1. We settled into a quiet and restful day today at the lake place on Lake Michigan. Brian and I went down the road a little ways to Randy's Diner, a converted self-serve dog wash place, and grabbed a picnic table outside. I hadn't had a big diner style breakfast out since March 2020 and it was fun to order a crispy country (chicken) fried steak, gravy, hash browns, fried eggs, and a biscuit. After breakfast, Brian took me on a short drive along the shore near his house. The street was teeming with middle aged and older people walking dogs, taking walks, and jogging. The demographic here is nothing like Kellogg, so it was kind of fun to observe in their houses, cars, and exercise gear a little bit of how people who can afford to live on Lake Michigan present themselves. The lake itself is slowly rising, causing selected beaches to be closed and causing some anxiety for those whose homes are near the shore, overlooking the water. Debbie had told me earlier that the beach a block or so from Brian's house is not nearly as big as it has been in the past.
2. Around noon (CST), I jumped on Zoom and had great conversation with Bill, Diane, Bridgit, and Val. We talked a lot about current events -- especially, the Texas abortion law and our confusion surrounding cultural appropriation. Bridgit asked us all what books we were reading and I enjoyed talking a bit about eels and octopuses and how my thinking about human beings has been influenced by reading books about animals. Diane's reading has been, in part, in preparation for her retirement which is about eight or nine months away and we talked at some length together about retired life, its pleasures and joys and also the many unknowns retirees face that are not only financial, but also include figuring out one's purpose in life when one no longer has a job.
We learned more about the procedures Bill has been through, trying to figure out what's causing him general pain and swelling in one of his feet. We also learned more about Val's graduate studies and about her trip to Bend to see if she and Dave V. could secure more business for their business, Bluerub; we also learned that Bridgit got her study arranged and organized, a task that had been hanging over her like Damocles' sword, but thanks to help from Noma, the job is now done.
We had a superb time and our conversation lasted for nearly three hours.
3. Brian fixed Debbie, Danielle, himself, and me a really good grilled chicken thigh dinner with corn on the cob and other grilled vegetables. After eating, I realized that I hadn't slept very well the night before because my inflamed toe kept waking me up. After dinner, and after drinking a whole can of Apex Predator farmhouse ale, a short pour of Warlock Imperial Pumpkin Stout, and a couple of short ryes, I realized I was really tired and I went to bed really early.
My big toe had become less and less inflamed as the day went along and didn't bother me at all in bed and I enjoyed getting back much of the sleep I'd lost the night before.
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