Month: September 2018

It may be a little late but ya’ll are encouraged to call and serenade me with your own rendition of Happy Birthday. I am looking forward to hearing all those sweet voices.

Got up late throw morning. Why? Because Emily called in sick and we went back to bed. Very nice. A birthday treat.

The morning was a normal morning. All the usual stuff. Even though this is my birthday, nothing extra special happened. Sadly. I had a nice breakfast. I had saved a couple blackberry hand pies my friend Cissie made I had those for breakfast. Emily had her usual oatmeal.

It’s a regular work Monday and a tax filing deadline. So I have to go to work. All day. I have to verify all filings are done and I did not miss anyone. If I did, all the lates would show up as penalty notices later. And I would get blamed.

So day spent e filing returns and checking old efiles and posting files returns. Usual crap for a deadline.

The office bought me a rhubarb pie for my bday. The party never ends. It was great. I get one every year. And they gave me a sappy card. I always get a funny one. Which I prefer.

I managed to get out of the office by 530. Not too bad. Home fast too. I had more gifts when I got home. Emily made me pillows for the tear drop, and made some tear drop themed pillow cases for the house. Very nice. And, she made peanut butter cookies and a from scratch German chocolate cake. Wow. Cake is fabulous. Cookies great too. Lucky me. Dinner was leftover birthday dinner from last night. Which was as good tonight as last. I had about six cards from family and friends to open. Always fun.

Then everything back to normal. TV for the evening and bed.

One more year, then repeat.

Even though it’s Sunday and we are having a party tonight, it’s still not a day off. This morning I woke up at 630 and it felt as though I was awake. I mean might as well get up kind of awake. What did I do? Got up, went to the can and laid down again. Lo and behold, I slept till 720. Right on, Wayne.

We did finally get up. We have a lot to do besides finish making the beef Wellington. For instance, I have to feed the animals. They insist. And do the breakfast thing. For five of us. Dee, sis in law, and Dennis, nephew, stayed the night. Dee was up and running at 630 to go get her husband in Hercules. He had been on an overnight bike ride. She brought him back to our house for breakfast.

So we made a huge breakfast for all. It’s the thing to do when people stay over. All major food groups covered except alcohol. We had plenty last night. After eating we sat around for a couple hours, till near noon, just chatting. The only reason we aren’t still sitting there is they had to leave for some thing. I was not paying attention.

They took off and we took an hour to clean up. Then it’s time for he next group. Em left to run errands. I washed the convertible. She came home and I left with her car to get a shelf unit and get her car washed. Still lots of regular shit to do on a weekend.

Got home and Emily was plowing ahead with dinner prep. I put the shelf together. We did manage to get it all together.

Guests Bob and Renee got here about 5. Perfect for the cocktail hour. So I made cocktails. Marika arrived not long after. And we got the champagne going. It’s a party.

An aside, I am selling a building in Sacramento. The notary came by tonight at six for Marika and I to sign the docs. We are both managers of the LLC that holds title. This is like a sideshow to the main event. We got signed and done and maybe the POS building will finally go away. We can only hope.

Well with signing finally done we got along to the main event. Dinner.
Beef Wellington, potatoes and salad. But mostly the Beef Wellie. A personal favorite of mine. My mother used to make it for me on my birthday. A tradition. If you are the type who has never had it, it’s a 3 lb or so beef filet, covered in mushroom pate, and that is covered in pastry dough. Baked for 20 minutes. We serve it which a shallot gravy. Extra special good. We had two bottles of wine open so we got very full and kinda drunk. Had a beautiful meal.

We had ice cream cake for dessert, another tradition, with 58 little ice cream balls on it. Also tradition, one for every year. I like birthdays. Emily loves all the things we do for birthdays. These are fun traditions.

Good news, tomorrow is my actual birthday. So one more small meal and treats. Nice.

Today is Saturday. Duh. I woke up early, which is very unpleasant when you have all morning to sleep. I woke up worrying about all sorts of things I can’t change, especially from my position in bed. So I got up.

