Then This

please click the arrow and then the full screen icon on the far lower left Music "After the Ball" 1891  by  Charles K. Harris        Two weeks gone from the ledger except for bits and pieces. Bits and pieces. One bit was last Friday when Don invited me by text pretty much out of the blue, for a beer, then texted "Well I guess it is cancelled for now.  Maybe we can make a go of it when Nels gets off.  I will check with him. When I texted that I was sad and had been looking forward to it, a text came "Let’s say 4.  Maybe Nels can make it." I texted, "Might have better luck with treat at commons and walk." Don replied, "Either one. Nels should be therefore. You pick the spot. " "Commons", texts I. We three do meet at the Commons. It is closed. We walk to the Spyhop; it is closed. We walk to this and that place; all closed except the fish place so we get a table, Don is not comfortable with the crowds (everyone in town who wanted to ea...

  love bites some of the cars of the dog people at Magnuson Park dog park Golden Gardens Off Leash Area (dog on stump does not have an owl or eagle or kitty on his back) the way down at GG at peace and just in from Miami      Return to Seattle at R's suggestion on Wednesday (note sunset over Lake Union as we cross the big i5 bridge is beyond anything I have ever seen in that regard and I expect people to stop and get out of their cars. It was a benediction and signal that everything is going to be alright) to take over Marbles the next day, give R a ride to the airport also next day and ultimately find and use test kit to see if she has covid because she is showing slight fever. S in Fla. says "you're fine, come on!". C Cunniff provides kit otherwise none to be had. Negative. R flies. Marb, D and I stare into the middle distance for a while and then proceed down the long staircase to Genesee Dog world. Later that day we try Magnolia Park dog park but there isn't o...

  day one of three consecutive at the old Berry Farm D at the End of the World      S to Gunderson Building in Everett for consult on the color of her wrist cast. On to R's by 3pm. Marbos at her nanny, so D and I left for home while S got ready for her early flight to Miami by spending the night in Columbia City at R's. Ali, R's roomy, is in Columbia visiting his folks. No drugs available at Costco and scant food was needed except for naan (15), compari tomatoes(20), avocados(5), cottage cheese(3 lbs), and bananas(12). Returned some stuff, coat, gel seat, got gas. Dropped white afghan at cleaners($27) on the Mukilteo Speedway near the Mongolian Grill. I probably walked D or he played with A and B in the back.      Up to Greenbank Farm with D. Marvelous opportunities for romping, standing-on-back-legs tooth dancing and just dogging around. Spoke with two new Aussie parents with dogs closely related to D : sister/brother, half-brothers. One dad lived nex...

that window again the un-cemetery scaling, peeling, plating? exfoliating!      Spring continues to be disappointing probably because it is only mid-winter. A radical warming is predicted however, however short lived. Long day on the main land due to S's medical appointments was softened by lunch at Fred and Sonju's house and small foray into Costco for drugs and foods. Soursop nectar is almost gone and more was not seen.      Dusty continues well and relatively unsullied with mud even though snow is gone and mud is generally available.  Is it the first signs of the tidiness of maturity? Looking forward with some trepidation to the caretaking of the two pups.     S happy with sky-blue wrist cast. She is very concerned with the plague now that the trip to Miami with mums and daughters is imminent which is one reason we did not see the new Westside Story at the Clyde.

  lest we forget        Now that the epoch of the frozen world is over. One's locks are blown back this evening by warm breezes from the southeast over the Ocean through Shelton, Elma, etc. The robins seem to be mating or something. They are fat and fidgety. In the morning I hope to walk out into a better place.      During the dark time there were some bright spots: the last supper at the Big Werzbowski, Jokinen's 55th birthday and new year's eve event with real fire rockets presented at 9 by Dexter for the olders who had the earlier bed time, or so said S, the new year's day polar bear dip for which I provided transport if not encouragement or validation. I often get a whiff of Jonestown at these mass  masochistic happenings.      Got two letters from Merck at the same time, one warning me that I needed to apply for the immunotherapy course and the next congratulating me for acceptance into the program for 2022.

  out the living room window at 6 am a few days ago      After a couple of days my fear and dislike of this Arctic intrusion comes to the fore. And that fore is now. Yesterday for example S fell and hurt her wrist. Today we went on the boat to get it checked and it is broke, so now she is sort of upset and I have to wait on her. Today was a plus I guess as now she knows and I went to the Donut shop and Costco where I was able, to my astonishment, to obtain a jug (two actually due to wholesale) of SourSop Nectar. It was as though someone walked up to me in the parking lot with a 5 gallon plastic bucket of ginger wine and offered me a li taste and the bucket to sit on.      S came out wrapped from elbow to knuckle and we headed back to Costco for the pain pills but decided against that and turned around and headed for the ferry. We brought the dogs but they didn't get much out of it.

  going to Al and Bill's looks like teen spirit washing up      Familiarity with little Palm Springs brought forth with walks through the neighborhoods of the movie colony, Al Jolson's place was just across the street, Lily Tomlin over there and the Hershey's house up the street said our informant clipping her hedge, then downtown and up to the Palisades with the rocks of the immense alluvial fan out of the mountains and its three zillion dollar houses surrounded by 70 empty lots starting at 700K.      Great dinner party with several of us ancient Whidbey people, cookies earlier with Frank and Rick who walks the mountains like John the ex-MD who does the same.      Couple nights at the nearby Marriott in which finding no microwave in the room I thought I might heat my tortillas with the provided hair dryer; didn't really work, so I tried it on the butter - also no.      Flew out of the desert in the early morning, railed i...