Three Beautiful Things 12-15-2024: Jury Is Still Out, Awesome Meatloaf, Pre-Blood Draw Giddiness

1. I spent a good chunk of this afternoon reading about current events, like in Syria, but also about things like how otherwise obscure people gain fame via the World Wide Web. I know more now about the world than I did this morning. My inner jury is still deliberating whether I understand things better. As of now, that jury is deadlocked, unable to reach a verdict. 

2. Debbie found a meatloaf recipe that interested her and this evening she made it. I'm afraid I'm unable to report with any detail or accuracy what made it so delicious, but I sure enjoyed it. 

3. I started feeling kind of excited this evening. I last had lab work done at Sacred Heart on November 25th and since then I've felt really good, had a great trip to Gladstone and Eugene where I put my immune system to the test in a variety of ways, didn't get sick, and felt terrific. 

I go to Spokane first thing tomorrow morning (Monday) morning and I hustled around this evening getting  what I need pulled together, feeling hopeful that my numbers are going to look good, that I'll enjoy a muffin and coffee at Great Harvest, and that I'll find other fun ways (Trader Joe's maybe!) to fill up time before taking the Camry in at 12:15 to be serviced. 

Big day ahead! 

Three Beautiful Things 12-14-2024: Copper Makes Contact With My Shoulder!, RIP Jack Robert (1946-2024), Mongolian Noodles

1. It wasn't really jet lag, but I had what I'd call auto lag today. I spent a lot of time lying down, resting and napping,  on the bed with Copper and, lo and behold, Copper positioned himself close enough to me that he made actual physical contact with my shoulder. Until today, Copper limited his contact with me to my thighs or calves, most often when I was under the covers. 

February 3rd will mark the fourth anniversary of Copper and Luna coming into our home. Luna died a year ago and now, after nearly four years, Copper has made contact with my shoulder! 

What else might be in store for Copper and me?

2. I'm going to take a break for a little while from strictly beautiful things and write a few words about a something sad I learned today.

Every so often, I go to Eugene's local paper, the Register Guard, and scan the obituaries. I usually find out about fellow parishioners from St. Mary's Episcopal Church who have died in the twice a week email I receive from the church. 

But, it's through these obituaries that I learn about people I worked with at LCC or that I studied with at the U of O, sometimes fellow graduate students who either stayed in or returned to the Eugene area. 

Today, I learned that on December 9th, a fellow faculty member from the English, Foreign Language, and Speech division at LCC, Jack Robert, died. 

Jack taught speech. 

I almost immediately recalled a Saturday afternoon in 1998, when I was the chair of the division, and Jack and Mike Skupsky and I played snooker downtown at Luckey's Club. 

We drank a lot of beer. Mike and Jack introduced me to the game of snooker. We had a great time together. 

As time went along, though, Mike, Jack, and I would never hang out together again, thanks largely to disagreements about hiring and other things at LCC. 

Jack and I didn't have disagreements about hiring -- we worked very well together on (I think) two hiring committees in the Speech department and I admired his insights about candidates and how he articulated his thoughts about whom the committee should hire. 

But, hmmm, what I would call Jack's libertarian worldview was often at odds with the emerging culture at Lane Community College. 

For example,  Jack was a prominent voice on campus in opposition to a campus wide smoking ban. 

I supported the ban, but I also respected Jack's point of view, although I doubt he ever knew I did. 

I heard through the grapevine that Jack was disappointed in my support of division and department governing principles like arriving at decisions by consensus, my support of Affirmative Action, and of what was and wasn't suitable language in the classroom, among other things.  

I thought we were always friendly with each other in the hallways, but I knew a chill had also moved in between us, so we never played snooker again nor enjoyed beers together. 

The sadness I experienced when this chill moved in about twenty-five years ago returned today.

But reading about Jack's life relieved me of this sadness. 

I'd always heard that Jack had many talents and passions that we never saw on campus.

His obituary highlighted the things Jack loved to do: cook, host an annual Polish Christmas celebration, work with wood, restore and refurbish structures, throw pots, host and design sets for a readers' theater, travel with his partner Martha, and, I'd have to say, play an accomplished game of snooker! 

When I was at Russell's retirement party on December 5, I was in conversation with Speech instructor Jay Frasier, and suddenly Jack Robert popped into my mind and I wondered how he was doing, wondered if he were still alive. 

I didn't ask Jay. 

