Three Beautiful Things 09-03-2026: Christy Sees Her PCP, I'm Determined, Bagel Bonanza

1. I drove Christy to her post-hospitalization appointment with her PCP. The doctor made some adjustments in Christy's medications, talked with her about doing PT through the winter and possibly beyond, and addressed the array of problems Christy is dealing with. Christy found the appointment very helpful and will see her PCP again in a month. 

2.  I see the doctor in charge of my kidney health Thursday next week and need blook work done ahead of time. I'm determined to drive to CdA tomorow (Friday) morning and get this task completed. 

It's been three months since I prepared for a blood draw and getting ready this evening was like riding a bike for the first time after an absence: I set out a water bottle, put my morning doses of pills in an empty pill bottle, set out a mask (since I've been sick), and I set out my wallet, keys, and water bottle so I wouldn't be searching for them Friday morning, I am relieved it's been raining. I won't have to put on my protective gloves while I drive, wear a sunhat, or do anything else to keep the sun off my skin. 

3. A treat today. Rebekkah of Beach Bum Bakery texted me that the bakery produced a batch of cinnamon raisin bagels. She knows I love them and when I was in the day before, I said next time she made them available, I'd buy as many as she'd sell me. They freeze well and it's fun having a good number on hand. 

I zoomed up to the bakery. I bought ten of the bagels. This left a some for other customers who might like some. 

I'm really happy to have.this many of these bagels on hand and I'll try to make them last a couple of weeks or more. 

Three Beautiful Things 09-02-2026: Dreaming in a Dream, Cans to the Curb, Medicinal Bouillion

 1. I don't remember having a cold interfere so massively with my sleep at night before. The good news, though, is that this afternoon I fell asleep for about 2-3 hours had experienced that rare phenomenon where I dreamed about people who then had dreams in my dream. 

2. When I wasn't having dreams within dreams, I rested but rallied long enough to put Christy's and my garbage cans to the curb. 

3. I have a long history of treating colds (and the flu) with chicken bouillon and noodles or pasta. Today I enjoyed a bowl of it along with a plain bagel toasted with cream cheese. Then I fell into the coma nap with its double dreaming. A connection?   

Three Beautiful Things 09-01-2026: A Cold, Copper's Back, Cinnamon Knot

 1. Monday night, I could feel it coming on: sinus pressure, sinus congestion, mild sore throat, and coughing. I barely slept Monday night and I knew this morning that I'd be resting all day today, trying to sleep, and staying home from book club in Spokane.  Very disappointing. 

The good news: it's been several years since I've been sick. In addition, when I do get sick, I'm never a hero, trying to push myself through it. I take my time. Rest. Pound liquids. Give myself time to get better. 

2. I brought Copper home today in his urn and soon I'll find a spot for him and Luna to rest side by side. 

3. I thought a cinnamon knot from Beach Bum Bakery would help me feel better. I loved the treat, but it did not have the medicinal impact I'd hoped for! 

Three Beautiful Things 08-31-2026: Books, Correspondence, Soup

 1. I'm in a splendid phase of my reading life right now, reading books that I never would have read, except -- well, let me explain. Over the weekend, I finished Josh Brolin's memoir, Under the Truck, which I never would have read except Shelley gave me this book at Bruce Larsen's memorial because I had mentioned enjoying him when he was interviewed on the Criterion Channel and Shelley read about that in this blog. 

This weekend, I finished reading The Birds that Audubon Missed and l never would have read this book had Debbie and I not joined the Science/Nature Book Club at Auntie's Bookstore. Now I've read six books I never would have read thanks to being a part of this group. 

And now I'm starting Kendra Langford Shaw's novel The Pillager's Guide to Arctic Pianos thanks to having gone to Spokane this summer to hear her interviewed in the Northwest Passages series. I've enjoyed the first fifty or so pages a lot, especially as I marvel, page after page, at Kendra Langford Shaw's vivid imagination. Yes, there is such a place as the Arctic, but in this book she creates a world with place names that are imagined, writes about events that she invented, and has her characters doing things that fit perfectly in the world she's created, but did not happen in the historically documented world of the Arctic that lies outside her imagination. 

When I read or watch movies, I never say such and such could never happen or this or that is not believable. 

I read and watch movies as a believer. (Guess I'm a Monkees reader and movie viewer!)

2. I continued to send out emails and text messages today, doing my best to get caught up in correspondence. I'm still behind. 

3. Onion. Celery. Mushrooms. Zucchini. Broccoli. Frozen raw shrimip. Chicken broth. Old Bay Seasoning. Basmati rice. Salt. Pepper. 

I enjoyed a simple soup for dinner tonight. 

