The Doctor is in.

March 2020

Welcome, Reuben Harvey

Reuben, the newest Sleight, beat his official due date by twelve days. He arrived Sunday the 22nd at the Covington MultiCare Medical Center at 9:09 PM. His vitals: 8 lbs. 12 oz. and 22 inches.

"Reuben" was Jacob's first born son. The name means, "behold, a son." Harvey is a family name from the Eby side.

Governor Inslee's "Stay Home, Stay Healthy" order announced the next day, meant that it will be some weeks before we can visit precious Reuben, and I can take my own pictures of him. Jonathan is already delighted with his little brother.

The Local Impact of the Coronavirus Disease (COVID-19)

As a news junkie, I have followed the news of the Chinese-born COVID-19 virus outbreak since it was first reported. Last month, I began taking steps accordingly. I reordered my own prescriptions early, knowing many drugs might become hard to source. I bought extra toilet paper, knowing that would be an early consumer product folks would hoard. We filled more two-liter pop bottles which we store in the basement and garage
(as more of an earthquake preparedness item). I bought soup, since that's easier to stomach when ill.

On Friday, March 6th, Seattle Pacific University followed the University of Washington and Seattle University in cancelling classes through week 10 and finals week of winter quarter. Fifty of my 73 students had already passed my BUS 1700 course this term. The school actually locked McKenna Hall on Friday the 13th. That date was chosen because of my classes which gave their last tests on the 12th. My exams cannot be given as take-home tests. (The quarter ended with 63 of 73 passing.)

On Sunday, March 8th, I was mentally thanking Jean for helping me set up my phone to sync up with the Chromecast device I'd rarely used on our 50" TV. Nancy and I livestreamed both the 8:30 AM traditional and 10:00 AM contemporary worship services from University Presbyterian Church. It was the first time in our memory when public services were not held. Even when there had been snow, services had been held.

On the 12th, my last work day at SPU in March, we got the word that the start of Spring quarter would be pushed back to April 13th, and then it would start as online-only classes. As I left McKenna Hall "for the last time," I took this shot (above) of the empty parking lot and the budding cherry trees.

On Sunday the 15th, while we were all in voluntary quarantine, we joined together in a Zoom chat to celebrate Joel's 26th birthday — and played the board game Pandemic. We saved the (virtual) world!

Most alarming was the report that brother Randy, up in Lake Stevens, was very sick on Monday the 9th. The day before, he'd talked with Laurie at home in Loveland, Colorado, and he felt fine then. His symptoms included most of those associated with the COVID-19 virus. By the 14th, his fever had broken but on the 15th he reported a sore throat and his temperature had returned. I drove up to Lake Stevens on Monday the 16th and delivered a load of needed food, drink, and other items. He sounded better on the phone later in the month.

I did take one evening to drive over to SPU to retrieve some work and to process 2018-19 course evaluations for seven tenured faculty. My job is to read through all of the student comments in advance of the dean, and highlight the positive and especially negative feedback. Traffic was almost non-existent.

Amazon finally shipped the two new antennas I'd ordered. (The order was held up because medical supplies shipped first.) I tried them out on my basement TV and got 38 channels with the second! The vendor promised a free model if I provided a review on Amazon.com. That simple task completed, I was surprised to find a wonderful new antenna in my mailbox on the 28th. It is doing a great job replacing the large unsightly metal antenna in the family room. And I still have one new antenna to install for Randy in Lake Stevens when we are all allowed to travel again.

Teaching at Seattle Christian School

On Wednesday, March 11th, I fulfilled my promise to Annie to teach a lesson on presentations with PowerPoint to her Public Speaking class.

I included too much information, but it was a good first effort with new presentations. Annie shared them with other teachers and says she would be happy for me to return next year.

I was happy to get my 75 minute lesson delivered. The school, like all schools in Washington State, was closed the following week.

I rode the Sound Transit light rail from the SeaTac airport all the way to the University of Washington where I could transfer to the 271 bus for home.

My Man Cave

Early in March, I had Annie post a large chair and an old style student desk on Buy Nothing on Facebook to give away free. That gave me space to make at least half of my basement office functional again.
I mounted the 43" LG TV up high where I could easily watch it from my recliner. I installed a surplus HP laser printer and planned to give another away to Cynthia when I was allowed to visit again.

I spent most of my time in this basement room, preparing my BUS 1700 course to be taught online, watching the shows I like while Nancy watched her favorites on the 50" TV upstairs. And I often napped as needed in my recliner. Shadow kept me company day and night.

Can't Drive on 100th Avenue Northeast

A new roundabout is replacing the four-way stop light at NE 10th Street and 100th Avenue NE. Until the work is finished, we must drive west to 92nd Avenue NE or north to NE 17th Street to get around the blockage in order to just get to the QFC grocery store four blocks south of us.

When I was still walking to and from the bus, I had to walk along 102nd Avenue NE instead of 100th. The stay at home order made this moot after the 12th.

Getting a Jump on My New Tomato Garden

Many late winters have come and gone without me getting tomatoes started, but not this year. I had some older seeds and wondered if they might still germinate. The web told me: "Yes! If tomato seeds are appropriately fermented, dried, and stored, they can last up to 10 years with a germination rate of 50%. If used within 4-7 years, the germination rate will be even better . . . The documented record of rejuvenation is 50 years."

On March 9th, I planted seven-year-old Fox cherry tomatoes and six-year-old Rutgers tomatoes outside, and three-year-old Baxter's Bush cherry tomatoes inside. As the month ends, only the indoor seeds have produced plants.