I got the usual things done – pets, breakfast, coffee. I had a newspaper but Saturday’s paper is never any good. Now what?

Well, we have guests tonight. And party tomorrow. So that means today we clean. Because every gathering requires two cleanings. Before and after. Fun. And I clean up both times. Punished as if getting older is not enough. So, I mowed the lawn, emptied cat boxes, changing the other two beds, vacuum and mop. And straighten up. Emily did everything else. I am sure after I will need to go to the store. Because you have to buy crap if people show up. Yay.

Emily worked on the beef Wellington, which is a two day process. Each step looks easy, but there are lots of steps and each one must be perfect or, failure. She won’t accept that. And the rest of us thank her.

I did end up going to the store. Heavy cream and something else I have forgotten. I reminded Emily we were leaving early, for dinner in Port Costa, so we could wander around the stores there. When I say stores, there are 4 and all sell junk and old clothes. But you never know.

By 530 we were on our way. Smooth sailing with the top down. Beautiful early evening which got cold suddenly just east of the 37 exit where the land drops down toward the bay. Always cold there. Heater on. For those of you unfamiliar a convertible can be kept warm with the heater in spite of the top being down.

We cruised across the Al Zampa bridge at Carquinez and off 80 to the road along the shore of the SF Bay at Crockett. Though the tiny hamlet of Crockett into the rural area beyond. Funny thing is, Hwy 80 is now 3 miles behind you as the crow flies. There are 100k cars a day going by and here, a mere 3 miles alway I am alone on a twisty road along the water. Just us. 4 miles to Port Costa and all I saw were a few cattle. The first time through here, years ago, I felt like I had entered a foreign land full of aliens, just past the edge of civilization. But now, I know I have. It’s a little like Deliverance.

So, now, former factory town (C & H Sugar) of Port Costa. Small, few citizens, one main road in, Main Street 150’ long (really), and zero parking. I always find that strange. Funny thing, the only spot I found was on the street directly in front of where we were going. Like a birthday gift from the town.

We discovered that 2 of the 5 (oops) stores were closed. So we trolled what was open. No big. Fun to rummage through the crap they have. Gasp at the prices. Grope a few items. Have fun. Strangely, I found a mid century modern cutting board for a bartender. For cheap. So I bought it. I already have two but I may need a spare. I threw that in the trunk. We headed into the former hotel at the corner, next to the water. Inside is a cafe and a bar, The Warehouse. Our habit is to hang here and have drinks prior to going to the restaurant. Not a healthy habit, but so what.

I ordered a Manhattan, only whisky choice was JD or Jameson. Not really a choice but I did pick. Emily had the Mai Tai on the chalkboard, always on special, for 10$. Actually an ok mai tai. Not my fave type. My manhattan 7$ was ok. I wasn’t looking for perfect.

We got most of the way through our drinks, spending the time looking at he locals who obvs belong isolated out here, and Em’s sister Dee showed up. Was close to 8, had a reservation at 830 so we headed across the street to the Bull Valley Roadhouse. Their drinks are excellent and so is the food. Years back when I first dragged Emily out here, I wanted to try the Pre-prohibition cocktails. Turned out they were incredible. But, so was the food. So we come back as often as makes sense.

Today I am going off the diet. So when I sat I ordered a cocktail and the bread and butter. The cocktail is a bourbon whisky with a touch of sweetened lemon. A particular favorite. The bread, homemade with fancy butter. I ate half a loaf. I have not had carbs in a few weeks. Emily ordered a house cocktail that resembles an old fashion. Dee was being good on her diet and drank seltzer. Good for her. Great for me.

The rest of our party, two nephews and a girlfriend, got here about a half hour later.

And, Dee tells me she is paying cuz it’s my birthday. How nice. I really don’t order any differently but it is nice to get the nod on my day. Thanks Dee!!

