Three Beautiful Things 04-04-2025: Leah Sottile Writes Solid History, Extremist Intersections, I'm In the Money!

1. After attending the Northwest Passages event Wednesday evening featuring Leah Sottile, I wanted to read her new book, the one I came home with, Blazing Eye Sees All: Love Has Won, False Prophets, and the Fever Dream of the American New Age. 

I worked my way about half through the book today and, as with any solid historical study, I'm seeing again that very little in our world today is unique or unprecedented, largely, I suppose, because human beings don't change much from generation to generation regarding what they are drawn to, what they become obsessed with. 

The particular obsessions Leah Sottile explores in the flow of United States history involve preoccupation with lost ancient, mythical,  and utopian civilizations and centering one's spiritual life around making mystical contact with these civilizations, like, for example, Lemuria, and seeking to elevate human existence to higher planes of reality, through love, seances, divine revelation, and a host of other means. 

Because a critical mass of people are drawn to New Age legends, practices, promises, disciplines, charismatic leaders/prophets, communities, and other aspects of this spirituality they find powerful, clever and mendacious con artists and charlatans exploit the power of New Age attractiveness and bilk people of money, valuables, and property -- much like a certain kind of Christian evangelical. 

Not all prominent New Age speakers, writers, leaders, etc. are charlatans, not all are fatally dangerous, but this book examines quite a few who are (or were). 

Sottile focuses on some of the more prominent false prophets in our country's history and the power they accrue(d) over countless followers. The growth of the power of the World Wide Web, especially the growth of social media and platforms like YouTube and TikTok has greatly increased the reach of these spiritualists and made it, of course, possible for followers to be in real time contact with each other through live streams, chat rooms, texting, and other means. 

I admire how Leah Sottile approaches these New Age practitioners and the history of this spiritualism without mocking or deriding them (for the most part). I admire the number of scholars in the world of higher education she's sought out for help in understanding this subject. I admire how Leah Sottile devoted herself to countless, mind-boggling hours of research in archives and other written records and books and more mind-boggling hours of watching online videos and live streaming presentations. 

The book is an unblinking combination of journalism and scholarship and to top it all off, Leah Sottile's writing is accessible, direct, and absorbing. 

2. Leah Sottile's focus as an independent, free lance journalist is mostly, but not entirely, on extremism in the USA. Blazing Eye Sees All is a study of extremism, and I'd like to add to what I wrote above that while the aesthetics and the manner of New Age spirituality appears to be very different from, say facism or militia groups or QAnon or other prominent extremists in the USA, these extremists often intersect at the junctions of anti-semitism, anti-science, anti-government, anti-vaccination, preoccupation with conspiracy theories or stories, and other similar flashpoints. 

I find this aspect of Leah Sottile's research and reporting fascinating -- and I was fascinated by her comments about this intersection on Wednesday evening. 

As I mentioned in my blog post yesterday, I was in the company of people practicing some form of New Age spirituality daily when I lived in Eugene. In addition, and this is just one example in the Silver Valley, if you go uptown in Kellogg, you can shop for New Age/Metaphysical items at Positive Practice on the corner of Portland and Main.  Here's the link to this shop: https://tinyurl.com/5xe3tbxj

I have no idea what, if any, intersections between New Age spirituality and the far right exist at Positive Practice. I haven't visited the shop beyond exploring its website. My immediate impulse is to be happy Positive Practice is in business. 

Because I don't have to be scientifically accurate in an informal blog post like this one, I'll just post a few of my impressions. 

Yes, I would say that it's highly likely that people whose company I shared in Eugene and whose spiritual lives leaned toward the New Age/Metaphysical were suspicious of pharmaceuticals and medical professionals and were likely, in most cases, to look to naturopaths, body manipulation of one kind or another, acupuncture, essential oils, and herbs, tinctures, and teas, and other similar means for medical treatment. 

From time to time, I did the same. 

I trusted the integrative/holistic medical specialist, Dr. Andrew Elliott whom I consulted on several occasions in Eugene. 

I trusted him because he knew naturopathy had limits.

For example, Dr. Elliott fully supported the pharmaceutical therapy that saved my life when I contracted bacterial meningitis. 

Other naturopathic remedies he sent me home with successfully cleared up other medical problems I had. 

I never got the impression that Dr. Elliott's medical practice or his outlook on life intersected with the far right. 

If Leah Sottile's research, interviews, and observations are correct, the pandemic mightily affected the intersection of the New Age movement with far right perspectives. I'd sum it up by saying the intersection occurs in suspiciousness, distrust, investing one's hopes and dreams in a single idolized leader, and (I might be out on a limb here!) in a yearning for a return to an imagined golden past and the desire for ethnic cleansing of the population that accompanies such yearning. 

3. I had more on my mind today than extremism in the USA! 

A couple weeks ago, Ed and I buzzed over to the Spokane Tribal Casino and laid down modest wagers on NCAA tournament basketball. 

I bet on the women's tournament and decided to bet on two teams to win it all: the University of Connecticut and the University of South Carolina. 

Well, as luck would have it, guess who's meeting on Sunday, April 6th in the tournament's championship game.

That's right. 

UConn and South Carolina. 

I'm in the money no matter who wins -- I'll win a few dollars more if UConn triumphs, but no matter who wins I'll come out -- are you ready for this stunning news? -- about 30-35 dollars ahead! 

I'm not much of a high roller. 

Luckily, I have fun making small wagers! 

Three Beautiful Things 04-03-2025: Thinking About Eugene, The *Deadish* Variety Show, I Figured Out the Rebus!

1.  After attending the Northwest Passage's program Wednesday evening featuring Leah Sottile and after listening to her discuss her newly published book, Blazing Eye Sees All, a sweeping historical and contemporary study of New Age spirituality, its origins, its popularity in the USA, and some of its prominent leaders (Sottile focuses primarily on women), I was compelled to start reading it today. 

New Age spirituality is not grounded in creeds, doctrines, a single authoratative book, and has no structures that look like, say, Christianity, Judaism, or Islam.

It's amorphous. People who practice New Age spirituality have commonalities, but within the New Age movement exists much variety, many different emphases, and any number of self-appointed, for lack of a better word, leaders. 

I referred to Eugene in an earlier blog post as a robust city. I hear or read people typify Eugene as a hippie town, a university town, a town of anarchists, and any number of other things. The longer I lived in Eugene and the more years I taught at Lane Community College, the more variety I experienced in Eugene. It's a business center. A medical center. It has deep roots in logging and blue collar work. I saw close up how the police work as well as the DA's office when I spent a month of grand jury -- nothing hippy dippy about these pros. 

So, a lot was, and is, in the air in Eugene -- including New Age spirituality. 

Reading Sottile's book, so far, has kindled many memories, many conversations, many fragrances, many images, many visits to Saturday Market and a few visits to the Oregon Country Fair and I'm learning more about what might have lain behind the way many people  I encountered, taught, talked with, and was friends with over the years saw the world and their place in it. I couldn't and didn't buy in, but I listened and did my best to sort out the virtues from the wackiness of what these people had to say about their spiritual lives. 

2. I listened to Jeff's radio program Deadish tonight live. He arranged tonight's show chronologically,  playing cuts from live shows that were performed on April 3 many different years. He played Miles Davis, Santana, Bill Monroe and the Bluegrass Boys, Jerry Garcia Band, and treated us listeners to another good dose of the Dead. 

Variety. 

That's what I like. 

Tonight Jeff played a great variety of music, all connected to the Grateful Dead some (like Miles Davis) by improvisation, some by style (like bluegrass), some were  musicians who played with Jerry Garcia in projects like Old and in the Way or the Jerry Garcia Band, and some were musicians like, say, Carlos Santana, who were vital contributors to the the San Francisco/Bay Area sound over fifty years ago.

3. I was very happy to complete the NYTimes crossword puzzle I worked today. I figured out that the puzzle featured some rebus squares and I figured out the puzzle's rebus almost right away, a very rare feat for me. 

If you wonder what a rebus is, here's help from the NYTimes: "Rebuses are crossword elements where solvers are asked to write multiple letters in the same square."

Or in a single square. 

The rebus I figured out today appeared in six different squares. 

Three Beautiful Things 04-02-2025: Pre-Pandemic Cultural Safaris, I Meet Leah Sottile, I Listen to Leah Sottile and Walk and Think

1.  Back in the fall of 2018, Debbie started a school year long substituting job at Charlamagne, the French Immersion elementary school she taught at in Eugene for several years before we moved to Greenbelt, MD. 

In the fall of 2018, we'd been living in Kellogg for a year.

I was enjoying many of the aspects of Kellogg life I've written about over the last several years: living so close to Christy and Carol, family dinners, living close to life long friends, hanging out at The Lounge, hiking, exploring the area, and more.

But, after living near Washington, D.C., going to the New York City metropolitan area to visit Adrienne and Jack and coupling those visits with forays into Manhattan, and after leaving a robust smaller city like Eugene, the one thing I missed in Kellogg was living where a culture of arts and letters thrived, where such a culture is routine.  

So, I began making cultural trips to Spokane. I also made one such trip to Missoula in 2019 (to see Jerry Douglas and Tommy Emmanuel) and I drove to Billings when it was Hiram's turn to be a part of the President's Own Marine Corps Band touring group and attended their performance there. Billings was the closest the 2018 tour came to Kellogg.  

I had decided, by 2019, to lean on what was happening in downtown Spokane and through Whitworth University to fulfill my desire for attending lectures, plays, art exhibits, movies, live concerts, and anything else that captured my interest. 

I expanded this cultural safari in the fall of 2019 when I joined Mary Chase, Kathy Brainard, Linda Lavigne, and others to play trivia at different venues around Spokane. 

By mid-March of 2020, soon after I'd gone to hear tribute bands at the Bing play music by Cream one night and Pink Floyd the next night, the pandemic was upon us. 

No more trivia.

No more concerts.

No more cultural safaris. 

I would begin learning how to culturally satisfy myself at home with movies, live streaming content on the World Wide Web, and reading. 

It worked. 

2. I bring this all up because this evening I returned to my Spokane cultural safari. 

Between March 2020 and last night, I approached public events very cautiously because of my trust in medical observations that the caronavirus attacked diminished kidneys.

In addition, I didn't attend most public events after my May 11, 2024 kidney transplant because my immune system had to be shut down significantly to keep my body from rejecting my new organ and I didn't want to complicate my recovery by adding illness to it. 

But, a couple of months ago, when I read that Leah Sottile would be in Spokane on April 2 as she promotes her latest book, Blazing Eye Sees All, I bought a VIP ticket so that I would receive a signed copy of her book, get a complimentary (for me, non-alcoholic) drink, and have a chance to meet and chat a bit with Leah Sottile. 