The party was a joyous occasion and I just didn't feel like bringing the subject of who's dead and who's alive into the conversation. 

Now I know he was alive on December 5th, but died on December 9th.

Learning this felt eerie to me -- I hadn't thought much about Jack over the years and I'm not sure why concern about him popped out of nowhere into my mind at the party.

Tonight, though, as I read his obituary,  it made me happy to read that Jack's life in retirement and his life away from the college sounded fun, fulfilling, adventurous, and socially alive and satisfying. 

Rest in peace, Jack. 

By the way, if you'd like to read Jack's obituary and see a picture of him as a much younger man, here's a link: https://tinyurl.com/yvkpnhts

3. Debbie found a recipe on Pinterest for Mongolian Noodles. She combined ground beef, Thai Wheat Noodles, soy sauce, ginger powder, Hoisin sauce, chopped green onion, red pepper flakes,  and I'm not sure what else and created a superb dish for our dinner tonight.

I hope we won't forget this meal and that Debbie brings it back again on down the road some time. 

Three Beautiful Things 12-13-2024: Happy Copper, How I Like to Travel, A Night of Nostalgia

1. Back home. Rest. Napping. Laundry. 

A lot of time lying down with Copper who communicated many signs of being happy that we are back together again. Copper doesn't cling to me (like Luna did), but Copper moved as close to me as he is willing to do and purred almost without ceasing as I stroked the top of his head, the top of his neck, and his spine. He also enjoyed it when I scratched his chin. Normally, Copper moves around. He leaps off the bed, jumps into a laundry basket, or saunters into the Vizio room and hangs out on or behind the soft chair in there. 

Not today.

He spent almost the whole day on my bed, relaxing, awaiting my return when I left the room, luxuriating when I paid him the attention he let me know he longed for. 

2. I thought a lot today about how I like to travel. 

I've never had a bucket list and I don't see one in my future.

I have greatly enjoyed every trip I've taken with Debbie, especially the several time we have driven across the USA to see family and our trips back. When we drove from New York to Kellogg in 2021, we organized our drive around stopping at dog friendly, mostly small town or medium sized city breweries and that was a blast, sampling beers outside and getting acquainted with parts of the country we'd been unfamiliar with, like the Upper Peninsula of Michigan. 

More than anything when I travel or think about traveling, I want to see family and friends -- in Portland, Seattle, Eugene, Valley Cottage, NY, New York City, the DC/Maryland/Virginia region -- and, I have to admit, hanging out in Washington, DC, going, say, to the National Gallery, driving to places I enjoy in Maryland,  and walking the streets of Manhattan by myself feels like I'm in the company of great friends -- and I am in the company of great friends when I stroll New York City with Scott or Mary or roam around New England with the Troxstar.

Similarly, I feel like after three visits, I've made a new friend with the city of Nelson, British Columbia and areas around Nelson and I'd enjoy returning to Nelson, alone or with family.

So, my trip to Portland and Eugene and to the ocean suited me perfectly. 

I spent many hours with longtime and beloved friends and, for me, there's no better reason to take a trip, no better way to spend my precious travel time. 

3. When I was ready to fall asleep last night, Debbie was out in the living room listening to different things online. I put ear buds in and fell asleep listening to Luna's superb album Bewitched on Spotify. When the album was finished, Spotify then played a mix of songs by alternative rock bands of the late 80s and on into the 90s. 

I didn't listen to this music when it came out around thirty plus years ago, but it's sure working for me now in 2024.

I especially enjoy a song by Miracle Legion: "The Backyard".

I slept through Bewitched, but "The Backyard" woke me up and suddenly I felt the most enjoyable nostalgic feelings in response to a song I've only known for about a month, but it's gotten inside me and has become one of those songs that it seems like I've been listening to forever.

It ended and I realized Debbie and Gibbs had gone upstairs to bed. 

I got up, made sure the front door was locked and that the heat was lowered, returned, put my earbuds in their case, fell back asleep, and later I had dreams about being with former Whitworth students in about 1983 and we were discussing the possibility of working out and performing a dance piece together to the music of the Eurhythmics. 

Nostalgia ruled my sweet night of sweet dreams (are made of this) and music. 

Three Beautiful Things 12-12-2024: Terry Feeds Me Really Well, Long Grateful Thoughts on the Road, I Return to Kellogg in Good Health

1. I wasn't exactly lightning quick getting out the door this morning to begin my drive back to Kellogg. 

No matter.

