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A Long Time Coming

Gobble

Las Vegas, NV - 24 Nov 2022

     Happy Thanksgiving all.  We're still away and living in a hotel.   The sister-in-law got the idea to have dinner in so she is going to roast a bird in the hotel oven.  (we get a kitchen with these rooms).  Since she wanted to do that, I will do the veg portion.  Nothing too fancy, sweet potatoes and green beans with my favorite condiment - butter.  Simple.

     I spent the better part of this week trying to catch a cold and I succeeded last night.  I woke this morning feeling a little run down with lots of sneezing.  The histamines are pumping and my nose had become a leaky faucet.  Drip, drip, drip.  I haven't had a cold in so long I am completely out of practice.  I am not so sure I want to go anywhere for dinner being not especially pleasant to look at and constantly at my nose with a Kleenex.  Not the visage to stimulate an appetite.  With any luck things will simmer down by this afternoon.

     We called my parents to wish them well for the day.  Talking with them is a treat.   In the meantime our phones are pinging away as the younger relatives wish us a happy day in the best way they know how - by text message.  Worse yet, the messages are sent out by group message to multiple addresses.  Kind of sucks "personal" right out of the greeting.  What are we coming to?

     For now I'll try to get some rest and gear up for dinner to come.  Best to all and your families.  Keep it analog and leave your cell phone in the car.

Keep on truckin'

-Mike

We Won’t Get Fooled Again

Suquamish, WA - 23 Nov 2022

     I don’t know if it was bad luck, smoke in the air whether from tobacco of marijuana or what, but I have had a scratchy throat since I got to this town and last night it reached its zenith.   My throat was a raging burning tunnel draining to the point of having me in coughing fits.  My nose didn’t help by contributing its portion to the viscous turbid exudate.  Lungs are clear and strong as evidenced by my morning walk.  Maybe I finally got some sort of virus. I haven’t had one in more than five years so I am a little out of practice with such things.

     One of the cool things about running and walking in this town is the people watching.  There is so much variety here compared to back home in the middle of nowhere.   One thing that always catches my eye is an athlete.  I like to see them glide down the road moving along in the little world that is rambling about in their heads.  As with typewriters there is an affinity with like minded individuals.  But I can be easily fooled.   I saw a lady off on the side of the path dressed in svelte form fitting attire and a pair of running shoes to complete the set.  I figured she was catching her breath or taking in the sights.   I did until she turned and revealed her cigarette.  A let down for sure.   I don’t get athleisure.

     Today was a day of rest, sort of.  Spent most of the morning and early afternoon writing letters and post cards.  It felt good to slow down and watch carrots grow.

Keep on truckin'

-Mike

The Gap

Las Vegas, NV - 22 Nov 2022

     When I checked into this hotel a few days back I found a couple of sheets of letterhead stationery and an envelope with the hotel's return address.  Nice.   I didn't think that was a thing anymore.  I do remember when I was younger many hotels had a pad of stationery in the desk drawer.  I haven't seen that in ages.  So, I took advantage and wrote a letter off to a pen pal.  But why stop with one?

     I went down to the check in desk this morning and asked the young lady behind the counter for some more of the stationery.  I stress young.  She looked at me with bewilderment and confusion.

     "You mean, like, note paper?"

     "No, stationery - with your hotel's letterhead."

     More confusion.  "It's for letters.  I write letters to people.   I mean paper for that."

     She looked like she understood and pulled a memo pad from a drawer.   Ergh... She signaled for the concierge to come over.  He was probably three years her senior.   More confusion and bewilderment.

     Meanwhile, the other desk clerk finished helping her guest and came over to help.

     "Hi, do you have any letterhead stationery?" On which, she immediately went to a cabinet and pulled out a stack with envelopes and handed them to me.  I should mention that she was of a generation closer to mine.  I took the paper and thanked her.  My lesson was to ask someone closer to my age who actually knows what a letter is and what sort of paper one uses to create one.

     What do they teach kids in school?   I know it isn't handwriting or even printing now.  If it isn't done on a keyboard, I guess it's not important.  So, what is the postage on a text message anyway?   Can I just stick the stamp to my phone's screen or do I scan it somehow?

Keep on truckin'

-Mike

One Toke Over The Line

Suquamish, WA - 21 Nov 2022

     Good morning for a walk/run.  Because this is Las Vegas, folks don't get too alarmed to see a guy in jeans and running shoes jogging along.  The mornings are best because the foot traffic is nearly non existent and the street cleaners have made their pass removing debris from the night before.  Road traffic is ever present in this town, but it is reduced enough that crossing the street doesn't require a rider on the life insurance policy.