When I introduced myself to Sottile, she let out a mild gasp, knowing from our brief bit of correspondence that I was the guy who set out to read the books on the list she published as a counter to the NYTimes' list of best books of the 21st century. She knew I had succeeded in reading every one of her listed books. 

She told me, as she had written to me, that she was honored that I had taken her book list so seriously.

Others were around to visit with Leah Sottile, so I didn't tell her how much that list of books expanded my horizons, both in terms of the world we live in and in terms of my world of reading. I'd say that, at most, only about two books on that list were books I would have read on my own -- most of them were books I'd never heard of. 

One author on her list, the only one with two books on it, and a writer who has helped Leah Sottile with her work, Spokane's Jess Walter, semi-interrupted my conversation with Leah Sottile (no problem) and then he and I accidentally sat side by side during the evening's program. 

I left him alone. 

While I might have wanted to tell him how much I enjoyed the three books of his I've read, I thought, no he's enjoying this evening with friends, talking about "civilian" stuff (like the upcoming Final Four). If I want to express my appreciation of what I've read, I can do so by other means or attend his June 10th program when he will promote his newest book. 

3. The Spokesman Review launched a project several years ago called Northwest Passages. Its mission is journalism and book focused. Among other activities, Northwest Passages hosts a far reaching online book club and hosts events like tonight in which an author presents a book of hers or his by being interviewed by a professional writer. 

This evening, Leah Sottile gladly submitted herself to the questioning of former Spokesman Review journalist Emma Epperly. Epperly asked a series of probing question about New Agism, the subject of Sottlie's newly published work, giving special attention to how Sottile, well-known and respected for her  journalistic integrity and stellar ethical standards, went about journalistically researching and conducting interviews about a subject that is as elusive and and, for some, a focus of derision, as New Age beliefs and practices. 

Leah Sottile answered these questions directly, intelligently, wittily, and humbly. She was humble in the face of such a huge subject, knowing that she can't tell the whole truth in a single book and aware that even has meticulously as she researched and sought out people's experiences and knowledge, she might not have gotten everything right. 

On her podcasts, I've listened to Leah Sottile conduct face to face interviews with a wide range of people, including police officers, Cliven Bundy family members, FBI agents, anarchists, extremists -- whether eco-terrorists or white supremacists--, and I'm always deeply impressed with how she gains the trust of those she interviews. 

This evening, she talked some about how she earns trust and I'll sum up what she said this way: she seeks truth, is genuinely and humbly eager to learn how those she talks with see the world, understand their experience, and want to discuss it. She doesn't rush those she interviews. She's not after soundbites. She's not what's known as a "gotcha" journalist. She invites those she talks with to tell their truth, however long it takes, and, with an exception here and there, these people then respond to Sottile's probing follow up questions. 

I parked down at the River Park Square and enjoyed my several blocks hike up to the Steam Plant's rooftop, where this event took place (indoors!), and back again. 

I love city walking. 

I miss the long walks I used to take in Seattle, DC, New York City, Portland, Spokane (when I lived there), and many, many years ago, London. 

I thought a lot as I walked and then drove back to Kellogg how I need to return to my cultural safari outlook of the fall of 2018-March of 2020.

With my immune system getting stronger, I need to pay more attention to what's playing, who's performing, who's reading, and what's happening through Whitworth and try to get back to leaning on Spokane and my alma mater, Whitworth, for cultural enjoyment again. 

 Here are a couple of links to conclude with. 

First of all, KHS Class of 1972 member, Kenton Bird was featured as the guest author of a Northwest Passages event on Sept. 6, 2024. He was interviewed by Spokesman Review reporter Jim Camden about the book he co-authored about Tom Foley.  You can watch and listen to them talk (and learn more about Northwest Passages) by clicking on this link:

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=CTf9-KbHN98&list=PLO4UFBdqq__l8zIlFs_cYD29m9-S3l19v&index=12 

Second of all, if you'd like to see other videotaped programs presented by Northwest Passages, here's the link to their YouTube channel:

https://www.youtube.com/playlist?list=PLO4UFBdqq__l8zIlFs_cYD29m9-S3l19v

Leah Sottile's presentation hasn't been posted yet -- I hope to see it go up before too long. 

Three Beautiful Things 04-01-2025: I Finished *Bridge of Birds*, A Healthy Dose of the Dead on *Deadish*, Fun in the Kitchen

1. Today I finished reading Barry Hughart's fantasy novel, Bridge of Birds, set, quote Hughart, in "An Ancient China That Never Was". I am about 97.90826% positive that this is the first fantasy novel I've read to completion, unless, around fifty years ago, I read the entirety of The Hobbit.

Bridge of Birds challenged me. I had some trouble remembering what I should have known from earlier chapters about characters who returned to the story after some period of absence. I also had trouble keeping the several adventures of the central characters, Li Kao and Number Ten Ox, remembered and straight in my mind as to what happened in those earlier adventures. 

These challenges do not embody flaws in the book.

Like Li Kao himself, I am a character with a slight flaw. (Well, with many flaws.) But the one I have in mind at the moment is that my short term memory is weakening. 

I'd like to do two things: First of all, find a larger copy of Bridge of Birds with larger print.  Second, one day I hope I'll take the time to reread this book. I think a rereading would help me keep its details straighter in my mind and help me remember the riddles, songs, games, and other delights that season this story and lend wonder to its elegant and moving conclusion. 

2. Of all the odd parallels to have go through my mind, I experienced the newness and my unfamilarity with Bridge of Birds to my experience going to see and hear the Grateful Dead live in the late 1980s and early 1990s. 

I was with Jeff and his great Grateful Dead loving friends who were intimately familiar with everything the band did and could discuss nuances, breakthroughs, surprises, and other pleasures (and some criticism) with great fluency.

Most of the time I was lost -- and unlike a book where I could go back a few chapters and re read passages for clarity, the Grateful Dead shows, of course, just kept moving forward! 

I remembered this experience tonight as I went to the archives and listened to Jeff's Thursday, March 27th Deadish show. 

Jeff opened his radio show (on KEPW-FM, streaming at kepw.org) with a superb tune played by the Steve Kimmock Band and then he launched into a huge dose of the Dead that lasted, thanks to the addition of the After Show, over two hours. 

For me, two deep pleasures stand out as I listen to the Grateful Dead over a a couple of hours any time and especially tonight. 

First of all, I always need (and want) to gain more familiarity with their songs and that happened tonight. It was a fun magic carpet ride.

Secondly, for me, any sustained amount of time listening to the Grateful Dead is a way of entering into the history of much American music. As the Grateful Dead moves within songs and from one song to the next, they play rock n roll, jazz, bluegrass, folk, psychedelic, world, country, blues, soul, rhythm and blues, and, well, did I miss anything? 

They play plenty of songs original to them and they play riveting covers of rock n roll classics, as well as Bob Dylan, and other artists. 

In the course of all of his weekly Deadish programs, Jeff plays a euphorically eclectic bunch of songs and artists largely because so much music, ranging from Billy Strings to Led Zeppelin is Deadish, and the possibilities of what he can play within his show's title seems bottomless. 

And if, like tonight, he plays cuts from live Grateful Dead shows for over two hours,  the eclecticism is very much alive because that's the nature of band itself. 

3. Monday night, I cooked a batch of jasmine rice with mushrooms and green onions in the rice pot and added in soy sauce and sesame oil. I combined this rice mixture with chicken stock and enjoyed a simple and tasty soup.

Tonight, I cut up some boneless pork chop meat into small pieces, cooked the meat in the wok, and added zucchini, cauliflower, celery, mushrooms, and red pepper to the meat. Then, instead of making a new batch of rice, I combined the now nearly brothless soup from last night with the pork and vegetables. 

It turned out to be a great idea! 

It worked!  

Three Beautiful Things 03-31-2025: Copper Wants More Assurance, Reading May Sarton Aloud in 1990, Chores and a Debi Mc Connection

1.  Our vet, usually Dr. Cook, and I have never been absolutely sure about Copper's age. I tried after taking Copper in to get a better understanding of both Copper and Luna's ages, but the best I could find out -- and Dr. Cook's examinations of the two cats confirmed it -- was that Luna was the older of the two. In early 2021, Dr. Cook estimated that Copper was probably about twelve years old. 

It's been just over four years since Copper and Luna moved in. 

It's been about fifteen months since Luna died. 

Let's say, without absolute certainty, that Copper is now about sixteen years old. 

He is communicating instinctive awareness to me that he is aging. 

At night, he sleeps next to me. I usually sleep on my side, either one. 

Recently, as the night progresses, if I turn over and try to go back to sleep with my back to Copper, he meows. Sometimes he bats me with a paw or tickles my face with his whiskers, letting me know he wants me to face him. Copper seems to have figured out that if I face him, I can more easily and readily pet him or rest a hand on his back or belly. 

This contact between us moves him to purr with deep contentment. 

Copper's insistence that I turn over is a significant change in his behavior. 

He wants a higher and more frequent level of comfort from me now than he ever has. 

I think he feels what many of us humans feel as we age. 

Time is slipping away, increasing our feelings of vulnerability. 

2. I needed time today to let yesterday's ZOOM discussion and my reunion with Debi Mc sink in. 

I enjoyed having memories of my early days of teaching at LCC come back and remembering what a welcome source of support and encouragement for me as her instructor Debi was in the classroom and in our conversations outside of class. 

I am all but certain that Debi was enrolled in an Intro to Fiction course I taught in the summer of 1990.

I think that class met for two hours, maybe three, per session --- I'm not sure how many days a week we met.

The class took a short break after the first half of class and, when the students returned, I turned off the lights, stood near a door where light came into the classroom through a small window from the hall, and read May Sarton's book, The Fur Person, aloud. 

I loved doing that. It was comforting and relaxing. It took us all back to when we were in elementary school and, if we were lucky, had a teacher who read aloud to us after lunch. (My 6th grade teacher, Miss Kero, read us A Wrinkle in Time and The Hobbit, both entrancing to listen to.)

I hope my students that summer found The Fur Person entrancing. 

Debi did, as I remember. 

So did I.

I don't know why I never did a read aloud at the break of one of my courses again. 

3. I let the happy intensity of Sunday sink in today by getting domestic chores completed. 

Copper and I have clean bedding after today and it's always good to spend time washing and drying my clothes. 