Three Beautiful Things 08-30-2026: Rest, Tickets, Gibbs

 1. I took a day of rest today. Quite a bit has been going on lately and it just didn't seem like I had any duties to fulfill today. I always have sweeping, cooking, dishwashing, and other spiffing up things to do, but I didn't do a lot else today. 

2. I did, however, purchase our symphony tickets for the three concerts we'll attend this fall. I had already lined up our tickets for this fall's Northwest Passages events and I'm expecting the season tickets I won for the Spokane String Quartet to arrive in the mail before long. 

Honestly, I have sorely missed going to live classical music concerts this summer. I'm stoked for the music to start up again and eagerly look forward to the book talks and other lectures. 

3. Now that Gibbs has the entire ground floor of our house at his disposal -- no more gate -- he has been spending quite a bit of time with me in the Vizio room where I've been writing, doing puzzles, and reading. He is now a;so going into the bedroom and jumping up on my bed in advance of my arrival. I miss Copper. Gibbs doesn't. It helps compensate for having lost Copper, though, to have Gibbs being such a willing companion during the day and at night. 

Three Beautiful Things 08-29-2026: Family Dinner with Guests, The Menu, Old Dried Black Beans Cook Slower

 1. Starting at 5:00, Carol and Paul hosted a delicious and fun-filled family dinner. What made this evening especially fun was having three lively, funny, and fascinating guests: Renae Costa, Dick Costa, and Kathy Yamamoto. 

So many stories! So many history lessons, especially about Kellogg! So much catching up on travel, health, pets, mutual friends, and more. 

It was as close to a perfect culinary and social occasion as I can imagine. 

2. Carol planned this evening's menu and built it around a Cuban theme. Every dish was superbly prepared, filled with great flavors and love. We enjoyed the following: 

Plantain Chips with Salsa 

Slow-cooked Cuban Mojo Pork

Cuban Black Beans

Yellow Rice

Cuban Salad

Goya Cookies and Gelato

3. I admit it: I am fastidious about getting a very early start when preparing food for a scheduled dinner -- especially family dinner. 

I always cook with the assumption that everything is going to take me longer to prepare than the recipe says it would take a normal person.  

My assignment for this evening's dinner: Cuban Black Beans

Over the last several weeks, I've been committed to using dried beans, not canned ones (which I think are great, by the way), when I fix hummus, refried beans, or any other recipe calling for beans. 

So Friday afternoon, I put about five cups of dried black beans in water and soaked them for about seven hours (I made a conscious decision, for no good reason, not to use the quick soak method). I drained them, refrigerated them, and soaked them for another hour or two Saturday morning. 

I changed the water, brought the beans to a boil, and cooked them at a low heat. 

Normally, black beans, having been soaked, take about an hour to soften and be ready to eat. 

Not this batch! 

These were stubborn black beans and I ended up cooking them for over three hours or so before they finally softened up and I could move forward to combine them with sauteed onion, red pepper, and garlic seasoned with oregano, cumin, red wine vinegar, sugar, salt, and pepper. I then cooked this combination for about a half an hour or so. 

I wasn't satisfied with how they tasted. I added more oregano and more cumin. I put bit more sugar in what I'd cooked. I added a splash more of vinegar and I added the juice of a whole lemon. 

Finally, around four o'clock, I decided the Cuban black beans were family dinner (with guests) ready to go -- getting these beans right took about nine hours of soaking, three hours of cooking without the added ingredients, and at least another hour of cooking when I combined everything. 

The recipe stated that it would be quicker -- ha! 

It's a good thing I gave myself a huge cushion of time for something to go off the rails. 

This time it was just stubborn black beans that I think were old that slowed me down -- I've had old dried beans in the past require much more time than usual to cook and today it happened again. 

Three Beautiful Things 08-28-2026: Copper's Bequest, Christy's Drive Down Cameron Ave., Yakkin' at The Lounge

 1. Copper lived a simple life. He ate from a feeder and from a bowl. He had a good litter box and he could depend on it being scooped out. He had a portable litter box ready to assemble if we ever had to evacuate our home. He always had a reliably stocked supply of dry and wet food. He even had a suitcase to rest and sleep in which he often  occupied for hours at a time. 

Paul and Carol volunteered to take the things I just mentioned, except the suitcase. I disposed of it -- it was great for Copper's use, as was the towel he lay on in the suitcase but neither was  suitable for human use any longer (all that hair!). 

Paul and Carol have two cats and they will keep the things Copper bequeathed them that they can use and find ways to donate the things they won't need. 

One other thing: I was very happy with our pet gate since Gibbs and Copper had to live in separate parts of the house. 

I took it down today, though, and while the reason I took it down is sad, at the same time it's true that it's nice to walk freely out of or into the living room. 

2. Together, I assume, Paul and Christy decided that she could give it a try to make the simple drive behind the wheel of her Subaru from her house to the vet's office (and back) where Riley had an appointment. It's a straight shot down Cameron Avenue, a good route for seeing how Christy might do behind the wheel. 

