Sort of.
The ashes come over the next couple of days, when our temperatures are forecast to climb to 104.
It got up to 85 today, and that was feeling a tad waahhm when I took the dog out for a slow stroll around the block a few minutes ago. Twenty more degrees?
Hi!
I decided to come back. I’ve had a nice break, and after a couple of months I miss writing my newsletter. My blog adventure fizzled as it usually does whenever I give it a go. I do have some things to share with you, but am going to make a few changes so writing doesn’t become a chore.
Random arrival in your inbox - it could be any day, any time! Be on the lookout.
Goodbye specialty sections (or at least the ones we had before)
Content - still amusing, still informative, still weird
hello, my name is prosecutor
Hmmm…
So much has happened since I last wrote to you. So much.
We took a trip to Cle Elum last weekend, in desperation to get away from home for a little bit. This was a different sort of getaway than one previous to Yakima to visit my parents. Anyhow, Michael had a bad tooth, the dog wouldn’t poo, and nobody was masked up.
We found places to eat and drink that had dog-friendly outdoor seating. Surveillance included at no extra charge.
The ammo shop was one of the only places requiring masks, or proof of vaccination to enter without. I found this a bit surprising. Most places said vaccinated folks could enter without a mask. We are fully vaccinated but wore masks, because we pretty much don’t trust strangers. Especially in a county with a less than 50% full vaccination rate.
The drive over to Cle Elum was nice - we took HWY 2 through Leavenworth and then 97 over Blewett Pass to the south. Very pretty. We stopped at the 97 Rock House for lunch.
It’s a house! In a rock! Or something. I recommend it if you’re in the neighborhood.
Leavenworth was strange. It’s grown up so much since the last time I’ve been through. It felt claustrophobic driving through the west part of town. I lived there in 1988 and that is probably worth a newsletter of its own to tell the tale.
We were glad to get away for a couple of nights, but the trip did cement our dislike for humanity and confirm we’re not ready to insert ourselves fully into society. PSSSSST: the pandemic is not over.
Yesterday I returned to my physical workplace for the first time since March 12, 2020. My laptop needed a major update so I went in for a couple of hours. I cleaned up my work space which was a bizarre time capsule of Census flyers, dust, and avenging unicorns.
There weren’t a lot of people there. I saw a few, and despite not seeing them in 15 months it seemed like I’d just seen them yesterday. I’m looking forward to working a few hours there now and then, as long as the Delta variant doesn’t cause big problems.
Lastly… have you heard the good news of fountain pens?
I have, and I may have a problem…
I’ll try hard not to bore you about them. But oh my goodness, they are a delight.
LINKS
Here’s some things you may enjoy.
Tina Ontiveros
The Life We Pay For - Oregon Humanities essay on growing up in poverty
rough house - one of the best books I’ve read this year
Botany of the Pacific Northwest - Nolan presented a program at the library, and you can watch it too!
Unpacking the Nap Dress - a bit of history about Laura Ashley couture and where we are today… (Culture Study)
Helen Wells - my new favorite artist!
All right my friends - this seems like a good start back here at That’s Gneiss! Don’t be shy, leave comments or send me a message.
And if you’re in the Pacific Northwest, take care of yourselves and stay cool the next few days!
wtf…………..
Oh and I somehow lost the link to your weather station and was looking through old posts with the handy search feature (I didn't know we had that!) and found that awesome link you posted https://wtfshouldiletter.com - haha! How awesome.
I just really like the format of the Substack newsletter and how it looks in email. They do a nice job and I'm really glad you are back to it! Congrats on the return!