Terry prepared a delicious and bracing breakfast: sausage from a family grown pig (Sarah raised it), scrambled eggs, and pancakes. 

I was ready to crawl north on I-205, whiz east on I-84, blast up I-82 and across the top of the Tri-Cities on I-182, rocket up US 395 to Ritzville, and then fly east to Kellogg on I-90. I latted up a couple of times and stopped twice for fuel and made stops at three rest areas. 

2. I had a lot of time to think on this 8.5 hour drive.

Mostly I thought about how everyone I visited on this trip are simply superb people and great friends. 

I was nourished, stimulated, uplifted, and at ease with everyone I saw, all the conversations I had, and all the time we spent together. 

I was in great spirits when I arrived in Oregon, but somehow my friends and our time together raised my already high spirits even higher. 

3. Likewise, I was very happy to return to Kellogg. Debbie and I had a long and very thoughtful conversation about a wide variety of things almost immediately upon my return. I also enjoyed a great reunion with Copper who seemed very happy to be at my side again after a nearly ten day separation.

I'll also add that I was around a lot of people, sometimes in small spaces. I ate some foods that are listed as high risk for me post-transplant. I wore a mask at the Oregon Contemporary Theater, at the casino, and at the Irish jam. I took some risks. I exercised precautions, too. 

Now, here I am, back home, having been with a bunch of people and having done a bunch of fun stuff, and I'm well. 

It seems to me that my immune system is working pretty well. I thought this trip would be a good test. I hoped my system would pass the test and, as of today (Friday), it appears that nothing I did or ate made me sick. 

I'm telling you: for me, this is HUGE. 

Three Beautiful Things 12-11-2024: Wednesday Morning Eucharist at St Mary's, Darting Around Eugene/Springfield, Terry and I Were Unsupervised Ha Ha!

 1. I started my Wednesday by going to the weekly Wednesday morning Eucharist at St. Mary's Episcopal Church. Rev. Ryan Baker-Fones was this morning's celebrant which was especially fun for me because around thirty or so years ago, Ryan was a Shakespeare student of mine one quarter at LCC. As it turned out, his mother, Leah, was also in one of my classes, not Shakespeare, but research writing. 

I hadn't been to a service since some time before the pandemic struck. I quarantined myself with some strictness when the pandemic was at its hottest and I got out of the habit of driving to Coeur d'Alene to the closest Episcopal Church, St. Luke's.  

I loved being back in the loving arms of the Eucharistic rite. I was stirred, actually moved by the familiarity of the liturgy.  All those words I've heard repeated and repeated myself so many times sink into me a bit deeper each time I hear them and speak them. They sunk in a bit deeper today, especially during prays of preparation for taking Communion and during the prayer of thanksgiving afterward. 

Because not many Episcopalians live in the Silver Valley, the diocese closed both parishes here -- first in Kellogg and then in Wallace. 

I understand. 

Now, I've got to get back into the routine of driving to St. Luke's in Coeur d'Alene on Sundays again, weather permitting, and return to the liturgical rhythms and the kind spirit of Episcopalian worship. 

2. I left the church, returned to the studio apartment, having checked out but, as usual, I also left a jacket behind. I retrieved it. Then I ran errands. I bought a Fitbit charger at Best Buy. I bought Debbie some Hazy IPAs at Bier Stein. I returned to the Starbucks on 7th I used to frequent and purchased a latte for the road. It was fun driving routes in Eugene and Springfield  I used to use frequently to get around and a fun way to end my Eugene visit.

3. I then drove back to the Turner's house in Gladstone. Nancy is helping her sister after surgery in Boise,  so Terry and I were, as he put it, unsupervised. Ha ha!  

We had the house to ourselves. 

We really tore it up. 

We yakked for a while and then headed to a food truck pod in Oregon City where I enjoyed my first ever Nashville hot chicken sandwich. 

Terry had walked and played eighteen holes of golf earlier in the day. 

I'd been running around Eugene and Springfield and driving on I-5 and I-205. .

So both of us turned in around old man o'clock -- about 9 p.m.

I slept restfully and peacefully in preparation for my Thursday drive back to Kellogg. 

Three Beautiful Things 12-10-2024: I Slow Things Down, Eat at Tradewinds, Go See *Wicked* with Judy/Sparky

1. When I extended my stay by two nights in Eugene, my original plan was to go over to the Oregon coast on both Monday and Tuesday. 

