Raincharm’s Weblog

Don’t get too excited. It’s not like I gave Carl the day off, which I really need to do.

On second thought, I did make dinner tonight. I managed to overcook (dry out) the rice. And the main course was heating up Friday leftovers, Thai tofu green curry, made originally by Carl.

The biggest chore was fixing our two toilets. Not too difficult, just needed to make the time.

Toilet 1 was being the not so silent water waster. The water would leak into the bowl around the flapper valve, and then refill after enough water left the tank. Such an easy fix I am mad for not having done it weeks or months ago.

Toilet 2 was not as obvious. It would take forever to fill the tank after a flush. I can’t count the times I got up to check that the flapper was seated, and the toilet wasn’t “running.” And while the tank is filling there is water flowing into the bowl, and I think some of that is lost if the filling goes on and on and on. The helpful Ace Hardware dude suggested a new fill tube. Many more steps to this replacement, but straightforward. Loosening what was supposed to be hand tightened plastic parts slowed me down. A gently applied crescent wrench did the trick.

Two down, and a different chore on tap. Sewing a button back onto a pair of shorts. Easy enough, except it took way too long to thread the needle, including using a threader. But it eventually got done. I think if I got new glasses it would be easier.

Pretty much our day, although we did squeeze in a walk around the neighborhood. Ready for the “real work” week.

We started our day with a 3 mile or so walk. First stop was a weigh-in for me, followed by breakfast out. Carl let it slip that it was my birthday and the waitress said in that case my meal was free! I still ordered from the senior menu, same food with smaller portions. And then, when I said I was too full for more, they gave me a bag to take home. There was a cinnamon roll inside. Dessert later.

After we got home there was time for some phone calls, a few errands and poof, the afternoon was gone.

A friend stopped by with some books for me, mostly to share. The book prominently displayed in front, Dr. Goat, was a favorite when I was young. This copy is in much better condition than the one I grew up with. I know we either had, or at least read, several other selections gifted to me. Little Red Hen, Three Billy Goats Gruff, and Three Bears, to name a few.

There are a few non-child books too, one of which I was ready to dig into right away. The Road to Wellville, by T.C. Boyle. Except I’m in the middle of a different book.

On the other side of the day, I found out that I share a day with Kim Kardashian. Not a name I want to be associated with. I prefer being associated with Dizzy Gillespie.

And now we are tracking several ball games; baseball, soccer, hockey, and college football. They are all overlapping and not all available on our TV. Among tracking the games, we’re also watching Hush Hush Sweet Charlotte.

Another year in the books. And I got to spend it with the people I love, so it has been a good year.

It’s time for the start of the big dark, as winter is known here.

Okay, a bit early, but today’s drive home from work had the earmarks.

The morning commute has been in the dark for a bit now.

Today’s evening commute darkness was dark to a large extent due to the rain clouds dumping buckets as I walked to the car. The rain decreased a bit after dropping down off of the plateau, and the need for wipers even reduced to intermittent, at intermittent intervals.

And then, as I crested the hill where the freeway turns west, ☀️ ☀️☀️☀️. Blinding, low on the horizon, reflecting off of the wet pavement, in your face SUN.

Sunglasses? Not on my face, having started the drive in the dark. By the time I had my sunglasses in a place I could use them, the hills of Mercer Island were providing merciful shadows.

Until the freeway exited a tunnel to cross Lake Washington. ☀️☀️☀️☀️ again, and this time with reflections off of the lake added to the mix.

Sunglasses on, and finally got oriented north, so the ☀️ was reduced to a minor irritation.

And by the time I reached the driveway, it was really too dark for driving with sunglasses.

Really, just some photos of the weekend.

The weekend events started with Game Day. For those that don’t know, GameDay is an ESPN product that runs from 9 to 12 AM each Saturday during the college football season. They set up on a campus, and the students create the backdrop for the show. Because sports in the US are biased towards the east coast, that is 9 to 12 AM Eastern time zone, or 6 to 9 AM Pacific. And the good spots are allowed to fill at 4 AM. The question is, did they get up early or stay up all night?

