algebraic bathing

Yesterday I transferred my Camry car insurance from California to Oregon, effective the end of the month. I saved $150 over the next 12 months. Yesterday I also set in motion transferring my Medicare me insurance from down in CA to up here in OR, effective the beginning of next month – I lost $600 over the next 12 months. Hmmm. Then again, gasoline for the Camry is about 50 cents less a gallon up here than down there. Also then again, the CA sales tax is 7.25 while the OR sales tax is 0.00.

But, honestly, who’s counting. I wore my ‘Kathleen Hanna for President’ t-shirt to one of those meetings Saturday morning and someone made a (good) fuss over it, so Sunday I went on line and bought the same one in a different color – and approximately 75 less washings – for $31, just because. Saturday afternoon there was a piece of art I fell in love with on Division for $800 and I didn’t buy it. I haven’t bought a microwave yet either – there ain’t one here. There also ain’t a shower here, so I’ve taken my first baths since probably 1966 and it’s been kind of cool, especially yesterday morning when the sun peeked out for a while and the psychedelic material over the bathroom window brought a world of rainbow to my liquid trance.

I can’t make this stuff up – no way near enough brain cells. Oh, my first afternoon back in Portland, exactly one week ago on last Tuesday, my about-to-be landlady running late, I cruised over to the Rhododendron Garden – for who’s bench I’ve ached all these away years – and bought an annual pass. $35. I went there yesterday in the afternoon, and while sitting on the bench watched an eagle flying in lazy circles overhead. I posted a bunch of Garden photos on my FB page, which you could see here: https://www.facebook.com/buddy.cushman/

It’s supposed to rain four inches the next few days, and fortunately I have a bunch of Ch’an/Zen books and a guitar calling my name. And none of this is fiction.