We ordered up. All served family style sonyou miss nothing. And we sat and ate and chatted and shut down the restaurant. I did not notice the time passing. Very fun evening.

We went home. A lot different through there in the dark. It’s rural as hell so it’s black at night. The only lights are across the bay. But, also more fun to drive through. Last time here, we saw a red fox run up the road in front of us and a couple deer. Like I said before, right next to crowded civilization but still totally rural.

Got home in about 45 minutes, top up. Dee and one son are spending the night. Big breakfast in the morning. Should be fun. I sat down and fell asleep. Woke up and they were still getting settled. I went to bed. They can handle it.

It’s 905am and I am leaving for work. No stops. I might be first to arrive. Wow. And, the holiday is Monday which is my birthday, in case you asked. It’s my birthday if you didn’t ask.

Everything is done. I left. Since I had time, I stopped for coffee. Which took a few. Made a couple calls while I was waiting. Answered a few texts. Michael has an interview today and another tomorrow, it turns out. Marika is not responding to my text messages. Maybe later.

Off to work in my fun to drive car. At high speed. Which is how you drive it. I made it by 10. There were two cops on the way, so I had to slow up.

Work was work. It just never changes. I did a lot. Could not tell you what, specifically. But I did a lot of work. I remember that part. I am good at a lot of work. The work lasted all day. Yikes. I had a couple calls of import. I spoke to the title lady and Marika and I sign on Sunday night. During my party. Spoke to the phone co about my house excessive charges and the I received a provisional credit of a little over $1500. Yowza!! Maybe it will stick. I can only hope. For now.

Had a nice ride home. Halfway home Emily called. Seems a parent in her class made us Chile rellenos. Yummy. And they were. I stopped at the carniceria and picked up more food in order to balance out the meal.

When I got home we ate right away. Guess both of us were hungry. The rellenos were incredibly good. They also saved me $50 since we did not go out to dinner like we usually do. What an awesome meal.

We now sit and stare at the bad TV. Bad because that’s what we watch. And I hate TV. Anyhow, that’s it. Sorry to shortchange everyone but some days just aren’t worth writing about.

I will go with that. What’s up today? Well, nothing. No one wants to see me at work. Ok. Actually, way better than ok. Just got a text from someone who wants to come by and pay off a two year old debt, s few thousand. Ya, that’s a good text. And not really the type of appointment I want to be late for. In fact, if I was in a meeting I would exit the meeting to get paid. Just for the record, in case you didn’t know, my number one job is getting paid. Most people don’t make that connection. No money means nothing gets paid. In 30 days, all falls down. I am looking forward to this meeting.

Even before the good news I was doing well. I did something fantastic last night, in bed, that I would love to share with you. I slept 7 1/2 hours straight through. Wow. I have not done that in so long I can’t remember. Hurray for me. I did not share the news with the bride. She would be “happy” for me but then I would get a few minutes of complaining because she didn’t, as if that were my fault. But it really has improved my outlook. It’s an early birthday gift.

And, can you believe it, I’m watching morning TV. I had not been subjected to this in months. Emily has dropped the habit because she can’t easily see the TV from the bathroom. So it has been quiet in the am since we moved in here. Though today, she turned the TV on. I’m watching because it feels new. Though, the stories have not changed at all in the last several months. Formulaic TV. Tomorrow it’s off.

Well, it’s 815 and I’m ready to get ready. Get to work earlier than usual. Scare the employees. Keep them on their toes.

Well, I got ready. As usual. Dressed. Out he door pretty quick. So doing well to get moving to work quick and early. But, I had one stop to make.

I have an ‘02 Honda S2000. That’s a two seat convertible for the uninitiated. Extra power too. But being a sports car with power, it’s built low to the ground. Especially in the front, the lower spoiler is just 4 inches off the ground. So it picks up a lot off the ground and catches every curb and parking barrier out there. So, inevitbly it breaks. And it did. So my errand today was to stop at Superior Auto and get an estimate.

