Spacious Reasoning

The sky was fully overcast this morning, so we had to turn on all the lights in the house to see what we were doing. But the clouds began to disperse relatively early in the day, and the temperature jumped up from the overnight low of 61 degrees to a high of 93, well above what had been expected.

My blood sugar climbed to 159, likely due to all the noodles that came with my pad Thai yesterday. I’m lucky there was plenty of chicken, though the Thai iced tea probably did not contribute to a better outcome.

After Nancy and I finished our coffee and played the online brain games, Nancy went out to tend the garden. I updated my Flickr account and checked my other social media.

When Nancy came back in, I started making our protein drinks for the day, using the regular ingredients, blueberries, strawberries, and bananas.

Then we cleaned up, got dressed, and went to Costco for a few items, including potato chips, protein powder, and toilet paper. We ran into Paul and Lucy, a couple we know from church, when we walked in.

Next, we went by the Mini Pet Mart on Main at 20th Street for kitty litter and filters for the cat water fountain.

When we got home and put everything away, Nancy and I went for a short walk of 1.09 miles in 27 minutes, a total of 2,800 steps. My hip began hurt rather sharply just as we arrived back at the house.

We napped, then Nancy got up and put bacon in the oven to cook and started prepping for bacon, egg and cheese sandwiches. She woke me up, and I helped out with the prep.

After enjoying the sandwiches, Nancy suggested going out to get more coffee, as the French Roast from the Wandering Goat was almost gone. So, we went to the Wandering Goat store in downtown Eugene and got a package of Heart of Darkness, a mix of French Roast and Indonesian.

On the way back to the house, we swung by Prince Puckler’s, and each ordered a mini scoop of ice cream in a cup. Nancy got Chocolate Lover’s Chocolate, and my flavor was called Cookie Jar, which was vanilla with pieces of Oreos, cookie dough and brownie pieces.

When we reached home, Nancy called Kalen for a chat, which lasted more than an hour, as is often the case. I found a new digital book, Fear the Reaper, the latest in the series about PI McKenzie, by David Housewright.

Kalen arranged for Ronin to drop off some fresh bread she had baked for us. She sent a loaf of garlic bread and one with strawberries in it. Ronin also offered to bring us some of the cucumber salad he was getting ready to make for his and Kathleen’s dinner.

The rest of our dinner was chicken piccata, which Nancy managed to whip up pretty quickly, after starting with a fresh pot of rice.

Following dinner, we began our evening entertainment by streaming the next episode of “Ellis,” which is the first half of the second and final story in the latest series. Then we switched to the fifth episode of the current series of “Harry Wild.” Finally, with some extra time available, we went back to “The Bear” and watched the fourth episode of the fifth and final series.

Tonight’s low will only reach the low 60s, and tomorrow’s high is expected to get in the mid-90s once again, thanks to a mixture of clouds and sunshine that will amplify the warmth.

Nancy will make a call to Peggy, her spiritual advisor who lives in Virginia, tomorrow at 10 a.m. I will figure out something else to do during that time, such as a walk before too much heat arises. Or Tradition 11 or Marya’s video. There’s no shortage of chores I can do.

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On this day in 1969, Apollo 11’s crew successfully made the first human landing on the Moon in the Sea of Tranquility. Americans Neil Armstrong and Buzz Aldrin became the first humans to walk on the Moon six and a half hours later.

July 20, 1924, was the birth date of Lola Albright, an American singer and actress, best known for playing the sultry singer Edie Hart, the girlfriend of private eye Peter Gunn, on all three seasons of the TV series “Peter Gunn.”

The sun dawned into clear skies this morning, and they remained that way until a little after noon, when the clouds began to filter in. This morning’s low was 55 degrees, and even with the clouds, the high got all the way up to 87.

My blood sugar was back up to 150 today, thanks to the lack of a real dinner meal last night. If it weren’t for the Ozempic, the numbers might have been quite a bit higher for that reason.

After Nancy and I finished our coffee and played the usual online brain games, Nancy went out to water the garden and back yard, and I made our protein drinks with the usual ingredients of blueberries, strawberries, and bananas.

Right at 9:30 a.m. we left for church. Today’s homily was about separating the wheat from the weeds, though, according to Father Nathan, God can even do good things with weeds. This translates into people being of use in God’s plans even if they have numerous faults.

After the service, coffee hour consisted of ice cream and various toppings. Father Nathan had signed up as host for this week, and he enlisted his parents to attend church and help out. Given my current glucose status, I passed on the ice cream.

When we got home, we listened to the first part of “Wait Wait… Don’t Tell Me” until it was time to leave for my lunch meeting with my sponsee Bill.

I met Bill at a Thai restaurant on River Road that I had not known about before. We were the first customers, but others soon filed in. My dish of pad Thai was quite good, and I will likely go back again. And I brought home half of my dish as leftovers.

When I got home, Nancy was talking on the phone with her Tucson friend Elise, who is currently in Mexico. I went into the bedroom and napped.

When Nancy and Elise finished their conversation, Nancy woke me up and reminded me to take my fourth Ozempic shot at 3 p.m., which I did.

Then we took our coupon for WinCo that came in the mail recently and went there to buy a bunch of stuff, including wine, cold brew, chicken, and cat food. The coupon knocked $10 off the total bill, so we paid just $93.

The cold brew cost was about $2.50 below what it costs at other grocery stores, so I’m likely to keep going back to Winco for that. But I hope my hip doesn’t wind up hurting as much as it did after shuffling through the store today.

On my family text thread a bit later, my siblings and I shared some memories from our youth about Bonclarken, the conference center in Flat Rock, N.C., for the A.R.P. church. We used to spend time during the summers while our father attending the annual church conference.

I finished reading the “Revenge Prey” novel, then left at 5:15 p.m. for the Sunday recovery meeting. It was a small group today, but, as is usually the case, I was happy to have attended it and listened to the sharing being done by other members.

Once I got home, I ate my pad Thai leftovers, and Nancy and I streamed another episode of “Tatort: Münster.”

Kathleen and Ronin had borrowed our bikes while I was gone so they could have a picnic at Island Park near downtown Springfield. They brought the bikes home during our TV watching, and we chatted briefly with them.

They are also taking care of the neighbor’s house tonight, so we asked them to turn off the outside lights next to our house so they would not shine in our window all night long like they did last night. We had our blinds closed, of course, but there was still plenty of light.

After turning off the TV, Nancy and I finished listening to “Wait Wait…” and then we began preparing for bed.

It looks like tomorrow will be covered in clouds from sunrise to sunset, but after an overnight low of just 63 degrees, tomorrow’s high will reach the upper 80s.