I would have gladly experienced today another day like Sunday. At the same time, I enjoyed a day of rest and letting awesome memories of the past stir up, wash over me, and sink in thanks to Bridgit, Diane, Bill, and Debi. Oh! And Roberta! She and I had a brief exchange online about Debi Mc -- Roberta doesn't know Debi personally, but is very aware of Debi's cat rescue efforts in and around Oakridge, OR -- the town they both live in or near. 

Three Beautiful Things 03-30-2025: Debbie Is in New York, A Superb Time on ZOOM, Amazing! I Hear From Debi Mc

1. What a day! 

First of all, Debbie got out the door this morning around 3:30 or so, arrived at the Spokane airport, returned her rental car, got through the TSA line in time, and eventually arrived in Newark and then Valley Cottage, NY this afternoon. She experienced delays, but nothing that threw her schedule totally out of whack like on Saturday. 

2. At 10:00, Bill, Diane, Bridgit, and I joined together on ZOOM and yakked for over two hours about a wide range of topics. I enjoyed everything we discussed. In particular, our conversation about buddy movies transported me back to graduate school when I lived in a house with two fellow grad students who immersed themselves in feminist theory and was friends at school with other women who were doing the same. I enjoyed listening to what these friends helped me see as feminist perspectives on a variety of subjects and their critiques of movies, the movie industry, and of buddy movies in particular stuck with me and opened up ways of seeing things I hadn't thought of before. 

This turn in our conversation today came after we also discussed retirement, a favorite topic of ours, especially as Bridgit makes her transition out of the workforce into the early days and weeks of her retirement. 

Thanks to Bridgit and Diane, I'm reading the book Bridge of Birds. I haven't finished it yet, so I forbade us from talking about this particular book in any detail, but we did talk about our experience (and my INexperience) reading fantasy and science fiction and speculative fiction. I really enjoyed how this discussion also veered into Arthur Conan Doyle and P. G. Wodehouse territory as we discussed the buddy elements of Jeeves and Wooster, Watson and Holmes, and, in Bridge of Birds, Master Li Kao and Number 10 Ox. 

Ah! Right! It was the buddy relationships in these books that sent us into the movies and got me reminiscing about the stimulating thinking and analysis of my feminist friends. 

What a great couple of hours! 

3. So, Bill and Bridgit were students of mine at Whitworth and lo and behold, out of nowhere this evening I received a text on Messenger from Debi Mc wondering if I was the same Bill Woolum who had been Debi's teacher in a handful of classes in the early 1990s at LCC. And, was I the same person who became wonderful friends with Debi?

Well, I am that same person and Debi and I had a most heartening exchange of messages.

To my wobbly memory, it had been over thirty years since Debi and I had communicated with each other and I thoroughly enjoyed learning what, in general, she's been doing all these years and finding out that she is a devoted cat wrangler, fosterer, and rescuer, among other things. 

Another cherished memory came up as we messaged back and forth. 

Back around 1990, Rita Hennessey formed a learning community at LCC called Alternative Visions. 

I didn't have anything to do with this enterprise, but Debi Mc was enrolled in it. 

I vividly remember Debi telling me, when she was in one of the classes I taught, that she thought I'd be a great teacher in a cross disciplinary, team taught project like Alternative Visions and she highly recommended that I get to know Rita. 

Not too long after that, I did get to know Rita, got to know her really well, and we became team teachers in a project, a learning community, she spearheaded and oversaw called Fast Forward. 

We team taught composition and philosophy. It was a challenging and most rewarding experience and hearing from Debi Mc today reminded me that she is the one who first recommended that I get to know Rita and that suggestion resulted in Rita and my friendship that began in 1993 and was central to my life until Rita died in December of 2022. 

Three Beautiful Things 03-29-2025: Debbie to the Airport, Debbie Back to Kellogg, Great Lunch and Browsing

1. Debbie will spend spring break and an additional week at Adrienne's house and hold down their fort when Josh and Adrienne take Ellie to Baltimore and Washington, DC for tests and other medical business. I drove Debbie to the airport late this morning, we said farewell, but little did we know that our farewell was premature. 

2. Debbie boarded the flight for Minneapolis/St. Paul and due to a problem (I don't know what), the plane had to stay put for a while. After a while, Debbie realized that if she stayed on this plane, she would not make her connection in Minneapolis/St. Paul for Newark, NJ. 

So she got off the plane.

After some deliberation, she decided to rent a car, come back to Kellogg, and return to Spokane early Sunday morning to catch the flights to Minneapolis and Newark the airline pro rescheduled her on. 

Debbie arrived in Kellogg, wound down for a while, and once her head cleared a bit, we had some great conversation about our good fortune to have worked with such gifted artists in Eugene -- Debbie  had this good fortune playing music and I had it in my theater experience. 

3. After leaving the airport, I buzzed to Great Harvest and savored a delicious turkey sandwich and a fresh oatmeal and chocolate cookie. I drifted over to New Look Books to see if a couple or three titles I was looking for were in stock. They weren't. I then decided to head back to Kellogg. 

It's too bad I didn't hang out a bit longer in Spokane. 

Had I done that, I could have returned to the airport, picked up Debbie, and brought her home myself -- and taken her back to the Spokane Airport early Sunday morning. 

(By the way, as I write this post around 10:00 Sunday morning, I know that Debbie has arrived in Minneapolis, so things are working out better on Sunday than they did Saturday!)

Three Beautiful Things 03-28-2025: Remembering Bob Cummings, Chillin' at The Lounge, Quick Pasta Dinner

1. I joined Christy, Paul, and Carol at the funeral home uptown to attend the service celebrating and memorializing the life of Bob Cummings, a neighbor who lived two doors down from our family for over 60 years and, when Christy moved into the house next door, Bob became her next door neighbor on the east side of her house. 

The service featured some recorded funeral songs, a display of Bob's art work, a short homily by the pastor, and a string of stories told by Bob's son-in-law highlighting Bob's hobbies, his love of the Coeur d'Alene River, his years long defense of the high quality of Lucky Lager beer, his skill as a mason, his gift for story telling, his love for his now deceased wife, Lynne, and his children, grandchildren, and great grandchildren, and more. 

Outside, after the service, I chatted for a while with two American Legion teammates, John Lund and Steve Twidt, a real pleasure. 

2. I didn't attend the reception at the Elks. Instead, I dropped in at the Inland Lounge and it turned out to be a great move. I tried Budweiser's Zero Alcohol beer and found it very tasty. I got to visit with Cas, Brett Faraca, and Dave Oates and a little later on Ed popped in and so did Debbie. 

I sat far away from any smokers. 

That felt safe to me. 

My concern is that if a smoker is ill, exhaling cigarette smoke broadcasts their contagion further away from themselves. I'm cautious about exposing myself to contagion, although my sense is that my immune system has become more robust over the last ten months since the transplant. 

I had a lot of fun yakkin' and watching South Carolina battle Maryland in a tight Sweet 16 game, win the game, and keep my wager for them to win the women's NCAA basketball tournament alive. 

3. Back home, I hadn't done any preparation earlier in the day for dinner tonight, but dinner turned out pretty good when I boiled a pot of pasta, cooked a pan full of shrimp, and sautéed mushrooms. These ingredients combined with butter and black pepper turned out to be a quick and satisfying meal for Debbie and me. Debbie made her bowl of pasta even better by adding tomatoes and garlic. 

So, we got to have it all: fun at The Lounge and tasty food when we got home. 

Three Beautiful Things 03-27-2025: Baseball at The Lounge, Surprise Visitors Stroll In!, A Tranquil Evening

 1. I was wrapping up my morning routine of puzzle solving and writing when an angel with sugar coated wings gently dropped a surprise text message into my cell phone. 

It was from Cas. 

Did I want to join him and Seth at The Lounge to watch the Pirates and Marlins play on Major League Baseball's Opening Day?

You bet I did.

I walked in The Lounge. 

Ron Delcamp was also there. 

It was an awesome afternoon. 

Baseball games.

Baseball yakkin'. 

Stories.

Laughs.

Burgers from the Uphill Grill.

Flawless. 

2. Debbie dropped in after she wrapped things up at school for the day. The one of our fantasy baseball league members whom I'd never met strolled into The Lounge. Awesome!  I got to meet Steve Ivie. Steve's wife, Stephanie, was with him. She teaches at Pinehurst Elementary. So does their daughter, Tarah. So I also got to meet Stephanie and she and Debbie got in some high quality yakkin' about their work and the upcoming spring break. 

This surprise development added more fun to the fun of the afternoon.

3. Debbie and I returned home and enjoyed a peaceful evening. 

I retired to the bedroom and kept Copper company while finishing crosswords.

Debbie sewed and watched another episode of Inspector Lewis. 

No hustle.

No bustle. 

Very little yakkin'. 

All was mellow. 

Peaceful. 

Three Beautiful Things 03-26-2025: My First Experience in the Dead-iverse, Yes! Debbie Wants Home Cooked Food, Talking Heads at Yokes

1. I wrote Jeff an email of gratitude for his superb March 20th Deadish show and mentioned that in his After Show selections, hearing Jerry Garcia perform "Mission in the Rain" hit me hard and deep.

Jeff records his show in advance of the Thursday broadcast, so on Thursday evening last week,  he was free to go to WOW Hall and hear the Garcia Project perform. 

He told me in a return email that he was so moved by the Garcia Project's performance of "Mission in the Rain" that he left the show -- it sounded to me like he didn't want any other songs to interfere with the emotional experience "Mission in the Rain" roused in him. 

I went to my first Grateful Dead show in Oakland on Dec 31, 1987. 

It was not only my introduction to seeing and hearing the Grateful Dead live, but I arrived in San Francisco on Dec 27th, my 34th birthday, stayed with Jeff at Jay's apartment, and met a bunch of people from across the USA who were Jeff and Jay's equals in their knowledge of and devotion to the Grateful Dead. 

So Jeff and his pals schooled me. 

We listened to recordings, they gave me history lessons, told me stories about the Grateful Dead and Haight Ashbury, showed me books, posters, and other Grateful Dead memorabilia, and did other generous things to help prepare me for my maiden voyage into the Grateful Dead scene and the show itself.

In addition, Jeff gave me a Jerry Garcia Band show tape. 

Jeff had me listen to it and he told me to be sure to listen intently to one song that he cherished. 

"Mission in the Rain"

I did.

It hit me deep and hard in December of 1987, got me again Tuesday night when Jeff played it on Deadish, struck Jeff's soul at the WOW Hall on March 20th, and continues to be one of several songs in the Dead-iverse that makes the world stop whenever I hear it. 

2. Debbie finds it relaxing to find a quiet spot at Radio Brewing and work school tasks. 

Often she then brings home an entree for us to share. 

I had a dinner planned tonight, but texted Debbie that if she'd rather eat food from Radio, no problem.

