Jerry CGI+

Got the appointments made, both at the College Station hospital.

Consultation
Thurs Oct 5

Cryoablation
Mon Oct 30

Things have slowed down. Chores are still getting done, but not as quickly as usual. It’s not so much procrastination as it is lethargic. The need is not as needy. I typically do things before a deadline, and I still am, it’s just closer to the deadline. There is no dire sense of gravity to get it behind me. It’s a different out of mind, no longer bothered by the lack of progress prior to necessity, a willingness to coexist with the incomplete.

Part of that is the cooling temperatures. I can do things in the afternoon when it’s in the low 90s, whereas before, it was in triple digits. The house interior stays in the 80s. I have all day to tackle the chores, no longer constrained to the morning hours. And part of that is being on this side of the MRI, there is a tension of uncertainty that is gone (not completely, but to a degree, knowing there won’t be fully surgery with anesthesia and a hospital stay). And as I stated before, part is being tired from the slow medical pace. Part of it is just getting old. I’m not as spry as I was in my younger days. Part of it is out of a sense of caution, not wanting to aggravate the kidney.

I have filled my bucket list. I don’t feel that I need to achieve anything new to justify my existence. Granted, there are projects, like arranging the office, adding artwork to the website, and other stuff. But I have ample food, more fancy stuff than I need, I don’t have any further goals that need conquering. It’s just passing time as pleasantly as possible. I don’t need an edge that requires haste. Soon enough is soon enough.

This is not to say that I have become resigned. Just slower. It’s not difficult being lazy. There is a residual friction in life shifting from chronic intensive to slothful. But I’ve learned to deal with it. And when a lull comes along, I can just kick back and relax.

The spaghetti sauce was made today. And 100 g of pasta was boiled. Even though I hadn’t twirled a fork in 6 months, I didn’t miss a beat, even with a cover of shredded parmesan to obfuscate the strands. Another 5 servings to go.

It was sunny, with a relative humidity of 27% this afternoon, which is remarkable so soon after 2 days of heavy rain. High temp was 95°F, though it didn’t feel oppressive, as dry as it was.

I made the post-weekend store run this evening, a moderate load, $60. Replaced the sketti, parmesan, tamales, flautas, and kolaches, plus Mexican rice and Blue Bell HMV (strawberry puree to be thawed). I dropped off a bunch of bags for recycling. I also got another bag of ice.

I haven’t been very energetic lately. Part of it is the medical stress, making decisions on the results of stressful tests. I need to see the cardiologist to keep the meds going. I need a flu shot and one for RSV too. No phone call yet from the kidney procedure office. It’s a little demanding and leaving me a bit drained. I can do what is needed, but I’m not doing much more than that, and not quickly. It’s not depression, it’s mostly physical, just getting old. I do get a little down from facing the need and uncertainty with the freezing surgery. But it’s not persistent, it’s not self-pity, it’s just concern. Part of it is how prolonged the process is, waiting months for tests. It’s trying, and it drains energy, but it’s not intense. I’ll be glad when it’s over and no longer hanging over my head.

And there are other things that are bugging me. Government issues. Politics. Other things too. Someone was shot a short block over on Saturday, and I found out in the news. None are all that serious for me, but they add to the stresses. Growing old is not for sissies. Bette Davis

I am persevering. I still find reason to smile. And it doesn’t hurt to take it easy when there is no call for action.

It rained again yesterday, about the same amount as the day before, just not as noisy.

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But no rain today. The front blew through, high pressure clearing out the skies. Call it three inches total, though it could have been more.

I need to catch up on chores. And cook some spaghetti sauce.

It rained yesterday.

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The rain gauge said 1.5″, but the pots were filled about 3″ deep. Despite the heavy rain, there was no runoff, no rivulets. A light rain prior broke the dry seal that repels water, and the ground soaked like a sponge. The only runoff in the street gutters was what fell on the streets.

There was a fair deal of lightning. It got quite noisy. Myka hadn’t heard any since May, so she was on the sensitive side. She hid in her office niche and came out only after it had passed.

