Monday, June 14 Deaths 2,730 (+0) New cases 127
It’s nice to start the week with good news on the COVID front: no new deaths and a relatively low number of new cases.
Shopping in the morning: E to the Co-op, M to Market of Choice and Trader Joe’ . Around 10:30, when the weather cleared, M went out to attend to the weakest section of the front rain gutter. Armed with drill, hammer, spikes and ferrules, up the ladder he went. A titanic struggle ensued, but finally success was won and that which was weak is now strong(ish). M found that some gutter cleaning was also in order. Messy work, but satisfying.
In the afternoon we had a visit from R who showed up in a new Honda Accord, a very nice car. M approves the choice and says that R and G’s former car, a Honda Fit, did not actually ‘fit’ with R’s personality.
Tuesday, June 15 Deaths 2,737 (+7) New cases 314
So E went to two different doctors today and found both visits quite helpful. She also visited the jewelry store–which required making an appointment in advance. She decided to reward herself by having a Bodhi’s scone for lunch along with a banana. That lunch was delicious but also a little rich for her system. Bohdi’s scones are that way. She then went for a walk in the OSU forest, went downtown again to trade her five pound dumbbells for some four pound dumbbells, and finally returned home and announced that she was hungry and that we needed to eat at 4:30. Too bad, said M, our slow cooker meal will not be done until 5:30. Somehow she managed to wait and was rewarded with a dish that the vegetarian slow cooker cookbook calls Arroz Con Pollo. Of course it has no pollo, and instead has a host of other things including chick peas, carrots, green beans, bell peppers, tomatoes, olives and fresh salsa. M, who was the one who got to put it all together, calls it Arroz Con Todo. Anyway, he served it with chard and a California cabernet to rave reviews.
Before serving up that delicious meal, M spent most of the day on a Porsche trip to the an area southwest of Eugene where some of the forest roads are paved. They are also narrow, winding (see below) and mainly empty. At one point M drove for an hour without seeing another moving vehicle. All told, he was gone five hours. The day was warm and beautiful, with lots of sun punctuated with the occasional sudden, drenching shower. The Porsche top went up and down three or four times.
Wednesday, June 16 Deaths 2,744 (+7) New cases 247
We took a short hike today, up in the Dunn Forest, just a mile up and a mile back on Road 420. We climbed the equivalent of eight floors, or so our phones tell us. Back home M started planning for next week’s camping trip. He wants to buy an air mattress. They have really nice ones now.
Our camping destination is the Owyhee River canyon in southeastern Oregon. The river got its name in 1819, when two Hawaiian fur trappers working for the North West Fur Company were killed there. Company administrators decided to name the river in their honor. “Owyhee” is how Captain James Cook spelled the “native name” of the Hawaiian islands when he first made report of them in 1778. His spelling persisted for most of a century but was eventually replaced by the one we use now.
Here in 2021, E zipped down to the OSU Thrift Shop and bought a couple of sherry glasses that she had had her eye on. The two glasses were identical, obviously part of a set, but one was marked $3.00 and the other was marked $1.00. The volunteer who was staffing the cash register decided that $2.00 for the pair would be fine. Now if we only had some sherry.
Thursday, June 17 Deaths 2,745 (+1) New cases 300
Tertulia on J and R’s deck this morning. J had made chocolate chip scones; R made cappuccinos. Excellent all around. We got to see the progress on their new addition–a main floor master bedroom with bath and an adjoining deck. So far the foundations and subfloors are done, along with the framing for the exterior walls. Today was interior wall framing day. Roof trusses arrive next Monday. We also got to see their five-year old granddaughter, who did not wish to socialize but instead watched us from afar. Maybe next time.
Next up came hair appointments. M went to see his favorite barber, who is harder and harder to find these days because he is focusing more on his other career as a house painter. E, whose long-time stylist retired, went to try out a new person. Decidedly mixed results. Nice cut, strange color.
After lunch it was off to Portland to buy an air mattress and some camp food at REI and look for shoes at the New Balance Store. Success in the first case, no luck with the latter.
M provided take-out dinner from Tacovore. Our order included a generous glass of Tacovore’s own virgin margarita mix, which we deflowered by adding our own ice and t’kill ya. Yum.
Friday, June 18 Deaths 2,750 (+5) New cases 315
Big doings today, we’ve invited H and daughter T for dinner. We thought we might eat outside on the patio, so E spent a lot of time bringing table and chairs out of hibernation and generally spiffing up the area. She was also corresponding with the Extension Office about what’s wrong with our poor sick lilacs. M did a bit of garden work and then rummaged around in the camping equipment that hasn’t been used for ages. We need to sort out what’s relevant to our upcoming trip and what is not. As for dinner prep, we already had a couple of main courses prepared (one by M and one by E) and H had promised to bring a salad, but what about dessert? E decided on chocolate mousse, to be served in demitasse cups. This latter method has the advantage that the cups are so small that accepting a second helping seems quite natural. It is required, really, out of simple courtesy. In the end we had a lovely evening and appreciated being able to socialize in person with good friends.
Saturday, June 19 Deaths 2,753 (+2) New cases 289
We did trip planning and equipment sorting, then continued on with list making. This camping thing seems to require so much preparation. Was it always that way? Later E went foraging out in the country to get eggs and then paid a visit to Natural Grocers. M went to Bi-Mart to secure a sufficient stock of dark chocolate M&M’s. E also found time to issue a Zoom invite to her siblings. Soon it was time to make a flying visit to Albany and pick up our online order from Ba’s Vietnamese Comfort Food. They make these wonderful noodle salad dinner bowls, a meaty one and a vegan one, either being just right for a warm evening.
Sunday, June 20 Deaths 2,754 (+1) New cases 200
Took a walk in the OSU forest this morning. Quite beautiful. It seems like early summer now, with clear skies and lots of sun. Thankfully, the severe heat is still to the south of us, in California and Nevada. For now, even in the desert where we plan to go camping next week, the forecast is for highs mostly in the eighties.
We had a good Zoom meeting with brothers J and J. (Hard to tell those two apart, isn’t it?) They are well. J the younger showed us a present he got for Father’s Day, a wooden nameplate to be attached to his newly built cottage at the lake. Pine Ledge will be its name. E showed the sibs a freeze-dried ice cream sandwich, one of two that we just acquired.
The garden is in fine fettle. So far, only the grass is heat stressed. We have to announce that the most successful plant in our yard was not actually planted by us. It’s a giant sunflower, which we have accepted even though we did not invite it. It’s already seven feet tall and if you look closely, you can see that it appears to be hosting of its own ecosystem. Here’s a pic of the one of the top predators.