She wanted home cooked food.

Awesome! 

So I got out the wok and fixed us a Thai wheat noodle stir fry dinner featuring cut up tri trip steak, red onion, carrots, celery, mushrooms, zucchini, yellow squash, green beans, broccoli, fresh spinach, and fresh herbs. 

My timing was pretty good as far as cooking these ingredients evenly.

I set out different bottles of sauces.

We dove in and enjoyed one of my favorite meals to prepare and eat.

It worked. 

3. I made a quick trip to Yokes today.

My mind wandered to the music that plays in the store while I shop.

It didn't happen today, but every once in a while the playlist at Yokes plays the one song that moves me to find a spot in the store underneath a speaker, try to stay out of other shoppers' way, and listen to it to the very end when the song features one of my all-time favorite guitar solo outros ever.

The song appeared on the Talking Heads 1985 album, Little Creatures.

The song?

"And She Was" 

Jerry Harrison plays that solo and any time that song comes on at Yokes, I never have anything more important or more urgent in my life to do than to stop everything, listen to this tune, wait for the outro, and clench my hand into a victory fist. 

Three Beautiful Things 03-25-2025: Cautiously Taking It Easy, Feeding Tired Debbie, Surprise! That Was My Voice on the Radio!

1. Have I mentioned in this blog that I am a cautious person? 

Lately, I've been feeling small tugs, not painful, in the general area of where I had surgery. I did a little reading about this and I'm persuaded what I'm feeling, just on occasion, is normal and not a reason for concern. 

All the same, I've cautiously been taking it easy, giving whatever is happening there a chance to work itself out and I'm cautiously confident that my decision is a sound one. I'm feeling fewer of those little tugs and pulls and I'm cautiously thinking I just might be able to pick up my activity again soon.

2. Debbie has had conferences with parents/grandparents/guardians over the last four school days. She held after school conferences last Thursday, yesterday, and today and her entire work day on Friday was a conference day.

Debbie arrived home this evening around 6:30. 

Tired. 

I fixed a flexible dinner, one that could be cooked up and then easily kept warm without overcooking in the electric frying pan. 

It was a combination of red onion, cabbage, zucchini, yellow squash, Yukon golds, green beans, broccoli, corn, and ground beef seasoned with red pepper flakes and Everything But the Bagel seasoning. 

I don't know what to call this mess of vegetables and ground beef. 

All I know is that it's one of my favorite meals, especially when I pour Frank's hot sauce over it. 

And I know it worked for Debbie at the end of a run of long work days. 

3. For an after dinner treat, I enjoyed a sonic 🎶🎶 dessert!

Eugene's KEPW-FM broadcasts Jeff Harrison's radio show Deadish on Thursday evenings at 9:00, but I often listen to it at a different time by going to the station's archives. Jeff's show stays in the archives about two weeks. 

So, tonight, I tuned into the Thursday, March 20th Deadish show and whose voice did I hear? 

MINE! 

Ha! 

I think it was in late 2023 that Jeff recorded me doing a brief welcome to Deadish spot and tonight he used that spot to introduce his show! 

That was a fun surprise! 

As it always is, Jeff's show was also full of fun surprises as he went back to a Zero concert from 1988 and played a cut and then went back to the 1970s to play live Pink Floyd ("Embryo") and live Led Zeppelin ("No Quarter") -- both were extended versions, full of all kinds of jamming and fun surprises. 

In the second hour of Deadish, Jeff turned to the Grateful Dead and played two historic performances, first of "Box of Rain" and then of "Scarlet Begonias". When the Dead played "Box of Rain" in Hampton in, I think, 1986, it was the first time they had performed the song in thirteen years. The Winterland "Scarlet Begonias" Jeff played from 1977 was the last time the Dead played that tune as a stand alone. For the rest of the band's existence, Scarlet Begonias was paired, most often, with "Fire on the Mountain" (Begonias ->Fire). 

Jeff ended the second hour by going deeper into the past of the Grateful Dead so listeners got to hear a solid run of tunes from the Pigpen days, including Pigpen delivering a down and dirty performance of "Good Lovin'".

Jeff then took us into overtime, his After Show,  and played about thirty minutes of Jerry Garcia Band tunes, including my all-time favorite, "Mission in the Rain". 

Three Beautiful Things 03-24-2025: Life Change, Perfect Family Dinner, Asparagus Tales

1. Molly and Brian arrived safely today in Boise. Soon 🤞they'll find a suitable place to move into and, before long, Molly will start her new job. So far, so good. 

2. For us oldsters in the family, Molly and Brian's departure means fewer people around the board at family dinner, just Carol, Christy, Debbie, Paul, and me. Tonight, Carol prepared a superb beef roast (in the chuck roast family of beef cuts) with mashed potatoes, Christy prepared awesome candied parsnips and carrots, and I assembled about three quarters of the Yokes' produce department 🤣🤣🤣 in a large bowl and brought a jam packed green salad with a honey lemon mustard vinaigrette I threw together -- and a bottle of Litehouse Blue Cheese dressing. 

It was a perfect dinner and we had a lot to talk about, especially with Debbie preparing for a two week trip to New York and the suburbs of Chicago. She flies out of Spokane on Saturday. 

3. While I was in the process of buying out Yokes' produce section, I have no idea who the somewhat older than I am man was who stopped at the asparagus display, saw me assessing onions,  and began to tell me about his uncle in Arizona who grew such delicious and costly asparagus that he hired armed guards to protect it. He also instructed me about the fine points of asparagus in the Twin Falls, Idaho area and told me things I'd never known about wild asparagus and driving around looking for it with scissors in the car and leaping out and snipping stalks upon finding some. 

Then we each toddled off. 

I was marvel struck.  

Three Beautiful Things 03--23-2025: Becoming More Literate, Back to the Litter Box, German-Irish Fusion Dinner!

1. Reading the book Bridge of Birds has challenged me to read with a different mindset than I've ever read with before. I am basically illiterate when it comes to reading fantasy. When I was an instructor and when I was a cast member in four plays at LCC, countless students recommended fantasy novels to me often. Bridgit, who recommended I read this book, Diane, who also loves fantasy/hero's journey books and expressed happiness that I was reading Bridge of Birds, and Val, who also loves such books, have all talked about different fantasy authors and books over our years on ZOOM,  but I never followed up until now. 

I spent much of today reading Bridge of Birds and if I made any headway as a novice reader of fantasy, it was slowly but surely getting this book's humor and having some laugh out loud moments. These moments occurred side by side with the main characters pulling off hair raising escapes and encountering evil beings of all sorts. Occasional sexual encounters also provided relief and some levity for the younger main character, Number Ten Ox, but in this arena of the story, the nonagenarian other main character, Li Kao, could only encourage and congratulate Number Ten Ox and remember back to days of when he was young and virile himself. 

2. I read more about toxoplasmosis today, the infection that can be transmitted to humans through cat feces.  Cats become infected by eating infected rodents and birds or through eating raw meats. Upon further reading, I learned that it's very rare for indoor cats to become infected. Indoor cats don't hunt rodents or birds and, in Copper's case, he only eats commercially sold wet and dry food. 

I've concluded that the only way Copper could become infected with toxoplasmosis is if an infected mouse or rat got into our house, then got into one of the two rooms Copper occupies, and Copper hunted and ate the rodent. 

I will always wear a mask. I will always wear vinyl gloves. I will always wash my hands vigorously when I'm done. 

With the knowledge I have and these precautions in place, I am going to take responsibility once again for keeping Copper's litter pan scooped out and, when the time comes, I'll also exchange old used up litter for new. 

I am a very cautious person about contracting infections, but I just don't think Copper, as a strictly indoor cat, will get infected with toxoplasmosis and then pass it on to me via his feces.

3. Debbie combined the pork cooked in mushroom soup gravy with the vegetables left over from Monday's corned beef dinner and the result was delicious. As I ate it, I playfully decided it was a German-Irish fusion dish! 

Three Beautiful Things 03-22-2025: Improving Copper's Daily Life, I Started *Bridge of Birds* All Over Again, Debbie's Knack in the Kitchen

1. One constraint on my day to day life since the transplant that, weirdly enough, bothers me significantly is that I am to not scoop or clean out Copper's litter box. Since I decided to adopt Luna (RIP) and Copper, I willingly accepted that it would be my job to keep the litter box as hospitable as possible for them. 

Debbie has been great about assuming this responsibility and today she undertook the huge and unsavory job of dumping Copper's old litter, cleaning out his litter box, and replacing the old litter with new. 

It's a pretty nasty job and I sorely wanted to be doing it, not only to relieve Debbie of the task, but as another way I can help Copper have as contented a life as possible. 

Debbie, with a tiny bit help from me, completed the task. 

I'm hoping that some of the litter pan related problems (strong odor, lack of clumping, Copper pooping near but not in the pan) we've had might be resolved by the litter pan having fresh litter. 

Also, I'm wondering -- is my immune system strong enough that if I wore a mask (or two) and vinyl gloves and washed my hands vigorously afterward that I could go back to helping out with litter box duty? 

I know other transplant recipients do it. 

2. When I traveled to Eugene nearly a month ago, I got out of my book reading routine. 

When I returned, I spent a lot of time catching up on NYTimes crossword puzzles I'd neglected while reading so much and while on my trip.

Today, I returned to reading.

I once again opened the book Bridge of Birds again.

I realized immediately that I had already forgotten what I read weeks ago when I started the book. 

So I started over.

I'm really glad I did.

I had, indeed, forgotten a lot that I'd read before and now I think I'm back in the swing of this book's story and hope to give it a lot of attention on Sunday.

3. I'm always ready to cook, but it's always a pleasure when Debbie says, "I'll fix dinner tonight." 

Tonight Debbie took us back to our days as kids and teenagers and fixed pork chops in a gravy that included Cream of Mushroom soup. 

She also took us well beyond the days of our youth by beautifully roasting fresh asparagus, a side dish I never experienced until many years after I was out in the world on my own, and fixing us a pot of couscous, one of my favorite foods that I began preparing for myself in my thirties. 

Debbie has a knack I really enjoy for cooking dinners that combine cooking styles we grew up with ways of eating we switched to later in life and, believe me, she makes this blending work! 

Three Beautiful Things 03-21-2025: Discomfort Disappears, Dr. Bieber Responds, Medicating Copper is Working

 1. Starting somewhere around 4 a.m. this morning, a dull pain in my right lower leg kept me from sleeping. I tried a heating pad, walking around, and sitting up. The discomfort persisted. Around 9:00 or so, I fell asleep again, thankfully, and when I woke up the discomfort had disappeared and didn't return all day long, thankfully. 

