Three Beautiful Things 07-07-2025: Revisiting a Daily Childhood Walk, Breaking Out of a Reading Slump, The Wok Rocks

1.  After the biopsy on my kidney and then during subsequent two days of infusions of steroids and a few days after that of increased Prednisone dosage, my sleeping patterns got out of whack and I experienced a temporary loss of energy -- a slump. Fortunately, this slump was physical. I wasn't experiencing depression, thank goodness. 

Recently, I've felt myself getting back in whack again. 

Along with having energy and motivation return, I also have felt a most welcome urge to get my body moving again. 

We are in the grip of longer days, more sunshine, and warmer weather and when I go out to walk, I need to be not in the sun and out of the heat. 

So, this morning, shortly after 5:30 a.m., I walked the route on Riverside Ave that I used to stroll to get from home to what used to be Sunnyside Elementary School and then returned home on Cameron Ave. 

For most of the 40 minutes I was out, the sun hadn't come out and the air was cool.

It was a very satisfying stroll.

2. That slump I was in also repressed my desire to read.

Today, I returned to Lonesome Dave and as some of the characters rounded up a herd of horses in Mexico in the dark of night and moved them north back to Lonesome Dove near the bottom of Texas, I read passages describing opposite qualities co-exisiting in one particular character and read another passage describing the chaos when a herd of horses heading into Mexico come into conflict with the herd leaving Mexico. 

Both passages struck me as Shakespearean. 

The deeper I move into this novel, the more I am experiencing Larry McMurtry's genius and depth.

3. I cooked both breakfast and dinner in the wok today. For breakfast, I heated up the oil, cooked up sliced mushrooms and a handful of fresh spinach leaves. I also heated up a lump of left over jasmine rice. I turned down the heat and folded two broken eggs into the rice, mushrooms, and spinach and, as the eggs got solid, I put a slice of Swiss cheese over the mixture and, once it melted, I took it out of the wok and enjoyed my meal.

For dinner, I thawed a couple of chicken tenders, chopped them up, and then combined the chicken, broccoli, cauliflower, green beans, and celery in the wok and once they were nearly done I added left over jasmine rice from last night. I put this mixture in a bowl, splashed soy sauce over it, and began to think that I could see myself doing most of my cooking day to day in this wok -- and wondering why I haven't! 

Three Beautiful Things 07-06-2025: I Stayed Home, Rest and Refreshment, Satisfying Meal Out of the Wok

1. I gave serious thought to taking a drive this afternoon, but then I decided I would rather not be a part of the busy holiday weekend traffic -- why should I add my vehicle to the high volume of activity on the roads and to the congestion on I-90 when I didn't really have any where I needed to be.

So I stayed home. 

2. It turned out that staying home was a solid move. Our family activities on Thursday, Friday, and Saturday were all good, happy occasions. At the same time, well, they left me in need of rest and refreshment!

3. I added to my refreshment by cooking up a very satisfying dinner in the wok: shrimp, mushrooms, zucchini, yellow pepper, and celery served with jasmine rice. I was in the mood for soy sauce and a few splashes enhanced this bowl of simple and very delicious food.  

Three Beautiful Things 07-05-2025: Bucky's Dedication (Baptism), Lunching on Leftovers, Quiet and Sleepy Saturday

1. With a threat of rain hanging over the morning, Paul decided that rather than dedicate (that is, baptize) Buchanan in the Roberts' back yard, that Paul, Carol, Cosette, Taylor, Saphire, Christy, Zoe, Buchanan, and I would meet at the Mountain View church and that Paul would conduct the rite indoors and in the  space so familiar to our family, the space where Taylor and Cosette were married. 

That continuity worked. 

Zoe was the morning's camera operator. 

Paul handed us each a passage from the Bible to read, all tied together by the theme of raising a child in the embrace of God. 

Paul gave a short talk and he pressed water to Bucky's forehead and connected his mom, dad, and sister together with Bucky by pressing water on their foreheads as well. 

2. This was our third day in a row of family celebration: Carol's birthday, Independence Day, and now Bucky's dedication.

We had a generous spread of food left over from Thursday and Friday and we enjoyed lunching on it at Carol and Paul's house after the service. 

