Three Beautiful Things 09-13-2026: Scam Alert Update, Canceled Trip, Discussions

 1. I have never seen with my own eyes the scam warning some followers of my blog get when they click on the link to my daily posts. I am understanding, however, that for many the alert has not deterred them from going forward and reading my blog posts. 

That's great news. 

I've learned that for others, the scam alert blocks them from accessing my blog posts. 

I am sending one of these people the link to my posts via Facebook Messenger and that works. 

If you are being blocked by the scam alert, let me know in the comments. I can send you the link via Facebook Messenger. If I have the right info, I can text you the link. I can also email you the entire blog post, if I have your emaill address.

2.  I had plans to drive to Spokane today for an event at Auntie's Bookstore featuring Meghan Jones, whom Debbie and I have met in the Science/Nature Book Club we attend. Meghan Jones is an artist. A few months ago, I went to the Chase Gallery at Spokane's City Hall twice to enjoy her paintings of deep ocean life. 

The Auntie's Bookstore event featured Meghan Jones' new book, The Unusual Ocean: Who Lives in the Deep?. Her book introduces children to paintings of twenty deep ocean inhabitants along with written text about each one. 

Alas, I woke up this morning with what turned out to be temporary unrest in my innards and decided not to risk having this unrest recur on the drive to Spokane or in the bookstore. 

It all cleared up this afternoon, merely leaving me a little fatigued.

3. Having been apart since late May, Debbie and I haven't had a chance to discuss all sorts of things ranging from family news to travel plans to taking care of things on the business side of our life together. 

We got started talking about some of these things today and these discussions will continue in the days and weeks ahead. 

Three Beautiful Things 09-12-2026: Debbie Returns, Fire in the Hole, Gibbs' Joy

 1. Early this afternoon, I picked up Debbie at the Spokane airport and we fell right into easy conversation about all kinds of things: how things are going in New York, books we've been reading, how things are in Kellogg, with special attention to Christy's rehab and recovery, and other things. Once home, Debbie assumed her usual spot on the couch, Gibbs was all over her, jumping and licking, and within minutes it was as if she hadn't been gone for three and a half months. 

2. Debbie wanted to have some food from a Kellogg eatery. I told her that ever since she'd gone to New York, I'd been hungry for a Fire in the Hole pizza from Zany's. Debbie had been thinking more about sandwiches, but after a while she agreed: we'll share Zany's chicken, pineapple, jalapeno pepper, and homemade buffalo sauce pizza. 

It was awesome. We have some left over. And Debbie not only brought home the pizza, she also checked out the scene at The Beanery and had a beer at Radio Brewing where she ran into Mike and Deanne Fitzgerald for some very enjoyable yakkin'. She also made a quick stop for a few items at Yoke's. 

She is already getting back into the swing of life in Kellogg! 

3. Gibbs is one very happy dog! 

On the phone, leading up to her return, Debbie and I joked about which of us Gibbs would choose to be close to once Debbie was home -- after all, Gibbs and I had become good pals in her absence. 

No contest! 

Debbie is definitely Gibbs' person! 

I'm always here for backup, but when Debbie's in the house, Gibbs wants to be with her! 

Three Beautiful Things 09-11-2026: Busy, Family Meal, Worn Out

 1. Christy, Carol, Paul, and I congregated at the Roberts' house at 2 p.m. today for family dinner. There's a lot going on among our family members for the next three months: play rehearsals for Carol and Paul and then performances, rehab and appointments for Christy, trips to Spokane for readings and classical music for Debbie and me, and out of town travel for Carol and Paul and, separately, a trip to Cincinnati for Debbie and me. 

Consequently, our accustomed times for family dinner aren't going to pan out, so we are getting together on whatever days and at whatever times we can to squeeze in a meal. 

2, As Christy rehabs and recovers, Carol and Paul's house works the best as our family dinner home base. 

I, however, was in charge of the meal and I made a beef stroganoff sauce to put over egg noodles that Carol prepared. Carol also prepared a leafless salad with vegetables from her garden and I made a side dish of lemon couscous and broccoli.

We began our meal with grapes Paul grew, recently picked pears, and mixed nuts. 

Carol and Paul had handful, at least, of partially filled containers of ice cream/gelato and all of us got to choose what we wanted scooped into our bowl from this buffet of frozen treats. 