It turns out, however, that I needed a day of rest today and I spent much of the day resting, napping, blogging, working puzzles, and taking breaks from relaxing by spiffing up the studio apartment where I was staying. 

2. I also waltzed into Tradewinds, a local eatery, and treated myself to a Greek Patty Melt, a fun fusion of hamburger, feta cheese, and other Greek seasonings and a sauce. 

3. Sparky/Judy and I decided to go see Wicked together in the Regal Cinema's IMAX theater. It was like being in a cinematic ocean of images, music, singing, dancing, comedy, and drama. 

I found the movie overwhelming. I definitely experienced sensory overload, but not in a bad way. It was kind of fun to submit to such a cinematic tidal wave, but I have to admit that I am more drawn to quieter movies, older movies, movies less driven by digital effects and flurries of noisy action.

That said, I can imagine going to see Wicked again and, once again, giving myself over to its magnitude. 

Three Beautiful Things 12-09-2024: Breakfast with Linda, A Trip to the Oregon Coast, Dinner at Jade Dumplings and Noodle House

1. This trip to Eugene has involved one superb conversation after another! This morning I dashed out to Elmer's where I met Linda S., our division's administrative assistant for many years at LCC, and we had excellent food and had a great talk about our renal health, some of the old days at LCC, the Oregon Ducks, retired life, the USA, and a host of other topics. We had other things to do and so had to end our talk. I look forward to the next time we are both in the same place (we had lunch together in Kellogg once -- and Wayne joined in! -- so who knows where we might see each other again! 

2. After breakfast, I returned to the studio, took care of few things quickly, and then drove to the coast. 

I sat on a couple of different logs and stared at the ocean at Heceta Beach and watched a few people play with their ecstatic dogs.  

Hardly anyone was on this seemingly endless expanse of beach. The sky was cloudless. The wind was mild. No wonder the dogs were so happy with plenty of room to run and chase balls and discs and even spend a little time playing chase with other dogs. 

I strolled up to the water line, stared some more. 

My peaceful visit ended.

I decided, then, to check out my former "home" casino, Three Rivers, just east of Florence. 

It's a completely revamped and remodeled establishment now.

And, today, sadly, it was also a house of no luck for me! Ha! I played for a while, kept making lousy spins, so I headed back to Eugene. 

Thank goodness all of my other reunions with people were infinitely better than this one, ha!, with machines! 

3. Back in Eugene, I decided to give the establishment that Eugene Weekly had named as Eugene's Best Chinese Restaurant in 2024 a try.

I went to the cozy strip mall establishment on S. Willamette, Jade Dumplings and Noodle House. 

Most of the patrons were in groups and ordered several entrees and shared them. 

Had I been with others, I would have ordered dumplings, but I decided against ordering the twelve that come with each order! 

Instead, I ordered a hill of Mixed Fried Noodles, a mound of delicious noodles combined with beef, pork, shrimp, chicken, cabbage, green onion, shredded carrot, bean sprouts, and egg. 

As an appetizer, I ordered half a dozen deep fried spring rolls. 

I enjoyed my meal a lot and if I lived in Eugene, I would invite another person or other people to join me so we could share dumplings and try out other entrees together. 

Three Beautiful Things 12-08-2024: Brunch at Lynn's, Yakkin' with Lynn, Irish Jam and Drunken Noodles

 1. Until Debbie and I moved to Maryland in 2014, we met for dinner with a group of friends on Thursday nights at Billy Mac's in Eugene. Billy Mac's is now closed. (In fact, in organizing Russell's retirement party, Anne held it on Thursday as a way to pay homage to those great Thursday Billy Mac's get togethers.) 

Today, some of the Billy Mac's dinner mates joined together at Lynn T's house for a superb brunch of egg casserole, bagels for Lox, Stock, and Bagel with lox, cream cheese, butter, and red onion slices out, link sausages, lattes, Bloody Marys, and Mimosas all available.  

It was awesome to see Anne, Russell, Mary, Jennifer, Carrie, Pam, Michael, and Lynn and enjoy the great food and energetic conversations and to have memories of nights at Billy Mac's flicker in and out of my mind. 