So, now that it has cooled down and gotten moist, I am ready to cook. But for the life of me, I can’t settle on what to cook first. There is a long list of favorite dishes that I want to eat, and what goes first changes hourly. I am in decision lock. Spaghetti, penne alfredo, jambalaya… Argh! I need to thaw something.

No medical call yesterday, nothing on MyChart. So it’s a free weekend. Back to the same ol’ same ol’, unless it rains, which it might. There is a mass to the west heading in this general direction. Could miss to the north, but hard to tell at the current range. I’ll know better once it crosses I-35.

Well, start with the big news. About an hour ago, I got to look at the MRI results, and Dr. Ruddell and I discussed the options. It definitely needs to be removed. The three options were kidney removal (hospital), tumor removal (hospital), and tumor freezing (outpatient). There were three factors that were critical in the decision. One was the closeness of the tumor to the blood vessel nexus (glomerulus), second was the aortic patch, and third was chance of recurrence of the tumor growth.

The tumor is in the best of all locations, middle of the kidney, outer edge. That makes access easier for saving the rest of the kidney. However, while most of the tumor is external to the kidney, it comes uncomfortably close to the glomerulus at one point. This was one issue with tumor removal, and it could have shifted tumor removal to kidney removal in real time during surgery.

Second, the renal artery is very close to the aortic patch, which would have complicated clamping off the blood flow to the kidney and other mid and post removal issues.

At that point in the discussion, I asked about the freezing procedure. The doctor thought that it would be safer and had a better chance of saving the rest of the kidney. His one negative is that it carries about a 10% increase in chance of recurrence. Surgery has visual certainty of full removal, freezing depends on CT scanning. But at my age (life expectancy), he figured that it wouldn’t be as big a factor as it would if I were 10 or 20 years younger. The Plusses, outpatient and no anesthesia. Cons, frequent CTs in the future.

So we came to the consensus that freezing the tumor would be the path to follow. Dr. Ruddell won’t be the surgeon, another department handles that. He will refer me, I’ll get a call.

The one observance that I didn’t bring up is that with the tumor being so close to the glomerulus, that is the physical point where it metastasizes when it reaches phase 3/4. That is the gamble I’m taking to buy a few years of kidney use.

So…

I made the pharmacy and grocery run afterwards. The stores were fairly crowded. Bread, chips, hotdogs, minis, popcorn shrimp, Myka treats, and wasp spray.

The yellow jackets on the porch by the door are persistent. They are starting their 4th nest. I got the tried and true 5 second nerve toxin. Let them try to make a 5th.

We had rain today, not a gusher, but it got wet. Maybe 0.1″, maybe 0.05″. More is coming imminently from the west. The sky has a reddish tint.

I am doing rather well. BP has been high, but I’m not surprised. It just read 105/70 @70. The intellectual/subconscious split never fails to amuse me. Otherwise, I can’t complain.

Now I can think of something to cook.

I managed to get some sleep and mitigated the stresses of yesterday’s venture. I didn’t get trash, laundry, or the ice bin tended yet. And Myka wants to be fed, but treats and ice water have held her at bay. Fortunately, none of the chores were dire, and I still have time to get them done. The sun will be up in a few hours, and they’ll be handled. There will be an ice and gas run early this morning, both in the immediate neighborhood. I’ll also get the Popeye’s in the freezer. No small morning, but no mountain either. But they need to get done this morning, at least the outdoor chores.

The chance of rain starts this afternoon and carries through to Sunday. NWS says 60 – 70% chance. Let it fall! Bring back the mud! Highs in the 80s, almost as difficult as rain is to visualize after this summer.

I am starting to wonder what to thaw. It’s still a little warm for beef stew, but spaghetti and jambalaya are quite suitable for a rainy week.