Paul told me Christy did fine. 

It's a first step, but it might still be a while before she can drive the car alone. 

3. Ed and I met up at The Lounge this afternoon. It was a relaxing time of fun and funny back and forth with Cas and I enjoyed hearing about Ed's very happy and busy time last weekend, all involving his grandson's wedding in Pinehurst, the reception, and a great family party at Ed and Nancy's house on Sunday. 

Three Beautiful Things 08-27-2026: Immense Gratitude, 68-69 Kellogg Kittens Basketball Team, Gibbs' World is Bigger

 1. By far, having said goodbye to Copper, the best thing to happen was receiving countless messages from friends who were moved by the last hour Copper and I spent together and who extended comforting words of understanding and condolence about having a pet die. 

Thank you to each and every one of you for expressing your thoughts, feelings, and support so beautifully. 

2. A friend sent me a superbly preserved photograph of the team picture of the 1968-69 Kellogg Junior High School 9th grade basketball team. I posted it on Facebook and the many joyous responses people made to the photograph uplifted me and helped balance my feelings of grief. 

By the way, our junior high teams were the Kellogg Kittens! (The high school teams were the Wildcats.) 

The picture is below. 

3. Gibbs never did adjust to having Luna and Copper in the house. We put a gate up between the living room and the other rooms in the house. I think this was after Luna died. Now the gate is open and Gibbs is enjoying being able to investigate the rooms he was cut off from. I'm hoping that soon he'll figure out that now he can sleep with me if he'd like until Debbie returns home. 

I might just give him some help figuring that out by bringing him to my bed when I retire tonight (Friday). 

Here is the Kellogg Junior High 9th grade basketball team, the Kellogg Kittens, 1968-69

Back row l to r   Jack Dunn, Mike Farley, Tim O'Reilly, Mike Heglund, Terry Turner, Craig Comer, Mike Rieken, Dave Holland, Sam Cooper 

Middle row l to r Kirk Hoskins, Elvin Hansen, Al Wise, Dale Costa, Dave MacPhee, Coach Jim Currie, Harold Kurt, Neil Parkins, Jim Lewis, Scott Stuart  

Front row from l to r   Bill Woolum, Don Knott, Roger Pearson, Steve Jaynes, Bruce Larsen 

Three Beautiful Things 08-26-2026: Copper and I Share His Last Hour, Debbie and I Talk About Pets, Complexity

 1. I'm writing this blog post on Thursday, August 27th and will begin with what took place this morning. 

Shortly after 6:00, Copper staggered into my bedroom, collapsed, and let out two weak, but adamant wails. The wails woke me up.  I'd never heard him make this sound before. 

The sound of his wail made me all but certain that Copper's life was nearly over and he wanted us to spend the time he had left together. 

After over five years of not wanting me to hold him, Copper rested in my arms and on my lap. After a while, I wrapped him in a soft towel and placed him atop a soft ottoman and stroked him, encouraged him to let go, and watched his life slowly pass from his being. 

At about 7:10, Copper surrendered. He died at home. He died in the room where he spent most of his time. He died close to me. 

I took time to gaze upon Copper, to fix in my mind the assurance that he was resting in peace. 

2. Now back to Wednesday. 

Debbie and I had a superb telephone conversation. 

We talked about having Copper euthanized. 

We talked about timing, about when euthanasia feels merciful. 

I told Debbie that I hoped Copper would die at home, that we would experience the end of his life together, but that I would see how Copper was doing on Thursday morning and, if it felt right, I'd call Dr. Cook and schedule a consultation, asking him to assess Copper's condition and advise me on how to move forward. 

Copper took matters into his own paws and I didn't have to make that call. 

I felt great relief, having known for quite a few days that Copper's life was nearing its end, that he came to my room, woke me up, accepted being in my arms and on my lap, and passed away at home. 

3. I might write more about the book The Birds Audubon Missed another time. For now, I'll simply report that I finished the book and it further fed my wonder regarding how complex and mutable the natural world is, including human beings. 

Three Beautiful Things 08-25-2026: Christy Gets Good News and Encouragement, Heating/Cooling Checks Out, *Farewell, My Lovely*

 1. I drove Christy to her orthopedic appointment at Kootenai Health. She saw the PA who was in the room when Dr. Blease replaced Christy's hip. PA Fields has a complete understanding of the condition of Christy's hip before surgery and talked with Christy about how things look three weeks after the procedure. 

Her assessment was positive. She cleared Christy to be able to bend down if she needs to pick up light things, say, off the floor. She encouraged Christy to spend time in her garden and busy herself with other light tasks, emphasizing that Christy proceed with caution, to use the walker outside and not overdo anything. 