There is nothing on our calendar for Monday, so we have plenty of options available to us to keep from going stir crazy. Of course, I need to work on the 11th Tradition for next Monday’s Zoom group, and I ought to do a little work on the video for Marya’s 50th anniversary celebration.

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On this day in 1900, the first line of the Paris Metro opened for operation. It is the second-busiest metro system in Europe, and the twelfth-busiest in the world. It carried 1.523 billion passengers in 2025, roughly 4.17 million passengers a day, making it the most used public transport system in Paris.

July 19, 1875, was the birth date of Alice Dunbar Nelson, an American poet, journalist, and political activist. Among the first generation of African Americans born free in the Southern United States after the end of the American Civil War, she was one of the prominent African Americans involved in the artistic flourishing of the Harlem Renaissance.

Before the sun even rose this morning, thanks to suddenly finding myself wide awake, I was off to fill up the tank of our Subaru at Costco’s gas pumps, which open at 6 a.m. every day of the week. The price of a gallon was back over $4, to $4.09.

When the sun finally appeared, the sky was blue and clear, and it remained that way until the sun set. The temperature rose from a morning low of 51 degrees to a high of 85.

My blood sugar fell a couple of points, to 138, even though I was a few minutes late, having overslept following my morning run to get gas.

After Nancy and I finished our coffee and played the online brain games, she went out to tend to the garden. I updated my Flickr account and checked into my other social media.

I brushed my teeth and got dressed. Nancy decided she needed a shower to help wake her up after a rough night.

Right about 11 a.m. we took off for Michael’s 40th recovery anniversary picnic at Emerald Park. We stuck around almost an hour, greeting people and chatting. Then we quietly made our way back to the car and headed out.

We went to McMenamin’s North Bank for lunch, eating outside along the river path. We both had hamburgers and tater tots, and I just barely finished all of my burger and left quite a few tots behind. It felt like my appetite might have been affected by the Ozempic.

When we got home, we lay down for a nap. We both immediately passed out and slept for about an hour.

After getting up, we had fudgesicles, then Nancy went out to water the garden and the yard. She also tried to identify the pepper that is growing in the garden, using her app, but could not get results. It did, however, tell her it is healthy.

We sat in the back yard while Nancy had a small glass of wine. I had a cup of ice water.

When we came in, we decided to take a walk around the neighborhood together. We did 1.44 miles in a little more than 37 minutes, a total of 3,800 steps. We stuck to as much shade as we could, but the sun was mostly in our faces on the walk back and we got a little warm.

Once we were home, we snacked on cheese and potato chips instead of having anything heavier for dinner, since we were still stuffed from our hamburgers at lunch.

Then we did our streaming entertainment for the evening. We began with an episode of “Tatort: Münster,” one of the series German series that has been running since 1970. We finished the evening with another episode of “Murder in the Mountains,” one of the “SOKO” series of which we have also seen different versions.

Tonight’s low is expected to fall into the mid-50s, and even with cloudiness showing up in the afternoon, the morning sun will send the high into the upper 80s once again.

After we make our appearance at church tomorrow, for the Eighth Sunday after Pentecost, Nancy will talk with her friend Elise in the afternoon. I am scheduled to meet my sponsee, Bill, for lunch. Later I will likely attend the Sunday recovery home group meeting.

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On this day in 1976, at age 14, Nadia Comăneci became the first person in Olympic Games history to score a perfect 10 in gymnastics at the Summer Olympics. At the same Games, she earned six more perfect 10s for events on the way to winning three gold medals.

July 18, 1867, was the birth date of Margaret Brown, an American socialite and philanthropist who survived the sinking of the Titanic in 1912. Brown’s fame as a Titanic survivor helped her promote the philanthropic and activism issues she felt strongly about, especially the rights of workers and women, education and literacy for children, historic preservation, and commemoration of the bravery and chivalry displayed by the men aboard the Titanic during its sinking.

Back to a bright morning with blue sky and lots of sunshine, followed by a day filled with more of the same. And yet, the high only rose to 81 degrees, following an overnight low of just 47.

My blood sugar climbed a few points, up to 140, but still within the “safe” zone. I have not lost many pounds so far, but my appetite seems to have waned a bit, so perhaps the weight will be coming off before long.

Once Nancy and I finished our coffee and played the usual online brain games, we passed some time taking care of this and that before making our protein drink, filled with the usual ingredients of blueberries, strawberries, and bananas.

A little bit later, we showered and dressed. Then Nancy did a quick check of the garden and talked with Kathleen about the possibility of joining her and Seran later today for some shopping. That did not happen.

Next, we went to Jerry’s and got some potting soil, a plant saucer, some glue, and a pair of needle-nose pliers with a wire cutter.

Then we went to Albertsons on Marcola Road for more cream, capers, potatoes, strawberries, and cat treats.

After we got home and put everything away, Nancy and I napped, even though it was barely past noon. When we got up later, we snacked with cheese strings and potato chips.

While Nancy repotted the plant my sisters gave us when they were visiting in May, I went out for a solo walk and did 2.16 miles in 48.5 minutes, a total of 5,100 steps.

Once I was back, we used the new pliers to finish attaching a wire to the back of one of Nancy’s paintings and hung it in the living room. We also hung a couple of other items on the walls.

I sat on the couch to read more of the “Prey” novel and wound up falling asleep. Meanwhile, Nancy had gone out into the backyard with a glass of wine. When she came back in, she reported that Kathleen and Ronin would be joining us for dinner.

While Nancy made the meatloaf, using the Wagyu ground beef that Kalen gave us, I chopped up zucchini and potatoes and oiled, salted and peppered them. Then everything went into the oven.

When the food was cooked, we waited briefly for Kathleen and Ronin to show up, which they did shortly. We ate the meatloaf, potatoes and zucchini, then had the remainder of the chocolate zucchini cake for dessert. Kathleen and Ronin were just as impressed with it as we were when Anne and Joe brought it for dinner on Wednesday.

Then Ronin went out to mow the lawn while Nancy and I did the dishes. Then Nancy sat down to chat with Kathleen. I got on the computer and caught up with my Flickr account and social media. Kathleen also ran home to get some clippers and trimmed the nails of Grace. Chica did not cooperate and only got one set of her nails taken care of.

Although it was late, Nancy and I decided to stream the final episode of “Grantchester.” Geordie survived his gunshot wound, Alphy recovered his faith, and the series wrapped up in a very happy way.

Saturday will repeat the clear skies and bright sun, and following the overnight low of 53 degrees, and the high will climb up into the mid-80s.

The main item on our calendar for Saturday is the picnic at Emerald Park to celebrate the 40th anniversary of Michael’s recovery. There will be a taco bar for part of the time, but we might not indulge in that part. We will go just to congratulate Michael again and get lots of hugs from our recovering friends. Beyond that, our day is open.