     The weather is cool ranging from the mid 40s and reaching a high in the 50s. Because of that I didn't have to worry about breaking a sweat.  One thing that is omnipresent is the distinct aroma of weed.  This a hooch smokin' town.  Regardless of station, it seems to be the way of it.  Case in point, I ran into a gentleman on the street, approximately in my age, who stopped me and asked if I knew where the "Marijuana store" was.  I'm not sure if it was an innocent question or if I looked like someone who might have knowledge of such a thing.  The thing that amazes me the most is that I am not high as a kite just from all the contact.

Keep on truckin'

-Mike

Too Much To Swallow In A Single Bite

Las Vegas, NV - 20 Nov 2022

     Here we are, a day into our year end getaway.   We spent the better part of yes- terday traveling.  The trip from Suquamish to Seattle is about a two hour drive.  If I was a crow flying, it would take me about 20-30 minutes.  I wish I was a crow.  The highways were backed up and we feared we might not make the destination in time.   We did and moved through baggage check and security in no time at all.  We like to give ourselves plenty of time for anything that might go wrong to do just that.

     Getting to the airport early is not the misery it used to be.  The terminal areas are well equipped with shops, art and quick meal opportunities.    Our wait time was about two hours and in that time we fed ourselves, got in some good walking to keep the blood flowing.   I finished the book I was reading and started on a new one.   The wonder of e-books.  In the past I would have to pack my bags with many a novel to keep me occupied, now they all fit in the space of a small notebook.  Miracles of science.

     The flight was smooth and quick with little turbulence and we arrived on time to our destination.  We had a late flight which means a later turn in.  I think my head hit the pillow well after midnight.  Four hours later I was up.  Damn this circadian clock.

     Up early-ish and got a pot of coffee going.  Morning pages was a bit of a disaster.   I got them written, but with some effort.  Lots of staring onto space - a no-no in the exercise which demands the pencil keep moving across the paper.  My three pages were near a thousand words of rambling nonsense.

     My plan today was to get to the Air Force Base and pick up some groceries.  The bro-in-law is here and carted us around.   I was hoping to lay low and get my inner clock reset, but we made the mistake of going out to grab a lunch and led to one thing after another.  I was sinking.  I eventually had to excuse myself and head home.

     Tomorrow, my wife and I will go off on our own and explore the environs of the MGM.   There are a few destinations she want to hit like the M&M place and Ethel M’s.  Are they still there?  I wonder.   Later in the week we intend is to get out to Red Rock and the Valley of Fire and hike our way around.  Stay tuned.

Keep on trucking’ 

-Mike

Up Up and Away

Yikes!

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Grounded

The Ripple Effect

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By The Light Of The Silvery Moon

Muskrat Love

Compress Hard And Fast To A Depth Of At Least Two Inches

It's Never As Bad As It Looks

Suquamish, WA - 4 Nov 2022

     The terrible windstorm we were promised has yet to occur.  I’m thankful for that.   The fear of falling trees and power outages has passed.  Of course, things can change in an instant around here, so I’ll visit the news and weather soon to see what the latest prediction is.

     I did my due diligence in preparation.  We have provisions that won’t require entry to the refrigerator, all the devices and lamps are charged, but most importantly, I ground up a ton of coffee beans in case I find myself decaffeinated in the morning.   That would be perilous.

     Short Friday.  I often have enough accumulated hours in the week that I get to enjoy an early release at the end of the week.  My wife’s phone has finally reached its end of like and the battery life is measured in minutes instead of hours.  Off we went to Best Buy to get her the latest and greatest device.  At what a phone costs now, we would be better off living without it. I can do it, my wife can’t/won’t.  I often threaten to go back to a flip phone, but I get the over the glasses look of doom, so I drop it and move on.  So, here we are, four first borns and an arm and leg in debt.  The once quick and seamless transition is taking a very long time.  These days phone talk to each other to complete the set up - no cables needed.  Sadly I have terrible internet service with slow data speeds.   My old 300 BAUD MODEM was faster than this snail paced DSL service we have.  Even Matthew Broderick could have launched Global Thermonuclear War on his Apple 2 faster than these phones are updating.  Oh, technology.
     This morning I went out for a walk and was happy to see the temps in the upper 40s instead of the low 30s.  The cloud layer is keeping us warm. I went out overdressed, but didn’t care.  I was happy to not freeze.  While walking I listened to the Milk Street podcast.  I have been a fan of Christopher Kimball for decades.  He is essentially the person who taught me to cook I without a recipe.  My canvas is the pan and my palette is the pantry.  Thanks Christopher.  Today he made a comment that gave me pause.  “You woke up this morning, lots of people didn’t. Enjoy the day.”
     Something about that statement made me think.  It is never as bad as we may think and we should be happy in what we have.

Keep on truckin’
-Mike

Brrrrr

Branching Out