As I said, I stopped. Turns out, when I walk in, Alex the service manager is not there. Some guy named David is there. I have known Alex a long time and he has handled body repairs on several occasions. But, I can’t believe it, Alex quit. So I had to spend time breaking in new guy David to get him to do what I need. But, it took him forever to find the part with suppliers. I sat while he called everyone he could think and most he called were too stupid to understand what the part was. He did finally manage to find the part and a number for the part and with that one of the suppliers was able to price it. $500. For a very small piece of fiberglass. Very. Small. But, David came through. He said he could take it off, repair it, and paint it for $450. I balked. He lowered the price to $350. Yay new guy David. Right? Next Tuesday.

Then off to work! Took so long with all I did that I won’t get in to the office till 1140. Not early at all. Best laid plans.

I had one appointment. A client had called yesterday and wanted to come in and pay me. I said ok. Actually it was more like YA!! come in any time!! No one needs an appointment to pay me.

Client showed up right at 1145. Credit card in hand. We took care of the transaction, about $4000, quickly. Enough for payroll tomorrow. That’s good. We spent another half hour talking about his new truck and what his life was doing to him. I just try to keep up with everyone.

Another client showed up out of the blue to discuss his tax return. The one I finished in May. He seemed to think it was wrong. But I had already amended it for his mistake before I left for Europe. He was confused. But it led to my confusion which is annoying. Took an hour to straighten him out. Not all the way straight, but close enough.

After the two clients visits, I turned to regular work. I have plenty. But, again, it’s not worth the words I put on this page in order to describe it. Its boring and obtuse. So I have chosen to ignore it.

I left the office around 6, still driving the convertible. Fast. No stops on the way home, at least none I can remember. The trip lacked traffic so I made very good time.

At home, I found the wife in bed. Complaining about fatigue and a sore throat. Obviously a malingerer. We decided to go to the store to pick up beef tenderloins for my birthday dinner on Sunday. We also found a cool tear drop trailer Christmas ornament. So we got that too. We got out of the store, it was 8 o’clock. I suggested a quick dinner. So we went to Habit and each had an average quality chicken salad. The Habit is really a burger joint. But the diet I am following does not allow for bread or buns. So no burger.

Back to home. Picked up the mail. In it a couple missives requesting donations, a bank statement and the first birthday card for me!! Somebody loves me. Then inside to watch poorly produced TV programs. Which I am doing now. But it’s ten and that’s bedtime. So TV is going off and me to bed.

Ok. The good news, you read here yesterday, is I am done with my 9/15 deadline 6 days early. Just to keep count, the 15th is the legal deadline but it’s a Saturday so deadline moves to next business day, the 17th. Also good, I am not working Saturday or Sunday since there is no point. That makes today the middle of the week. At least for this week. PTL. I miss Jim Bakker.

Today is Wednesday, whether you keep track or not. On Wednesday I weigh myself to chart my progress, I hope, in the current diet shenanigans. Good news, PTL, I am at 156 lbs which is a drop of over 3 lbs from last weigh in. You may now worship me and shower me with gifts (non-fattening). Thank you. I hate diets and dieting. I was at 155 when I left for Europe and it’s taken a month to get back so close to that. A month. I would love being on a diet if it weren’t for the fact it’s a complete and utter permanent change in my entire lifestyle to lose and maintain the weight. If I pick up the old lifestyle, fat follows. And seriously, the diet is no fun but the lifetime of maintenance is murder.

In honor of losing weight, I put some homemade blackberry butter on my fine breakfast of diet pancakes. It makes all the difference. It is generally my only cheat for the entire week. I follow the diet strictly. That’s why it works and that’s why I’m in it. Why cheat yourself?

So this morning has turned into a text and call fest. I am not sure what has gotten into all these people out there. I got Yelp referral calls, calls from friends and clients and texts from everyone. All in the last hour or so. I need time for a shower and shave folks. And I gotta get outta here to my 11am appointment. Lots to do.

