Overcast And 66º

Walking Kaia

It's later than usual as I start this — 8:35 — probably because I slept in until 7:45. I had a miserable night, coughing on and off, which made it hard to sleep. I'm fairly certain it's allergy-related, but if it persists, I may go to an urgent care.

Friday was a busy day for Beth, though not so much for Evie and me. I was up early, just Beth and I, much like this morning, waiting for the two sleepyheads to get up. We don't turn the TV on until the evening, so the news comes via newspapers or the occasional podcast. Once Evie was up, I finished the blog and had her read it before publishing. Since Mitchell was gone, we didn't accomplish much beyond small things — organizing and sorting through a box of cords, moving paintings around. Around 10:30, I took the boys for a long walk down to the lake and along its shores, hoping to tire them out.

Tin Tin

Lunch was the leftover eggplant pasta, and I took a nap at 1:00, tired again from a morning of doing very little. Beth and Rami left at 2:00 for a 2:30 doctor's appointment, leaving us in charge of the dogs — a tall order. They were gone for a couple of hours, having waited quite a while to see the doctor. While they were out, Evie began prepping dinner: shrimp, bamboo shoots, baby corn, and asparagus over rice. I sat out on the front porch for the first time, read my book, and met a couple of neighbors walking their grandchildren. It was nice to meet them.

Wine Label

Around 5:00, Beth and I went through Rami's wine cellar and opened a ten-year-old cab, which was quite good — though neither of us is a wine connoisseur. If it's red, I'll usually enjoy it. Around 6:30, we devoured dinner; no leftovers for lunch tomorrow, alas. We watched two episodes of The Pitt before Evie went to bed around 8:30 and Beth at 9:00. Rami and I stayed up to watch Rory McIlroy birdie the last four holes to take a six-stroke lead at the Masters.

"After 14 years inside of Fox News, I'm exposing what viewers refuse to see. How the Network morphed from news to a propaganda machine designed to cheerlead wars, worship Trump, and feed you manufactured rage instead of facts." Megan Kelly

TGIF

Aloha Mitchell

It's 7:48 a.m. I woke at 7:00, Beth at 6:00, and Rami and Evie are still sleeping. Mitch flew back to Santa Monica last night, and we will surely miss him. Beth is taking the day off from school, and we'll spend the day continuing to set up the house. We made great progress yesterday — or more specifically, Mitchell did. I've been suffering from allergies the past few days, complete with a nagging cough, so I've started taking loratadine again.

Thursday turned out to be another beautiful day weather-wise, with a high of around 80°. I was convinced it was Wednesday until Evie set me straight around 10:30. When I got up at 7:30, Rami and Mitch were already up and working, and Beth was at school. I had my coffee with Evie, read the newspapers online, and wrote the blog, publishing it by 9:30. Mitch was putting in a half day of work, and since Evie needed a few things for dinner, I drove to Albertsons around 10:30 to pick them up. Rami was having a productive day and spent most of the morning working in his study.

I was home before noon and decided to have lunch, finishing off the spaghetti and ground beef from earlier in the week. Around 1:00, I lay down for another nap — I was still unusually tired, with no pep, as my Dad used to say. From about 2:00 to 4:00, the three of us tackled the garage: Rami delegating, and Mitch and I doing the heavy lifting. We assembled two seven-foot storage racks, which took a solid hour, but by 4:30, we had made a real dent in getting things organized.

Meanwhile, Evie was busy putting together a wonderful Turkish dinner: Tas Kebab, roasted cauliflower, and a salad. I took the dogs for a walk to the lake and returned just in time for happy hour. I opened a nice bottle of Cabernet Sauvignon to pair with the Tas Kebab, and we sat down to dinner around 6:30, followed by another cooking show.

At 7:16, Mitchell headed to the airport via Uber — too soon, alas. Around 8:30, Evie went up to bed while Rami, Beth, and I caught some of the Masters. They turned in around 9:30, and I watched a bit of basketball until 10:00.