PA Fields' encouragement and the clearances she offered were in step with Christy's PT session on Monday. The physical therapist she worked with cleared her to use a cane when walking indoors, but not outdoors. This will make things more convenient for Christy, especially when she moves back into her home on Thursday, unless something comes up that nixes that plan. 

2. I'm always relieved when the technician completes the annual review of our heating/cooling system and our furnace and reports that everything looks good. That happened this morning. 

3. While keeping watch over Copper this evening as he rested behind my Vizio Room chair with regular strolls to the bedroom and to the bathroom where he lay down in favorite spots in those rooms, I satisfied an urge I felt to watch a 1970s movie. The other day I watched Tombstone, a 1990s movie, and Repo Man from the 1980s, and this evening I delved into the world of 1970s film noir and watched Robert Mitchum play the role of Phillip Marlowe in Farewell, My Lovely. 

The movie definitely scratched my film noir itch. Its moody portrayal of 1940s Los Angeles, its convoluted plot, the way it features Charlotte Rampling playing a most fatal femme fatale, and the cool, cynical wit and shrewdness of Mitchum's portrayal of Marlowe gave me pleasure and, at the same time, made me feel disgust as I witnessed killing after killing and experienced the movie's exploration of heartless ruthlessness. Oh! And greed. 

Three Beautiful Things 08-24-2026: Christy Tours Her Back Yard, House Cleaning, Copper Squirms

 1. Christy posted on her Facebook page that she took a tour of her back yard and posted pictures of some of her flowers. Right now, her plan is to move back into her home on Thursday. She also had PT today and if there's any news about her workout, I can find out about it on Tuesday, Aug 25 when I take Christy to CdA for her first appointment with her surgeon's office since her surgery. 

2. I spent quite a bit of time getting the house spiffed up a bit to make things easier for the heating/cooling system technician to service our system on Tuesday, August 25. 

3. I don't have any news about Copper. His Monday was not much different from the previous two or three days. He wanders some, lies down a lot, and when I try to hold and comfort him, he does the same thing he's done for the last five and a half years: he squirms and insists on being left alone! 

Three Beautiful Things 08-23-2026: Return to Family Dinner, Copper Holds His Ground, Aging and Piecing Together the Past Life of My Mind

1. If you read this blog even somewhat regularly, you know that Christy's had a difficult summer: visits to ER, going into septic shock, time in the ICU, a hip replacement, and hours of rehab (which continues).

Understandably, our weekly family dinners have been on hold. 

Today, we returned to the family dinner table at Carol and Paul's and enjoyed marinated beef kebobs, grilled summer squash, grilled corn on the cob, cucumbers and tomatoes in vinegar and oil, a potato, green bean, mushroom, and bacon side dish, fruit salad, and snickerdoodle cookies with Butter Pecan ice cream. 

The late afternoon temperature was moderate, allowing us to dine outdoors. 

Christy's recovery requires us to work together on scheduling who is doing what when with Christy and we reviewed what's coming up and everything is in place for helping Christy get to her appointments and shuttle back and forth between her house and Carol and Paul's. 

2. An update regarding Copper: he held his ground today. His day was very similar to the last couple of days. He's drinking water, has no appetite for food, is properly using the litter box, and goes back and forth between lying behind the chair I'm sitting in now in the Vizio room and a place he's found to hide and lie down in the bedroom closet. Sometimes he returns to the towel on the floor he enjoys lying on in the bathroom. He does a little more wandering during the night -- I don't know this, but I think he's confused by no longer being able to jump on the bed. When I pick him up and put him on the bed, though, he doesn't stay long and retreats to one of his hiding places. 

3. One of the facts about being 72 years old is that ideas I worked with, say in the 1990s and early 2000s, whether in my work at LCC or as a member of St. Mary's Episcopal Church, are no longer fresh in my mind. Carol, Paul, and I talked for a while after dinner tonight about philosophical and theological movements, eras, writers, and ideas and my mind went back to ideas Rita and I introduced to our Philosophy/English Composition in the 1990s.  My mind also went back to lectures I attended given by theological scholars like Marcus Borg, Houston Smith, Karen Armstrong, John Dominic Crossan, and John Spong. 

Tonight, fragments of those thinkers' ideas and fragments of the philosophy material Rita and I assigned began to rise up in my mind, but, unlike about twenty years ago when all of this was fresh in my mind and my memory was sharper, tonight I got some things right, forgot other things, and made mistakes.  

I've been spending time this morning (it's Monday) fact checking myself, reviewing thinkers we talked about, and working to get things straightened out in my mind. 

I enjoy recovering these days from my past and am enjoying that much of this work to recover what used to be at the front of my mind instead of being in storage has been inspired by what I'm reading and have read as a new member of the Science/Nature Book Club at Auntie's Bookstore. 

Science. Nature. Philosophy. Theology. World religions. They're all connected to each other.