2. As our gathering thinned out, Lynn asked me if I'd like to stick around and yak for a while and I did. It had been a while since we talked about things that happened in the English Department over the years and we discussed times we enjoyed and things that were disappointing.  We talked about broader topics, too, and had a great time discussing life in the USA, the books Leah Sottile has led me to read, the pleasure of reading Anthony Trollope, women as superheroes in movies and elsewhere, and more. 

It was a superb afternoon -- uplifting, an afternoon that took me back many years to other great conversations I've enjoyed with Lynn over the years. 

3. From Lynn's house, I blasted to Sam Bond's Garage to listen to a circle of musicians join together for the weekly Irish jam. When I arrived, Sam Bond's was packed with people eating an afternoon meal while taking in the music and others, like me, there just to listen. I found an empty table, poured myself a glass of water, and just floated, enjoying the array of tunes and indulging in nostalgic memories of attending these jams from time to time with Debbie when we lived in Eugene. 

When the jam ended, I decided to go to Tasty Thai and I thoroughly enjoyed my plate of Drunken Noodles with tofu and a scoop of homemade coconut ice cream for dessert. 

Three Beautiful Things 12-07-2024: Joining Judy's Coffee Klatch, Reunion with AnnMarie, Great Harvest (!) and an Evening with Francoise and Herb

 1.  On Saturday mornings, Sparky (Judy), Mitch Hider, and others meet for coffee, most often at the South Willamette Market of Choice. Judy invited me to join them today and it was a blast. We yakked about theater, libraries, Shakespeare, my good fortune that I'm alive -- actually, all of our fortune is really good this way! -- and other topics that came and went. 

We had chocolates and pastries for treats. 

It was a jolly coffee klatch and I was beaming, so happy that Judy invited me to join in.

2. This joyous start to my day never let up.

Back in 1991, AnnMarie M. enrolled in the Wednesday night Shakespeare course I was teaching for the first time at LCC and we became longtime friends. She was the first person to act in what would become the Shakespeare Showcase. We and other friends and students travelled often to Portland to watch Shakespeare plays performed by the Tygre's Heart Shakespeare Company -- with dinner to follow, often, at the Spaghetti Factory, a fun tradition. 

AnnMarie became very active in the Eugene world of theater as a terrific actor and a superb costumer and in other ways. 

AnnMarie also owns Footloose Massage Center in downtown Eugene. Recently, on December 2, she held an open house at Footloose. Judy missed it and I wasn't in town yet, so Judy called AnnMarie to see if we could visit her at Footloose and it worked out.

I got to see AnnMarie! 

Judy and I visited her handsomely appointed massage center and sat for a while in the foot massage area and had a wonderful visit. AnnMarie has recently done some awesome traveling, I learned how her son and daughter are doing, we talked about cats, and we looked back at some of the shows AnnMarie has costumed and appeared in. 

As we sat comfortably and yakked away, I saw some of my best times in Eugene pass before my memory's eye: the first time I saw the movie Much Ado About Nothing, on opening night at the Bijou,  was with AnnMarie's family; I saw how much AnnMarie contributed to helping the Shakespeare Showcase grow into the splendid and fun event it became; I remembered how AnnMarie recommended to the director, Denise LaCroix, when she needed a replacement actor for Polonius in Rosencrtantz and Guildenstern Are Dead, that she invite me to join the cast (which I did). 

I was present in the moment during our reunion, but, at the same time, I was enjoying the many nourishing waters that passed under the bridge AnnMarie and I shared for many years, especially in the 1990s. 

I hadn't expected this reunion and I'm immeasurably grateful to Judy for making it happen. 

3. Judy's car was parked at Market of Choice and after I drove Judy back to her car, I dropped in at Great Harvest (Yes! GREAT HARVEST! It's been in Eugene for centuries!). I ordered a superb Chimichurri Roast Beef sandwich on Dakota bread and brought it back to the studio I'm renting and went straight to heaven thanks to this delicious meal. 

I got caught up on my blog.

I took a nap. 

I rested some more. 

I got cleaned up.

I then headed to Herb and Francoise's house for a scintillating evening visit, replete with superb and boisterous conversation about everything from the joy of having Misty in our life in Kellogg to the current state of the USA and our country's uncertain future. 

Our electric conversation was enhanced by the chicken noodle soup, Caesar salad, and fresh bread and Swiss cheese Francoise served for dinner. I also enjoyed a non-alcohol Black Butte Porter, my first NA beer ever. I couldn't believe my good fortune! 