 THE LORD'S PRAYER: MARK TWAIN

O Lord our God, help us to tear their soldiers to bloody shreds with our shells; help us to cover their smiling fields with the pale forms of their patriot dead; help us to drown the thunder of the guns with the shrieks of their wounded, writhing in pain; help us to lay waste their humble homes with a hurricane of fire; help us to wring the hearts of their unoffending widows with unavailing grief; help us to turn them out roofless with little children to wander unfriended the wastes of their desolated land in rags and hunger and thirst, sports of the sun flames of summer and the icy winds of winter, broken in spirit, worn with travail, imploring Thee for the refuge of the grave and denied it — for our sakes who adore Thee, Lord, blast their hopes, blight their lives, protract their bitter pilgrimage, make heavy their steps, water their way with their tears, stain the white snow with the blood of their wounded feet! We ask it, in the spirit of love, of Him Who is the Source of Love, and Who is the ever-faithful refuge and friend of all that are sore beset and seek His aid with humble and contrite hearts. Amen. THE LORD'S PRAYER: MARK TWAIN

Another Fine Day In Texas

Our Great Grandsons, Rhys And Tommy

It's 8:30, Beth is at school, and Mitch, Rami, and I are the only ones up. It looks like another partly cloudy day, with a high near 80°.

Tuesday was another day of helping unpack when we could, but mostly relaxing, taking the dogs for a walk, things like that. I was up at 7:30 along with Mitch and Ramiro. Both of them worked on and off most of the day, so I was free to do whatever and help when needed. Evie made pancakes for everyone around 9:00, and Rami, Mitch, and I devoured them. Yum! I had a list for a shopping run at Albertsons and was ready to go, but the dogs were so insistent that I took them for a walk down to the lake and back first. I then stopped at a coffee shop just beyond Beth's street, and drove another mile to Albertsons, the closest grocery store, and picked up a few things for Thursday and Friday's dinner. It was not very crowded, so I was in and back home by 11:45.

Tin Tin And Kaia

Lunch was a toasted ham-and-cheese sandwich, and then I read for a while before taking a nice nap. I am reading Emily, Alone, a book set in Chautauqua, so it's fun because it mentions many spots I'm familiar with, such as Hogan's Hut or the Lighthouse Grocery Store's rotisserie chicken. Evie read it a long time ago, but I never got around to it. I fell asleep with my buddy, Tin Tin, for company and woke feeling more energetic. The guys were working on their computers, so Evie and I relaxed a bit, cleaned up the kitchen, and helped Rami pack some of his glass Christmas ornaments into a large box, ready for storage. Then, because the dogs kept following me around, I took them for a walk around the neighborhood.

A Coot Floating By

When I got back, Beth was home from school and showering, and Evie was prepping dinner — eggplant pasta along with some sweet Italian sausages. We sat around sipping wine and talking about what still needs to be done before dinner at 7:00. Everything was great, especially the eggplant pasta. We watched another episode of Drops of God, but by 8:30, Beth and Evie were ready for bed. I stayed up with Mitch and Rami until 10:00, watching some basketball, then went to bed.

Political commentator Ben Rhodes summed up the situation: “In the best-case scenario, Trump struck a deal to reopen a Strait that was open before the pointless war he started, with [Iran] demonstrating its control over the Strait and potentially extracting fees plus sanctions relief. Thousands of innocents—including hundreds of children—dead in Lebanon and Iran for no reason. U.S. troops killed and wounded. U.S. embassies and bases in the Middle East badly damaged. U.S. standing in the world obliterated. U.S. munitions badly depleted. Hundreds of billions spent. Prices up everywhere. More global economic fallout to come. Putin strengthened and enriched. Just a catastrophic situation even in the best of circumstances. A profoundly shameful episode in American history no matter what happens next.”

It's A Dog's World

 

Beth And Tin Tin

It's 8:00, and Beth is off to school, leaving Rami and me — and the dogs, Kaia and Tin Tin — as the only ones up. The sky is partly cloudy on a 55° morning here in Dallas.

Tuesday was a preview of the days to come. Beth was up early and off to school, leaving the rest of us behind. None of us are morning people — we prefer sleeping in, then easing into a relaxed coffee hour before thinking about doing anything productive. By 10:00, though, we were all up and ready to go. Mitch got on his computer, signed into his Arup account, and worked most of the day. Rami had an early conference call and migrated back and forth between his office and the couch. Evie cleaned the kitchen and got herself organized while I drove to Trader Joe's to pick up some wine and goodies for the week.

Dallas Through The Trees

When I returned around 11:30, the lawn crew had arrived, along with a couple of guys fixing the gate to the backyard. I decided to take Kaia for a walk, strapped on his harness, and headed down to the lake — an easy ten-to-fifteen-minute walk, depending on how many times he stops to sniff the grass. It was a lovely late morning, and plenty of people were out walking or biking the nine miles around the lake. When I got back, Evie pulled out the leftover Thai food, and we had it for lunch. I think I'm still recovering from the long drive, because shopping and a short walk had me genuinely tired, so I took a nap — as did Rami.