3. I returned home, settled into a quiet day of acrostic puzzles and I completed the Sunday NY Times puzzle (it was available at 3 this afternoon) and grabbed a few quick naps here and there. 

Copper and Gibbs joined me as they, too, had quiet days and grabbed a few naps themselves. 

 

Three Beautiful Things 07-04-2025: Holiday Racket, Family Barbecue, Memories of October 2010

1. I never really know from one kaboom, pop, kabang, whistle, crack holiday to the next if the current one will be the one in which Gibbs or Copper or both of them cross over from oblivious and unbothered by all the noise into a zone of high anxiety. I spent hours on a bed behind a closed door with the Corgis, holding and petting them while they shook nervously at the sound of firecrackers, fireworks, and God only knows what other sources of booms, crashes, and thrumming. 

I always wonder if the next holiday of din will be the one that finally pushes our pets over the edge. 

The crossover didn't happen tonight.

Gibbs only barked when every once in a while a person walked in front of the house. 

Otherwise, he just peered out the east living room window and occasionally glanced over at me. I might be projecting, but I think his face was asking me, "What is all this senseless noise?"

Copper chilled. 

He didn't respond once to the racket. 

2. Paul barbecued brats and corn on the cob. Christy brought potato salad. I brought beans. The table also featured chips and a fruit salad. We had leftover pie and cake from Carol's birthday and Zoe made a delicious batch of homemade ice cream. 

We enjoyed our holiday meal on the Roberts' patio.

3. During our conversations tonight, I found myself suddenly trying to piece together the very difficult time Debbie and I experienced, especially in 2009, but that carried over on into 2010 and beyond. We got through it and so did family members who had rough times, but pinpointing when specific things happened was, at the dinner table for me, impossible.  

One thing that came up: Carol said something about WHEN Olivia and Molly visited Kellogg not long after Olivia had started walking. 

What? 

I was stumped. 

I had no memory whatsoever of Molly and Olivia coming to Kellogg. Carol said it was in the fall -- so it would have had to have been in the fall of 2010.

So, later, I consulted my trusty blog.

Ah! 

Right!

October, 2010. 

Debbie, Molly, and Olivia made a weekend trip to Kellogg. 

I stayed behind in Eugene. 

Then I read in my blog that on their way home, Debbie, Molly, and Olivia picked up Charly, who had been living for I don't remember how long in New York, at the Portland Airport. 

So, not only was this the weekend when Olivia got to meet Mom and the rest of the family in Kellogg, it was the weekend we were reunited with good old Charly. 

I'm really glad I had a written record of all that!  

Three Beautiful Things 07-03-2025: Carol's Birthday Party, Beach Bum Bakery Visit, Beans in the Crock Pot

1. Today was Carol's birthday! 

She told the rest of the family that she wanted a smorgasboard of meats, cheeses, breads, cut vegetables. crackers, and other finger-y foods and a German chocolate cake for her birthday dinner. 

So that's what we had out on the patio. April and Eric attended. Cosette, Taylor, and Bucky arrived today from Moscow. Zoe had arrived earlier in the week. 

We settled into the generous spread of food laid out on the table, had fun watching Carol and listening to her open gifts (some required explanation and readings), and enjoyed Zoe's perfectly baked cake along with having the choice of Zoe and Carol's freshly baked apple pie. 

2. Much of my contribution to the birthday smorgasboard came from Beach Bum Bakery where I purchased Sourdough Focaccia bread and a Honey Challah loaf -- and Debbie and I gave Carol a Beach Bum Bakery gift card as her birthday gift. 

3. I had been soaking a pound of white beans all day long. When I arrived home, I put the beans, water, molasses, brown sugar, chopped onion, and bacon into the crock pot so that my contribution to our 4th of July barbecue could cook on low overnight. 

Three Beautiful Things 07-02-2025: Go Driving, Modest Casino Success, Back Home

1. I was in the mood to hit the open highway, contemplate some things, listened to *Deadish* and, without a plan, see where I ended up. 

It turns out I headed west to the Rose Lake exit, drove south on Hiway 3 to St. Maries, drove west on Hiway 5 to Plummer, turned north on 95, and dropped in to see how things were looking at the CdA Casino. 