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On this day in 1945, the leaders of the three main Allied nations during World War II—Winston Churchill, Harry S. Truman and Joseph Stalin—held the Potsdam Conference in the German city of Potsdam to decide the future of a defeated Germany.

July 17, 1898, was the birth date of Berenice Abbott, an American photographer best known for her portraits of cultural figures of the interwar period, New York City photographs of architecture and urban design of the 1930s, and science interpretation of the 1940s to the 1960s.

It was overcast this morning, and cool, having dropped to 56 degrees, and it remained that way until about the middle of the day. Then the clouds began to scatter and the sun broke through, but the high for the day only reached 73.

My blood sugar dropped again, down to 128. So, even without much in the way of walking, the Ozempic seems to be keeping the numbers down. As long as I’m not indulging in a bunch of extra sugar.

After Nancy and I finished our coffee and played the usual online brain games, we puttered around for a while before making our protein drink for the morning, which included blueberries, strawberries, and bananas.

Aimee, Marya’s daughter, sent me a link for downloading the videos and other images submitted for the tribute for Marya’s 50th anniversary in recovery. I looked through most of them and then asked Aimee what kind of help she wants with the video.

A little before noon, Nancy and I drove out to Mohawk Loop. I wandered on over to the ranch house to check out the status of the renovation. Nancy walked over with Kalen and two of the dogs a little bit later. Kurt and Ronin were busy transforming the old place into something entirely new, and Kalen, Nancy and I hung out for a little while watching them at work.

Then we walked back to the dome, and Nancy and I headed home a little bit before 2:30 p.m. We snacked on cheese strings and potato chips before taking a nap.

After getting up around 4:30 p.m., I did more reading in the “Prey” novel while Nancy went out to check on the garden and gather some lettuce for our dinner. She also picked six small tomatoes that had turned red.

Right around 5 p.m., while Nancy fixed more sauce for the chicken piccata, I sliced tomatoes, chopped garlic, and shredded lettuce for our side salad. We finished eating our meal about 6 p.m. and then had a small piece of the chocolate zucchini cake from last night.

At 6:30 p.m., I left for the Thursday evening recovery meeting. Michael was there to share again about his 40 years in recovery, but so was a woman named Michelle, who was celebrating 42 years. It was chilly enough that several people went back to their cars to fetch sweaters or blankets. I simply enjoyed being a little bit cold.

When I got home, Nancy and I streamed the penultimate episode of “Grantchester,” which ended with a cliffhanger that involved the shooting of Geordie Keating. The story and the series end with the next episode, and we expect that Geordie will likely pull through.

The blue skies and bright sunshine are scheduled to show back up tomorrow, with a morning low of 50 degrees and an afternoon high of about 80.

While there is not anything special on our calendar for tomorrow, we do need a few items from the grocery store, so that will certainly be one of our destinations. Otherwise, the day’s activities remain to be seen.

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On this day in 1769, Father Junípero Serra founded the first mission in California, Mission San Diego de Alcalá, which, over the following decades, evolved into the city of San Diego.

July 16, 1862, was the birth date of Ida B. Wells, an American investigative journalist, sociologist, educator, and early leader in the civil rights movement. She was one of the founders of the National Association for the Advancement of Colored People and dedicated her career to combating prejudice and violence and advocating for African-American equality—especially for women.

Yet another day began with bright blue skies and blazing sunlight. But it remained cool enough through the early afternoon that we did not need to turn on the cooler. A little smoke from fires in southern Oregon made its way into the Willamette Valley. Still, the high made it to 86 degrees after the overnight low of just 54.

My blood sugar jumped up to 156, not surprising for yesterday’s lack of a decent dinner and the blended mocha we enjoyed after our lunches. It remained in the safe zone, however.

Following our coffee and the usual online brain games, Nancy went out to tend to the garden and the yard. I updated my Flickr account and checked into other social media.

When Nancy was done with the gardening, I made us a protein drink, using the usual blueberries, strawberries and bananas. Lately it has become our breakfast, or at least something to hold us until we decide what’s for lunch.

We did some dusting and vacuuming in the living room and other front areas, preparing for tonight’s dinner guests.

Once we had cleaned up, we made egg, bacon, and cheese sandwiches for lunch.

We tried hanging a different picture between the two main windows in the living room, but we could not find any wire-cutting tools. We will check with Ronin later for the right tool, so we returned the original picture to its place.

Once the house was cleaned, we both showered. Then we tried doing a load of wash, but it was evidently too large because it would not start. So, we put half back in the basket and, lo and behold, it worked!

We napped, or at least I did while Nancy simply attempted to. Then she got up and moved the first load from the washer to the dryer and put the second half in the wash. When I finally got up, I emptied the first load from the dryer, moved the second wash in, and brought the dried clothes into the bedroom to put away. A little later we did the same with the second load.

Because napping had not been successful for her, Nancy made herself some tea to get a little caffeine in her system. Meanwhile, I read the “Prey” novel for a while, closing the book and my eyes at least a couple of times.

Then Nancy and I began to make dinner. She prepared chicken piccata, a fresh pot of rice, and I got a batch of broccoli prepared for steaming. The rice and piccata were done shortly before Anne and Joe arrived, then we started the broccoli while we did a little visiting.

After the main meal, we enjoyed pieces of the chocolate zucchini cake that Anne had made. It was so tasty I was tempted to eat much more of it than was healthy. They left some of it for us when they left.

When they were gone, and we had cleaned up all the dishes, we watched the final episode of the current series of “Beyond Paradise.” We’ve already seen information that it will return for another series, for which we are grateful. It is our favorite show in the “Paradise” franchise.

The weather app seems to think there will be rain very early in the morning, with some clouds sticking around until the early afternoon. Tonight’s low is expected around 56 degrees, while tomorrow’s high might only make it to 75.

Other than my likely attendance at the Thursday evening recovery meeting, there is nothing on our schedule for the day. Since we did not get out of the house today, there is a distinct possibility that we will find something to drag us outside tomorrow.

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On this day in 1806, Zebulon Pike, a U.S. Army lieutenant, begins leading an expedition from Fort Bellefontaine near St. Louis, Missouri, to explore the south and west of the recent Louisiana Purchase. It was the first official American effort to explore the western Great Plains and the Rocky Mountains in present-day Colorado.

July 15, 1858, was the birth date of Emmeline Pankhurst, a British political activist who organized the British suffragette movement and helped women to win the right to vote in Great Britain and Ireland in 1918. In 1999, she was named by Time magazine as one of the 100 Most Important People of the 20th Century, stating that “shook society into a new pattern from which there could be no going back.”

It was bright and blue once again this morning. And it continued that way throughout the entire day. From a morning low of 54 degrees, the high today rose all the way to 88.