Ok. Managed a shower, quick one, without anyone calling. While shaving, two more calls. People love me. A little too much. I am getting there. I am waiting on a particular call that’s why the phone is still on. Or all would go to voicemail.

So all this phone calling and such slowed my exit from the house. And I have an 11 o’clock appointment in my office. Well, blessedly, I’m driving my fast car and there was literally no traffic. A good combo. Of course my appointment showed up 30 minutes early. That’s his problem. I arrived at 1105 which was a minor miracle.

We had a nice talk about his taxes. And we may have a way to fix his problem with paying too much. I can only hope.

Once he left I just had work to do. One more tax return showed up. It’s done.

As always I filled my day with the usual mundane tasks and paid bills. Nothing thrilling or interesting. Sorry. We all worked, head down, for the day. It’s always so surprising how much I can get done. And then, at days end, completely forget what I have accomplished.

I left at about 515. Need to go to Auto Vault where the Fit is parked, and get the garage door opener. When I left their yesterday I thought I got everything. I got all the booze. I forgot the opener. And since it’s my house key I kinda need it.

Nothing exciting today at the Vault. The front desk had a person at it. So no problems finding someone to help me. Though the gal was kinda slow and couldn’t find my opener. Turned out, after she called the back, it was right in front of her. On the desk. Which really surprised her. Like I said, kinda slow.

Off to Vacaville. At top speed. I got the race car and I like to make it move. The top was down despite the rather cool weather today. I had to turn on the heater to get comfortable. Felt like the trip took forever. Though I’m sure it didn’t. Good news, I was able to get in the house now that I have my opener.

Wednesday night dinner is not anything traditional. Usually we just pull crap out of the fridge and eat. More than likely last of the weekends leftovers. Tonight we decided to make something new. Mostly since we had no leftovers. We made pizza. We had frozen cauliflower pizza crusts, and you can put anything on top of a pizza. I even found a little container of leftover pork chops which went on the pizza as well. We made a quick sauce of some tomatoes and just rummaged in the fridge for anything that worked. And the pizza was awesome. None leftover at all.

Guess where I am now? Wrong. I’m watching bad TV and blogging. That means I don’t really have to pay attention to the TV at all. Thank god. I truly hate TV. A lot. And this show is really stupid. And it’s just one more to detest. But it’s 858 and Last Man is on. I like that show. And I have written enough.

I didn’t. Day is setting itself up to be like every other work day. Again, is excitement or habit the better path? Most days I think that habit is the winner. In an evolutionary sense, habit leads us to safety and less burning of calories and energy. That way when excitement hits, think saber tooth tiger attack, we have what it takes to jump and outrun most people. So we are safe and they get eaten. Good analogy for life.

I am sitting at the kitchen/dining table (if only have one, which is it?) ruminating, not unlike a cow in a field of clover. Less gas I think. I hope. I know I need to entertain the masses with pithy remarks on mundane everyday things. That gets tiring, though I am trying to make it habit. Habit is good. The Habit Burgers are very good. So far, no great theme for the day or week. I could use my birthday as the weeks theme. It is next Monday but that seems self serving. I talk about the tax deadline coming up but I find work, mine or others, to be boring, in general. Mine gives me a lot of social interaction, which does keep me engaged. Other than that, feh. It’s yiddish, like all fun words. Look it up.

Ok. Where is the day going? I think most everyone can recite my morning up to the point Emily leaves for work. Almost always the same. Ok, always the same.

So, what to do? Just got a task added to my day. Have to go to Tremont to take Emily her Invisalign. It’s a “dental appliance.” She forgets more stuff than I do. So THATS what we have in common. Old age is gonna be fun.

Well, I guess this morning, a Tuesday, will be work and drive and nothing else. Maybe I will look for something to add a little spice. There are things I could do. Currently unnamed. For now, off to SSS. It’s my duty. Does that qualify as double entendre? Hope so.