3. I arrived home around 5:00 from our afternoon meal exhausted.

I had a lot of cleaning up to do in the kitchen, living room, and bathroom in preparation for Debbie's early Saturday afternoon arrival, and pushed myself to get some of it done. 

I took breaks. 

I fell asleep while resting. 

I gave up and resolved to go to bed and get right back to work first thing Saturday morning and complete the tasks I didn't finish today. 

My system seems worn out and in need of rest and sleep as it continues to work on my body's behalf to get rid of this bug that's been wailing away inside me for the last ten or eleven days. 

The bug is almost gone, but my need for rest and sleep, like the Dude, abides. 

Three Beautiful Things 09-10-2026: Stability, Bookstore Order, An Evening with Author Peter Heller

 1. Today I met with nephrologist Dr. Bieber to review my blood work and talk about my health in general. He confirmed that no doubt this cold I've had has lingered, in part, because of the medicines I take to suppress my immune system. He listened to my lungs. They are all clear. I'm nearly done with this cold. 

My renal blood test results are stable and I am, as of now, in very good kidney health two years and four months after the transplant. 

One glitch, though: for unknown reasons, the full order for blood tests didn't make it to Teresa who drew my blood. 

Dr. Bieber would still like to have my blood tested for cholesterol levels, Tacrolimus levels, and a couple other things. 

I'll go to CdA first thing Monday morning and have the tests run that got left out on Sept 4th. 

2. I drove to Spokane later this afternoon. 

One small accomplishment: I successfully paid for street parking using the ParkMobile app.

More important: I picked up a copy of our next book club I'd ordered at Auntie's Bookstore. Its title: The Plant Hunter. 

3. Until his name popped up on the fall schedule for Northwest Passages programs, I'd never heard of the writer Peter Heller. A couple of days ago I realized that his appearance tonight as a Northwest Passages featured writer coincided with his book, The Dog Stars, having been made into a movie and recently released into theaters. 

Just seven or eight months ago, I never would have attended this program. 

I hadn't heard of Peter Heller. 

I hadn't heard of his book The Dog Stars and the only things I knew about the movie were that Ridley Scott directed it and Josh Brolin, whose memoir I just read, is in the cast. 

But, in the spring of 2026, Debbie and I decided to attend these Northwest Passages programs every time -- unless circumstances outside our control stopped us. 

Along with joining the Science/Nature Book Club, committing ourselves to go hear these writers was a stellar decision. 

Peter Heller blew me away. 

I'll just mention two things he talked about that uplifted me. 

First, whenever writers of prose talk about the attention they give to the sound of their words, to the lyrical qualities of language, to often being as driven to write passages for the quality of their musicality even more than their literal meaning, I'm enthused. 

I loved not only Peter Heller's discussion of what his prose owes to his love of and devotion to poetry, I loved hearing him recite two poems:  a part of W.B. Yeats' "Prayer for my Daughter" (his father often read/recited this poem to the eleven-year-old Peter Heller) and Li Shang-Yin's poem, "When Will I Be Home?"

Secondly, when he talked about his book being rewritten as a screenplay by Mark L. Smith, he gave special emphasis to not minding at all that Smith made changes to his novel that he felt would work better as cinema. 

It was music to my ears when Peter Heller told us that he knows novels and screenplays/movies are different art forms. 

He told us that a movie based on a book is not the book. Inevitably, the two works of art will be different. 

He didn't go as far as I do when I watch a movie based on a book or play I am familiar with. 

My approach is to remove the original source from my mind, watch the movie for what it is, and not use up mental energy keeping track of changes and I find it impossible to declare which I liked better. 

But that Peter Heller was so open to having changes made to his book and that he articulated so clearly his trust in Mark L. Smith and that he so eloquently explained how a movie adaptation cannot be the book, well, it made my night! 

Three Beautiful Things 09-09-2026: My Energy, Christy's Energy, Chickpea Salad

 1. I'm not fully free of nasal congestion and sinus pressure, but the good news is that I have more energy and I'm not nearly as short-winded as I have been over the last week. 

2. Carol drove Christy for her physical therapy appointment this afternoon and afterward Christy reported that she had a great workout, leading to me write with some confidence that Christy is regaining energy, too, and feeling better. 

3. I had a can of Trader Joe's Greek Chickpeas with Oregano and Parsley on hand and combined it with radishes, carrots, feta cheese, cherry tomatoes, and Kalamata olives to make a filling and very tasty salad this evening. 

