll get a mood boost. …
2. You’ll sleep more soundly. …
3. You might notice less bloating or weight loss. …
4. You’ll save money. …
5. You’ll have a stronger immune system. …
6. You’ll feel better in the morning. …
7. You’ll have a new relationship with alcohol. …
8. Begin journaling.

I have three weeks to go and I may check in again with you, dear reader, to provide an update on my progress.  I don’t feel fundamentally any different meaning I haven’t seen a mood boost or I’m not sleeping more soundly but I’ll admit I do feel better in the morning.  Most mornings I feel significantly dehydrated but not in this last week.  I am waking up feeling less like I have to drink a gallon of water to rehydrate.  So maybe there’s really something to this.

My relationship with alcohol does probably need to change.  When young, the point was enebriation, but I have continued the drinking for the last 43 years.  I can trace nearly every single mistake I’ve ever made to drinking too much alcohol.  Sadly, I’ve been “that Guy” one too many times.  I’m not proud of some of the things I did but I did them because my internal filters were significantly altered.  I have no one to blame but myself.  I wouldn’t say I had bad role models because my parents didn’t drink.  My fascination with booze started during my senior year in high school and really didn’t stop.  I’ve mostly been a beer drinker, then moved to bourbon and water because that’s what my father in-law drank, and it’s now on to red wine at the advice of my doctor.  His advice was to drink red wine in moderation to lower my bad cholesterol.  I don’t think he meant 5 glasses.  What can I say?  I buy good wine and it’s hard to stop at just a couple of glasses.  I don’t want to think about the harm it does to me…only the good.

We’ll see how this experiment goes.  I’m not all that confident I won’t slip up this month but then again I can be disciplined when I want to be.  I can do this.  At least, I think I can.

I’m not a religious man but, my God, at a time like this it is time to quote scripture. Indeed, what I most fear, besides the loss of democracy, is the disbelief in truth. The grass is green. The sky is blue. If you are a believer in former President Pinocchio, QAnon, or are an anti-vaxxer, then the grass is blue and the sky is green.

It is hard to take the former president of the United States seriously. His “big lie” that he won the election is laugh out loud funny unless you actually believe in his B.S. He did legitimately receive, shockingly, ~73 million votes. But, Biden received ~79 million votes, winning the popular vote. Biden also won where it counted most – in the Electoral College with 306 votes, easily winning the election. Those are facts. It’s real. Yet, thousands of Americans falsely believed the falsehood the election was stolen from them. They believed they could storm the Capital on January 6th and somehow overturn the results of the election through violence. They believed because it is easier to accept a lie than to believe in the truth. Sadly, many of these people now face prosecution and jail time. Truth prevails.

Followers of QAnon share 5 core remarkable beliefs:

1. An Evil Cult is Running the Planet
2. Donald Trump is an American Hero
3. The Democratic Party Has Sinister Intentions
4. They Want Us Divided
5. The Patriots Are in Control

Conspiracy theories are not a new phenomenon but, thanks to social media, are a constant reminder that not everything you read on the internet is truth. There is no evil cult running the planet, Donald Trump is no hero, the Democratic Party does not have sinister intentions, Americans do not want to be divided, so the “they” must only mean American enemies like Russia want us to be divided, and if these militant groups that call themselves “patriots” are really in control, well, then we’re all fucked. “Taking control” would mean a coup as if the United States were a 3rd world country. I understand believers in conspiracy theories are just trying to make sense of the world around them, want to be in control, and have a deep seated need to belong to something, I’m here to tell you, the former president and QAnon ain’t it. Please don’t just take my word for it. Do the research. Seek to understand. Only the truth will set you free.

All you need to know is 193 million cases and 4.1 million dead from COVID-19. This is fact, not fiction, and there is no valid excuse not to take the coronavirus vaccine. None. The vaccine doesn’t cause illness, they prevent it. Hope is not a solution. Ninety nine point nine percent of all patients in hospitals due to COVID-19 are unvaccinated. Shouldn’t that tell you something? In a Newsweek article, these 9 anti-vaxxer myths were debunked:

1. Vaccinations cause autism
2. Vaccines don’t work
3. Vaccines contain toxins
4. Vaccines can overwhelm a baby’s immune system
5. Natural immunity is safer than vaccine-acquired immunity
6. There are effective natural and homeopathic alternatives to vaccines
7. Good nutrition and hygiene will protect you from most viruses
8. Vaccines are just a way for doctors and pharmaceutical companies to make money
9. Vaccines aren’t necessary

Even Alabama’s Governor, Kay Ivey, says “it’s time to start blaming the unvaccinated folks.” She’s right. We’re never going to get back to normal without more people getting vaccinated. Don’t give credence to myths. Literally, your life and your loved ones lives depend on it.