My blood sugar dropped back down to 135 at today’s check, another good number.

After we finished our coffee and the usual online brain games, Nancy did a session of yoga, and I checked in on my Flickr account and other social media.

When Nancy was finished with her yoga, I made a protein drink for us using the regular ingredients, blueberries, strawberries, and bananas.

Then Nancy watered the yard and the garden, and I returned to working on the computer.

Next, we showered and got dressed. I read the “Prey” novel for a bit, then just before noon we left the house, and I dropped Nancy off at the Washburne Café to have lunch with her altar guild colleague Dale.

I had my own lunch at The Pump Café, enjoying their Mediterranean omelet, which constituted a rather big meal. After stopping in at the Emerald Art Center to see a current photography display from one of the local photo associations, I wandered around the downtown area for a few minutes. Then I grabbed a blended mocha from Native Coffee on Centennial Blvd. I had gotten a text from them announcing that we had earned a coupon for $5 off.

Nancy texted that she was ready to be picked up just as I left Native Coffee, so I fetched her and we went over to Market of Choice on Coburg Road to get a few groceries for making dinner tomorrow for our church friends Anne and Joe.

Then we came home and napped. When I woke up, I read a little bit more in the “Prey” novel before getting a text from Walgreens that my amlodipine refill was ready. So, I walked over to get it, putting in 1.46 miles in 30.5 minutes, a total of 3,100 steps. I did not experience too much pain, although it was a little warm at that point.

At 6 p.m., after having just a cheese string for “dinner,” I drove over to pick up Henry and go to the men’s meeting where Michael was celebrating his 40th recovery birthday. There was a good crowd, and many people shared about their experiences with and appreciation of Michael. He is having a big party at a park in Eugene this coming Saturday which Nancy and I plan to attend.

When I finally made it home, Nancy and I watched the first episode of the new series of “Return to Paradise,” the Australian spin-off of the “Death in Paradise” franchise. It has already been renewed for a third series, but since this one took so long to make its debut on BritBox, there’s no telling when the next one might show up.

Wednesday is going to repeat today’s weather, with blue skies and sunshine during the entire day. Tonight’s low of 54 degrees will turn around to a high of at least 84 tomorrow.

The main item on our calendar for tomorrow is a dinner at our place with friends Anne and Joe from church. They will show up about 6 p.m., and our plan for the meal includes salad with lettuce from our garden. Our guests will be bringing dessert.

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On this day in 1943, the George Washington Carver National Monument in Diamond, Missouri, became the first U.S. National Monument in honor of an African American. The site includes Carver’s preserved childhood home.

July 14, 1912, was the birth date of Woody Guthrie, the singer, songwriter, and composer widely considered one of the most significant figures in American folk music. His work focused on themes of American socialism and anti-fascism and has inspired many generations politically and musically with songs such as “This Land Is Your Land” and “Tear the Fascists Down.”

This morning was especially bright once again, blazing morning sun lighting up our house for the start of our day. It remained sunny with blue skies for pretty much the entire day. This morning’s low was 50 degrees, and the high climbed all the way to 88.

My blood sugar climbed just a wee bit, to 140, but stayed in the safe zone once again.

After Nancy and I finished our coffee and played the usual online brain games, I fixed a protein drink with the usual blueberries, strawberries and bananas, while Nancy went out to tend the garden.

Just before 11 a.m., we took off for Nancy’s hair appointment at the Gervais Salon at Fifth Street Market. I then walked over to Sip, a “champagne and dessert bar” that also makes coffee drinks. It is owned by the daughter of one of my recovery friends, and I spent a few moments chatting with her.

I bought an iced mocha and enjoyed it inside the nice little place for a few minutes, before taking it out and to get some walking done. I made nearly two miles worth of steps without any pain in my foot or hip and returned to the market to await the end of Nancy’s appointment.

We came home and made a lunch of egg salad on toast and tomato soup with potato chips on the side.

Following lunch, I went back to working on my 11th Step for the evening Zoom meeting. I finally worked out some decent wording for the subject of prayer and meditation.

Nancy and I napped for about an hour, and then she started a fresh batch of rice to go with dinner during the time between my 5 p.m. Zoom group and the 6:30 p.m. Zoom gathering for the Living Clean podcast about the history project for the Arizona fellowship.

My Steps & Traditions Zoom group went well, with the fourth member, Tim, returning after a brief experiment with working again. We wrapped up at 5:45 p.m.

Nancy came in just as we ended the Zoom, and we started putting together the rest of dinner. We ate and cleaned up by 6:15 p.m., and I was ready for the Living Clean podcast Zoom.

There were two hosts for the podcast, one of whom had lived in Arizona during the history project, and four other guests, including Carol, whom I knew much better than the two others. Since my contributions to the project were limited, I did not have a lot to add to the interview, and it finished a little after 7:30 p.m.

That gave Nancy and I time to do a little streaming for the evening’s entertainment. We started with the second half of the open story in the new “Ellis” series. Then we jumped into the most recent episode of “Harry Wild.”

Tomorrow is likely to be a duplicate of today, with sunshine starting early and lasting all day. The low tonight will be in the mid-50s, while tomorrow’s high may reach the upper 80s.

Nancy has lunch scheduled at noon with her altar guild associate Dale. Then I will be skipping tomorrow night’s vestry Zoom meeting to go to the men’s recovery meeting where Michael will be celebrating his 40 years in the fellowship. I will be taking Henry with me, as usual.

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On this day in 1863, the New York City draft riots began three days of rioting which was later called the worst in United States history. The violent disturbances in Lower Manhattan were widely regarded as the culmination of working-class discontent with new laws passed by Congress that year to draft men to fight in the ongoing American Civil War. The protests turned into a race riot against African Americans by Irish American rioters.

July 13, 1863, was the birth date of Margaret Murray, a British Egyptologist, archaeologist, anthropologist, historian, and folklorist who was the first woman to be appointed as a lecturer in archaeology in the United Kingdom. She worked at University College London from 1898 to 1935 and was president of the Folklore Society from 1953 to 1955.

It was slightly cloudy first thing this morning, but the sun began shining through before long. Thankfully, the temperature remained cool for a good while during the day. Last night’s low was 50 degrees, and the high today just barely made it to 80.

My blood sugar was back down to 137 today, and while my weight was 211.4, that has come down from the poundage that has been registered recently.

We showered and dressed right off the bat, then enjoyed our coffee and the Sunday brain games.

Then Nancy watered the garden and the yards, and I made a protein shake with the usual blueberries, strawberries, and bananas.

Just about 9:30 a.m. we took off for church. Today was the Seventh Sunday after Pentecost, and Father Nathan’s homily today was about the gospel reading on the Parable of the Sower.