Had the MRI this morning. My first. All the online paperwork was good, nothing to fill out. The sternum, lungs, and ribs got a little on the warm side, not exactly comfortable. But I persevered the tube and the modulated flux for 20 minutes. An ideal patient. A lump. Breathed at all the right times. Follow up is Thursday, 2 pm, on S Day St. I hope I get to see it.

I think I bought my last batch of Popeyes chicken. Back at the end of April, I got a 16 piece mixed spicy in Bastrop, and it cost $35. The previous time in Navasota, I got the same box for $22. Well, $35 today. That is a 70% price increase, basically $2 a piece, across the board. Pretty expensive legs and wings. Oh well, at least this time I got the full 16 pieces. Maybe sometime I’ll get a piece or two for lunch on the road. No more big boxes for the freezer. (I have 3.6 birds now. The farewell dole.)

I need to go get gas. I drove about 85 miles plus a couple of store runs. 5, 6, maybe 7 gallons, less than half a tank. Not in a big hurry. I need to get trash out before I run errands. I got the check cashed at the drive through of the bank on the way there. Lobby wasn’t open then. I got more mid-range bills that I wanted, but it was the correct amount, so I didn’t fuss. The teller had vanished. I saw a branch right across from the hospital on SH 6 and Rock Prairie. Convenient.

I could use a nap. I had two biscuits and a leg (nibbles that Myka didn’t want.) I’m not particularly hungry. I could go either way.

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Nap it was…

The temperature this morning is 70°F. (Dew point 56°F on an east wind.) And after tomorrow, the highs look to be in the low 90s. We’re finally breaking through the extreme temps into more traditional temps for the season. Plus rain is forecast for the second half of this week.

The AC is off, at least for the moment, and the office is opened, window and door. Myka has ignored my “Window’s open”, so I had to succumb to “gecko” to get her attention to the window.

Tomorrow is my MRI run to College Station. It’s been a long wait, but there has been no cause for alarm, at least as far as my senses convey. Today is prep day, a long soak, check under the hood, etc. There will be a Popeye’s and a bank stop on the way back. Otherwise, an undistracted run., there and back, all business.

So I am on a quick fix diet, nothing with effort in prepping. When I get back, I’ll think about cooking for the rest of the week. Spaghetti, beef stew, and jambalaya have been jostling for priority in my imagination. For now, tamales and simple sandwiches, maybe chicken fajitas. I had personal pizza and pot pie yesterday, as fancy as it gets for now.

Not many chores this morning. The usual three, feed Myka, crabgrass, and ice bin. But until the sun rises, I’m just sitting here feeling the mild breeze across the desk.

The last precipitation here was a quarter of an inch on July 28. That is six weeks of brutal triple digit temperatures without any rain. And that ended an eight week dry spell, dating back to June 2. Fourteen brutal weeks with a total 1/4″ of rain. Needless to say, we are in an exceptional drought. Lake Somerville reached peak of 5 feet above full pool on May 18, and dropped to full pool on July 5. It’s currently at 4.7 feet below full pool. With the gates open to feed the Brazos River downstream for irrigation, it’s dropping about an inch a day.

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There was light rain on radar today, but I didn’t see any rain drops hit, so it must have been dry heat induced virga. Relative humidity is at 39%, wind from the Mexican desert. Clouds and a downdraft dropped the temp to the 80s for a while, but that was it. It climbed up to the current 97°F.

Despite the daily watering, Myka’s crabgrass is in decline. I’m sure part of that is sunlight contraction and nutrition limits, along with age of the plants, but that’s not all of it. I can see the leaves retracting growth and curling with discoloration from the heat. I made sure that there are more oat seeds available for the coming season.

I had pork tenderloin left over from the spud, so I made some seasoned rice with it. All gone now, Myka approved. Also finished the Popeye’s legs. Those I had to hide bones from Myka. An obsession. Sandwiches and tamales for the last of the triple digits (knock on mercury).

MRI on the horizon.

Yesterday, it got up to 103° at the airport. Ugh. At least it wasn’t worse. Won’t be any relief until Sunday. Three more days of it to come. I am ready, for the most part. I wiped out the milk recipes (gravy, risotto, tuna mac, cheese sauce), but there is still plenty to eat in the fridge. And there is a full loaf of bread. I’m ready for another warm spell. Never got unready.