Out the door, why give you details of getting ready? It’s same as always and may be boring. I could tell you how I carefully choose my wardrobe for the day. Or,how in the shower I gently scrub my muscled torso. Or how I go on poopy patrol. Or how I get the house ready for my exit. But I’m not going to. I washed, dressed and left. I drove to work. With the aforementioned stop in Dixon.

Work. So wonderful. I’m there. I still have returns to do for 9/15. But not many. Actually, I will spill the beans, by 3 pm I had one left. Which I finished. Done before deadline. Did not know that could happen. We are going out Saturday night for dinner. We are partying down on Sunday for my birthday. So being done this early is totally awesome. I took a leisurely drive to the bank and made a deposit. I did not need to race in a tick before five like usual. It was relaxed.

I had time at the end of the day to do other things. Not normal but I can get used to it.

Today three boxes were delivered to the office. One had a couple bottles of vintage champagne, and a nice cab. The next had two bottles of really nice bourbon. Yay. The last a mixed case of different reds and a couple whites. I use a company that curates wine and liquor for me. My birthday party is Sunday. These will be handy. Not opening any till Sunday. But, open in am for the champagne.

So, I have time, I loaded the car. Got all my crap together. It’s Tuesday so I headed to mi carniceria favorita. But, I thought, let’s take a detour. I went to the Auto Vault in West Sacramento. I have my S2000 stored there and I have wanted to trade out for the last couple weeks. I tried calling ahead, no answer. When I got there, no one at the front desk. I rang the bell. No one. I went around to the back of the building and found the guys working on a Porsche. And I joyfully gave them a ration of shit for not answering anything. Phone, door, etc.

Turns out they could really help me out. In addition to storing cars they provide concierge service. They detail cars, drive your car to you, perform many repairs. So they let me park my Honda Fit here while I took out the S2000. And will change the oil and rotate the tires on it. And detail it. And it is not expensive. Mostly because they have days till I come back. I win.

So now all I have to do is load three large boxes in an S2000. Have you seen one? The trunk took one box, the case of wine. The other two actually did fit into the passenger foot well and seat. It was full. There is no back seat. It’s a two seat sports car folks. I had just enough room for the two to go containers in my future. Well all done. And off.

I have not had the car out on the road since early June what with all the vacation. And been so damn busy since I got back. Think I will keep it a week. That should make me happy for awhile. The drive home was a pleasure. Top down and well above the speed limit. Did I mention it’s a convertible? Pure joy.

The drive was quicker than usual. Surprise. I drive fast. Duh. Had to be quick to get to the carniceria before closing. Which I managed. Costillas de Puerco and pollo de asada con arroz y frijoles. Yum. I drove quickly home, spilled nothing, surprisingly.

We ate dinner. Both quite hungry. After dinner I brought in each box from the car one at a time. Opening each before the next came in. Emily had no idea I had got all the booze and wine. She is excited. I am sure we won’t drink it all in one day. But the champagne for sure.

After dinner just a little light entertainment. No dessert. I have been blogging for awhile. Emily hit the hay before I was ready. Maybe no champagne for her as punishment. I am ready for bed, after all I am in bed.

This post should have been published on 9/2. Sorry

We actually slept in past eight this morning. Here in Bodega there is no noise, no neighbors, no phone, no nothing. We closed the blinds last night and out. That’s nice. Of course, House is freezing and there is no coffee. We have to go find coffee. Not as easy as it sounds because there are no services here. Like zero. Whatever, someone will have coffee somewhere.

The shower, at least there is one, only gets warm. Yes I know, better than cold. Pressure is fine. I am dressed and doing what I usually do in these situations: wait for Emily to get ready. She is slow. Very slow. Always the last one. Since it’s just me and her, and I’m ready in 15 mins (unless I hurry) she will be last one ready. Sometimes it can bother me but I am generally ok with it.

If she ever shows up, we are off for coffee.

I fed the dogs this morning. Forgot to put Jaxon out right away and he shit all over the house. By all over I mean that. He walks and shits. It’s lovely.