When Nancy finished up her post-service altar guild duties, we went for lunch at Pastini. Then we came home and listened to “Wait Wait… Don’t Tell Me” before napping for a short time.

When we got up, I worked on my Flickr account and other social media as well as the 11th Step for tomorrow’s Steps & Traditions Zoom group.

Nancy talked with Kathleen, who invited us to join the family at Roaring Rapids for pizza. But we had already planned to meet at Peg’s with Annie and her kids. Peg is the ex-wife of Nancy's brother Robin, and their daughter Annie and her husband and children have been living in New Zealand for a few years. They are preparing to return to the U.S. in the near future.

At 3 p.m. I took my third shot of Ozempic, then at 3:30 p.m. we drove over to Peg’s and spent nearly three hours visiting with her and Annie and Charlotte and Leon.

When we got home, we made ravioli with marinara sauce and Nancy fixed another salad with lettuce from the garden.

Just as we were sitting down to eat, Kathleen and Ronin showed up to borrow our bikes. They dropped them off later after putting in about six miles, which included a stop at Mr. Ice Cream in downtown Springfield.

Following dinner, Nancy and I streamed “Grantchester” for the evening’s entertainment. There are only two more episodes remaining in this final series of the long-running show.

After the show, I went out to walk in the gathering twilight. I did 1.56 miles in about 32.5 minutes, a total of 3,500 steps. I felt it necessary given the two pasta meals we indulged in today.

Nancy was still scrolling through the channel listings looking for something else to watch when I got back. She finally gave up and turned off the TV and started preparing for bed.

Tomorrow is expected to fully sunny and bright for the entire day, with the temperature ranging from a morning low of about 53 degrees to a high of at least 86 in the late afternoon.

Our Monday will be busy for a change. Nancy has a hair appointment at the Gervais Salon at 11 a.m. I will go with her and check out the nearby café called Sip, which is run by the daughter of a recovery friend of mine.

At 5 p.m. I will have my Steps & Traditions Zoom group. Following that, at 6:30 p.m., I will take part in recording a Living Clean podcast on putting together a book on the fellowship’s history in Arizona. It will also be on Zoom.

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On this day in 1917, the Bisbee Deportation took place as vigilantes kidnapped and illegally deported nearly 1,300 striking miners and others from Bisbee, Arizona. Those arrested were taken to a local baseball park before being loaded onto cattle cars and deported 200 miles to Tres Hermanas in New Mexico.

July 12, 1817, was the birth date of Henry David Thoreau, the American naturalist, essayist, poet, and philosopher. A leading transcendentalist, he is best known for his book Walden, a reflection upon simple living in natural surroundings, and his essay “Civil Disobedience,” an argument in favor of citizen disobedience against an unjust state.

Today started out cloudy and cool, then the clouds thinned and the sun came out mid-day, and it remained in the open looking down on us until it set. Last night’s low was 58 degrees, and today’s high climbed to 78.

My blood sugar jumped back up to 165, no doubt because of the Cheetos, peanuts and fudgesicle I wound up consuming later than appropriate. Not to mention the lack of a decent dinner.

After our morning coffee and the Saturday edition of the brain games, Nancy and I made ourselves a protein drink with the regular combination of blueberries, strawberries and bananas.

A little before 11 a.m., we drove to St. Thomas for Nancy’s altar guild duties. While she took care of those, I chatted with parishioner Tom in the lobby after visiting briefly with Father Nathan.

Once the altar guild duties were complete, Nancy and I stopped on the way home at the Safeway on Q Street to buy some groceries, including cream and more watermelon chunks.

When we reached home, we made egg, cheese and bacon sandwiches for lunch, then we napped.

When we awoke, I began reading the new “Prey” novel again, then worked on Flickr and social media. Nancy spent time with her social media, then she went out and picked some lettuce from the garden for a salad to enjoy later with dinner.

She went back outside with her sketch books for a time, then, after getting herself a glass of wine, I went out and sat with her.

For dinner we had more of the leftover Greek chicken and rice with the salad made from the lettuce from the garden.

After cleaning up, Nancy walked over to Kathleen’s to check in with whatever parts of the family were there. They included Kurt’s parents, who are up from Tucson for a visit.

Meanwhile, I went for a solo walk around the neighborhood and did 1.61 miles in 34.5 minutes, a total of 3,700 steps, and I suffered no pains in my foot or my hip.

Nancy got home shortly after me, and we began our evening entertainment stream with “SOKO Linz.” It turned out to be the final episode currently available on Prime, even though there are four full seasons available. We hope the others get added soon, as it has been quite enjoyable. Then we streamed another episode of “Grantchester” before calling it quits for the evening.

Just about the time church starts tomorrow morning, the sun will come out and continue shining for the remainder of the day. Tonight’s low will drop to about 52 degrees, and the high tomorrow will reach at least 80. Sadly, it will continue to climb through the week, eventually rising into the 90s by next weekend.

Other than attending church in the morning, our only plans for Sunday are meeting with Robin’s daughter Annie and her kids, Charlotte and Leo, in the afternoon. They are staying with Peg, Annie’s mother, and we will visit with them there. If we wrap our visit up in time, I might head over for the Sunday evening recovery meeting.

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On this day in 1801, French astronomer Jean-Louis Pons made his first comet discovery. Over the next 27 years he discovered another 36 comets, more than any other person in history.

July 11, 1881, was the birth date of Isabel Martin Lewis, an American astronomer who was the first woman hired by the United States Naval Observatory as an assistant astronomer. In 1918, Lewis was elected a member of the American Astronomical Society, and she was also a member of the Royal Astronomical Society of Canada and the Astronomical Society of the Pacific.

Friday’s weather was pretty much a repeat of Thursday’s, starting with bright sunshine and blue skies from early morning until evening. From a low of 48 degrees, the temperature rose to a high of 84.

My blood sugar was back down to 123 for today’s glucose check. It’s nice to see the numbers remaining at that level.

After Nancy and I finished our coffee and played the usual online brain games, we made our usual protein drink with blueberries, strawberries, and bananas.

Then I ran to St. Thomas to get some paperwork from JB for a chore involving digitizing some old contact records of people who have used the church facilities in the past.

On the way home I stopped at SELCO to get more cash and to make a savings account deposit.

Not long after getting home, Nancy suggested that we walk downtown to the Springfield History Museum, and then to Mezza Luna for lunch. Which we did, then we walked back home.

When we got home, we napped, after which we showered and dressed. Nancy went out back to tend the garden, and I read the latest “Prey” novel. Then I briefly looked into the paperwork for the contact records chore. It won’t be difficult, but it will be time-consuming.

