life in the old lane

Ignoring the stock market. Not easy. Ignoring what’s happening or not at the shit show 7 miles to the east of The Old Bat Cave. Also ignoring The Asylum’s plans to renovate our public spaces. That’s the only thing that I can safely ignore. (1) They are going to do whatever they are going to do. (2) I might be dead even before they get started. (3) They are not going to eliminate the saloon. 

Bleeding hearts are fun to photograph but they are only around for a week or two every spring.

Just looked at the market close. Not pretty. A quarter mil here a quarter mil there. After a while that adds up to real money. Quarter mil is about what it costs to fuel one of the Billionaire Boyz yachts.

Grateful that Greenland welcomed me several summers ago. I am too old to be a soldier of fortune, but if Greenland needs help. They can count on me.

Grateful to the voters in Wisconsin and Florida who showed up and voted for good, not evil, yesterday.

Grateful for Senator Booker. Thank you, sir, for hope.

America needs help. I am too old to take to the streets. Age will slow me. Age will not stop me.

First, 20 hours into his speech which technically isn’t filibuster Cory Booker is fucking awaresome:

“I don’t want a Disneyfication of our history! I don’t a whitewashed history, I don’t want a homogenized history. Tell me the wretched truth about America, because that speaks to our greatness”

On a day when 10,000 Health Service workers are fired, we need a lot more Cory Bookers.

I shall not whine about being tired.

Second,  for the next couple of hours, “my” volcano might be pretty cool. At this instant the south vent is over 200 meters. 

Unless DOGE closes Volcanoes National Park and takes the camera away. 

Looking for something happy to report.

• • I might have serious hayfever or an old-fashioned cold. But, I don’t have Covid.
  • “Death Cleaned” a couple of drawers today. I have 12 huge drawers. Things get shoved to the back never to be seen again. Things went to the trash. 
  • It didn’t rain today. Yet. Rain tonight would be nice.
  • I haven’t killed anyone today. Yet.

Didn’t walk too much today. But, I walked far enough to find a Tesla.
Mostly I slumped around bitching about hay fever. And guess what? That didn’t help a bit. Hoping that Flonase will kick in.

This is a happy thing, I think this orchid might survive. It needs to produce a new leaf or two. But roots are more important at this instant. All of the rest of my orchids are either blooming or have buds. 10 orchid plants I believe.

Magnolias are always fun. But, I must admit the old SLR cameras took better magnolia photographs.

 

The day got off to a lazy start.
I looked out the window, drank coffee, and admired my sock drawer.

During breakfast, this racket started through out the building. 

Most everyone but not me “took cover.” Hey, I didn’t want to miss any excitement. More importantly, I didn’t want my eggs to get cold. There was no excitement, just annoyance. Construction workers set off the alarm.

Went back to the Old Bat Cave and the racket started again.  I looked all over my room. Didn’t see any intruders. Armed or not. 

So, I went for a nice 4 mile walk. By the time I got home, the construction crew had stopped work, which stopped the noise. 

 

Just looked at my investment portfolio. Not good. Fortunately, it’s Aloha Friday. And Happy Hour.

Sorta slumped around today. I got as much cardio as I thought I needed. But not as much as my watch figured I should get. Did my laundry. Everyone on my floor seemed to be doing laundry today. But it’s done, and the totally winter clothes are stashed away until October. And the totally summer/Hawai’i clothes are out. 90% of my clothes are year-round. I simply wear more of them in the winter.

And the 10-year spring cleaning continues. I found a pair of “backup” fins. I officially retired from snorkeling and serious open-ocean swimming last December. I no longer need fins. Especially backup fins. The fins will be donated. 

Also found an expensive “handbag”. Here’s the deal. If it costs over $250, it’s a handbag. If you got it from your mother, it’s a pocketbook. Otherwise, it’s a purse. This thing is a handbag. The handbag will be donated. 

Later: Happy Hour was good.

Note to young people: Make sure your elderly person’s asylum has a bar where you can run a tab.

I ordered up an Uber this morning. And what should arrive but a Tesla. I did not cancel. I rode. Did notice several disapproving stares. And the driver said he has gotten some negative comments recently. He also added that his Tesla was too old for Uber Black. So, that makes it a pre-Covid model. I followed my overtip rule.