Walking Kaia And Tin Tin

Cormorant

I was up at 2:30. Mitch was deep in work, headphones on, eyes on his screen. Rami was still asleep, so Evie and I sat outside for a bit, letting the dogs run around while the workers finally finished the gate and showed me how it operated. Around 3:00, Rami worked on syncing his car with the new swinging gate and garage door, and I took both dogs down to the lake. When I returned, Beth was home and Evie was already prepping dinner — Wiener schnitzel, baked potatoes, and broccoli. We enjoyed a glass or two of sauvignon blanc, courtesy of Trader Joe's box wine, until dinner was ready at 6:45.

We watched an episode of Top Chef, and then Rami, Mitchell, and I got busy in the garage for about forty-five minutes — bringing in pictures for hanging and organizing things so we could actually get to what we needed. Beth, Rami, and Evie were in bed by 9:00, leaving me to watch some TV and Mitch to keep working in the garage. I went to bed at 10:00, feeling a little guilty about leaving him out there. When I checked the garage this morning, though, Mitch had made remarkable progress. What a good son — and lazy father-in-law.

A Chilly Morning In Dallas

A Dallas Morning

It's 7:30 as I start writing this, on a crisp 51° morning in Texas. I was up at 6:40 to find Beth already heading out to school and Rami on a Zoom call by 7:00 — so three of us were up early. The sun has since come out, and there's a welcome patch of blue sky.

Yesterday was busy but good. Beth, Rami, and I were up early again, with Mitch and Evie surfacing around 8:00 or 8:30. It's still a little surreal to wake up in Dallas knowing we were in New York just a few days ago, half-expecting snow. Beth and Rami have recently downsized significantly, and their new house is still full of boxes carried over from the old one, which is exactly why we're here. The challenge is that neither of them is quite sure where everything should go, and much of it will eventually be donated since the new place simply doesn't have the room. It's a great house, just smaller, in a wonderful neighborhood.

Around 10:00, Beth and I headed out to Central Market — quite possibly the finest grocery store I've ever set foot in, and that's including a couple of Wegmans. It's a genuine pleasure to walk through: visually stunning, with an enormous wine and beer selection on top of everything else. We expected crowds but were in and out in 20 minutes, cherry pie in hand for dessert.

Live Oaks Span The Street

Back at the house, Evie and Mitch were deep into the unpacking project — pulling boxes, figuring out contents, deciding what went where. Rami was at work and couldn't join in. We had leftover pizza for lunch, and I was still dragging from the trip, so I gave in and took a 90-minute nap, waking around 2:00 feeling human again. I took Kaia for a walk down to the lake park and back. The lake has a bike path circling it, and on such a beautiful afternoon — mid-70s and sunny — it was busy with bikers and walkers out making the most of it.

Dallas In The Distance

Bike Path

The afternoon moved quickly. Mitch tackled the bedroom closet, Evie put together a ground beef spaghetti sauce, and Beth and I floated around helping wherever we were needed. I became something of an expert in breaking down cardboard boxes and tracking down the right tools. We sat down to dinner at 6:15 — one of Rami's favorites — with a Caesar salad and wine. Afterward, we caught some news before the Michigan/UConn game tipped off. Michigan won, though neither team played particularly well; it was more a matter of outlasting than outplaying. The three guys stayed up to see it through, while Beth and Evie called it a night at halftime. A full day, well spent.

"A whole civilization will die tonight, never to be brought back again," Mr. Trump said in a post on his Truth Social platform just after 8 a.m. in Washington. "I don't want that to happen, but it probably will. However, now that we have Complete and Total Regime Change, where different, smarter, and less radicalized minds prevail, maybe something revolutionarily wonderful can happen, WHO KNOWS? We will find out tonight, one of the most important moments in the long and complex history of the World."

Happy Dyngus Day

Our Grandson Mitchell And Kaia

It's 7:20, and I've been up since 6:30, joining Beth and Rami for coffee. It looks like a beautiful, blue-sky morning, and the dogs are already outside, enjoying the fresh air and the freedom to run around in their new yard.

By the way, Dyngus Day is celebrated by Polish Americans all over the USA — it marks the end of Lent, falling on the Monday after Easter. It often features a parade, polka music, and traditional Polish food like pierogi. Buffalo, NY, always throws a big celebration.