2. Tacrolimus is the drug I take to prevent my immune system from rejecting my new kidney. Thursday afternoon, the day after I had blood work done in CdA, my Tacrolimus results came back and they were low -- in other words, I thought, given what I've learned about this medicine, I should have more of the drug in my bloodstream. I decided that if I didn't hear from Dr. Bieber by about 5 o'clock or so, that I would send him a note through MyChart. 

I did that.

I was then very happy that today, around 1:00, Dr. Bieber thanked me for reaching out to him and did, indeed, elevate my dosage a bit. 

This development helped me a lot. 

Dr. Bieber, as I thought he would, appreciated me being proactive. 

It's a different situation at Kootenai Health than at the Transplant Center at Sacred Heart. 

At Sacred Heart, I was under the care of several transplant nephrologists at the same time and had a nurse coordinator assigned to me. 

Dr. Bieber is on his own with me at Kootenai Health and is treating a variety of patients, not just transplant recipients. 

His response time is bound to be a bit slower than, say, Nurse Jenn's at Sacred Heart, but it is a great help that he welcomes it when I initiate questions and concerns. 

I'll have labs drawn again the week of March 31 and we'll find out if the increased dosage raises the Tacrolimus in my blood to where we want it and I have an appointment to visit Dr. Bieber on April 10th. 

I return to the Sacred Heart clinic on May 12th for my first annual check up and to celebrate 🎂 🤣 my one year anniversary of the transplant itself. (The surgery was May 11, 2024.)

I'm happy and satisfied with how my switch back to Dr. Bieber is working out. 

3. So now Copper takes one pill every twelve hours to help slow down his thyroid action. 

To get around having to put the pill down Copper's hatch myself, I decided to try crushing the pill into powder and sprinkling it onto and working it into his wet food.

It's working! 

Copper loves being fed wet food twice a day and he eats his food as if the medicine isn't there. 

This development might make me more happy than the fact that Dr. Bieber welcomes my reaching out to him with my kidney concerns! 

Three Beautiful Things 03-20-2024: Trip to the Sports Book, Spinning Reels, Zags Coast

1. I swung by Ed's house around 9:00 and drove us to Airway Heights, WA to the Spokane Tribal Casino. Ed and I have developed a routine. We go to the Caesar's Sports Book three times a year to put down very modest wagers on the Super Bowl, the NCAA basketball tournament, and the World Series. 

Today, I decided for a fun change of pace that I'd make two small bets on who might win the Women's NCAA basketball tournament and I'll be hoping that either UConn or South Carolina prevails. 

The scene at and around the Sports Book was fun. An older, pretty mellow crowd of sports fans filled seats and tables both in the Sports Book area and the adjacent sports bar. Many wore Gonzaga gear and all were paying close attention to the games being broadcast and were, no doubt, eagerly anticipating Gonzaga's tilt against Georgia at 1:30. 

2. I didn't join this crowd of spectators and bettors. 

I masked up, put on vinyl gloves, made my wagers, and meandered to the coffee stand for an everything bagel with cream cheese and a 20 oz triple latte. 

Then I meandered around playing machines, making mostly minimum bets and hoping to win at least a little bit of cash to put in my savings envelope for our April 15-18 trip to the Wildhorse Resort. 

And that's what happened.

I won a little here, a bit there, kept my winnings separate from my bank, and by the end of our session had money I didn't have before to put in my envelope at home. 

It was a fun, low key, sane approach to spinning reels and today it paid off a bit.

3. After I'd spun reels for a while, I took a break near the casino entryway to sit and cool down -- the temperature on the floor was getting a tiny bit too warm for me.

My phone rang.

I was Ed, asking me if I cared if we stayed longer.

He was having some great luck.

Staying longer is never a problem for me.

I decided to go to the casino cafe where I had a burger.

The Gonzaga game came on and the Zags blasted out to a 27-3 lead, I finished my lunch. After a while Ed and I met up on the casino floor and called it a day. 

I saw later that Gonzaga coasted to a victory. 

After a fun day of small Sports Book wagers and some good luck spinning reels, we hit the road and enjoyed an uneventful trip back to the Silver Valley.

Now our hope is that we'll have to return to the casino in April to collect winnings on our basketball wagers -- stay tuned!

Three Beautiful Things 02-19-2024: Labs in CdA, Breakfast Nook, Keeping an Eye on Protein

1. Now that Kootenai Health's Dr. Bieber is in charge of my kidney care, I'm having my labs drawn at Kootenai Health. I don't need to leave the house so early, so that's good, and I discovered today that things in the lab move along in a friendly and efficient manner. 

All good news. 

As a bonus, right outside the laboratory services area sits a coffee vendor. So, having been fasting for over twelve hours, I ordered and very much enjoyed a 16 oz triple latte. 

2. When I had my labs drawn in Spokane, I loved following them up with a trip to Great Harvest. 

I think in CdA my "place of love" will be the Breakfast Nook. I grabbed a seat at the counter after I grooved on my latte and not only enjoyed my food, but enjoyed the decidedly senior citizen vibe in the diner and the always friendly, quick, and expert service. 

3. The test results began to come over the wireless once I arrived back in Kellogg. Almost everything looked good and stable, with one exception. Have I mentioned in past blog posts that never seen before traces of protein are showing up in my urinalysis numbers? I've been reading up on this development --it's called Proteinuria -- and am going to hold back on worrying too much about it until I either hear from Dr. Bieber or until I talk with him in April. 

Two things I know I can do to address this development: continue to work on bringing down my weight and continue to do what I can to keep my blood pressure down. 

Three Beautiful Things 03-18-2025: Copper's Hyperthyroidism, Copper's Bladder, Copper Comes Back Home

1. The results of Copper's bloodwork at the vet were mixed, but mostly positive. On the negative side, Copper has a mild case of hyperthyroidism and today I started giving her medicine for it. I decided to try crushing her pill into powder and I put it in her wet cat food. This approach worked this evening and I hope it continues to work. I'd rather not have to open Copper's mouth against his will and drop the pill on the back of his tongue. 

2. One minor problem today: I wanted the vet to analyze Copper's urine, but we couldn't get a sample today. I'll return on Friday or early next week. I hope I can get him in before he relieves himself in the morning, when he has some volume in his bladder, and the vet can extract a sample to analyze. 

Aside from the elevated thyroid level, everything else in Copper's bloodwork looked great. 

Once the vet can analyze Copper's urine, I'll feel like we'll have as comprehensive a profile of Copper as I want. 

3. This morning, I left Copper at the vet for four hours or so. Our hope was that the staff could capture a urine sample. Well, Copper did relieve himself, but did so in the vet's kennel he was housed in.

Drats!  

The staff cleaned him up. The vet gave me a call and wondered if I'd like Copper to stay over there until closing time. 

I'm a softy.

I figured Copper would much rather be home where things are familiar and so I returned and brought Copper home and, well, to my untrained eyes, he looked relieved to be where he belonged. 

I hope when we go back Friday or next week that the capture can happen in good time and Copper can come home in a timely fashion. 

Three Beautiful Things 03-17-2025: Preparing to Cook Corned Beef, How I (Prayerfully) Cooked Dinner, Family Dinner Was Terrific

1. Debbie and I were in charge of tonight's St. Patrick's Day family dinner. 

Because we had a larger than usual turnout, dinner itself was at Carol and Paul's. 

I don't know if someone had requested we make a corned beef dinner, but I do know that since I would be home all day, I was in charge of cooking tonight's main entree. 

I had purchased a corned beef roast at Costco about a week ago. 

I read some recipes about how to cook it. I had decided to roast it in the oven rather than the slow cooker, mostly because of the size of the roast and number of vegetables I'd be cooking with the meat. 

I'd never cooked corned beef before, so it was with a sense of mild trepidation that I took the roast and the seasoning pack out of the packaging. 

I prayed to some Irish saint of cabbage to look over me as I got things going and hoped for the best. 

2. I placed the corned beef roast in our larger Dutch oven with about 24 oz of Better than Bouillon mixed with hot water. I preheated the oven at 325 and set the timer for two hours and fifteen minutes so that I could remove the roast and put the carrots, potatoes, cabbage, and onion in with the roast before my video conversation with the money pro advising me about my IRA. (That conversation went well -- all is fine.)

I can't remember exactly when I next checked the meat and vegetables. Let's say it was about an hour or so later and I could tell the vegetables needed a little more time. The next time I checked, the vegetables were on the verge of being over cooked, but I had an instinctive feeling the meat needed more time in the oven. 

I removed the vegetables, put them in mixing bowls with lids, and gave the meat another --I should have taken notes -- maybe another hour or so.

I then took the meat out of the Dutch oven, cut the roast in half, cut a slice off of one of the halves, and determined while praying to the Irish saint of corned beef, that the corned beef was ready. I let it rest for a while, sliced the roast, covered the platter with aluminum foil, and prayed to the Irish saint of leniency and acceptance that my fellow family members would find the way I cooked the meat and vegetables acceptable. 

3.  Evidently all those Irish saints saw fit to look over my efforts and I am eternally grateful to them for their kindness. 

Our dinner went great. 

After some Irish Rusty Nails and pretzels with Guiness beer cheese dip for an appetizer, all present took their assigned seats around the dinner table. Brian, Molly, Zoe, Carol, Paul, Christy, Debbie, and I began passing the corned beef slices, the accompanying carrots, onion, cabbage, and potatoes, and the whole wheat and white Irish soda bread that Zoe baked around the table and for a few seconds everything fell silent. 

That's rare at our family dinners! 

The silence relieved me. 

It seemed that the silence was the soundlessness of everyone enjoying the food I prepared and I know we all loved Zoe's Irish soda bread. 

Quite a bit of tonight's conversation focused on Molly and Brian getting ready to move to Boise and what they expected and hoped to find as far as a place to live and where to have fun. We also continued to learn more about Molly's job.

We finished dinner and then Christy provided the evening's coup de grace: she baked a peerless Chocolate Guiness Bundt Cake with an Irish Cream glaze. 

I knew she'd baked this cake and thought a cup of coffee would taste really good with it -- so I asked Paul to brew some coffee. 

I was right! 

The cake was fantastic and the coffee was awesome alongside it.

If I weren't doing my best to lower my weight, I would have eaten as much of this cake as was available after everyone else had theirs. 

Maybe none was available. 

I wouldn't let myself be tempted! 

Whatever. 

This cake was perfect. 

Three Beautiful Things 03-16-2025: Yes! Christine is Who I Thought She Is, Fantasy Baseball Draft Day, Is Copper's Health in Decline?

