Author: Peg

My “get ready to go away 2Do List” was ready and waiting for me this morning.

Mostly, I got the Old Bat Cave ready for guests who will be staying while I am away. And some things just needed doing anyhow. Stuff like washing the blankets. 

The Asylum’s high command is taking a public stand against 47’s immigration policies. Public as in Politico and NY Times. I hope this doesn’t end up with us losing our not-for-profit status or bring ICE down on our home. 

The Episcopal Church isn’t doing anything to appease 47. Good. 

And how about the Ukrainian Air Force? It’s a little like Pearl Harbor when the Japanese took out our battleships. Not that I think it’s the beginning of WW3. It means the reign of the strategic bomber is well and truly over. 

Interesting times. I could do with a little boredom and the same old, same old.

Birthday Party tonight. Peach Pie and Ice Cream. Wine. Coffee. Snarky Cards. All Good.

Did some laundry. Folded some paper. Walked very little. Watered the orchids. Read some. Major lazy day.

And it’s June already. And only 1328 more days of 47. Decided that I am too old to make it to Dead & Co in SF in August. Micky Hart isn’t too old to play, but I’m too old to watch. The reality of old age sucks. 

I couldn’t even trouble myself enough to take a new photo. The day started out fine. Then a rain squall. Now, it seems to be working its way back to fine again. Bizarre May weather.

Today’s accomplishment: took a backpack full of stuff to the thrift shop. AND. Bigger accomplishment: I didn’t buy anything. The backpack came home empty.

A 30-liter backpack load of stuff doesn’t sound like much. But every little bit helps. The Old Bat’s Cave is small, and the Old Bat is old. Döstädning is very real.

When you live in The Asylum, you know what happens to your stuff when you are gone. Decades ago, I read that you should only leave four neatly labeled boxes behind. Not aiming for that, but it’s a good reminder.

Since the backpack was out, I started thinking about the cruise. Complicated by an 18-year-old travel companion. Don’t want to embarrass her. I have ZERO formal clothes, no white for “White Night” (not even undies!), and my “tropical” is a raggedy jeans skirt and an old t-shirt. Solution: one black dress. It’s doing it all – formal, white, tropical, and everything else. Nine nights. One dress. 

The bad news is: DC is still there, along with the regular cast of clowns.

Today’s accomplishment. I broke the 17-minute mile. Completed one mile around the outside of the building in 16 minutes and 45 seconds. When I started this new “Be Fit Enough to Protest in DC” campaign on April 2, I was at about a 20-minute mile.

It’s actually a bit frustrating. I have improved my cardio fitness to the extent that I have to walk faster and up more hills to get my heart rate up. On the other hand, this is a pretty good old woman problem.

It’s Aloha Friday. No work ’til Monday. Monday, I have to get ready to go on this cruise. 

My plan is to spend time in a comfy deck chair in the shade reading a book. The time in Bermuda is Saturday and Sunday. The ferry schedule is reduced. And many shops are closed on Sunday. But, what do I want/need to buy in Bermuda? Nassau. Been there. Done that. No need to get off the boat. And CoCoCay is a huge waterpark. When we went to Canada (NOT) last fall, I got off and inspected CoCoCay.

Royal Caribbean has such a deal for me. That’s twice what I paid for the entire trip, including a whopping single supplement. 

That’s the deal with these American cruise lines. The ticket to ride and 3 meals a day is reasonable enough. They make their money by selling other stuff. I treated myself to one extra on this trip – WiFi.  $152.91  Works out to about $20 a day.  Oh, and I will pay extra to eat at the sushi restaurant on board. 

It will be fun. Going with one of the Asylum family, her daughter, and her granddaughter. We will not be hanging out together 24/7. 

And, a plant that I thought died last year has reappeared. It’s not very big. But, it’s alive and growing leaves.

Got several little problems solved today. And, finished up some bookkeeping tasks. Nothing major. Just little “stuff”.

And, a week from today, I should be on a ship heading down the Chesapeake Bay en route to Bermuda and Nassau.

This is a dilemma. Do I toss this origami paper that’s 8.5 x 8.4375 inches, or do I keep it and let it annoy me every single time I use it? Leaning towards the recycle bin. Life’s too short for out-of-square origami paper!

Not pleased with the dinner options tonight. Thinking I’ll have wine (it’s free wine night), coffee, and bread pudding. Sort of a “plant forward” meal. Grapes, beans, and wheat! 