Nancy went out back with a glass of wine, and I joined her briefly before realizing I needed to eat something before taking off, so I came back in and had a boiled egg and slice of cheese.

About 5:30 p.m., I drove Nancy down to Anne and Joe’s. She went with them, and another Nancy from the parish, to the Saginaw winery where a band was entertaining and food was being served.

After I dropped Nancy off, I drove to the Buckley Detox Center and waited for my friend Jay to show up and run the meeting. He brought a woman named Jodie with him, and we both shared with the dozen patients who attended.

I made it home by 7:45 p.m., and while streaming I snacked a little bit, finishing off a few crumbs from a Cheetos bag, eating some peanuts, and enjoying a fudgesicle.

For entertainment, I chose episodes from shows we had not watched recently because Nancy was not interested. The first was “Sugar,” the detective series starring Colin Farrell. The other was “Pluribus,” the sci-fi series about the world overtaken by a mysterious wave of forced happiness.

I interrupted my watching briefly at 9 p.m. to give Grace her meds, which she received quite easily, for which I was grateful.

Then, just as “Pluribus” was ending, Nancy was dropped off by Anne and Joe, and she then filled me in on her experience at the winery.

It appears that tomorrow may see quite a few clouds, something quite different from the last couple of days. The sun may peek through in the middle of the day, but early and late will be dominated by clouds. Tonight’s low will only drop to 57 degrees, and the high for Saturday could stop at 76.

Nancy has altar guild duties in the morning, and I may wait to decide whether I will go with her or not. They seldom take enough time for me to go do anything else, so I might simply stick around the house and enjoy a gray morning.

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On this day in 1921, Bloody Sunday occurred, with 20 killings, at least 100 wounded and 200 homes destroyed during rioting and gun battles in Belfast, Northern Ireland.

July 10, 1724, was the birth date of Eva Ekeblad, a Swedish agriculturist and salon hostess who discovered a method to make alcohol and flour from potatoes, significantly reducing Sweden’s incidence of famine. She was the first female member of the Royal Swedish Academy of Sciences.

We experienced yet another bright blue sky and sunshine day here in our little corner of Oregon. The morning low dropped to 53 degrees, and the day’s high reached all the way up to 85.

My blood sugar rose just a couple of points, to 125. I have not had five days in a row below 160 since the latter half of March. I’m hoping it’s the Ozempic taking control, but we shall see.

Following our coffee and the usual online brain games for the day, Nancy did a yoga session, and I updated my Flickr account and checked other social media.

Then we made a protein drink with blueberries, strawberries, and bananas once again.

Then Nancy went out to tend the garden. She also picked a few of heads of broccoli for our dinner later. Then Nancy boiled eggs and made egg salad for our lunch.

After we showered and dressed, we had egg salad on toast with cheese and chips for lunch. Then we drove to downtown Eugene and visited the Down to Earth store. Nancy bought more seeds for the garden for carrots, lettuce and spinach.

On the way home, we swung by Prince Puckler’s. We both got mini-double scoops of ice cream, all of which was quite tasty and refreshing.

Back into Springfield, we stopped at an antique store on Main and 21st streets to look around. We did not see anything we could not live without.

From there we went to the car wash at Main and 32nd streets and got most of the dust and dirt cleaned off the Subaru.

When we got home, we napped for at least an hour.

I went back to read the new “Prey” novel for a little while. Nancy was looking through “Oregon Wine Press.” Then she took a glass of her new wine out back, and I joined her in the shade. We watched some small finches snacking at the bird feeder on the nearby tree, and I took a few photos of them with my iPhone.

Back in the house, we started putting dinner together. We had some of the leftover Greek chicken and rice along with the broccoli Nancy picked from the garden earlier. It was nice to have fresh broccoli.

After cleaning up, we began our streaming entertainment with the first half of the opening story on the new series of “Ellis,” followed by another episode of “SOKO Linz.”

Then I went out for a quick solo walk around the neighborhood and did 1.06 miles in a little more than 23 minutes, a total of 2,500 steps. It was cool and comfortable, and I did not wind up with too much pain.

A repeat of today’s weather is on tap for tomorrow. Tonight’s low is expected to fall to 50 degrees, and tomorrow’s high will make it to 80, if not higher.

We have nothing planned during the day tomorrow, but in the evening, I’m going to drop Nancy off at Anne and Joe’s so she can go with them to a winery down in Saginaw for some musical entertainment. Then I will go to the Buckley Detox Center in downtown Eugene to share my recovery story with some of the folks there.

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On this day in 1893, American heart surgeon Daniel Hale Williams performed the first successful open-heart surgery in United States without anesthesia.

July 9, 1922, was the birth date of Kathleen Booth, a British computer scientist and mathematician who co-wrote the first assembly language and co-designed the assembler and autocode for the first computer systems at Birkbeck College, University of London.

Today turned out to be all bright sun and blue skies, from early morning through to the end of daylight. The high made it to 83 degrees after a morning low of just 51.

My blood sugar dropped to a new low, just 123. It has only been that low once so far this year. I am curious as to what tomorrow will bring.

After Nancy and I finished our coffee and played the usual brain games, she went out to tend to the garden. I checked into my Flickr account and other social media.

When Nancy came back in, I put together our protein drink, which included blueberries, strawberries, and bananas.

A little bit later, we showered and dressed. Then we put the bed sheets in the laundry, switching them to the dryer when they were done.

Then we went out to the Market of Choice on Coburg Road for groceries, including bacon, eggs, hand and dish soaps, and wine.

When we got home, we made a lunch of tomato soup with the leftover half of the six-cheese sandwich I got yesterday at Our Daily Bread. It was a tasty soup that went really well with the sandwich.

After lunch, we took the sheets out of the dryer and put them back on the bed. Then we napped.

On getting up, I walked with Nancy for 1.25 miles in just under 34 minutes, a total of 3,100 steps. I was looking to take pictures of a few artichokes I had recently noticed along Centennial Blvd. as well as another Little Free Library in our neighborhood.

My right hip ached by the time we got home, and it had gotten a little too warm for a walk at this time of day. Thankfully, the mini-split helped cool things down.

Then I purchased the digital version of “Revenge Prey,” the latest in the Lucas Davenport series by John Sandford, and began reading it. The action got started right away.

Nancy sat out back with a glass of wine, and I joined her for part of the time. Even though it had been too warm earlier, with the breeze and the shade, it felt quite pleasant.

For dinner we had some Greek chicken leftovers, with rice, and some zucchini fresh from our garden. After cleaning up, we walked over to Kathleen’s with a birthday card and small gift for Ronin, who turned 26 yesterday.

After a brief visit with them, Nancy and I returned home and started the evening entertainment by streaming the next episode of “Grantchester.” We followed that with the first episode in the new series by Larry David of HBO, “Life, Larry and the Pursuit of Unhappiness.” Much like his other productions, it was both funny and annoying.