Our inclusion in this event didn’t start until it was well underway, although it was still dark out when we left the house. We go primarily to see the spectacle. There were lots of other folks out and about most were going, but some had obviouly been and were headed to somewhere warm and dry.

We worked our way around the fringes, with occasional forays into the crowd for a picture or two.

Just so you know where our allegiance lies, I will include the following somewhat blue picture.

We left home about an hour after GameDay started and were back home to see the last 10 minutes on TV. And had over 8,000 steps to start the day.

Watched the game here and there, a back and forth affair.

We took a shorter walk during the game to get our Covid shots. We failed in that endeavor as apparently the change in corporate ownership of our neighborhood drugstore means they are no longer in our health network. But got our steps over 10,000.

The Huskies prevailed, 36 to 33, over the Oregon Ducks, when the Ducks missed a last second field goal attempt. Bedlam ensued.

Today was a bit tamer. Our walk was just a walk. We walked north until the rain started and then headed south towards home. About 8,000 steps again.

Tonight’s game is Astros vs. Rangers. Both teams are in the Mariner’s division and finished barely in front of the Mariners. We are in favor of the Rangers because: 1) they are not the Astros; and 2) a work friend is a true Rangers fan from his childhood.

All for now. In for the night. Yummy turkey meatloaf and a glass of wine.

You know those jokes about trimming toenails of those of advancing age? They’re not all jokes.

I am not to the hedge clipper stage, yet, or even close, I think. But between the initial stages and my being less limber than I once was, toenail trimming has turned into a chore. One I have to make a little extra time for.

Being a weekend, I had a little extra time available. The fact that the Mariners didn’t make the playoffs weighs heavily on that fact. So, let’s check this off of the chore list. Does having a glass of wine first, along with an afternoon smakeral help or hinder?

Who knows, but I forged ahead. I don’t think I will really know the full answer for a few days (socks snagging on rough edges) or weeks (I need to cut them again already?!). What I can say is I finished the chore faster than normal. At least it seemed like I did.

On a slightly related topic, it is fungus among us season. Mushrooms are popping up everywhere.

It’s also spider time. Walking into our backyard to look at mushrooms, I went through at least one web. Luckily this doesn’t phase me. I got used to having to clear a path if I were the first one on the path to the outhouse for many a summer morning. Being at the cabin, with the outhouse, was my favorite place, so it was just part of life and now a treasured memory.

In other news from the past week, I successfully made a keynote presentation to the Washington Association of Boundary Review Boards. It was a short presentation, with examples of projects over the past 2 years. My closing points: Communicating with your neighboring purveyors makes for smoother boundary decisions; political boundaries do not always make good service boundaries (water and sewer service); and I really am turning into a bureaucrat or at least a person who appreciates a good one.

In other, other news, two more baby boys have joined our circle. A neighbor two doors away welcomed their second boy, Adrian. He’s adorable and they’re exhausted. Our daughter’s sister-in-law had her first, just last night, Alex. He’s a cutie too. But really, there must be somebody having girls! Our immediate family’s next generation is all boys at this point, 4 of them. Cousins have added girls, but it just seems very heavily weighted to the male scale.

I think it’s time for me to stop going on. Blame the wine … it’s as good an excuse as any.

Arsen Wenger was the coach of Manchester United for several years. A few years ago I was pointed to the link in Arsen’s name. It just made me laugh, and still does. It’s a series of pictures comparing the coach to a bald eagle.

This memory came to my mind while watching a Man U vs. Galatasaray game (soccer) tonight. And aided by a glass of wine after a day that included driving to Puyallup to give the keynote address at a State Boundary Review Board conference. There were some nerves and low-level adrenaline, which has now dissipated.

In any event, I am exhausted and maybe I laugh easily tonight. We’re watching soccer because there is no baseball tonight. Certainly not Mariners baseball, but because all of the Wild Card series only took 2 games to move on to the next round.

The last Mariners game on Sunday was fun, although too little too late. The Ms won, and we had the opportunity to chat with several different friends and fellow fans. We actually just about closed the joint. They were starting to clear the stands, as the players’ kids ran around on the field.