2. I played machines for a little while, left the casino with some winnings, and so made a modest contribution to my Pendleton envelope as I save up for our trip there in about three months. 

3. I stopped in CdA to fuel the Camry, buy some food for Carol's birthday party and for my own salads at Trader Joe's, and cruised back to Kellogg on I-90. 

It was an uneventful, low key, even restful outing, the sort of solo drive I hadn't made in quite a while.  

All my solo driving over the last year or so has been focused on medical trips.  

Three Beautiful Things 07-01-2025: Nine Page Lab Order!, June 23rd Lab Results Look Good, Remembering *Short Cuts*

1.  I was up and at 'em first thing this morning to get cleaned up and to get Copper and Gibbs ready for me to blast off to Kootenai Health for labs. 

I'm on a once a week blood draw schedule again for the time being. 

I find all of the staff who work the counter at Lab Services very helpful, but I am especially happy when   an employee named Deborah is available to check me in. 

She looked up my order among the faxes transmitted to her computer, found the one Dr. Murad had faxed in for me on June 23rd, and for a second the color drained from her face. 

"It's nine pages long," she said, smiling bravely.  "Have a seat and I'll get your order entered. It'll take a while." 

No problem. 

She then alerted her fellow counter worker that she'd be working on a nine pager and would be occupied for a while. 

She patiently and carefully entered the orders. 

I got called in. 

Everything worked out perfectly. 

About fifteen minutes later, I was seated in the lobby outside lab services enjoying a chocolate croissant and a superbly prepared latte.

2. As I've mentioned before, the doctors I work with are  assessing some signs that have popped up of early rejection of my transplanted kidney. 

I've also mentioned that not one of the kidney pros appears alarmed. 

I saw Dr. Murad last Monday (June 23) at the transplant clinic and after our visit he sent me to the hospital lab for a handful of tests that can't be done at Kootenai. He told me the results would take a bit longer than my routine tests take. 

So, today, I messaged Nurse Jenn (my nurse coordinator at the transplant clinic) and asked her if all the June 23rd results had arrived yet. 

She replied immediately. 

Yes. In fact, the last result had just arrived. 

She liked what she saw: things look stable and she used the words "great" and "double good". 

Before too long, Dr. Murad will also study these June 23rd results and the results of today's blood work and then I'll find out if he wants to change any of my medications or any of my dosages. 

In summary, at this point, on July 1, 2025, as I understand it, things look encouraging in my little world of  transplantion and some complication. 

I sure hope I'm right! 

3. This evening my mind  wandered back to about 1993 or '94. As it does so often, I wandered back to the Bijou theater in Eugene and got to thinking about the three hour Robert Altman masterpiece, Short Cuts. The movie features an incredible ensemble cast of actors ranging from Lily Tomlin to Jack Lemmon to Lyle Lovett to Buck Henry. It blends together a whole bunch of story lines and examines multiple aspects of life in suburban Los Angeles. 

I remember it being an emotionally demanding movie and a marvel of improvisational development. 

It's dumb for me to feel this way, but I really wanted to leave the house and go the a local art house and just watch whatever independent movie was playing from whatever country it was made in.

That experience is unavailable in Kellogg. Or CdA. I don't know what's playing at the Magic Lantern,  my favorite Spokane movie theater from 1974-78 and 1982-84. 

For now, though, I'll dial up Short Cuts one of these afternoons or evenings and groove on Robert Altman while, at the same time, allowing myself to be disturbed by what I'm watching. 

Three Beautiful Things 06-30-2025: No Timetable, Deborah Uplifts Me, I Won't Go to the Oregon Country Fair

1. Today Debbie called me from a Wegmans parking lot in Montvale, NJ and I suddenly had fun memories of when I used to drive south from Greenbelt, MD to Lanham, MD or drive north to Columbia, MD and go to Wegmans just for the fun of it. Wegmans is grocery chain with stores in nine eastern states and the District of Columbia. I enjoyed wandering around in Wegmans, sometimes eating lunch or a snack there, and just taking in the smells and sights. 

Debbie called to catch me up a bit on things and I extended my full support when she told me she has no timetable for when she'll return to Kellogg. 