Three Beautiful Things 09-08-2026: Reflections on Kendra Langford Shaw's Novel *The Pillagers' Guide to Arctic Pianos*

1. I spent most of today finishing The Pillagers' Guide to Arctic Pianos. 

I didn't foresee at all how this novel would fit so perfectly with two aspects of my pursuit of the arts in 2026. 

First of all, Debbie and I have decided to attend every Northwest Passages presentation we possibly can in Spokane, whether or not we are familiar with the featured writer. So, in July, I learned about Kendra Langford Shaw and her new book. Committing myself to read these books I hear the authors talk about has greatly enriched my reading life. 

Second, Debbie and I have joined the Science/Nature Book Club at Auntie's Bookstore in Spokane and one of the great rewards of reading The Pillagers' Guide to Arctic Pianos was discovering, from the opening chapter, that while this novel is very much a character driven family saga, even more, for me, it's a book exploring the power of the natural world in the fictional Arctic site she created. 

2. Whether it's sea lions, moose, farming and eating octopuses, flooding rains, a rampaging river, fjords, reefs, goats, chickens, demanding trails and barely passable interior roads, vulnerability to disease and injury in the wild, and any number of other elements of the natural world these characters confront daily, this novel examines not only the power and grandeur of nature in the Arctic, it examines the indomitability of the non-human natural world in relation to human beings. 

As a result, this novel explores survival, the ever-present reality of death, and the combination of courage and foolhardiness of generations of characters as they move into this unforgiving land, working in a variety of ways to make the best life they can. 

And then there's the pianos.

And the piano hunters. 

You'll have to read the book to find out what this completely make-believe aspect of the novel is all about, but it's inseparable from the power of the arctic elements and the persistence and dreams of characters in his novel. 

3. I admit it. 

I'm not crazy about the idea that writers "kill off" characters, as if it's cruel or random or a punishment. 

When Kendra Langford Shaw spoke in Spokane back in July, an audience member asked her about "killing off" characters. 

Shaw never repeated the phrase "kill off" but talked about characters' deaths in her book as catalysts for change and as challenges that force characters to evaluate how they will move forward now that the deceased character is no longer with them. These deaths transform the ongoing story. 

I won't give away who dies in this novel, but I will say that as painful as it was to experience their deaths, each death moved the story forward in ways that never would have happened had the characters not died. The deaths deepened the story, gave us as readers insight into grief, love, flexibility, service to others, resolve, and other virtues. 

Three Beautiful Things 09-07-2026: Holding Pattern, Arctic Stories, Gibbs' New Life

 1. Monday -- the seventh day of my health not being quite up to snuff. I'm in a holding pattern right now. Slight nasal congestion. Occasional cough. No sore throat. Sleeping on and off during the day. Mild lightheadedness. This state of things is better than having these symptoms worsen, but I hope they clear up before long. 

The good news is that I can function, can get done what I need to. 

2. Today, I continued reading the adventures of life over the generations as told by Kendra Langford Shaw in her novel The Pillagers' Guide to Arctic Pianos. I enjoy the way Shaw couples fantastical storytelling with the development of characters whom I care about. I've got about a hundred pages left to read and look forward to seeing how the book's conclusion helps me understand what Shaw ultimately portrays about life, family, love, friendships, courage, endurance, and the other dimensions of human life her novel explores. 

3. I knew when Copper died, it would definitely change Gibbs' life. He's coming to realize that he has the whole ground floor of our house to himself now and this new development has drawn us closer together. I've been reading in the Vizio room, often stretching my legs out on our ottoman. Gibbs now can join me while I read in this room and he alternates between relaxing and sleeping on the ottoman and jumping up into the chair I sit in, pressing himself against me for more relaxation and sleep. 

Moreover, Gibbs also now fully realizes that he no longer has to spend nights alone on our living room sofa.

He can sleep with me at night, sometimes pressing against me, sometimes wanting to be alone and not making contact with me while on the bed. 

Debbie will be back home on Saturday and Gibbs will experience another huge change, one he will flip out over and love: he'll have the love and presence of Debbie back in his life again. 

He might go back and forth between being with both of us, but history says that once Debbie is back, Gibbs will devote almost all of his attention to her and this is exactly as it should be. 

She is his primary companion. 

Three Beautiful Things 09-06-2026: Updating Christy's Recovery From My Point of View

 1. I spent some time with Christy today. I picked up a grocery order for her and helped put the groceries away. I picked up a couple of packages for her that went to her former "residence" at Carol and Paul's house and helped put away those items. 