Easter meant another seven-hour drive, this time from Memphis to Dallas. It was easy going for most of the way, and the roads in Arkansas — especially Highway 40 — were in fine shape, likely because the region sees little snow or freezing weather. We stopped once for breakfast, once for gas, and skipped lunch altogether. Evie drove part of the way, which made things much easier on me. It only got hairy as we approached Dallas — four or five lanes of traffic, with some real crazies out there, literally drag racing. One misjudgment and it could have been catastrophic. I tried to hang back, stick to the speed limit, and keep a safe following distance, but it was largely futile — cars from other lanes just kept cutting in. We made it, though, arriving around 3:30. As Trump would say: Praise be to Allah.

It was wonderful to see Beth and Rami, and a real bonus that their son Mitchell was there as well, helping with their move to a new house. The weather was pleasant enough to sit out on the back porch — the sun almost made it too warm, in fact. Who would have thought we'd be overheating in April! We sat around with wine until we were ready for dinner and ordered Thai through Uber Eats. A feast arrived around 6:30, and it was a hit. Afterward, we talked through the plan for the next day — helping Beth and Rami move their things into the new house, which is why we're here. There's still plenty to do. We watched some SNL and Top Chef before tiredness got the better of us, and we turned in early, around 9:30.

Tin Tin

Kaia

A couple of observations about the trip: it was striking to leave Chautauqua — a winter of mostly black and white — and, as we drove south, roll into a blaze of greens, then bursts of color as we hit Arkansas and the outskirts of Dallas. The roads improved gradually too, with fewer potholes the farther south we went. I'm no fan of Sarah Huckabee Sanders, Arkansas's governor, but her state keeps its roads in decent shape. My only real fear on the drive was other drivers — some drifting into our lane while on their phones, others weaving in and out of traffic at 80 or 90 mph.

"Tuesday will be Power Plant Day, and Bridge Day, all wrapped up in one, in Iran. There will be nothing like it!!! Open the Fucking' Strait, you crazy bastards, or you'll be living in Hell – JUST WATCH! Praise be to Allah. President DONALD J. TRUMP"

Dallas Bound

Beale Street at Night

It’s 7:10 as I begin writing this, sitting in a very busy Hampton Inn breakfast area—which, unfortunately, didn’t open until 7:00 instead of the usual 6:00. I’ve already received messages from Beth and Linda McClure wishing us a Happy Easter.

Yesterday felt like a long day—and it was—a solid seven to eight hours on the road from north of Cincinnati to Memphis. The drive into Cincinnati was busy, then it eased up through Louisville, but from there to Nashville it picked up again, even for a Saturday. We took our time, stopping a couple of times for breakfast, gas, or lunch whenever we needed a break. Fortunately, we didn’t run into any backups. Our only concern was the occasional reckless driver weaving in and out at high speeds despite the traffic.

Great Sky

Evie drove for about an hour and a half and had to deal with roughly twenty minutes of torrential rain midway to Memphis on Interstate 40. Luckily, traffic was light at that point. Things got busier as we approached Memphis, but once we got off I-40, it was an easy ten-minute drive to our Hampton Inn, located right next to Beale Street.

Not So Great Sky

After checking in, we went upstairs and unpacked. I headed back down to park the car, only to realize I’d left the parking pass upstairs. So back up I went. By the time I returned, the turnaround area was so crowded that three or four cars had to be moved before I could get into the garage. Nothing is simple when you’re 82.

We talked about going out for the evening, but Evie was too tired, so I walked over to Gus’s Famous Chicken and brought back three chicken thighs and coleslaw for her dinner. We watched the UConn–Illinois game together, and afterward I headed out, hoping to find a bar where I could eat and watch more basketball. Every place along Beale Street was blasting blues music as I walked the couple of hundred yards to the end, where Blues City Café sits.

Blues City At Dusk

Inside, the restaurant was busy, but at the far end there was a bar with the game on four TVs. I ended up being the only person sitting there for most of the game, which suited me just fine. I made the mistake of ordering a “tall” beer—it had to be at least 24 ounces, if not more—and it cost fourteen dollars. For dinner, I had golden-fried catfish with fries, hush puppies, Texas toast, and coleslaw, and I loved every bite.

Catfish Dinner

Blue City Cafe

The game itself was hard-fought, but Illinois never quite caught a break or found its rhythm, and UConn came out on top. Afterward, I walked back along Beale Street, which was fairly quiet—probably because of Easter weekend. I considered stopping at the blues bar we visited a couple of years ago, but I’d had enough beer for one night, so I headed back in a light drizzle.

Evie was still up watching TV and had already finished her chicken. By the time the second game—Michigan vs. Arizona—started, she was ready for bed. I watched the first half on my computer, then read for a bit before turning in. The time zone change threw off our sleep a little, but I still managed a decent night.