1.  I responded to the former student who sent me a touching email of gratitude for my work as an instructor. From her email, I knew her name is Christine. When I read her name, three memories almost immediately popped to mind, but I wondered if they were reliable. So I wrote back and said that I thought she'd been in a Shakespeare class I taught at the U of Oregon in the summer of 1985. I added that I thought I remembered ordering many cups of coffee and bites to eat from her when she worked the counter at the Kona Cafe on 13th Avenue just west of the U of O Bookstore. I concluded with telling Christine that I thought we had both been in a poetry writing workshop in the early/mid 1990s in Ellen Cantor's living room. (Debbie, by the way, was Ellen's next door neighbor. My first extended conversation with Debbie happened one day when I was on my way to a meeting of this workshop.) 

It's not always the case with my aging memory, but, lo and behold, Christine wrote me back and confirmed that she is the person I remembered her to be and that my memories of her were accurate. 

She also sent me a couple of pieces of her published writing and I look forward to reading them and responding. 

Receiving such kindness and encouragement from Christine and then accurately identifying and remembering who Christine is fills me with wonder and thanksgiving along with joy as I've learned how Christine has worked over the years as a writer, teacher, therapist, nature lover, advocate for the Cowlitz tribe, and in many other ways to live a constructive and transformative life.  

2. Cas, Seth, Ginger, and I got together at The Lounge late this morning and fired up the ESPN Fantasy Baseball servers and took part in our two fantasy league drafts. The members of both of our leagues now all have teams put together in both of our leagues. 

I enjoy being with Seth, Ginger, and Cas on draft day, enjoy diving into a pizza while I make draft picks certain to fail (!), and look forward to the daily routine of checking my lineups, making uninformed decisions about who to play and who to bench, and hoping against hope that I might experience a tad bit of success. 

After all, right now in baseball world it's spring time and for baseball fans it's the time of year when hope springs eternal. 

3. Back home, I spent the rest of the day catching up on word puzzles and planning how I'm going to prepare a corned beef main dish for Monday's St. Patrick's Day family dinner. 

I stayed in the bedroom much of the time to keep Copper company. 

Over the last few weeks, Copper has demonstrated again and again that he wants to be physically closer to me than he ever has before. 

I think he's showing signs of some decline that accompanies aging. 

I have an appointment for him at the vet on Tuesday, March 18th -- it's time for his annual shots and I'll consent to blood work and listen to Dr. Cook's assessment of how he thinks Copper is doing and what he says the bloodwork shows. 

Three Beautiful Things 03-15-2025: Switching Tires, Balanced, Sherlock Holmes at Night

1. It's a happy coincidence that in 1962, when Mom and Dad bought the house that Debbie and I live in now, eventually a tire shop, now Siver Valley Tire Center, either was in business in 1962 or would eventually go into business later and not only be located just down the street then, but still be in business many years later when Debbie and I moved to Kellogg in 2017.  

What do I mean, a happy coincidence? 

Well, take, for example, today.  

Early in the week, I made an appointment to take both the Sube and the Camry into the shop so that the guys there could take the winter tires off and put the rest of year tires on. 

Silver Valley Tire Center accommodates my wish to put the cars for both tires in the back of the Sube. 

I loaded them and drove the Sube to the shop.

I walked home and drove the Camry to the shop.

A happy convenience born of a happy coincidence. 

The guys at the shop took care of both cars, all eight tires. 

I walked down to pay, drove home the Sube, loaded the winter tires in the garage, walked back to the shop, and drove home the Camry.

A happy convenience born of a happy coincidence. 

I love how.both cars feel with the winter tires off and the other tires on and am grateful it'll be another, oh, eight months before the winter tires go back on.

When that time comes, getting in done will be convenient. 

A happy coincidence. 

2. Moving and loading tires and walking to and from the tire shop a few times constituted my exercise for the day and I actually felt like I'd been to the Fitness Center, especially after I napped in the afternoon and slept 8 1/2 hours Saturday night. 

The cars' wheels and tires are balanced and so am I.

3. For the time being, I am listening to Sherlock Holmes' stories two ways. When I exercise, I listen to Stephen Fry read the stories and he is the sole and remarkable source of giving voice to the stories' variety of characters. 

As I sleep at night, I've switched from listening to the calmest and coolest jazz playlists on Spotify or Pandora and I listen to BBC radio theater versions of Sherlock Holmes stories, complete with sound effects and different actors playing roles. Holmes is always played by Clive Merrison and Watson by Michael Williams. I never make it more than about three minutes before I fall deep asleep, leaving my sleeping consciousness to enjoy the stories while my waking self checks out. 

Three Beautiful Things 03-14-2025: Sherlock Holmes Has Feelings!, An Email from a 1985 (I Think) Student, *Deadish* and WOW Hall Jams

1. I'm not quite ready to cogently sum up Sherlock Holmes' philosophy of life and human nature, but in each story I've listened to so far, Holmes takes Watson into his confidence and informs him -- possibly teaches him -- how his practice of detailed observation and his philosophy of what matters most in life interlock. As I worked to burn calories in the Fitness Center today, any one who cared to glance my way would have seen a smile dominate my face and heard me chuckle a bit as Holmes tutored Watson toward the beginning of the story, "A Case of Identity". Normally, Holmes is not ruffled by the cases he works on, but in this story the perpetrator he unmasks angers him, and Holmes got riled up, a memorable challenge to the idea that he is a person so cerebral that he lives detached from any feelings. 

In this story, Holmes feels disgust and in his outrage reveals his deep sense of right and wrong, of what's just and unjust. You'll have to read the story to discover what so offends and infuriates him. 

2. Today, I received an email of appreciation from a former University of Oregon student. She was in a Shakespeare class of mine. Along with kind words directed my way, she also mentioned my longtime U of O Shakespeare mentor and advisor, Prof. Gloria Johnson. 

I recognize emailer's name, but I'll have to confirm with her that the memories that returned to me when I read her name today are accurate ones.  I am suspicious of my memories, especially ones that are about forty years old. 

It's hard to express how her email heartened and uplifted me. I admit that I have moments of unsettling doubt about my work as an instructor over the 30+ years I did my best to be a good teacher. 

Then, on occasions like today, a past student will extend appreciative words to me or maybe tell me about a meaningful moment in class s/he remembers, and, to paraphrase Shakespeare's Sonnet 30, much confidence is restored and self-doubt ends. 

3. While I went through my morning routine of puzzle solving and blog writing this morning, I went to the KEPW-FM archives, found Jeff's March 13th Deadish show, and listened to two blissful hours of Pink Floyd, Zero, the Grateful Dead, and to one of my favorite albums ever, Left of Center by Eugene's Nine Days Wonder. Jeff played Left of Center in anticipation of Nine Days Wonder reuniting in October for a show in Portland and another in Eugene to commemorate 40 years since they first performed. 

In the fall of 1989, while living about twenty-five miles from Eugene out in the country, a ways past Marcola, I started frequenting Nine Days Wonder shows and would also hear other jam bands like Little Women, Big Head Todd and the Monsters, Zero, and others. Sometimes Nine Days shared a show with one of these bands, but not always. I was young, full of vitality, in the midst of a ten year sabbatical from alcohol (I never ingested other drugs), much less self-conscious than I am now, and thrilled at every opportunity to surrender my body and soul to these bands' music, dance by myself like a mad man, and have the best nights of my life, embodying the great Mary Hopkins song, really believing they would never end. 

The WOW Hall advertised these shows to begin at 9:30 and back in 1989 through about 1996, this wasn't really past my bedtime.  The shows rarely started on time and there didn't seem to be any kind of curfew as to when they had to end and I was a die hard, sweating and dancing until the last encore drew to a close. I then drove home on Marcola Road to Mowhawk River Road in the wee hours of the morning, hitting the sack anywhere between 2 and 4 in the morning, depending on how many bands played and how willing and how long they were willing and able to keep their jams going well past midnight. 

Yeah -- after midnight -- we let it all hang out -- I didn't chug a lug, but I loved to shout -- I was open to find out what it was all about. 

Too bad I didn't have a tambourine. 

Three Beautiful Things 03-13-2025: Cosette Under the Bucky Spell, A Day of Rest, Christy's Tomato Sauce: OMG!

1. When I posted on this blog yesterday, I didn't know if Cosette had come under the spell of Bucky. I'd seen pictures showing how Bucky left Carol, Saphire, Paul, and Taylor smitten, but I didn't yet have visual proof that Buchanan also enchanted Cosette. 

Now I do. 

I've posted a picture of the entranced Cosette with her strapping new born spell caster, Buck, at the bottom of this post. 

2. As I break back into exercising at the Fitness Center, I decided today that, for now, I need to take a day to rest the day after I exercise, although I might start going in on my off days for shorter periods of huffing and puffing. 

I stayed home today. 

I'd slept nine hours Wednesday night into Thursday morning. I don't remember the last time I slept that many hours in a night. Exercise recovery sleep. 

This day of rest felt right.

3. Debbie texted me from Radio, telling me when she'd be home and recommending we have pasta for dinner. 

AND 

Debbie told me that the jar of tomato sauce that Christy gave us on Valentine's Day was open in the fridge. 

So, I sautéed some red onion and red pepper and a hunk of ground beef and, when the time seemed right, I added Christy's tomato sauce. 

OMG! 

I tasted a spoonful and it was stellar -- the fresh roasted tomatoes, the seasoning, the consistency combined to make this sauce almost too good to eat! 

But, we did eat it, ladled over penne pasta and enjoyed a most tasty dinner. 

Here is our niece Cosette, a new mother, spellbound by her newly born son, Buchanan. 

Three Beautiful Things 03-12-2025: The Bucky Trance, Holmes Succeeds Again!, My Ongoing Weight Loss Story

1. As today proceeded, more pictures of Buck Buchanan flew over the wireless onto my Facebook page. To my untrained, inexperienced baby viewing eyes, he looks good and he's certainly putting his dad, grandparents, and stepsister into a trance of wonderment and affection. I'm guessing that Cosette is under the Bucky spell, too, as she recovers from surgery. So far, no photographic evidence of Buck entrancing his mother, but I'm thinking some such pictures will drop out of the sky before long. 

2. I returned to the Fitness Center again today and the duration of my pedaling and pumping on the aerobic machines lasted just about the same amount of time as the 56 minute Sherlock Holmes short story I listened to in which Holmes saw right through a supposed league of red heads and also figured out why an infamous London criminal had formed this bogus society. Astonishing. 

3. I've probably written this before, but it's now on my mind again. 

So, here I go.

