Meandering on the Way — June 27 to July 8, 2025

Friday, June 27th

We went up to Portland today and shopped at the Columbia Sportswear Employee store. Our friend J had given E a one-time pass to go in and buy stuff for the same price that Columbia employees pay. E got a fleece jacket and some pants that she needed while M got a jacket and a pair of hiking pants that he sorta, maybe needed.

All prices in the store are 40% or 50% off. Off of what exactly? That’s hard to say. They have a great selection though, and we had a good time.

We also had fun at our next stop: Kitchen Kaboodle, a venerable kitchen/home store that we hadn’t visited in years. We got some new cotton napkins and E got herself an apron. On our way home we stopped at our favorite shoe store at Bridgeport Village. No luck there, but we were tired. Three things in one day are probably too much for us old folks.

Wednesday, July 2nd

M’s Jaguar F-Type has been gone for a couple weeks now, having been sold down the river to Carmax. It was a wonderful car–fast, luxurious, and reliable. We both loved it. So why is it gone? Mostly because this seems to be M’s pattern. (E comments that she’s glad M doesn’t change wives as often as he changes cars.) In this case, one of his rationales was that the Jag didn’t really fit in the garage and had to be stored offsite at considerable expense. Also, its very expensive tires were not getting any younger. And, its very expensive brakes were giving an occasional hint of a warped rotor somewhere.

So what’s next? We don’t know. Could M survive without a sports car for a while, maybe a long while? And what about E? If M didn’t have a nice car, would she have to dump him and look for a partner who could provide for her properly? That would be awkward.

So today, in an attempt to deal with the situation, M went up to Portland to look at Mazda Miatas. He’d had one before and liked it. In fact that was the car that he had when E married him. But what he found today was that the time for a Miata has passed. Yes, a Miata would fit into the garage. And no, a Miata is not too hard to get into and out of, even at our age. But the ride quality is for younger people. Plus it has almost no power at all. M sees no clear way forward.

Thursday, July 3rd

Tertulia at Coffee People with J, after which we went home and attacked the garden. The garden is having a visitor tomorrow and we’ve been trying to make it look presentable. Nice weather for gardening: sunny but cool with 60’s in the morning, 70’s in the afternoon.

Friday, July 4th

E’s friend B came over in the morning and had her garden tour. She came bearing gifts: two Aucoba japonica starts. These will join the ones we have in the shady back corner.

Saturday, July 5th

Got the Aucobas into the ground.

Sunday, July 6th

Well! Oddly enough, the guy down the street has parked his little sports car out on his front lawn. It’s for sale.

The weather has turned hot. We only work in the garden early in the morning.

Monday, July 7th

Chores and shopping. We notice that the little car is gone from the owner’s front lawn. Sold already?

Tuesday, July 8th

Jam making day! E headed out to the Peoria farm market to get a flat of raspberries. On her way she noticed that the little car is back and is still for sale. She stopped at Bi-Mart and texted M to go check it out. When she got back, M said it was time for her to look at it too.

After that, E got on to the important work of making a couple of batches of jam–a total of fourteen and a half jars.

Meanwhile M occupied his time by poking around the Internet boning up on older BMW M cars and processing the lengthy history and features of this one:

Eventually he bought it because, you know, it fits in the garage. Also, the price was right.