We invited Mary from next door to coffee with us. Mary is an old family friend as was her Father before her. Marika is living in her house in Petaluma right now.

So the three of us are headed out to coffee. There is a spot about ten minutes down he coast road in the town of Bodega Bay. We got our coffees (overpriced and not hat good) and sat and chatted for quite awhile. Not much else to do on a relaxing Saturday morning. Read the paper. Afterward went in the junk shop next door. Emily can’t resist a shop selling junk.

Back to the cottage. We all sat in he sun on the back porch and chatted for another couple hours. Very relaxing day so far. And to think, I could be home mowing the lawn. Bodega is relaxing because you have no choice. There is really nothing to do here. Nothing except relax.

Mary left a few minutes ago. She has to tend to her rather extensive garden. By rather extensive I mean the biggest most well tended in he tri county area. But I am being modest. She is a master gardener and also really enjoys it.

I am sitting waiting for Emily. She is finishing up. I have packed the car and am ready to leave. Not sure where we are going. But I need her. She has the keys.

I am trying to entertain myself while Emily sits. But this is crazy. I feel like I have been waiting forever. Probably has been. Sitting and doing nothing is not a whole lot of fun. I was cruising the internet looking for things to do. Found nothingbof real interest. And, it’s already 2pm. We are an hours drive from anything here. So, unlikely we could do anything anyway. Maybe Emily can finish this century at least.

Ok. Finally she is done. We are loaded. And off. I was thinking we could go somewhere and have some fun. Do something. But I have he dogs with me. So that’s out. Instead, drive home. Stopped to feed Emily. Then off again. We stopped in Vacaville to wash the car. That’s a fun thing, right?

Off with clean car to home. Got our mail. Newspaper. Unloaded car. Started laundry. Mowed lawn. Stop me when the fun starts. Fed dogs. Now sitting and blogging. Emily is snoozing in the chair next to me. I have got to find something to do tonight.

It’s Monday. Again. Of course, I worked Saturday and Sunday so this is just the 3rd workday of my weekend. In a way. A screwed up way but a way nonetheless.

So what to do today? I need to think omit. After all it is a weekend, right? I just made that rather ridiculous claim in the last paragraph.

Well, as a special treat, I fed all the dogs and cats this morning. And made Emily’s breakfast too. Eggs and sausage. And of coirse her lunch too. Nice and different than usual. Helps keep my brain active. Believe me, I need that.

I thought I had very little to do on my way to work. But that changed. Emily called and there is an emergency. She forgot mascara!! OMG!!! So she asked me to bring some to school for her. She helped me find a tube, over the phone, which is not easy. I don’t wear mascara so not sure what I am looking for. But we were able to decide together what it looks like. And I took that.

So, on my drive to work I first went to Tremont Elementary, Emily’s school. And dropped off the mascara which turned out to be concealer, whatever that is. Then she asked me to go to her bank and make a deposit. I am beginning to see where my mornings go.

I headed off to work. Slowly. No, not really, I have a ton of work to do today, not unlike every day in front of a deadline.

Bad news for thrill seekers, my entire day consisted of quietly preparing tax returns. Ya, I’m excited too. Though not as excited as when I get paid. Then I do the money dance.

I took one mid afternoon break. To go to the bank to make my own deposit. One mile there and one mile back. Wow. Be still my beating heart.

Back to work till 6. Off to home. Used the car time for calls to Nobby, good news;to Hal, no news; to Marika 40 minute conversation. This part of the day is the best part of my day.

Got home. Emily had already fed the worthless pets. So I don’t have too. Yay. And dinner was ready because she made it. Isn’t that nice. We had garden salad with refried pork in it. Also made some sliced sweet potatoes spiced and baked.

After dinner, the thrills never end, we went to the pet store for the food I forgot on my Saturday trip. And we found some of the Rx dry dog food 40% off!! What a find. I like saving money.