When the medical pros determined, two days after the Saturday transplant, that I could go home on Tuesday, I met with a small parade of pros about finances, medicines, and a host of other things, including nutrition and my diet.

I told the diet and nutrition professional that I was disappointed that my weight had increased more than 15 pounds from when they weighed me before the surgery to when they weighed me after. 

She told me not to worry. 

Primarily, I took away from our conversation that while the site of the surgery healed and while I was adjusting to having a new organ in my abdomen, this was not the time to be thinking about losing weight. 

I needed to focus on eating in ways that supported and encouraged the healing and the transition.

And that's what I did. 

As time went on, my blood work indicated that I needed more magnesium in my system and needed to reduce my intake of potassium. 

I've done my best to follow the transplant team's guidance regarding what I eat.

It's now been ten months since the surgery.

At our appointment on March 6th, for health reasons, Dr. Bieber encouraged me to work, now, on losing weight, adding that my daily doses of Prednisone would make weight loss challenging. Prednisone stimulates the appetite. 

I am obeying. I've put my mind, again, on the goal of losing weight. 

It's a huge help to be back in the gym.

I'm focusing on eating smaller portions, eating balanced meals, and not eating in the evening, or, if I do, making it just a small snack out of the salad I always have ready to eat and keep replenishing as I deplete it. No fasting. No starvation.  Just eating as intelligently as I am capable. 

In essence, I'm going back to approximately the way I fed myself and exercised from Nov. 2023 through my surgery date on May 11, 2024, a period of time in which I lost around twenty-five pounds. 

Good news: I've lost some weight in the last seven days. 

It's encouraging and motivating to see results after a week, modest as they are.

Three Beautiful Things 03-11-2025: Hey! New Born Buchanan Paul Kelly Barnes! Welcome to the World!, Quick Extraction Site Check Up, Video Conference About $$ Delayed (No Problem)

1. Recent developments in Moscow have required family members to be patient.

Cosette and Taylor's baby boy, Buchanan, seemed poised to come into the world, but he was taking his sweet Bucky time! 

On Thursday, the medical pros began inducing labor and, by Monday, Bucky was staying put. His vitals all were good. He was moving around. But he and Cosette, I guess, just couldn't agree on when labor would actually start. 

So, Monday night, the medical pros recommended that Bucky come into the world via a C-Section.

Carol, Taylor, Paul, and Cosette discussed this option, committed it to prayer, and decided to move forward with the surgery.

And, so, PRESTO!, today, Tuesday, March 12th, Buchanan Paul Kelly Barnes was born. All I've heard from Moscow, via Carol, is good news about Buck and Cosette.  

2. Back in January, the dentist extracted one of my molars. Its roots had fractured and the tooth was unstable. It couldn't be saved. I've been committed to caring for the extraction site as ordered: rinse after every meal with warm salt water, don't eat on that side, and don't use the water pik over there. 

Today I had a check up to make sure everything looks good so that the dentist can put an implant in that spot in about a month. 

The site looks great. 

I'll keep following the care plan and return for the final procedure the week after I've joined my pals on April 15, 16, and 17 at the Wildhorse Resort for a three night time of relaxation. 

3. I had myself mentally ready to talk about my retirement account with one of the two advisors I work with, but he had an appointment at the doctor. The doc was running late. I rescheduled. No problem.  I'll talk with one of the advisors on March 17th. Maybe both. Sometimes we all three talk together. These are video conferences. 

Three Beautiful Things 03-10-2025: Huffing and Puffing with Sherlock Holmes, Binge Crossword Solving, I Resisted Another Helping!

1. After my trip to Eugene and back, a couple of doctor visits, and a couple days of rest, I was back in the Fitness Center today. Stephen Fry joined me, reading me through my ear buds, a Sherlock Holmes short story, "A Scandal in Bohemia". I enjoyed its wit and its implausibility in much the same way I enjoy P. G. Wodehouse's Jeeves and Wooster stories. Holmes, like Jeeves, always has a scheme ready to go to solve crime or other problems and his nimble mind astonishes Watson in much the same way Jeeves astonishes Bertie. 

2. I continued catching up on NYTimes Crosswords, not having worked any in Eugene. All I have to do is finish the Sunday, March 9 brain teaser and knock out March 10 and 11 when I wake up on Tuesday and I'll be back on schedule. Being "forced" to binge solve these puzzles has been fun.

3. I resisted! I didn't eat extra enchilada casserole! Debbie warmed up the leftover enchilada casserole from Sunday's dinner and the way was open for me to eat three squares of it. I resisted! I ate one square along with a small portion of rice and a dessert of a sliced apple with a little yogurt. 

I can feel my resolve getting stronger again as I work on another phase of my recovery: exercise regularly, eat less but wisely, hydrate more, and get back to losing some weight. 

Three Beautiful Things 03-08-2025: Christy Prepares a Most Delicious Family Dinner, Putting Down a Rug Pad, Crossword Catch Up

1. This quiet and, for me, mostly restful day reached its peak of fun between about 5 and 7 o'clock when Debbie and I mozeyed next door to Christy's for this week's family dinner. Carol and Paul were busy in the afternoon with today's performance of Nunsense in Wallace and then they drove to Moscow to join the vigil as our family awaits the arrival of Cosette's baby boy, Buchanan. Molly and Brian, I hope, had a blast at a bowling party in Mullan. 

That left Debbie, Christy, and me to have dinner together. 

For an appetizer, I made stuffed celery having blended a mixture of  whipped cream cheese, grated sharp cheddar cheese, bacon pieces I fried, finely chopped red pepper, and Everything but the Bagel seasoning. 

Christy made a superb meat loaf with two remarkable sides: one featuring mashed parsnips and the other cubed winter squash. 

We listened to Simon and Garfunkel Radio via Pandora and talked about a myriad of things.

Debbie was bushed. She'd worked in her classroom today and she'd been spending a lot of time getting things organized and figured out for her spring break departure on March 29th -- details forthcoming -- and this has involved phone calls, text messages, and different coordinating tasks, all draining. 

2. Debbie also spearheaded a project in our living room. I wasn't a huge help, but we did roll back our living room rug and put down a pad underneath it. No doubt this would have been a fairly easy job when we were younger, but was tiring today -- we are no longer younger! 

3. When I traveled to Eugene, I didn't do any NYTimes crossword puzzles and all those unfinished puzzles have been awaiting me to go back and solve them. I had fun today making progress in the crossword archives -- and, well, I still have a ways to go!    

Three Beautiful Things 03-08-2025: A Restful Day, Puzzles and Sherlock Holmes, My Magical Mystery Flight to Eugene

 1. It's kind of odd. 

Coeur d'Alene and the Kootenai Health (I've been calling it Kootenai Medical -- oh, well) are, at most, just 35 to 45 minutes away from our house. Both of my appointments, one on Thursday and the other on Friday, were positive. On Monday, it'll be ten months since I had transplant surgery and aside from somewhat high calcium, slightly elevated glucose, protein appearing in my urine, mildly high blood pressure at times, and needing to lose some pounds, my post-transplant health is really good. I feel great. I can work on remedying the not unexpected and not alarming problems I just listed. 

My lungs and respiratory system are also stable and Dr. Jespersen no longer needs to regularly monitor me. 

All in all, I'm in very good shape. 

And, yet, ha! -- these short trips and these appointments, combined with some running around a little bit in CdA, left me very tired.

So I took it easy today. 

2. I worked word puzzles. 

I finished watching the Sherlock Holmes movie, The Sign of the Four.

I returned to our audible account and listened to Stephen Fry read the long last chapter of the book The Sign of the Four. 

I napped.

Copper joined me and he initiated more physical contact with me than he ever has before. 

I did two loads of laundry. 

I enjoyed my rest, the genius of Arthur Conan Doyle, the added genius of Stephen Fry, and I enjoyed noting the way the movie version of The Sign of the Four was based on Doyle's story, but became its own piece of work, telling a similar story, but not the same one. 

Which did I enjoy more? The book or the movie?

No verdict. 

I never respond that question. 

I had a lot of fun enjoying them both. 

3. When I was in Eugene, I confessed to Michael, Jeff, and Margaret that I found it painful, when in Kellogg, to listen to Deadish, Jeff's radio show, because of the great pleasure it gives me to listen to Jeff's show in Eugene, with Jeff, at his house. 

Jeff and I relish these rare occasions when we can sit in his study and enjoy the music he selected. When I was with him on Thursday, Feb 27, his show, which he records on Sundays before sending it in to KEPW-FM, focused for two hours on a thrilling Zero show from February of 1995. Jeff and I went to a bunch of Zero shows together 30+ years ago and not only was the music superb, so were the memories. 

After I made my confession, Michael, via an impression of Dennis Hopper in Apocalypse Now, told me that when I was in Kellogg listening to Jeff's show, I was also in Eugene -- his implication was I was there in  a mystical way -- and I decided right then that I was going to listen to Jeff's show from Kellogg, let myself be transported in spirit to Eugene, to Jeff's study, and feel not the pain of separation, but the good feelings of fellowship.

And that's what I did this evening. 

Jeff played an ingenious blend of music performed live in different venues in early March. He played live music from 1964. 1970. 1972. 1981. He played the Black Mountain Boys, Miles Davis, Ten Years After, Neil Young and Crazy Horse, Pink Floyd, and probably more and he eventually played some great tunes performed by the Grateful Dead.

Jeff then played his after show, thirty minutes of unscheduled music, and tonight the bonus music featured  Tim Buckley in March, 1967 in the Folklore Center in Greenwich Village.   

I was unfamiliar with Tim Buckley and this introduction to his music was a blast to listen to. 

Not only did I thoroughly enjoy the music, but I surrendered to the mystical reality that I could be in Kellogg and Eugene simultaneously. 

It worked! 

Three Beautiful Things 03-07-2025: I Get Cut Loose Again, Shopping and More in CdA, Fun with Sherlock Holmes

1. Another day, another trip to Kootenai Medical! 

Back in the pre-transplant days, the Sacred Heart transplant team wanted to make sure on at least an annual basis that my respiratory system was well enough for me to go through a transplant. 

Their concern harkens back to 1973 when I inhaled sulfur dioxide gas and other impurities in the Zinc Plant accident I survived. 

The accident left me with a permanent case of bronchiectasis. 

Fortunately, over the years, the bronchiectasis has remained stable and my respiratory system is in pretty good shape. 

At Kootenai Medical, I work with pulmonary specialist,  Dr. Forrest Jespersen.  I've checked in with him every six months. 

Well, today, Dr. Jespersen decided he didn't need to see me regularly any longer. 

I'm not having any problems with day to day breathing or when I exercise.  He likes how my lungs sound. I've had the transplant. Therefore, unless I have pulmonary problems in the future, he's cut me loose! 