Thursday looks like it could be an exact replica of today, with blue skies, sunshine, and a low of 51 degrees and a high of 82.

Nancy and I will be making it up as we go along tomorrow, since there is nothing on our calendar at this point. I will skip the usual Thursday evening recovery meeting because I am scheduled to share at a treatment center on Friday evening.

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On this day in 1948, the U.S. Air Force accepted its first female recruits into a program called the Women’s Air Force. The WAF program ended in 1976 when women were accepted into the Air Force on an equal basis with men.

July 8, 1926, was the birth date of Elisabeth Kübler-Ross, a Swiss and American psychiatrist, a pioneer in near-death studies, author, and developer of the five stages of grief.

The morning was quite gray, and even after opening the blinds we had to turn on the lamps in the living room to make coffee and play our games. But the sun broke though eventually as the clouds dissipated and the sky turned blue. After the morning low of 53 degrees, the high reached 82.

My blood sugar was back up, but only to 155, still in the “safe” zone. The Ozempic obviously does not hold sway over my health at this time.

Following our coffee and brain games, we sat around thinking about what to do. Finally, Nancy suggested our initial step for the day.

After getting dressed, we went to Costco to get gas ($3.89 per gallon). Then we drove out OR126 to Veneta and had lunch at Our Daily Bread. We arrived at 11:05 a.m., and it was about 45 minutes before our food was finally served, but it was worth the wait. We both had the roasted garlic tomato soup, which was quite creamy. I had a six-cheese grilled sandwich, and Nany got a BLT on ciabatta.

When we were finally done with our meal, we drove north on Territorial Highway to where it ran into OR36. We took that road east to OR99, where we stopped and got a blended mocha from Pony Espresso.

We headed south on OR99, then turned east on Milliron Road, considering going by the Oregon State Psychiatric Hospital. Confront with a long road to that property, though, we continue to Prairie Road and turned south.

At Irvington Drive we turned east once more, passing the Grange where we attended a Scottish festival not long after arriving in Oregon two years ago.

Then we went south on River Road, all the way down to where it turned into Chambers Street. We turned east on 7th Avenue and followed it through downtown Eugene. There was a nice crowd of anti-ICE protestors at the federal building, where the fence has been recently taken down.

When we reached Coburg Road, we went north and turned off onto MLK Blvd., following it across I-5 where it turned into Centennial Blvd., then, finally, home, where we napped for at least an hour.

Not long after getting up, we started working on the marinade for the Greek chicken recipe for dinner and stuck it in the fridge for an hour.

Having only gotten a few steps of any kind in so far, I went out for a solo walk in the neighborhood and put in 1.59 miles in a little more than 34 minutes, a total of 3,700 steps.

I posted a photo on FB from my walk of a group of artichokes in bloom. My Flickr account had less than 800 views before the 5 p.m. flip, the lowest daily number in nearly three months.

While I was out walking, Nancy stuck the chicken in the oven to bake and fixed a fresh pot of rice. I shucked the last two cobs of corn and set them on boil. Everything was ready at about 5 p.m., and we enjoyed the meal.

One minor mishap during the dinner occurred when the corn holder slipped out of the cob while I was eating. The momentum sent it into my cheek, where it scraped two lines and brought out a little blood. It did not hurt that bad, but I got rather loud about it.

Once we finished the dinner and washed up all the dishes, I got ready to take off for the Tuesday men’s recovery meeting. I picked up Henry, and we got there on time. For the third week in a row, we were joined by a group of men from one of the local treatment facilities.

One of the long-term members, Tom, was celebrating his 23rd year in recovery, and he kicked off the meeting with a nice share about his experience with the program. Several of the other shares included nice stories about knowing Tom.

Finally, back at home, Nancy and I streamed the fifth episode in the current series of “Beyond Paradise” for our evening entertainment. Evidently, according to info I discovered online, the personnel issue will be solved in next week’s final episode. And, it appears, there will be a fifth series of the program coming in the future.

The outlook for Wednesday is much the same as today, starting out with some clouds and turning into a sunny afternoon. Tonight’s low will be in the low 50s, and the high tomorrow will be around 80 degrees.

Once again Nancy and I are facing a day with nothing planned beyond our morning routine. Be sure to check in here tomorrow for any reports on the activities we eventually find ourselves enjoying.

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On this day in 1946, Mother Francesca S. Cabrini became the first American to be canonized. In 1880, she founded the Missionary Sisters of the Sacred Heart of Jesus, a religious institute that today provides education, health care, and other services to the poor in 15 nations.

July 7, 1861, was the birth date of Nettie Stevens, an American geneticist who discovered sex chromosomes in 1905. They later became known as the X and Y chromosomes.

Monday dawned bright and sunny, but clouds began to drift in before too long. Nevertheless, after an overnight low of 53 degrees, the high today made it all the way up to 87.

My blood sugar dropped another substantial amount, to 138. Even after another injection of Ozempic last evening, I still don’t know whether it’s the drug, or the food I’m eating or the walking I’m getting done. Or, perhaps, all of it together.

After Nancy and I finished our coffee and the usual brain games, Nancy did a yoga session with a little bit of balancing exercise. I updated my Flickr account, checked my other social media, and worked a little bit on Step 11 for next Monday’s Zoom group.

Then I started making our protein drink for the day, with bananas and strawberries. After that, Nancy went out to do yard work and take care of the garden. I shaved, having let my beard get a little scruffy.

Then we both showered and dressed. Next, we went to CVS, but Nancy’s refill was not available for some reason. So, we walked over to Albertsons to get cat food, fudgesicles, and coffee beans.

When we got home, we napped briefly, while a load of laundry was drying. We got up and put away the laundry when the dryer beeped.

Then we took off for Creswell and went to the bakery. We bought a loaf of multigrain sourdough (for free with our stamp card) and two chipotle ham brioche sandwiches. We sat outside under a fig tree and ate them.

On the way out of Creswell, we went by the Bean Hopper and got a very tasty blended Mexican mocha. Then we came back to Springfield via OR58 and Jasper Road.

We went by an antiques place on Main Street, but all the parking spaces were occupied, so we came on home.

A little later, we went to Costco to fill up the gas tank, but the lines were all way too long, so we came right back home.

I finished reading my Clay Edison book and then fell asleep on the couch. Nancy went out back to check out the garden once again.

When she came back in, she got a glass of wine and went to sit out back. I joined her just to enjoy the shade.

Once the wine was gone, we came in and fixed a dinner of leftover Tuscan chicken with rice and corn on the cob. Then we cleaned up all the dishes, and we each had a fudgesicle for dessert.