The Uber was summoned to take me to visit a friend who is incarcerated in an InPatient Rehab unit. I enjoyed the rehab camellias while waiting for my return Uber. I didn’t get another Tesla. I got the usual Toyota. I over-tipped this driver as well.

The last challenge of the day was photographing a friend for his 60th med school graduation reunion. I always get stressed when taking pictures of people because I want them to look good.

And some charming photos from Zillow.

Okay, enough of this “roots” trip via Google Street View and Zillow.

Gratitude

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Grateful to have made it out of West Texas.

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I wonder how many more of my kid-time are online for my viewing horror.

Went back to VHC for in-person yoga this noon. And since it was a fine glorious afternoon, I walked to Ballston and took the bus home. That got me 2.5 miles of walking and some good cardio.

I am not a fan of exercise. However, these days I exercise because I can not because it need to. It is a blessing to walk 2.5 miles without pain or effort on a nice spring day.

A friend here at the Asylum had a serious accident while off-site. It was the kind of accident where they cut your clothes off of you in the Emergency Department. She was patched up and is being dispatched to another facility for rehab. She has no clothes. Just a set of hospital scrubs. We will organize a panty raid into her apartment and take her some necessities.

So, think about this people. What would your friends uncover if they had to come into your private space and find all those things that are required. Undies, electronics, chargers, cables, shoes, jammies, personal grooming products, Levis, shirts, socks, etc. I think I would just order all new stuff delivered to the rehab place from Amazon Prime. Assuming, of course, I managed to get my phone charged.

—Just for giggles I asked AI to improve what I wrote—

Exercise and I have a complicated relationship. Let’s just say I’m not naturally inclined towards it. But lately, I’ve found a new appreciation for movement. A simple 2.5-mile walk on a crisp spring day? It’s not a chore; it’s a gift. A blessing, even.

That perspective hit home hard this week. A friend here at the Asylum was involved in a serious off-site accident. The kind where emergency responders have to cut away clothing. She’s thankfully on the mend, but now faces rehab in another facility, stripped of her personal belongings. All she has are hospital scrubs.

Naturally, we’re organizing a ‘panty raid’ – a mission to gather her necessities from her apartment. Undies, chargers, comfort items, the works. It got me thinking…

What would your friends find if they had to rummage through your space, piecing together your life essentials? Think about it: the unseen foundation of our daily routines – the chargers, the comfortable shoes, the favorite pajamas, the personal care items, the reliable jeans. It’s a sobering reminder of how much we take for granted.

Honestly, if I were in her shoes, I’d probably just hit ‘Prime’ on Amazon and send a care package to the rehab center. Assuming, of course, I could find a way to charge my phone.

It’s a stark reminder that sometimes, the ability to do something as simple as walk or access our belongings is a privilege, not a given. Cherish those moments, and maybe, just maybe, keep your phone charger handy.

—It’s “better” but it’s not me—

Feeling a little down today. My trigeminal neuralgia is letting me know that it’s still around. For a few days I hoped it was gone for a while. And, it’s damp and gray. Not my kind of weather.

I didn’t make much progress in my 10-year Spring Cleaning project today. I could only rouse myself enough to attack a small wooden bowl that held jewelry bits and pieces. All that remains is my diamond ring, Carlton’s wedding ring, and Carlton’s company tie-tack.  

Last Monday  an Asylum resident stood up to DOGE. He was fired and escorted out of his office building by men with guns. His car is still in that office building’s garage. His wife doesn’t want him to return to the building so she is going try to get his car out of the building garage.  Most likely easier said than done, but old people are tough. 

Normal Sunday for this Old Bat. Still working, little by little on my 10-year spring cleaning project. Today’s targets: my greeting card box, over the microwave cabinet, over the fridge cabinet. My rule is: everything comes out and at least one thing is not allowed back in. This is not a serious “declutter” exercise. Just a question: Why do I have this? I have gotten rid of all manner of weird things. And most of the stuff ended up in the trash. Very little is good enough for the thrift shop.