#remembering dad

Rain. Rain last night. Rain this morning. Rain this afternoon. Rain this evening. Not all at once, but plenty of it altogether. Last night’s low was 49 degrees. Today’s high just barely reached 61.

This morning’s blood sugar count was back up to 203. Still not sure why, since last night’s meal was a decent one, with protein and vegetables. And I did not overdo sugar or other carbs during the day.

After our coffee and online brain games for Friday, we had oatmeal for breakfast.

A little later we went out for a couple of errands. It was my first day wearing long pants. First, we went to Best Buy to get a thumb drive, which we dropped off at the photo lab to hold the slide scans they are doing for me. We also did a little shopping at the Market of Choice on Coburg Road, including a couple of ingredients for tonight’s planned dinner, a chicken enchilada casserole.

When we got home, we made ham and cheese sandwiches and had them with potato chips.

It was too late to get out and do any running around, so Nancy and I took a nap.

When we got up, Nancy put on a pot of pinto beans to go with tonight’s dinner. Then we went out for a short walk around the neighborhood. We did 1.41 miles in just over 30 minutes, a total of 3,300 steps.

After our walk, I drove down to Old Crow and got a hot mocha. Then I posted on FB about the anniversary of Dad’s passing, along with several old pictures from the family archives. His memory remains a blessing for us.

Nancy had a glass of wine, and when she was done, we put together a dish of chicken enchiladas, using some Hatch enchilada sauce and lots of cheese. Together with the pinto beans, everything was delicious.

After cleaning up from dinner, we began our Friday evening streaming entertainment with the second episode of the new “Karen Pirie” series. We followed that with the opening episode of the Netflix series “House of Guinness.”

The rain is supposed to continue off and on through the night, then setting in for a good spell in the afternoon. I doubt it will put a damper on the crowd at the stadium where the No. 2 Oregon Ducks will be playing the No. 8 Indiana Hoosiers. But tonight’s low will be in the mid-40s, while tomorrow’s high is not expected to go above 60 degrees.

No doubt I will wear long pants again tomorrow, though we have nothing on our calendar yet. We will not be going near the part of Eugene where the game is being played. Running into that crowd three times now has made us more aware of the need to stay away on game days.

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On this date in 2020, our beloved father, John S. Banks, passed into eternity. He was married to our mother, Jeanne, for 68 years. She followed him into eternal rest in February 2022. He spent his life delivering the Good News to the world as a pastor and an Army chaplain. His memory remains a blessing to us all.

October 10, 1900, was the birth date of Helen Hayes, an American actress, often referred to as the “First Lady of American Theatre.” She was the second person and first woman to win the EGOT (an Emmy, a Grammy, an Oscar, and a Tony Award), and the first person to win the Triple Crown of Acting. Hayes also received the Presidential Medal of Freedom in 1986, and in 1988, she was awarded the National Medal of Arts.

Missing my car guy on Father’s Day

My dad made me the car freak I am today

This coming Father’s Day will be my first without my dad as he passed away February 14th. At his funeral, I did the eulogy, and after rewriting it a couple of times, decided to go with a car theme comparing his qualities to the window sticker on a car, one produced by American Motors where he worked for 27 years.

While going through pictures to display at…

YAHRZEIT CANDLE - it’s the 3 year anniversary of Dad’s death. I miss him.

I’d rather remember Dad alive, and the adventures we had together. Between 2011 and mid-2013 when my sister uprooted him to MA, I happily spent 200 days with my Dad, though he lived more than 350 miles north of here.

The candle was a gift from a friend who designs home goods. The scent of this candle is earthy wet ground and oak moss in an olive orchard - and amazingly, it’s spot on in terms of fragrance. I wish you could smell it.

One Year Later … I Still Want To Be Like My Dad

Yesterday, Saturday the 24th, I wrote this post … but was unable to send it until today. * Today, I pushed something away, something of importance.  Then I brought it back in, embraced it.  A year ago, my Dad finished his race, crossing the line into the Place where most of us will go, when we are finished here, a place where we don’t suffer anymore, and we are joyous beyond our comprehension. I…

He also used the word “mean” as it’s used above more than anyone else I knew.

We were often regaled of tales of his time in college when he lived with a couple other guys and chili was all he could cook. So when it was his turn to cook, the ate chili for several days. I wish I listened to more of the tales of his youth because I feel like his life before my mom is a mystery to me.

No ice in is water. Yes ice (a cube or two) in his coffee.