I may go with the pork tenderloin/avocado spud this morning. I’m not sure why the avocado has remained so firm over the last week. I fear it was picked prematurely and will never ripen. But with or without the avocado, it will be brunch. The tenderloin is already diced.

Getting started on chores a little later than usual today. Part of that was sleeping so much last night. Part of that is just getting creaky in my old age. Things move slower, take longer. But they still manage to get done, bit by bit. But who is in a hurry? If it gets too warm, there’s always tomorrow morning. Only things left are laundry, spuds and the avocado showdown, and arranging the trash bins when recycling is emptied.

A week from now, I’ll probably know what’s what on the kidney.

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The avocado was ripe, maybe a day shy of perfect, but easily sliceable and edible. None of it was spoiled. So now it’s tacos, sandwiches, and tamales. And it looks like I’ll be sleeping this afternoon.

The extended weekend. An extra day to stay away from the crowded stores.

The high today is forecast for the upper 90s, a slight chance of rain. Dew point back up in the upper 70s from a coastal breeze. I don’t think it will get below 80°F this morning. Ugh.

The avocado that I got five days ago still isn’t ready, and it was moderately dark when I got it. Gravy, risotto, and chicken salad are still the primaries. Gravy will go with spuds, as the bread is down to half a loaf and needs to last until tomorrow for the chicken salad. Didn’t eat a whole lot yesterday.

Still handling the chores early and kicking back for the PM. Same ol’ same ol’.

Used the last of the milk to make cheese risotto. I also thawed a skinny end of pork tenderloin for the forthcoming avocado spud. (The avocado isn’t ripe yet.) So now the primaries are sausage gravy, chicken salad, and risotto. I also have a bag of Popeye’s chicken legs in the kitchen freezer (2 X 2 servings). I’m pretty much set for the weekend.

Pay day… Back on mad money, but not the usual amount I need to burn. Splurging (August hot day distractions, mostly from Apple App Store) and truck insurance made the dent. But now I don’t have anything on the shopping list, no reason to spend any of it.

Chores are done for the day. Time to begin the weekend lumpfest.

Last day of perhaps the hottest month I ever spent in Texas (aka, my whole life). Granted, I am usually a bit on the glad side to bid August farewell. And there are plenty of places in Texas and elsewhere that are hotter that what I experienced. But personally, I think this one tops them all. Zero rain this month. Lots of 40°C+ days. Too many slow cooldowns.

But I’m still here. I survived well. Food was quick and easy to fix. Plenty of ice. Cold sandwiches. Chores done before noon. Sleep in the afternoon. Not be in any hurry. Be a lump. Spend a little extra mad money on distractions.

Payday at midnight. I don’t need to leave the house until Tuesday (after Labor Day). Kitchen is stocked. Nothing on the shopping list. I am parked. No shortage of distractions. Don’t need to spend any of it.

Idalia kicked the upper level high back at us, so it’s warming to around 100°F in the afternoons. Not as bad as 108°F, but still warm. Still in good lumping form.

Gravy got made this morning. I had a full serving on bread. A fairly busy morning. I grabbed more minis, got ice, filled bin, broke up two bottoms for Myka, one zip back in the top loader. Dishes. Watered crab grass. Horde water. Unloaded truck. Fed Myka. Ice water for Myka. Made gravy. Put gravy away, rinsed pan. Watched city cherry pickers trim trees for electric lines out front.

Other than that, same ol’ same ol’.

Well, in a different plane of existence. The 40°C days are gone, the mornings are lasting longer, the dew point is lower, yesterday’s high was a balmy 97°F. It had a distinctly different quality to it. It’s 11 am and it’s not 90°F yet. I’ve been waiting for months in anticipation to feel it. The first tick in the end of summer.