Truth (and Justice) is the American way. Facts should be the value we hold most dear. If we don’t believe in truth then we all will start to believe the grass is blue and the sky is green.

My last day in the office was Friday, March 13, 2020. At the end of the work day, I should’ve known what an ominous goodbye it was going to be but I didn’t have a clue. I remember telling my colleagues I would see them again in 2 weeks. Little did I know I would only see them everyday on Zoom for the next 56 weeks with no end until leadership tells us it’s safe to go back to the office.

So, what’s changed besides everything?

What I think is kind of bizarre is my creativity has hit a roadblock. It’s taken nearly four and half months just to write this post. My dear wife likes to remind me that we are social creatures and I agree with her. I get motivated by the people I meet, the places I travel, and the things I do. With all that gone, what do I have to write about? What have I been doing?

Looking back, not much. With a high risk family member at home, I’ve been extra cautious about being out of the house for any length of time. Only for groceries, the occasional Jamba Juice and Chipotle run, and 5 rounds of socially distant golf with some NIKE colleagues, where you couldn’t even touch the flag pole. I wear a mask, always. My hands are cleaner than they’ve ever been. Ho hum.

Even when I’m walking the dog every morning, we go on marathon walks anywhere from 1-5 miles, nothing really exciting happens. I track my distance on my NIKE Running Club app and while I love to see where I end up vs. my friends in my “Club,” there’s no real competition to brag about. I can never beat Thomas or Sue but it’s usually neck and neck with Raj. My colleague, Mirage, is in significantly better shape than I am but usually can’t get as many miles in as I can. She does high intensity workouts on the NIKE Training Club app. Apps have become my lifeline and my source of bragging especially to the young bucks like Murali. But, only if we’re on a Zoom call together.

My phone is one of my most critical assets. Texting family and friends, ordering food, checking on the status of my beloved San Francisco Giants, reading the news, updating my social media accounts, taking pictures, getting the scores of my Fantasy Baseball Team, “The Governor’s Gamers.” You might not know this but I share the same name as the Governor of the Commonwealth of Massachusetts. When I joined the league, I received a new nickname, so I went with it for my team name. I’m in last place, so I haven’t exactly done as well as I thought I would. Nevertheless, I don’t know where I would be without this damn Pixel 2. Sad, that my mobile phone has become so critical to my well being.

My brother Steve invited me to join this CBS Sports Fantasy Baseball League, after one of his buddies dropped out. He warned me this league was intense and he wasn’t kidding. The draft alone took 7 hours. These guys know baseball. These guys love baseball. I think I’m going to fit right in with this group. Unfortunately, the team I took over didn’t have a lot of talent so I had to build it up from nearly scratch. I have one of the best shortstops and THE best closer in the league but it’s not enough. Did I mention this is an American League only fantasy rotisserie competition? I haven’t watched this much American League baseball since the late 1990’s when we lived in Boston. Still, I think meeting these competitors in person would be a lot more interesting than look at 12 headshots on a Zoom screen.

I think I’ve come to the end of this post. I told you there really hasn’t been much going on with me but what I’m able to give right now is a quick recap of what I’ve been up to since the global pandemic hit. Working, working out, eating, and Zooming from home, playing Fantasy Baseball, reading the news, updating social media accounts, and having a few drinks in the backyard with my wife. That’s about it. I miss going to the movies. I miss being out in the world. I miss traveling. Hell, I even miss working in the office. And most of all, I miss writing.

I’m doing whatever it takes to prevent getting COVID-19. It beats the alternative but it sure is uninspiring.

I’m not a big fan of New Year’s Resolutions. So, instead, I’m going to make a list of things I want to see in 2021. Some of you may not agree but that’s OK. This is my list and I’ll be checking it twice.