Back home to watch my favorite show. Soon it’s bedtime. Sorry for the light blog. I’m tired. The cbd oil did notnwork

For the second day in a row I woke up early and tried to go back to sleep. I had little success. I may need another weekend on Monday and Tuesday. Or maybe I will take a pill. I have some courtesy of my nice doctor. I seldom take one. Tonight could be one of those nights.

It is Sunday so I had the big paper to read. Instead of reading, I went to Starbucks and got coffee. A pot of coffee for one seemed like overkill. Back at home I settled in with breakfast and coffee and the paper. That was good for at least 20 minutes. The coffee helped cuz I am not quitting on the paper till coffee is done.

After ritual read and coffee I had a nice shower. With Emily gone I have very little to do. She is so good at finding mundane tasks for me. Must make her happy. I don’t know. Done with shower. What now? Well it is getting close to 9/15 Corp tax deadline. So I sat down and went to work on the half dozen tax returns I brought home. I got through 5 of them by noon. At noon I had a date.

So my friends Barb (same one) and Kirk grow grapes. They live about a mile from our old house. With grapes they make wine. Some of it is quite good. Some is scary. Whatever. And they make a lot of it. A lot. It’s quite an operation.

Today is the day they were pressing some of the fermented grapes. Only those that were ready. They measure residual sugar to determine readiness. Turns out enough was ready to get 120 gallons of wine. And that’s about 20% of what they will be pressing.

They have a wine press, quite large, into which we dump loads of the slurry, fermented grapes, and then use the hydraulic press to squeeze out every drop. Messy operation. What’s leftover is a dry cake of fermented grape which he can give to the pigs. And yes it does get them drunk. Which is also funny.

From the press, the juice is strained into five gallon jugs. These are labeled, corked with a bung in the top and placed on a shelf until they decide to barrel them up. Simple process. Of course, it’s simple to do, but making great wine is difficult.

We were at this from noon to 4. We did work at a relaxed pace. Which is about all I had in me for a Sunday.

I drive back home. I still had two returns to do. Maybe there were seven? Who cares. I knocked out the two. I had something to eat. I am going to the pet store and grocery store in a minute. Emily is not due back till 9pm.

THe pet store was awesome. Because I enjoy paying $105 for a bag of cat food and a bag of dog food. Both prescription. Both cost too god damn much. I hope someone pays for fancy food for me when my kidneys give out. I am not so sure about my kids.

At Winco, worlds best grocery store, I saw Mike Goetz. And I immediately knew I was going to be here awhile. He is a talker. World class champion of the verbal arts. Always a pleasure to see him and always a long conversation. No matter. Turns out he got a great deal on a 30 foot sailboat and had lots of pictures. And stories. And related items. Sounds like loads of fun. Makes me want a boat. Until I remember all the negatives of boat ownership. Then I know better. Anyway, had a nice, long talk. About 45 minutes. Then we parted. I got my groceries and got out in under 5 minutes. Wow.

I am home. Time to feed animals and me. Day has slowed a lot. That’s fine. I can sit and wait for Emily.

Leftover bbq pork chops tonight. With green beans in a spicy sauce. I am really hungry, not sure why. I am watching the green beans cook. I have a strange yet familiar feeling the food won’t last long. I eat quickly. I know what I’m doing.

I have been tracking Emily’s location on the internet. One good use for technology. She decided I should make her dinner tonight for when she arrives. I had thought 9pm is too late for dinner. Wrong again. So I had dinner waiting for her when she arrived. I am such a good wife. And she even noticed how good the pork chops were. Nice.

We got her unpacked and settled. She ate dinner. Complained about a few things. Told me a little about her trip while I concentrated in case it comes up again. Better to pay attention. She also made a few purchases while there. Stuff we can all do without. But I don’t tell her that because she wants us to like everything as much as she does. She really tries very hard.

It’s getting late. She is still up and moving around doing stuff. I need her to relax. Maybe I will give her some of that cbd oil she just bought. If it works I will give it to her several times a day. She wants me to try it as well. That sounds like a bad idea. Will see. Time for bed.