However, it is a mixed feeling. The extra clothes, the bath tub cushions, shorter days, all the cold weather needs. Blech. At least I have my leg warmer and alpaca. Five months…

Not too revved up yet. It’s still on the warm side. But I am starting to think of what I’ve done without this summer. Spaghetti, jambalaya, penne alfredo, stew, bulk up the freezer. Well, I still have plenty in the freezer to eat. Maybe I’ll get my appetite back. I need to do something with the milk. Gravy?

I guess I’ll make a store run tomorrow morning. It will be a new sales cycle, though nothing on either week is grabbing my attention.

The forecast says that we are done with temps above 40°C (104°F). There may be a few triple digits yet, but not as intense as we have been seeing this summer. Not only that, but it points to lows in the low 70s this week. But alas, it seems that this August will go down without any rainfall. Some came close last night, but no cigar.

It’s hard to visualize the end of this streak that started in May. It was a long summer, the number of days that saw triple digits was no doubt a record. It sits on 2009 and 2011 without mercy. And everything is still in that mode. The wind will have to turn around, temps drop, schedules change. There is an intellectual relief, but the core still needs convincing. Too soon.

The daylight hours are shrinking at a noticeable pace, morning and evening. The sunlight no longer lights up the sun catchers in the late afternoon, or glares the room. The solar recession is in progress.

It was a warm weekend, 107°F and 108°F. I didn’t stir much. I took care of chores in the mornings and spelunked in the afternoons. Finally making a bit of a dent in the fridge, been slow going. Tamales are gone. One more pulled pork sandwich to go. I got the tuna mac made, but the kitchen hasn’t seen much occupation this weekend. Even the snack drawer hasn’t seen much action. Lumping doesn’t take much fuel.

I will need to wash the household alpaca poncho. It’s been airing out all summer, odor not an issue, but it no doubt needs a decent bath before it cools off. The bathroom has just been too warm to do it.

I guess I should pat myself on the back for having the patience to sit out this summer safely.

Next Friday is August 1st. I am hoping that the long rage forecast is correct, and September ushers in days with highs around 100°F, instead of around 106°F. They are both hot, but 100°F takes less time to cool down at night and stays cooler longer in the morning. It’s after midnight and still around 90°F.

Getting by okay. Movies, youtube, news, etc. are distraction enough. Plenty to eat, but not much appetite. Getting lots of sleep, trying to target the afternoon, but it’s scattered. I might try to make the cheese sauce if I can stay awake tonight.

Today was day 82 in my consecutive days of rendering at NightCafe. They offer 5 free credits for every five consecutive days. So that’s 80 extra credits thus far. I currently have 2,170 credits on my account. I am going to continue the consecutive day series until I reach 100 days (100 credits). Then I’ll drop it. I have been using clever prompts, “Swirling dervishes”, “Lonesome glove”, “Barking dogs never cite”, “Pro bono phono”, “Crackling crackers”, “Superfluous superfluidity”, “Perplexing reflection”, “Isometric ethics”, “Infiltration elation”, “Silo de Milo”, “Manic sloth”, “Preposterous persiflage”…

Had a day in the high 90s, 98° at the airport, thanks to Harold.  Forecast says we have another week of the hard stuff before it breaks.  I’ll trust that more as it gets closer. Not a whole lot going on.  Movies, youtube, news, games…

It was trash day, but I zonked out hard this morning before I got the chores done.  So it was a tad warm when I finished the chores and got the trash and recycling in the bins.  It was one of those days where sleep controlled the activity.

And I got a store run in this evening.  Bread, butter, flautas, minis, paper bowls.  I’m good for a while.  Tamales, boudin, and pulled pork are the top billings.

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I found a new driving video on youtube that was of Gatesville, TX.  It’s where my dad’s parents and sister lived.  I visited many times in the 50s and 60s.  My grandparents’ house was remodeled on the exterior, a sliding door added where there was once a swamp cooler.  A little shocking compared to the way the house originally was.  But the big shock was to find my aunt and uncle’s house next door was gone, taken down, the basement filled.  Being on Main St, it will be a business soon enough.