Herb and Francoise's sons, Miles and Bryce, were both home. Both were students of Debbie's at Charlemagne French Immersion School here in Eugene.

Francoise wanted Debbie to see how splendid Miles and Bryce look and thought it would be fun to include me in a picture.

So, here we are, from left to right: Bryce, me, and Miles. 

Three Beautiful Things 12-06-2024: Burger With Roger in Salem, Coffee with Jeff and Margaret, A Night at the Theater

1. I am writing this blog post with over four hours ahead of me with nothing scheduled until 6:00. I will take my time writing this post and then plan to remember to post the link to it in the Facebook comments when I'm through. I also think I have my schedule straight today after messing up yesterday and scheduling two get togethers at exactly the same time. Very embarrassing. 

So here I go! 

I tried to finish writing my blog post enthusing about my uplifting day on Thursday, but didn't quite finish.

I needed to blast onto I-5 and rocket north to Salem to Killer Burger near the Costco on Kuebler Blvd where I'd be meeting my lifelong friend Roger Pearson for a burger and some great yakkin'. 

We had a first-rate discussion. We debriefed Don Knott's Celebration of Life, which was great to go back to and remember and we discussed our observations and thoughts about the USA as 2024 nears its end, unable to resist making some contrasts between our country now and the way things were when we were younger. 

Roger is an astute observer of the USA and has a keen understanding of the rule of law and I enjoyed a lot listening to his thoughts and insights.

So, as old friends do, we spent some time living in the past, but we spent a lot of time focused on the present and possibly the future. 

If you'd like to see a picture of Roger and me, happy to be together and finished with our food, just scroll down a ways. 

2. I dashed back to Eugene, found a parking spot in the busy 5th St. Public Market parking lot, and strolled into the market's Eatery area where I met up with Margaret and Jeff for coffee. Michael fell ill and had to cancel. 

We were resuming our long habit of meeting for coffee which began in the neighborhood of thirty-five or more years ago. 

We had a lot of ground to cover together and we did a most admirable job of it. 

We talked about people, alive and having passed, that we have (or have had) long histories with. I very much appreciated getting caught up on what's happening or has happened with people Jeff and Margaret had news about. 

We yakked about medical stuff, a nearly unavoidable topic as we grow older. 

I was so happy that our reunion today was so easy, that we fell immediately back into the ease and comfort with one another we've known all these years. I could have continued for more hours, easily, and kept yakkin', but we all had other plans coming up and went our separate ways after about an hour and a half or so.

3. I made a mental error this evening. I made a plan to go to the Oregon Contemporary Theater with Sparky (Judy), thinking I had arranged a get together with Francoise and Herb on Saturday. 

I was wrong. 

I misread a text message and when Francoise called me around 6:30, I discovered that we had agreed to meet on Friday.

Very embarrassing for me.

Fortunately, Francoise was both gracious and understanding and we rescheduled for Saturday evening, but I realized that I'm not used to having as much social activity as I'm enjoying right now and the flurry of activity left me prone to getting mixed up.

So, I picked up Sparky (Judy) and I loved being in a Eugene theater again. 

I'd never been to the Oregon Contemporary Theater before and, oh my!, I got to have a great conversation with Sam Arnold-Boyd and find out how her sons were doing and get caught up on other things. I shared a greeting with Dan P. I was ecstatic to have a chance to embrace and talk with Marla N. as I made my way to my seat.  

I loved the theater itself, the space, the seating, the feeling of the place. 

The play itself, Fresh Snow, transported me to a bar in an unnamed Montana town in the general vicinity of Kalispell and featured some songs and music from the 1980s that was fun. I thought the actors were energetic, were having a blast, and the audience not only laughed a lot, but many gave the performance a standing ovation. 

It was opening night so there was a table of food and refreshments available after the play ended.

Sparky and I decided to have our own party and we slipped out of the theater and scooted up to the Bier Stein and shared a platter of delicious, plump chicken wings and continued conversations we had begun on Wednesday and reminisced about our history together in the theater. 

How long had it been since I had an evening at the theater followed some time on the town? How long had it been since I stayed out until well after 11 p.m., noshing, yakking, reminiscing, and talking about dreams for the future? 

I don't know how long it had been, but it was a ton of fun tonight. 