I thought Christy seemed a bit stronger today than she has the previous several days, but was still in a weakened state. She's been up and moving around with the aid of her walker and she got some work done in the kitchen and elsewhere in her house. Her voice sounded stronger. 

2. We talked about the renal panel results from her latest labs. Very strong! With other things going on, it's sure a relief to know that Christy's kidneys are functioning beautifully. 

Tomorrow I'll give Christy a lift to the Shoshone Medical Center where she'll be fitted for a heart monitor. Her PCP wants to determine if the AFib she experienced at the Kootenai Health Hospital was a temporary problem (that's what the doctor thinks) or if it's ongoing. She'll wear the monitor for about a week. 

Christy and I also talked about blood pressure and it looks like going off of blood pressure medicine is helping raise her low blood pressure up to more acceptable levels. 

3. Christy has been experiencing lightheadedness for the past several days. It's been more acute at night when she has to get up. She's been careful about getting up slowly, not rushing things, which is really smart. 

I, too, experienced lightheadedness for much of the day today (Sunday). 

Christy and I agreed that both of us must have caught a bug at family dinner Saturday. We both think it's part of what's had Christy down since about last Tuesday and we wondered if it might be the source of the lightheadedness we've both experienced. 

It just seems, since both of us are getting solid results when we measure our blood pressure, that the lightheadedness is not because of low blood pressure. 

Let's just say it's this bug that's kept Christy down. 

The resulting fatigue, lightheadedness, and loss of appetite have cut into Christy's efforts to rehab her new hip. 

Her next PT session is scheduled for Wednesday, and it'll be great news if she feels strong enough to make that appointment and get going again on her rehab program. 

Three Beautiful Things 09-05-2026: Returning, Recover(ed)ing, Reading

 1. Unless some unforeseen circumstances arise, I will pick up Debbie at the Spokane airport on September 12th early in the afternoon. 🎊🎊

2. I felt a lot better today and so began to deal with the clutter and neglect dominating the kitchen! 

3. Feeling better, for me, means being able to enjoy reading again and so I returned to Kendra Langford Shaw's epic, cross-generational, sprawling, and fantastical Arctic tale, The Pillagers' Guide to Arctic Pianos. For now, no words. 

Three Beautiful Things 09-04-2026: Labs, Low Energy, Bagel Cheeseburger

 1. Yesterday I wrote that I was determined to drive to CdA and have my labs drawn. 

I did it. 

The phlebotomists at the Kootenai Health lab I frequent are terrific. Today Teresa drew my blood and she is not only an expert at locating a vein and drawing the blood efficiently, she is kind and always strikes me as wise. 

The bloodwork reports that came in yesterday look stable to me. One important test result will come in later so I'll find out in the next few days how my tacrolimus levels look. 

Just to be safe, I always fast before these blood draws and I enjoyed today, as I have so many times before, a chocolate croissant and a latte at Big Blue Coffee, a modest reward for getting this task done. 

2. Overall, my recovery from this cold I've had all week is slowly coming along. Two symptoms persist: I'm a little short winded and my energy level is lower than usual. 

When I was done with labs, I wanted to drive to Auntie's Bookstore to pick up our book club's next book. It's waiting for me to pick it up and because I didn't go to our club's meeting on Tuesday it's still waiting. 

I decided I'd rather go home and sleep, if I needed to, and not sleep on I-90. 

So, the book will continue to sit on Auntie's shelf. I know I'm going to Spokane for a Northwest Passages presentation on Thursday. I can secure my book then. 

3. I had one plain bagel left in the freezer. I thawed it and I thawed ground beef. 

It had been years since I made myself a cheeseburger on a bagel and that's what I ate for dinner. 

I enjoyed it.

I'd fix it again. 

That said, my preference remains using a hamburger bun, but the bagel was fun and added some welcome variety to my life of cooking myself dinners. 

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

I enjoyed a simple soup for dinner tonight. 

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

Plantain Chips with Salsa 

Slow-cooked Cuban Mojo Pork

Cuban Black Beans

Yellow Rice

Cuban Salad

Goya Cookies and Gelato

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

Not this batch! 

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

Paul told me Christy did fine. 

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

The picture is below. 

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

2. Now back to Wednesday. 

Debbie and I had a superb telephone conversation. 

We talked about having Copper euthanized. 

We talked about timing, about when euthanasia feels merciful. 

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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