1. An end to the global pandemic and a return to normalcy
2. Sanity and compromise in Washington, DC where the President, House and Senate put Country over Party
3. Adherence to the rule of law and an adjudication of the law fairly
4. Complete collegiate and professional sports seasons
5. A fair tax structure and resulting reduction in the Federal deficit
6. Commitment to science, facts, and truth
7. Convicted felons aren’t granted pardons for political favor and must serve out their sentences in jail
8. Increased investment in education and research
9. Comprehensive and nationwide investment in transportation infrastructure
10. Dissolvement of National Terrorist organizations including Hate groups
11. Taxation of all Churches
12. Removal from all forms of media the spreaders of falsehoods, wild conspiracy theories, and death threats
13. Equality for all
14. Dramatic shift in the reliance on oil based products and a complete overhaul to green solar energy
15. Kindness to strangers, neighbors, and immigrants – basically anyone who doesn’t look like, act like, or talk like you
16. Protection of the environment, including tribal lands, and no killing of wild animals
17. End of poverty, homelessness, and hunger
18. Save all of the kennel animals
19. Maintain a strong military but reduce spending on non-value added military equipment and repurpose the funds to promote peace
20. Increase mental health spending and support especially for our Veterans

That’s it friends. Not a bad list, if I don’t say so myself. It’s not prioritized in any order. Just some ranting from an old man in Portland, Oregon. Stay safe and healthy and here’s to a better New Year than this last one.

I haven’t felt like writing much during this Global pandemic. My work-from-home days are filled with Zoom calls, e-mail’s, texts, and Microsoft Teams messages. Just like yours. When I finally knock off for the day, I try to get in an Orangetheory Fitness at Home workout or take the dog on a long walk. Zoom fatigue is real.

My dear wife is in the same WFH predicament as I am. Our two work worlds separated only by the two rooms where we’ve set up camp. She’s in the dining room and I’m in the living room. Our laptops sitting atop either a dinner table or lap desk with our eyes glued to the screens and fingers tapping away on keyboards. With her on her Apple MacBook and me on my Lenovo ThinkPad, we look like a couple of business travelers who’ve set up workspaces inside the breakfast nook of our hotel. Only we’re responsible for cooking our own meals.

Not being one to risk getting COVID-19, we’ve spent very little time outside of the house except for exercising, shopping, and picking up an occasional online order from a local restaurant. Being outside in the world has always been my inspiration for stories. Confining myself to the living room, backyard, QFC, Chipotle, Jamba Juice, or Westside Trail hasn’t motivated me to do anything artistic except take a few dozen photographs of flowers, hawks, gray squirrels, and rabbits. Selfishly, I haven’t shared any of those pictures on Instagram. Those are for me. I like nature.

I also like baseball. It’s been something like 50 years since I haven’t played baseball during a Summer. It breaks my heart to think of all the amateur and professional athletes whose seasons didn’t materialize because of this awful coronavirus. My government’s response has been nothing short of deplorable. If only Hillary had been our president, the severity of this situation wouldn’t have nearly been this bad. Clearly, President Pinocchio wasn’t up to the task.

Besides work and working out, I’ve kept myself busy playing Madden Mobile 21. The game is so damn realistic! It’s a far cry from the original Mattel Electronics handheld football game I still have. Green dashes have been replaced by virtual professional NFL players and coaches. I love it.

I’ve taken over the cooking of dinners and I’m enjoying it. I’ve perfected the art of smoking Trout on my Traeger. But, I’ve made more delicacies than just smoked fish. I’ve leveraged the web for the discovery of all kinds of recipes like making homemade pesto sauce from the basil I grew in my garden, white bean chili, fried chicken, turmeric rice, tomatillo salsa, and Italian peas. I’ve tried my hand at all kinds of ethnic foods like Mexican, Indian, and Chinese. Even the Betty Crocker cookbook has come in handy. I try to do something a little different every week. My rule is simple – follow the recipe. Something my poor mother was challenged to do for reasons I’ll never understand. I’ll never know where she came up with her substitute ingredients.

Still, I remain hopeful. A vaccine will be discovered. Democracy is on the line in this election and I do hope the American electorate makes the correct choice this time in November. The Orange Buffoon in the White House has to go. So does COVID. It won’t take anything but your vote. Please register. Please vote. Your and my life depends on it.

Literally, if The Tweeter wins again, I won’t know what to do with myself.