I found an image of the house in the video, and there was a glimpse on Google maps from the rear, but that was obscured by the massive double oak in the middle of the yard.  The front view on Google map is leveled dirt.  My grandparents had one lot, and my aunt had two lots, a dog run with two driveway entrances on parallel streets, the empty lot next to my grandparents’ house.  It was a big place for a kid, but going back in the 90s, it seemed to have shrunk considerably.

My aunt’s house was unique, it had a sandstone front, which was popular in the town in the 20s and 30s.  Someone made a living out of it, and everyone wanted in on it.  The rock is plentiful for the grabbing in the area.  Cheap, thermally superior, sound damping.  The back of the house was wood, and it was quite a structure.  It had a large main floor, four large bedrooms, living room, dining, den.  There was a 12 foot ceiling and tall windows.  Rear entrance was a 10’ concrete stairway with steel rails.  There was a large crawl space beneath, plus a basement on the rear side.  The property sloped from the street to the rear, so the rear side face was considerably larger than the front.  There were other structures, work shop, garage, storage, big carport.  It had a charm like no other house I’ve known.  Sad to see it gone.

My uncle was on disability from the army, and he trot lined the Leon River for catfish.  There were a lot of fish fries.  My aunt was a seamstress, she made a quarter of the prom dresses for the high school, and wedding gowns.  So it was a bit of a public house.  Two boys, and the youngest a girl, my cousins.  It was family.  Central Texas cooking, enough food for everyone, everyone ate their fill.  Green beans, corn,  potatoes, gravy, dinner rolls, black eyed peas.  A lot of the veggies came from the garden, picked within the hour, pod to pot fresh.  The cooks were not permitted to wash dishes.

So I had a nostalgia reality check.  But I still have the nostalgia and childhood memories.

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Myka was hungry for her wet food.  Most of it is gone.  She has been working on the kibble test.  The novel flavor had a good start, but as of now, the old tried and true has a slight edge over the new stuff.  It’s also the most expensive, which means I’m not surprised.  The Temptations seafood is getting no action at all.  Time will tell.

I have duties tomorrow to put up the horde at 10 am while the neighbors are gone for part of the day.  Dixie passed away in a vet’s care recently, so two dogs and one cat make up the horde now.

No complaints.  Life rolls on.

I received the four book collection of B Kliban’s cartoons. I am blown away by the condition. Cat is second edition, 1975. The other three are first editions (1976, 1977, 1978). The only detraction from the condition is a little aging on the sides, barely noticeable, and a couple of tiny brown dots on one of the covers. Otherwise, they are mint. Each book originally sold for $3, making the set $12 (+$1 sales tax). Inflation would have made the set go for $65 (+ $6 sales tax) without profit or storage fee. I got them for $26 + $2 tax. What a steal! I am quite tickled. (Wacka wacka.)

So now I have Edward Gorey, MK Brown, and B Kliban hard collections, my favorite 70s National Lampoon trio. (Vaughn Bodé I have in PDF.) I am a happy puppy.

Not much else is noteworthy. I finished off the potato salad, one more chicken salad sandwich to go. Pulled pork will be the next priority in the fridge. Tuna mac will join the lineup. Risotto too. Tamales. Add the aloha dinner rolls.

All told, things are going well. Myka and I are being lazy, as is appropriate for this weather. Chores are getting done in the mornings. There aren’t many, as I’m not making many messes. Plenty of distractions to eat time.

I made a store run this morning to grab the missing items in the stock for the weekend. It was a 2 item list, so I embellished. Dinner rolls, pizzas, mixed veggies, shredded parmesan, milk. I’m thinking a cheese sauce for tuna mac and spuds. Myka will appreciate the TJ.

So I’m ready to hunker for the weekend. Summer isn’t over yet. I will have the horde in my care for Saturday night. Dixie is boarded for meds, so just the three.

