Hey There! It's 7:52 AM EDT, 59°F Wind 7 mph SW, overcast.
Yesterday also saw some small accomplishments, and I am beginning to think that I should focus my life on these daily accomplishments. Often I fall into the trap of thinking too much about big things and not small things. Would I find more satisfaction in my life if I could look around me and see that small, nagging tasks were getting done?
After morning coffee I took a walk. One section of yesterday's route passes through a small space of woods, and I heard birds. So I took out my Merlin bird tracker to see what was out there. Seven species I recorded, from the American Robin to the Common Barn Swallow. I do not hear the birds when I walk without my hearing aids, because I can't hear high frequencies all that well, so it astounds me when I can record and see all the birds that are out there.
After breakfast I got into a small with my son, who wanted to know if he should sell some bonds. The amount he wanted to sell was meaningless in the long term, so I said sure. He wants to put that money towards the down payment on his new car. But bonds currently are at an historically high rate, so he thought investing $%0/week towards buying bonds over 10 years would be a good strategy. In doing the math, we figured that if he did that, he will have paid the car money back to himself if the car lasts ten years. So he might do it.
I've also found an ebike that could replace the one my DIL's daughter had stolen. She has the charger and an extra battery, and that is what this bike needs. I am a little hesitant to buy it, however, as I can't test it without the batter and charger. It would take over two days of traveling to insure the bike worked, and I am not sure even with a battery that the motor would run. I could be wasting $250. Seems like I am better off buying a $400 bike I know will work.
After these small asides I went out and accomplished the one thing I wanted to accomplish yesterday, and that was getting the battery back into the large scooter. I want to sell it, and today I will probably be taking pictures of it to post on FB. I realized yesterday how heavy that bike is to handle. When I went to start it up, it would not start. I was slowly getting depressed about that until I realized you can't start the bike with the side stand down. So I kicked the side stand up, and after a few cranks, it started.
I took it for a short ride around the block, and everything seemed fine. I do not intend to ask much money for it, as getting rid of it is the main objective. In my heart I believe I will miss it, but in my head I know it's time to let this thing go. I still have my smaller bike, and that will serve me well. And I will probably be doing more EV driving instead of motorcycle driving in the coming years. I will be a bit sad to see it go, but it's the smart thing to do.
And believe it or not, just getting the bike out and getting the battery into the bike was physically taxing. I went back into the house to rest, and at 4PM took a nap. I slept about 50 minutes, and when I woke up, I started checking some web sites, and ran into the Stephen Colbert parody he did - "Only In Monroe." I watched it, and it was very funny. I don't stay up late enough to watch those late night talk shows, but when I was younger The Colbert Report was standard viewing. He's smart and talented.
Dinner was some sort of rustic French pie made with potatoes, onions, cheese, and Swiss Chard that DW had in the house. She spent the afternoon looking for recipes for Swiss chard, and the one she found was OK, but in my opinion a bit bland. I think it's supposed to be that way. She was afraid I wouldn't eat it so she fried some chicken strips on the side. She's a little too concerned with what I will or won't eat. I am not inclined towards vegetarianism, but I don't mind a non-meat meal here and there. I think she would eat vegetarian if it were up to her.
After dinner I tuned in the ball game, which became a laugher after 4 innings. So I stopped paying attention and turned it off when the score went to 11-1. I did some internet hopping to fill the time to bed. Bedtime was 11:02 PM.
Notable Deaths: Manny Fernandez, defensive tackle for the undefeated Superbowl VII champion Miami Dolphins, 79.
'Til We Meet Again!