Roger and I at Killer Burger: 

Three Beautiful Things 12-05-2024: Meeting Up with Alex, Russell's Retirement Party, High School Rockers at Whirled Pies

1. Alex W. came to Lane Community College straight out of high school over fifteen years ago and enrolled in a Learning Community I was involved in and so was a student of mine. Alex and I had many great conversations in my office back then and we kept in touch, off and on, over the years after LCC through Facebook and email. 

Alex left the Eugene-Springfield area and moved to Minnesota and Las Vegas, but recently returned to Springfield. 

Knowing she was back in the area and that she was enrolled in a course back at LCC, I asked Alex if we could get together during my current visit to Eugene. 

We could! 

We met today near JJ Java, a coffee shop on the second floor of the Center building and yakked together for nearly two hours.

Since Alex was a student at LCC in her late teens, a lot has happened in her life -- she's now thirty-five. 

She has two sons, she's a widow, she's lost family members to death, she's become active again in her church and with ceremonies and other tribal practices. 

I was deeply impressed with how much Alex has grown as she's become an adult, how she's become wiser, more mature, resourceful, more open with herself and others about her experiences with grief, more open in sharing her gratitude, and, as always, I continued to be impressed with wit, intelligence, and shrewd observations. 

We both felt much gratitude that through luck and pluck we were able to meet up this morning after not seeing each other for so many years. 

It felt miraculous to me. 

By the way, while we were sipping our espresso drinks and yakkin' away, I heard someone call my name. I looked up and it was a theater mate from long ago. 

Dylan K.! 

We had a brief and heartfelt exchange and it was a wonderful coincidence because Judy and I had just talked for a while about Dylan yesterday!

2. After Alex and I bid one another farewell, with hopes we'll see each other again before too long, I returned to the apartment I'm renting and got caught up on writing blog posts and took a rest.  

I got cleaned up and headed to The Public House in Springfield where Ann and Russell had reserved a room called The Study for Russell's retirement party. 

It was amazing. 

I saw a whole bunch of people I've known for thousands of years but haven't seen recently at all. 

The conversations, spirit in the room, food, the happiness for Russell all combined to make this a memorable celebration! 

3. After the uplifting celebration at The Public House, many of us rocketed over to Whirled Pies in Eugene where Ann and Russell's son, Allie (drummer) and Jennifer's two sons, Jack and Charlie (electric guitar and bass -- I don't remember which son plays which instrument) performed with two other high school boys and their music teacher. Most of their set featured an abridged version of the Who's Tommy and they played another jazzier tune to conclude. 

This was really fun! 

I also, to my delight and surprise, got to see both Nate B. and Mary P. who were in attendance at Whirled Pies.

That made my head whirl! 

An afterthought: When I arrived at Whirled Pies, an ensemble of women, with the boys' high school music teacher on drums, were playing awesome songs from the 80s. They told us in the audience the name of their group and I know the name had Ladies and 80s in the title, but I don't remember the exact name. 

I enjoyed their positive energy, the fun they were having, and the sentimental feelings their song choices inspired in me as I listened. 

Three Beautiful Things 12-04-2024: Clearing Out of the Turner House, Afternoon with Sparky, Fried Rice and Yakkin' With Randy and Marla

 1. Terry had a ten o'clock tee time. Nancy had 9 o'clock Tai Chi. I wanted to arrive in Eugene before noon. So the three of us were up and at 'em this morning. After a jolt of morning coffee, Terry fixed oatmeal. It made for a solid breakfast. At Stu's request, Nancy photographed Terry and me. Scroll down a ways and you can see one of the results. By shortly after 9:00, we all cleared out of the house. 

2. I had an uneventful drive to Eugene and after swinging by the house on Madison that Debbie and I lived in for nearly seventeen years, I rocketed up to Judy/Sparky Roberts' house and over tea and lunch we started yakking in earnest about all that Sparky has endured over the last several months. Her partner in love and theater and intellectual companionship, Joe Cronin, died in May. Sparky spearheaded a theatrical memorial and celebration of his life that happened in late July. Soon after, Sparky/Judy had a painful and serious heart attack. 

We talked about grief. Recovery. Old times. The USA. Medical matters. And more. We talked for about four hours and I didn't want to stop, but I had to get settled in the studio apartment where I'm staying and get ready for my six o'clock jolt of stimulation.

3. I got settled into my elegant Airbnb. I then blasted down to chez Troxstar and had a delicious fried rice in the wok dinner and more wide ranging conversation with Randy and Marla about kids, aging parents, music, and any number of other topics. 