I diced a couple of baby back ribs for spud/gouda/avocado. The avocado should be ripe now, a tad early maybe, but far enough. But everything is prepped and ready for when I am. I had a kolache for breakfast, so it won’t be that long. Pulled pork, chicken salad, and potato salad are the following priorities. Tamales, brats, dogs, pate, and boudin are ready to follow that. With help from the freezer, it should get me through the rest of the month.

Plenty of distractions to get me through the rest of the summer.

Yesterday was a slight break in the weather, and it’s in the 70s tonight. I had to turn the AC down (warmer) a bit, back toward the traditional setting. The high is forecast for 105°F today. The break didn’t last long.

I got an avocado, and it’s getting close. I’m thinking diced baby back rib and gouda on a spud. Also thinking pulled pork sandwiches. Just pulled a pack of each and some boudin from the top loader. Cold fingers…

I ordered a used boxset of B. Kliban’s four cartoon books. It would round out my National Lampoon favorite cartoonists collections (Edward Gorey, MK Brown). The covers in the photo on Amazon looked good. The price was right. They’re due Tuesday from Illinois.

Part of Myka’s crabgrass got pulled by the yard crew. They should have known, it being green and not totally wilted. At least they left some. It won’t be too long before it’s oats season again.

Still not being too active. Getting the chores done, but not going any extra miles. No sense in it.

80°F, dew point – 79°F, relative humidity – 98%. Misery, pure misery.

Was not a fun store run this morning. I got three cat food dispensers. One for 9 Lives (Sparky and horde) and one each for the two new Temptation kibbles (bbq and seafood). They park next to the Friskies Ocean Delight.

I also got a loaf of bread, Reese’s Pieces, chicken salad, an avocado, provolone, minis, and chips. Not a big run, but it ate most of the mad money. I wasn’t going to get another chicken salad, but I did anyway. It’s a little pricey, but the weather has suppressed my appetite, so $2 sandwiches on a hot day. I can live with that.

I was thinking of making eggs ackley, but I’m not cooking this morning. Even Myka is hiding in the office full time. Not fit for cat nor beast.

Got a stack of movies to watch.

The only run this Friday morning was for a bag of ice from the self-serve. Nothing was needed from the stores. The kitchen is stocked too well for my meager summer appetite. A full loaf of bread, ample tortillas. Working on chicken salad and smoked turkey/provolone. Plenty to follow when those vanish. I’m not thinking of thawing anything at this point. (Well, maybe some Popeye’s, but that isn’t traditional sink thawing.)

I’m ready for the weekend. Forecast high is for 106°F today. A passive (lumpin’) schedule is planned.

Truck insurance just got paid. The bill posting is three weeks earlier with the new agent. I paid it 7 weeks ahead of time, instead of a month prior. That puts mad money at $82, but it shaves the debit off next month’s tally. And this August is better shaved than September. Heat suppressed spending and no medical costs this month. And the base balance (below mad money) is still available if needed.

There hasn’t been any relief in the weather. 105°F at the airport today. Next drop in temp is about ten days away, with a forecasted chance of rain. (10 days away in a forecast is equivalent to wishful thinking.) Office is 83°F, about as cool as it gets under these conditions. The fans help.

I haven’t spent much time in the kitchen today. Kolache, chicken salad sandwich, ice cream. Smoked turkey/provolone will be next.

Got a list of movies to watch.

I made a store run last night. Got Myka a bag of kibbles and 15 cans of wet food. I also got (on impulse) a bag of Temptations BBQ kibbles, my first encounter with them. They also have poultry and seafood. I put a few on the floor for her, and they vanished in a flash. She had that instant nose to wide eye response, so I added more to her double food bowl. We’ll see which wins.

I also got another tub of chicken salad. It’s a little pricey, but so is so much else at the stores. Another loaf of bread. Myka got the bear’s share of the run.

There is not much else happening. I have a couple of minor chores to do. The rest is up to me. Been in touch with friends, they’re all doing what I’m doing, hunkering and waiting for autumn. Old habits we have shared for decades on end.