We kicked off the evening of streaming entertainment with the third episode in the new series of “Harry Wild,” followed by another episode from the “SOKO Linz” series, which we have enjoyed thanks to the principal characters and the decent story lines.

Then I decided to go out for a solo walk, starting at 8:40 p.m. I did 1.79 miles in 36.5 minutes, a total of 4,100 steps. It was cool and breezy, and I took a couple more pictures of little free libraries in the Washburne neighborhood. I’m planning to write about them for the upcoming BudZine.

When I got home, I started working on my blog to wrap up the day.

It looks like tomorrow is going to offer more sunshine than today, though the high is expected to only reach 81 degrees after a morning in the low 50s.

Other than my Tuesday evening men’s recovery meeting, with Henry along for the ride, there is nothing else planned for tomorrow. I did briefly consider going to Costco around 6 a.m., when the gas pumps open, but that will depend on how I sleep tonight.

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On this day in 1885, Louis Pasteur successfully tested his vaccine against rabies on Joseph Meister, a boy who was bitten by a rabid dog.

July 6, 1799, was the birth date of Louisa Caroline Huggins Tuthill, one of the most successful authors in the 19th-century. In addition to the first history of architecture published in the United States in 1848, she wrote numerous books for children and young adults.

Sunday dawned bright and shining, and despite the forecast of clouds, it remained mostly sunny for the entire day. From this morning’s low of 52 degrees, the temperature rose this afternoon to 84.

My blood sugar made a big drop, all the way down to 143. It might have been what I ate, or how far I walked, or even more of the Ozempic kicking in after nearly a week.

One Nancy and I finished our coffee and the usual online brain games, we made a protein drink of blueberries, strawberries and bananas.

Then we left for church for the Sixth Sunday after Pentecost. It was another day without our pianist, so we had to sing the hymns without accompaniment. It was a good thing that they were all familiar.

After being away last week, Father Nathan was back, and his homily today quoted parts of a speech by Frederick Douglass delivered on July 5, 1852. Some of the language even pointed directly at the current administration and its shortcomings.

When the service was done, Nancy and I headed home for a lunch of egg, cheese and bacon sandwiches. Then we went over to Sunday Market in downtown Springfield. Nancy’s friend from Rooted Remedies was there with her booth. We also got some honey and strawberries.

Then we walked down to the Main Street Market and Nancy got a bottle of pinot gris and more yogurt.

Back at home once again we turned on the mini-split to cool down the place, and then we lay down for a nap. When we got up, we had the last two fudgesicles. Then we turned off the mini-split.

I took off for a solo walk around the neighborhood about 3 p.m. I put in 2.3 miles in 49 minutes, a total of 5,400 steps.

Nancy was playing the piano when I got back. I sat and read the Clay Edison book for a while.

About 5 p.m. I took off for the Sunday evening recovery meeting. There was not as large a showing as the previous couple of weeks, but there was some good sharing on the topic of “balance” from the day’s reading, which I was selected to read out loud.

I made it home a little after 7 p.m., and Nancy had dinner ready for us. We had a little bit of the leftover Tuscan chicken with servings of freshly cooked rice. There was also a small salad with lettuce from the garden.

When we had cleaned up from dinner, we settled into the living room for the Sunday evening streaming entertainment. We began with another episode from the final series of “Grantchester” and finished up with one more episode from “SOKO Linz.”

Tomorrow is supposed to start cloudy and turn sunny in the afternoon. Tonight’s low will be around 55 degrees, and the high tomorrow is expected to reach the mid-80s. Similar weather will be appearing throughout much of the following week.

We have no plans at all for Monday. We will start out as usual, with coffee and brain games, and then we will give some thought to how we will spend the remainder of our day.

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On this day in 1775, the Second Continental Congress adopted the Olive Branch Petition, a final attempt to avoid war between Great Britain and the Thirteen Colonies in America.

July 5, 1857, was the birth date of Clara Zetkin, a German Marxist theorist, communist activist, and advocate for women’s rights

It was cloudy, gray and cool right off the bat this morning. But things eventually turned around and the sun began shining out of the clear blue sky. This morning’s low was 55 degrees, and the high reached 82.

My blood sugar dropped one more point, down to 180. It’s hard to imagine that a tiny bit of medicine taken last Sunday afternoon has made much difference in the glucose levels, so any changes certainly remain connected to my exercise and diet at this point.

After finishing our coffee and the usual online brain games, Nancy and I made another protein drink, with blueberries, strawberries and bananas.

We got out just before 11 a.m. and walked while it was still nice and cool. The sun did break through occasionally, on the way to a clear blue sky later. We did 2.07 miles in under 50 minutes, a total of 5,000 steps. Neither of us had bad pain for a change.

Then Nancy went out to tend to the garden, and after coming back in, she had gotten hot and sweaty, so we showered and dressed. We had pita chips with hummus and string cheese for a lunch-time snack.

After talking with Kathleen about the family BBQ at her place this evening, we went to Safeway to get a few things for them. We got a big watermelon, some strawberries, and a package of bacon to go with the hamburgers. I took them over to Kathleen’s as soon as we got back. We also got a bottle of wine.

Back at home, I continued reading the newest Clay Edison novel. Then we napped. I returned to reading again, and Nancy had a glass of wine.

Right around 6 p.m. we walked over to Kathleen’s, taking a bag of potato chips with us. I came back and fetched our two camping chairs a bit later, so we had something comfortable to sit in while out in their back yard.

We eventually had hamburgers and hot dogs and corn on the cob and other kinds of goodies for dinner. Kalen and Kurt were present, along with Kathleen and Ronin, and Kyle, Seran and Sophie. Friends from the ranch, Sarah and Herb and Ray, were there for a while as well.

Once we were finished eating, Kyle and Ronin started setting off a few small fireworks in the back yard. Even Sophie enjoyed them.

Just before 9 p.m. Nancy and I headed back home. After giving Grace her evening meds, Nancy wanted to watch something to distract from the fireworks which had started going off all over the neighborhood. So, we caught another episode of “SOKO Linz,” which turned out to be about gaming and crypto currency and murder.

Tomorrow is looking like a mix of clouds and sunshine, with a low of 53 degrees overnight and a high tomorrow of at least 80.

In addition to church, Ronin’s mother, Nancy, will be dropping by in the afternoon for an acupuncture treatment. Then I have my usual Sunday recovery meeting in the evening. There is not a whole lot of time for anything else.

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On this day in 1802, the United States Military Academy opened at West Point, New York, to educate cadets for service as commissioned officers in the U.S. Army.

July 4, 1868, was the birth date of Henrietta Swan Leavitt, an American astronomer whose discovery of how to effectively measure vast astronomical distances led to a shift in the understanding of the scale and nature of the universe.