Copper, Gibbs, and I will continue to hold down the fort while Debbie is away. 

2. My longtime and close Whitworth and beyond friend, Deborah, wrote me an email today that uplifted me, that gave me food for thought that I thoroughly enjoyed, and that described how she and Scott had enjoyed a stir fry dinner very similar to our family dinner Sunday out of the wok. 

3. Today was a good day for correspondence with longtime friends. Not only did I hear from Debbie and Deborah, but I also heard from Jeff, my longtime and close friend in Eugene (and host of Deadish). 

Because the Troxstar's retirement party is on July 11th, I'd planned to attend it in Eugene. 

But, because of the closer monitoring of my new kidney these days and because Debbie will be in New York indefinitely, I canceled those plans. 

I wrote an email to Jeff telling him I wouldn't be down. 

Dang it! 

I'd told Jeff earlier in the spring that my hope was to come to Eugene, go to the retirement party, and, for the first time since 1993, head out to the Oregon Country Fair. 

Jeff snagged me a VIP pass for the fair and now I won't be using it. 

Sometimes kidneys and family obligations just get in the way of other stuff, but I'm going to hold out hope, the good Lord willing, that maybe next year I can wander down to Eugene, join Jeff at the fair, and be admitted as a Very Important Person -- after all, that's what it says on the pass! 

Three Beautiful Things 06-29-2025: (A Violent Day), Spiffing Up, Cooking Family Dinner, Intellect and Emotion

A cruel and deadly shooting took place this afternoon near Coeur d'Alene, Idaho on a local mountain. These killings are beyond my comprehension and so I have nothing to say beyond these words:  I don't understand violence and I'm dumbstruck. 

Therefore, I'll focus my blog post on things that happened today that I do have words for. 

1. I hosted today's family dinner, so I spent a good portion of today cleaning, putting things away, vacuuming, and hoping the house was inviting for Christy, Paul, and Carol to join me for dinner. 

2. I had decided several days ago that I would fix dinner out of the wok. After Darren's birthday party on Saturday, I shopped for vegetables, peanuts, and sauces at both Trader Joe's and Pilgrim's and so, today, I had everything I needed. 

Late this morning, I decided to chop and slice the vegetables I would stir fry and put them in containers in the fridge. I had thawed the tri tip steak chunks I would stir fry and cut them into bite size pieces. Midafternoon, I prepared the Thai wheat noodles, then the meat pieces, and then I stir fried white onion, snap (or were they sugar?) peas, zucchini, cabbage, broccoli, cauliflower, sweet peppers, mushrooms, and maybe others.

At the same time, I steamed a package of Trader Joe's pork gyoza/potstickers for an appetizer. 

It seemed to all work out. 

3. We had a very good discussion of the ways we draw upon intellect and emotion to make our way in the world. I wondered to myself if a balance between the two is ideal, but rarely achieved. 

Three Beautiful Things 06-28-2025: Big D's Big Boy Party, Buy the Wok, Could Have Saved Myself Heartache

1. Ed's son, Darren, turned 40 this past week. Today, Darren's wife Erica threw Big D's Big Boy Party in hers and Darren's back yard in Post Falls.  It was a joyous occasion with awesome tacos and side dishes, a bunch of Darren and Erica's family and friends full of mirth, and a splendid gift opening ceremony. Darren scored multiple bottles of fine whiskey, some LPs, house plants, and, among other gifts, a hoodie personally signed by Gonzaga men's basketball great Robert Sacre, thanks to Ed.  

2. I don't like to make recommendations (I'm too easy to please) and I don't like to give advice.

I made an exception today at Trader Joe's, though.

As I was checking out my groceries, the cashier told me that her husband has been wanting to buy a wok and then she said something about being concerned about using a wok and burning down the house. 

I gave her a brief bit of advice: "BUY THE WOK!"

3. As I was listening to the "Draggin the Line" Radio Station on Spotify today, driving between Kellogg and Post Falls, I realized I would have saved myself a lot of heartache in my life if I hadn't taken songs like "Never My Love", "Cherish", "Wait a Million Years", "Midnight Confessions" and others so seriously.