Rainy and chilly today. Really not complaining about either condition however. Plenty of time for hot humid sticky weather over the next 3 months. No problem wearing my winter sweatshirt after Memorial Day.

I announced that I had gotten my “GoodShot” keyword coded photos all fixed. I was wrong. But, this isn’t a real problem. Just an Old Woman Problem. And, if I want the keywords back, then I must root around my 77,817 photos library. And that is actually fun.

This is a bad photo. It shouldn’t have been saved. It was so bad that I hadn’t even put a Carlton keyword on it. But, today, 22 years after I took the photo, 11 years after Carlton died – this photo grabbed me.

It is so very Carlton. He is coming out of the ocean at Hapuna after body surfing, pulling up his Birdies.. He loved body surfing. You can see how tan he is. No wonder he died of skin cancer. But, he wouldn’t have changed a thing. Maybe he would have worn a rashie, but I doubt it. He didn’t wear a bike helmet either. 

a hui hou my friend a hui hou

The May 28 header is from last winter – Kailua Pier.

Today has been one of those days when my internal battery feels critically low. My brain, it seems, decided to take an extra-long holiday, leaving me feeling unfocused and fatigued. The evidence? Last night, after dinner, I sent the elevator to the incorrect floor, disembarked, and then, in a moment of utter confusion, questioned a resident of that floor about their presence on “my” floor. A hasty retreat to the stairwell followed, and I walked the remainder of the way home. Getting old ain’t pretty.

But, today, I managed to get to the correct floor on the first try every time. And, I stopped a chubby CD from renewing itself for a long time at a low rate. Also made it to and from yoga. Treated myself to Uber, both ways. No judging people. Aside: WiFi keeps cutting out. Time to switch to the phone’s hotspot.

And, I have worn the tread off my running walking shoes. Have a new pair in the closet. For some reason, I was saving the new pair. Put the new pair into service today. Pitched the old pair. What exactly was I saving the new pair for? 

Not only is The Asylum home. It’s obviously where I am supposed to be. Perhaps I should be on the locked unit as well. 

I got all my “GoodShot” keywords back. But I enjoyed looking at my old photos. And what was a “GoodShot” in 1995 might not be a “GoodShot” in 2025. Most of the 77,800 shots can/should be deleted. At the very least, I should identify the “BestShots” and limit them to 100. Maybe print a book of them. For my pleasure, not because I think anyone except me cares. I am not Ansel Adams.

A couple that amused me from the archives.

These are over 10 years old, but seem relevant.

Did a little remedial “death cleaning” this morning. I still have a tablecloth and some napkins. Haven’t used them since COVID. Don’t imagine I will ever use them again. I saved two napkins and added the rest to my growing stack for Goodwill.

Ran into Lulu on my morning walkabout.

No worries today. Nice weekend day.

I got a box of mac and cheese for a fine takeout lunch. The Asylum makes good mac and cheese. I haven’t a clue why they serve it so infrequently. Some of this week’s menu items include Citrus Banana, Nutmeg and Greek Yogurt Soup, and Parsnip Cashew Cream Soup. I’ll not be having soup for lunch this week. Carlton would call this “Contempt Prior to Investigation.” I call it common sense.

 

Took the day off from wandering around my 77,000+ photos.

Across the street the pool opens for the season today. But, it’s pretty chilly.

I was supposed to meet a friend for dinner at 4:30, He wants to  look at planes at Gravely Point. Before dinner. I can do that.

Logged 5.22 miles today. All good.

I wandered off into old photo land again today. Well, I took a few laps around finance land, too. I am not very well-positioned to survive inflation, but I don’t know what to do about it. Stagflation is also a possibility.  If your financial survival plan is hope, you are in trouble. 

Old photo Time:

It gets worse every day.

Most of today was spent rummaging around my 77,000+ images looking for my “good shots”. Through 2011, I was serious about backing up just my good shots. After 2011, I don’t seem to have done anything. So, I get the chance to decide what’s good and what isn’t all over again.

Wandering through the photo library – neither of these are good shots. But they are thought-provoking. 

This snapshot sums up old age. Everyone in this photo, including the photographer, except me, is dead. Cliff, the photographer, and his wife, Lorraine, died last year. Flo, Stu, and Carlton have missed more than a few Xmas Dinners. The older you get, the more photos of dead people you have.

This Halloween-themed political yard sign from 2008  serves as a reminder not to be surprised by 47. The Republicans have been on a path of dumb and dumber for quite some time. Meanwhile, the Democrats have spent the intervening years engaged in a circular firing squad, so I’m not cutting them any slack either.