I’ve often wondered what my dog is thinking when he looks at me with these big, brown, eyes. He always looks at me like he’s going to say something. I’ve always assumed it’s, “I love you, Daddy Dog. I love you so much.”

Now that I’m working from home, we’re spending a lot more time together. I love it. The dog loves it or so I think. I’d love to know. So, in my crazy head I’m half convinced he might talk to someone outside of his pack. It would be great if a stranger could go up to him and ask, “Hey big dog, during these unprecedented times, tell me how you spend your days inside your house?”

When I get up every morning, Daddy Dog takes me outside to the backyard to go pee and poo. Most of the time I go number one and head straight back into the house. The hunger pangs hit my tummy like a knock outside our cave. At exactly 6:00 am (don’t tell me how I know time, I just do), he feeds me a bowl of chow. I eat like a ravenous animal and when I’m finished, I smack my lips, walk into the living room, and curl up on the couch next to Double D. He’s looking at a rectangular object in his hand which sometimes makes funny noises that I can never make out. One side shines as bright as a light. He keeps sweeping his finger over the screen and smiles or frowns or sighs or presses his finger so hard I think his paw is going to poke on through the device. I put my head on this thigh when I want his attention. I don’t know how else to tell him it’s time for our walk or to rub my belly.

At precisely 7:00 am (don’t ask), he hooks a harness and leash on me and we venture outside for the most amazing adventures outside of our cave. We used to spin around the neighborhood in about 20 minutes where I’d piss on every tree trunk and stop to smell every blade of grass but the walk would only last 20 minutes. I could do this walk in my sleep. Now, we go on these marathon journeys that last nearly two hours. We walk down sidewalks and walking paths and empty streets and see the most incredible sights like Gray Squirrels, Mallards, Canadian Geese, Nutria, Hawks, Crows, Garter Snakes, and even Dark-eyed Junco’s. I nearly yanked him off his feet once when we saw a Brush Rabbit as his precious plastic rectangle fell to the ground and he yelled at me. Yeah, he brings it along to track how far we’re going, I guess, or take pictures like of the precious bunny I wanted to chase and to play loud noises which causes him to shake his butt like I do after I get wet. Double D spins, sings, bobs his head to the sounds. He’s so funny. Oh, for me, this is the most glorious 2 hours of my day.

When we get home he makes this black, hot, liquid only DD and MD drink and I jump up on the couch and take a long nap. Sometimes I’m there for hours unless I hear a car door slam, a knock on the door, or Mommy Dog coming down the stairs holding Grandma’s hand. Grandma is frail and I’m always careful around her. Well, until she eats. Grandma Dog drops a lot of human food. Mommy Dog loves me like Daddy but in a different, softer, way. She smells better and gives me treats and pets my belly. I don’t know why they’re spending so much more time with me lately but I sure like it.

While the humans eat midday I wonder when my next meal is going to come. Of course, I know it’s always later in the day but I’m hungry. I’m ALWAYS hungry. Why can’t I have another bowl, huh? And, you wonder why I eat grass, old chewing gum, or cat poop on our afternoon walks. You’re starving me with only 2 servings per day! Still, I love you and don’t know what I’d do without you. Now feed me.

Just before sun down, I get another, albeit, shorter walk. Moving along the sidewalk gives me another opportunity to do my business, preferably on the grass, on a tree trunk, or on some other dog’s poop. It’s the perfect time to get all this out because after this, I’m usually in for the night. After dinner, we watch television as a family. But, after a brief nap, I can’t understand anything on the television screen anyway, so I go into the quieter part of our cave for a cushy nap on the dog couch. I can smell the canines who were here before me on the cushions. It feels soft and I am at peace and I quickly fall asleep until it’s time to go upstairs to the big bed where we all 3 – DD, MD, and I – of us sleep until we do it all again tomorrow.

Oh, I love our new routine and hope it never stops.

Good boy!

I like to go somewhere on my days off. Mostly, I enjoy visiting places I’ve never been to where I can take a lot of pictures, visit historical sites, eat exotic foods, hear unique languages, and spend time with my dear wife. I come back home with a story to tell my friends and co-workers. Road trips are all about stories. Something interesting always happens. Always.

