Saturday my brother picked me up at 6:30 a.m. We drove to our old hometown in Camden, Arkansas. We had a nice visit during the ~4 hour drive northeast. When we arrived, we met up with my sister and her husband and with our late father's widow.
I was pleased to get to sit down with everyone. At 11:15, we headed to the local Memorial Park. We gathered there to lay my father's ashes to rest in the place by his and my mother's headstone. My sister's husband said a short prayer. It was, at last, fitting and done.
We all had a Chinese buffet at the local place. For my meal, I chose hot and sour soup, chicken with broccoli and fresh grapes and pineapple. We all talked about things. My father's widow re-located to Hot Springs. She described a new-found skill at serious bridge. I was pleased to see that her health seemed improved, after an earlier interval of poor health.
We all headed back to our family home, which is now owned by my sister. I discussed some family formalities with my sister, and got some help from my brother and my sister's husband in putting some things in my brother's car. Then my brother and I hit the road back to Texas. On the way back, we stopped in Mount Pleasant for soft drinks. A man who admired my brother's ATS Cadillac stopped to ask me questions about its engine specifications. I was not the right person to ask on this topic, but soon my brother was discussing the nuances with him. My brother waved at the pleasant fellow as that other man drove off in his own Cadillac.
I like that Cadillacs, like Corvettes and Ford Mustangs, develop their own enthusiast groups. My own car is a kind of sports utility vehicle called a Chevrolet Equinox, and generates no similar camaraderie from fellow drivers. But I can put my bicycle in the back.
We arrived back at my home near 5:30 p.m. My wife was not hungry for dinner, so I made myself roast beef sandwiches on wheat hoagies, baked chips, and little mini-bars from Weight Watchers. I watched the first half of a televised football match between my alma mater the University of Arkansas and the opposing Texas A & M Aggies. The score was tied at half, but I fell asleep. When I awoke the next morning, I learned that things had gone downhill. Sleep is often a far better pursuit than watching football on television.
Sunday morning the rain fell, delightfully changing the heat into slightly warmer-than-Autumn weather. I rose early and eat sugar-free instant oatmeal. I fell back asleep but made it up on time for my morning meetings. Beatrice was a bit under the weather from the rain and from a difficulty she had had in the wee hours that caused her a bit of pain.
I walked for a bit on the Chisholm Trail. Then I went to Weight Watchers, where I was down by eight-tenths of a pound. I stopped by Shawnee Park in Plano, where I saw a Red-Shouldered Hawk and several American Robins. But soon the heavy rain sent me on my way to church.
I went to First UMC, where I enjoyed service in the chapel called The Way. Today's sermon pointed out the problems with the prosperity gospel idea.
After lunch, I went to Taco Casa for two soft beef tacos. Then I headed home. When the rain let up, I walked in Glendover Park, and then walked to Green Park.
I liked to watch the Spice-bush Swallowtail butterfly. I crossed 10,000 steps.
I looked this afternoon into installing a Nook application on my Linux laptop. I discovered that Nook on the web is no longer downloadable, while Nook for the PC appears to be geared only to Windows 8 and 10, and available only through the software "store". My plan to use WINE to get the application to work in Linux went by the wayside. This was a good example of use of a software center as a "walled garden" to try to control users.
I spent time instead finding more ebooks without digital rights management. I found some good resources, both ones new to me and ones familiar to me. I downloaded a few books for future reference.
I use the software Calibre for ebook reading on my computer. I had never before used it to convert an HTML book into ePub format. I was pleased with the job it did when I converted a Victorian novella from HTML to ePub.
I am enjoying the ebook I got to read from Nook--Daniel Jose Older's "Midnight Taxi Tango".
Tonight I dined on roast beef sandwiches and baked ruffles chips.I am watching the local sports team the Dallas Cowboys play professional football against a team called the Bears from Chicago. I am enjoying a restful evening before a busy week ahead.