Our discussions were made all the more enjoyable thanks to the Troxstar playing Donnie Iris Radio on Pandora. 

Here's a picture of Terry and me. 

We've had coffee.

We've had oatmeal.

We haven't quite changed into our travel or golf clothes yet. 

Three Beautiful Things 12-03-2024: I Blast Off for Oregon, Mandatory Ritzville Latte, Yakkin' and Dining with the Turners

1. With wobbly confidence and hope that I hadn't forgotten anything, I packed up the Camry and blasted off for Gladstone, Oregon. 

I fueled the car in CdA and then needed to stop in at the pharmacy at the Sacred Heart hospital and add to my pill stash. I couldn't resist making a stop, on my way to Sacred Heart, at Great Harvest for a blueberry oat muffin and a cup of Craven's Earth and Sky coffee. 

2. All went smoothly, but it took me a while to get out of Spokane and whenever I travel west, it's mandatory that I stop at the Ritzville Starbucks. So I did. I ordered a latte, leapt back in the Camry, and I was off again. 

3. I arrived at Terry and Nancy's house around 5:30 and we immediately fell into fun, fascinating, and stimulating conversation about a wide range of things on our minds and managed to stop yakkin' long enough to enjoy a superb grilled salmon, roasted squash, and green salad dinner. Then it was back to the salon and more splendid discussion. 

Three Beautiful Things 12-02-2024: Lists and Multiple Re-checks, Packing a Pharmacy, Santa Maria Tri-Tip Roast

1. I wrote a list. Then another list. Then a third. These were lists of things to remember to pack. I wrote another list. This one reminded what things would go in which bag. I have some plans already made to meet with people. I wrote another list outlining the days and times of these meetings. Then I gathered things. I laundered a couple of bags. I packed as much as I could. I was so careful all day long not to forget anything that it felt like the equivalent of triple or quadruple locking a hotel room at night. 

2. I swear.  Traveling post-transplant makes me feel like I'm packing a pharmacy. In my larger post-transplant bag I packed my pillbox and a box holding all my pills, a bottle of Tylenol, a pill splitter, my transplant binder (has my prescription list, transplant program phone numbers, my daily blood pressure, pulse, temperature, and weight log, and more), pens, a pad of scratch paper, and maybe more. 

I'm set with plenty of medication and information anyone can find in the case of an emergency.

3. I took a break from packing, checking my bags, rechecking them, and re-rechccking them (did I forget something?) and fixed a Trader Joe's Santa Maria Tri-Tip Roast and roasted cabbage, red onion, and potatoes for dinner. It was relaxing to give myself over to a task that didn't involve low grade anxiety about forgetting something. 

Three Beautiful Things 12-01-2024: More Bonus Time with Misty, Patrick Secures the Pet Gate, Superb Leftovers

1. So, on Saturday, Misty had to cancel her flight to Seattle and we very much enjoyed our bonus time with her at our house on Saturday evening and Sunday morning. We continued to get even better acquainted and we all seemed to enjoy each other more and more the longer we spent time together. 

Christy came over after church and also enjoyed some bonus time with Misty. Misty is a Native Alaskan and Christy taught for many years in Inchelium on the Colville Reservation and she shared some of her experiences with Misty and showed her pictures of Native community related projects her students worked on. Misty also told Christy about her social justice work with the non-profit organization, Native Movement (nativemovement.org). Misty is on Native Movement's Administrative Team, serving as the Creative Space Lead. 

2. Patrick and Meagan, as scheduled, drove back home to Portland early this afternoon and also drove Misty back to the airport -- where everything worked out pretty well. Yes, her flight was delayed a bit, but she made it to Seattle in time to catch her connecting flight back to Fairbanks. 

Before leaving, Patrick finished a project for us that he started Saturday evening. 

The screws securing the gate we have up that keeps Gibbs from chasing Copper came out of the wall and Patrick moved the screws to the wooden trim where we are confident the screws won't come loose. 

It's a great help having this gate fully operational again -- in his own way, Copper especially appreciates it.

3. We had Cornish game hen pieces and wild rice dressing left over from Thanksgiving dinner and Debbie combined them into a wildly delicious dinner dish. Christy's dressing aged really well over the weekend and the chicken remained tender, moist, and flavorful. It was fun tonight to feel like Thanksgiving had, indeed, extended all the way from Thursday to Sunday.