When I virtually return to work on Monday, my Team is going to ask me what I did on my vacation. Oh, it was quite a week, I’ll tell them, with tongue firmly in cheek. I’ve been lucky enough to have some really great vacations – Italy, Mexico, Hawaii, Washington, DC, New York, Chicago, Las Vegas, Atlanta – but this year, thanks to the inept handling of the Coronavirus Pandemic by our Federal Government, we’re on lock down in the state of Oregon and we couldn’t go anywhere. So, being confined to the house, what did we do? As if I were going to present a slideshow of pictures of each room in our house, I will instead point them to this post and ask them to read all about our fascinating week on Channa Drive.

I wanted to make sure Oscar Boy, my 5-year old Black Labrador Retriever, had the time of his life this week. I got up at 6:00 am every morning, fed him, ate my breakfast, and went for a walk with the pooch. When we got home, I put away the clean dishes, ground up coffee beans, made coffee, played Madden Mobile and refused to think about work. Oscar found his spot on the couch and fell asleep. What a trooper!

We had Jacobs Heating and Air Conditioning come over to the house on Monday for our yearly check up. The machine is in good working order but it still cost me $588! At least, we can keep staying warm during this fairly cool Spring and cool when Summer hits the Pacific Northwest. The repairman was the nicest guy and his only flaw was he was a Dodgers fan. We talked about missing baseball. COVID-19 is not only messing with my vacation but also my beloved sports. I should’ve taken his picture.

My dear wife and I walked Oscar in the afternoons. We strolled the new Westside Trail and talked about the stresses of our day. I could’ve taken pictures of Nutria, Mallards, and Crows so big they looked like Black Hawks. She doesn’t like me to share the details about our personal conversations, so I won’t, but yeah even on vacation we have stressful things to deal with just like everyone else. This was the one part of the days together we both enjoyed the most. Sorry, not one picture.

During our vacation (and probably for the foreseeable future) I took over the cooking. On Monday night, I made chili in the crockpot and cornbread from scratch. OMG, both were delish! I made enough so that we could have it for 2 nights. On Wednesday, I smoked Chicken Breasts and baked banana bread. On Thursday, I made Chicken Enchiladas and Salsa Verde. Bonnie cooked Trout on Friday. It’s Lent. We ate each night like we were sitting in a fancy restaurant for the first time even though our lonely view was of the television screen and the gas fireplace. If you really want to see, I did take pictures of the breads and Chicken Enchiladas I made. It was so Asian of me. I even posted the pics on Microsoft Teams.

Tuesday was a shopping day. While nearly all retail stores were closed, QFC and Petsmart were not. Dog food and a Nylabone chew toy for Oscar. Chicken breasts for Wednesday’s dinner, one roll of toilet paper (I could only buy one), ice cream, and standing in line 6′ behind the next patron until it was my turn to pay. QFC is so eerily quiet this week. As well it should be if this virus is ever going to stop spreading. A grocery store employee sanitized all of the shopping carts while I was shopping and she was still at it when I left. Clean carts equal good service.

By Wednesday, our dryer went kaput. I researched the costs of buying a new dryer online and a top of the line Electrolux was going to be over $800! Our wonderful across the street neighbor, Christine, suggested we call The Appliance Guys. What an amazing recommendation! The nicest guy came out. He wore a face mask, gloves, and fixed our dryer for less than $200! We would not have to dry our clothes outside! Which, if you’ve ever lived in Oregon before, you know is hard to do. It rains a lot here. I love good service! This guy would’ve made a great picture!

On Thursday, another inconvenience…the downstairs toilet broke. Our go to is D & F Plumbing. Within a few hours, a young man had to install a new toilet assembly. I also had him check the water pressure coming into the house and going out the kitchen faucet and outside downspouts. In no time, all was back to normal. Have you noticed, I can’t remember the names of one of the 3 repair guys who’ve come out this week? I’m not shitting you. I should’ve taken their picture and posted them online.

Friday is really a dead day. My dear wife is cleaning the house. I’m writing and listening to Sheryl Crow Radio on Pandora. My FitBit and Bon’s Kindle are recharging. I don’t mean to sound bitter about spending my vacation mostly indoors. I’m lucky to be healthy, to have a home, to have a job and to have so many loved ones, when so many people are suffering terribly due to this horrific situation. This pandemic will end one day and life will return to normal. A new normal, whatever that is, which I hope will bring truth, justice, and the American vacation of leisure, excitement, and travel. And pictures. Lots and lots of pictures.

And a fascinating story.