I've enjoyed all my consultations with Dr. Jespersen, am grateful for all that he's taught me, and while I'm glad the news is so good, I'll actually kind of miss my appointments with him.

2. Yesterday I left Kootenai Medical happy after consulting with Dr. Bieber -- so I went to The Breakfast Nook for scrambled eggs, hash browns, toast, and coffee. 

Today I left Kootenai Medical happy after consulting with Dr. Jespersen -- so I went to The Breakfast Nook for scrambled eggs, hash browns, toast, and coffee. 

Yesterday, I then soared over to Pilgrim's and bought produce. 

Today, I then soared to Costco for fuel and mostly meat along with butter and chicken stock and Harley lightly rammed into my cart while I was computing how much corned beef I needed and I had a most welcome session of yakkin' with Harley and Candy. 

My soaring and shopping didn't end at Costco. 

Oh, no.

I blasted over to Fred Meyer and then went to Hippo for a car wash.

I ended my happy shopping tour at Trader Joe's and then topped off this fun day at Union Roasters and ordered a most satisfying 16 oz triple Americano with a splash of half and half. 

I sipped on it as I ascended over the 4th of July Pass and descended into the Silver Valley, listening to Stephen Fry read Arthur Conan Doyle's Sherlock Holmes novel, The Sign of the Four.

3. At the same time that I'm listening to Stephen Fry read The Sign of the Four, at home, I'm watching the 1983 TV movie of the same title. I'm enjoying Ian Richardson as Holmes. I'm also intrigued by how this film version deviates from the book -- I'm one of those movie viewers unbothered when a movie is "not like the book". I enjoy thinking about why the makers of the movie made the changes and what they might have thought was gained by doing so. The Sign of Four is a richly detailed book that takes the reader not only into different parts of London, but also has a long section narrating a tale in India. There's no way a ninety minute movie could tell Doyle's whole story, so I'm intrigued to see what the filmmakers did to make the story more compact and how they changed the plot itself. 

I might be moving into a Sherlock Holmes phase of reading and watching. 

I sure enjoy Doyle's imaginative powers, the characters of Holmes and Watson, and the copious writing style of Arthur Conan Doyle along with reading the fruits of his research and knowledge. 

 

 

Three Beautiful Things 03-06-2025: I'm Back Under Dr. Bieber's Care, Endless Salad (Usually), Asiago Spinach Chicken Sausage

1. Today was a big day in my little kidney world. 

If you are keeping score (or a timeline)  at home 😂, you know that on January 27th, the transplant team cut me loose and entrusted my post-transplant care to Kootenai Health's Dr. Scott Bieber. He was my pre-transplant kidney doctor, starting in January 2020.

Today was my doctor and patient reunion with Dr. Bieber.

We had a lot of ground to cover: he'd like to see my blood pressure come down, that is, have my systolic number be more consistently in the 120s; he'd like me to do my best to lose weight (again), but he and I both know that prednisone makes losing weight challenging; for the first time, protein is showing up, out of range, in my urine and our hope is that returning to taking Lisinopril might help that. The medication I take to prevent rejection of my new kidney could be contributing to this and to my slightly out of range calcium and glucose numbers, too. 

Dr. Bieber wasn't alarmed, but we'll keep an eye on these things and see if they improve -- weight loss and lower blood pressure could help. 

Overall, Dr. Bieber sees my condition as stable. 

For now, I'll have blood work done twice over the next month and return to see Dr. Bieber on April 10th. I return for a visit to the transplant team on May 12 for a checkup to see how things are one year after the transplant. 

It's possible that after that visit, Dr. Bieber will decide that I can go on a once every three month schedule with lab visits ---- hmmm, possibly monthly. 

We'll see. 

So, it would be good if by losing weight and lowering my blood pressure I could also bring down the protein, calcium, and glucose counts. 

That would be ideal.

I'm not in any immediate danger and it would be really good if I can rectify these problems while they are minor. 

2. I keep our largest lidded glass bowl in the fridge stocked with green salad. I make these salads with mixed greens and spinach leaves and any number of vegetables: green onion, red onion, mushrooms, celery, carrots, zucchini, yellow squash, red pepper, sugar peas, cauliflower, broccoli, and probably some other things. 

I left my appointment with Dr. Bieber feeling buoyed, happy to be working with him again and satisfied that overall I'm doing very well. 

In my uplifted mood, I stopped in at Pilgrim's in CdA and loaded up on produce and when I returned home I delivered the coup de grace. The salad bowl was empty. I washed and chopped vegetables and made a mammoth salad that I (and I hope Debbie) will munch on and that I'll replenish as needed. 

3. I made one other notable purchase at Pilgrim's: I bought a package of Asiago Spinach Chicken Sausages. They were fully cooked, so I warmed them up while I roasted cauliflower and Yukon gold potato slices in the oven. 

I will absolutely buy these sausages again. I loved the combination of cheese, spinach, and chicken and they worked beautifully with the roasted vegetables. 

Three Beautiful Things 03-05-2025: Staying Home With Copper, Fixing a Fun Stir Fry Dinner, Stocking Copper's Pantry

1. I decided not go out to do the couple or three things I'd considered for today.

I stayed home with Copper.

I don't know if cat's think, but I know they show outward signs of feeling things, whether by the sounds they make or by the language of their bodies.

My absence stressed out Copper. 

He expressed his anxiety with his voice and his body language and behavior.

In the way our life with Gibbs and Copper is, by necessity, physically arranged, Copper lives in two rooms. If he's going to have company in the bedroom, it will be with me. I no longer spend much time in the Vizio room because I am to steer pretty much clear of Copper's litter pan for health reasons related to the kidney transplant. 

So, for me to spend five nights away from home left Copper pretty much isolated -- Debbie paid attention to him, but he was alone while Debbie was at work and alone all through the nights. And, with my full support, Debbie's attention goes primarily to Gibbs. 

The last two nights, Tuesday and Wednesday,  Copper has meowed loudly a couple of times during the night, clearly indicating that he wanted me to either pet, stroke, or make hand to torso contact with him.

So I did. 

All day Wednesday, I spent a lot of time in the bedroom with Copper and if he wasn't on the bed with me purring contentedly, he was lying in a laundry basket or in my duffle bag sleeping peacefully while I unpacked and straightened up this and that, settling in after my trip. 

Did I pretty much arrange most of Wednesday around helping Copper feel accompanied, helping him feel relaxed and happy, assuring him that he wasn't alone?

Yes. 

Gladly. 

And helping Copper regain his sense of equilibrium and happiness was a significant source of happiness for me.

2.  Being home meant being reunited with the wok! I thawed two thick strips of tri-tips. I cut them into small chunks and stir fried them with circles of red onion and Thai wheat noodles. I pushed them up the side of the wok and then stir fried broccoli, red pepper, green beans, zucchini, and yellow squash. Before long I combined them all into a single stir fry and took an assortment of sauces out of the ice box for Debbie and me to put on our heaping bowls of beef, vegetables, and noodles. 

3. My only trip out of the house today was mostly for Copper's sake. His supply of wet food, dry food, and kitty litter needed replenished and I took a trip to Tractor Supply and Yoke's to purchase these goods and now Copper is well supplied, no longer alone, and is growing, once again, more content by the hour. 

Three Beautiful Things 03-04-2025: Driving While Aging, A Long Drive with Sherlock Holmes, Reunion With the Frustrated Copper

1. The drive from Eugene to Kellogg (or Kellogg to Eugene) is a much more arduous task for me now than when I was younger, even, as today, with good traffic. When I was younger, I used to try to make good time, but now the only thought I have about making good time is the truth:  I won't make good time and it doesn't matter. 

I stopped several times en route to Kellogg today. I think I took four naps. I bought lattes along the way. I had fed myself so well in Eugene that all I ate on the road today were a couple scones. 

I arrived home safely after traveling for about eleven hours. 

I was tired, but satisfied that I didn't push myself, didn't try to make good time, and put safety first with my napping stops, whether in rest areas or parking lots. 

2. On my drive from Kellogg to Eugene last Thursday, I almost finished Erik Larson's inspiring and deeply troubling book, Devil in the White City. The inspiring storyline covered the many tribulations that confronted the developers of the Chicago World's Fair which, against many odds, opened in May of 1893 and closed in October. The deeply troubling storyline was the story of H. H. Holmes a seducer, swindler, con man, and psychopathic serial killer. 

I finished the book in Eugene, and for my trip home I wanted to listen to a book with a different tone, not such grisly subject matter, and something I had neglected over the years. 

Aha! 

I found just the right materials to download: over 70 hours of Stephen Fry reading novels and stories by Arthur Conan Doyle about Sherlock Holmes and his accomplice, Dr. John Watson. 

Stephen Fry reads this material most impressively, bringing to life a wide variety of characters, women and men, characters native to the UK, speaking in a variety of accents, and characters from outside the UK from India, the Middle East, the USA, and elsewhere. 

Fry expertly captures the contrasts between Holmes and Watson and between Holmes and the various officers of the Scotland Yard he consults with. 

Back in 1979-80, during my first year of graduate school, I competed three courses toward completing a concentration on Victorian English Literature. 

I enjoyed that curse of study most of all for the Victorian writers' mastery of the English language and for the often ornate writing style they employed. 

Arthur Conan Doyle writes in this Victorian style and at times it was akin to having music playing in the Camry. 

Now I enjoy reading books by American writers employing the more plain speaking and less ornate style of our ways of speaking and writing. 

But I get a special charge out of the Victorian style -- its heightened vocabulary the elaborate architecture of sentences --  and while my drive as long today, I loved having those hundreds of miles filled by the voice of Stephen Fry bringing the eloquence, imagination, knowledge, and affection of Arthur Conan Doyle to life.

3. I only spent five nights in Eugene, but that was about three nights too many for Copper. When I'm away, Copper often protests my absence by voiding his bowels outside the litter pan. 

When I returned last night, Copper immediately began to loudly meow orders to me to come into the part of the house where he lives.

Well, Copper had to wait a while, I brought my travel luggage into the house. I was very hungry and ate the dinner Debbie had ready for me. I chatted for a while with Debbie.

Finally, I joined Copper in the bedroom and his demanding meows turned into contented purring as I pet him, rubbed his underside, and simply rested my hand motionless on his torso. 

I could sense the frustration he'd felt while I was away melt and Copper's contentment grew when I put the newly laundered bedspread on the bed, turned back the covers, and it was time for us to spend the night together. 

I love taking trips.

I don't love my travels being so difficult for Copper. 

He's pretty much a one human cat, I think.