On the 21st, I finally got outside and started preparing a south-side tomato garden. It was a slow go, being so out of shape. But all this work from home is also a test drive of what retirement might be like. A good 30" deep hole takes me about 25 minutes to dig. The Internet says to dig 12" holes, but I will fill the bottom of the hole with mulch and compost of which we have ample supplies.

Next month, I will attack the shrubs between my tomatoes and the two nice Dogwood trees to the east.

One fun job was repotting "Alberta," our Dwarf Alberta Spruce Christmas tree. →

STEP 1: Get permission from Nancy on where to create my tomato garden. Watch out for her blueberry bushes and her flower bulb garden.	STEP 2: Remove and shred St. John's Wort, ivy, and blackberries.	STEP 3: Discover that the long-stored rototiller really does need oil, not just gas! Pray it starts. Rototill twice to break up remaining roots.
STEP 4: Dig at least as many holes for tomatoes as you have tomato cages. These are 24" to 30" deep. Eleven down, four to go.	STEP 5: Care for the tomatoes that are thriving indoors on the sunny living room window seat.	STEP 6: Wonder why none of the many tomato seeds started outside have come up yet!!

2020 UPC Youth Ministry Auction

I didn't bid on anything ! Honest! But Annie and Nancy used my auction number to place bids on lots of items. And apparently, we "won" nearly $500 worth of items for $220. (That doesn't seem right when it is supposed to be a fund raiser.) (1) Glass 2 Tier Candelabra by Cambridge Glass; (2) Potpourri; (3)Girls Night Out Basket; (4) Green Wool Sweater from Jos A Banks; (5) Bakers Delight Basket; (6) Housecleaning Kitty, Tbilisi, Georgia' Photographic Art; (7) Battery Science Kit; (8) Hallmark Special Edition "Yuletide Romance" Barbie; (9) Daughters of the Faith Series Book Duo; (10) Saturday's Child Porcelain Doll; (11) Three Family Games.

Because of Governor Jay Inslee's "Stay Home, Stay Healthy" statewide order, we have not been able to pick up all this swag yet.

Bits and Pieces

After many years, the "family" John Deere tractor and trailer has finally come to the Bellevue Sleights. Randy had bought it for Tori and Timmy Ellis. When they outgrew it, it was passed on to Zach Kidwell. With Laurie visiting for the wedding last month, she brought it to Bellevue. While Charis' feet don't yet reach the pedals, she was overjoyed to find it waiting for her in the living room. If and when we get the garage cleared out, it will be a favorite toy of many grandchildren for years to come.

It's hard to imagine a month without grandchildren pictures. This one was taken on March 1st.

On the 21st, I remembered to put together my "go bag." I was on call to head to Auburn on a moment's notice to be entertained by Jonathan, while Cynthia and Nathanael headed off to bring Jonathan's new brother into the world. Yet another great reason to be working from home. But Cynthia's parents were visiting when Reuben arrived the next night. I did not need to travel south.

We marvel that the Sitte wedding was set for February, mostly because Cynthia was due in April. Had it been scheduled this month, we would not have been allowed to gather -- and the honeymoon to Canada would not have been possible. Alas, Jean and Joel's blessing is not being shared by many couples who had planned weddings for March or April.

The photos from the official photographer have been put online and I've picked out a few of my favorites. Here they are.

Wedding photos:
https://kastlehphotography68.pixieset.com/joelandjeansitte/
Wedding videos:
http://www.sl8.com/Sitte/balcony.mpg
http://www.sl8.com/Sitte/front.mpg

On the 23rd, I reversed course on my personal investing and jumped back into the Stock Market in a big way. I invested about 75% of the cash I had sitting at Charles Schwab in five stocks and one mutual fund. (I bought FedEx because the price of oil had fallen greatly, HPE and HPQ because I'd been watching them closely for a few years, OLN because of the current run on firearms and ammo, and UTX because of their pending merger with Raytheon. I also got $10K of SWPPX, the best Schwab mutual fund that closely tracks the S&P 500.)

The market may slip still lower, but over the coming months it will recover well above its March 2020 lows. On March 23rd, the Dow Jones Industrial Average dipped below 19,000. On February 12th, it had been over 29,500.

I recall the investing advice of the late Louis Rukeyser (1933-2006). "I never said, 'Buy low, sell high.' I said, 'buy lower, sell higher.'"

On the 26th, my hyper-conservative self decided that the shock to the economy by the COVID-19 lock down was going to worsen. The massive debt held in every sector of the economy looms larger than ever. With this in mind,
I reversed course and sold, locking in the brief market gains encouraged by the $2.2 Trillion bailout promised by Congress. The Stock Market often buys on promises and sells on reality. I did this, and made $12,000 in the three days I held the stocks bought on the 23rd. It's like earning three months salary in three days. Total time invested, about one hour. The chart here tracks the Dow Jones average from when I bought to when I sold.

In the aftermath of Wednesday’s 5.7 magnitude earthquake, the Salt Lake Temple suffered some minor damage. Most visible was the "angel" Moroni’s missing trumpet. (I found this "act of God" on March 18th especially humorous.)

Annie is better with Skype and Zoom than I am. (Another telling fact which hints that it's time to retire.) She recorded this split screen video of Shadow doing what she enjoys, licking my beard, and Charis mimicking the cat.

Download the video file before you run it.
http://www.sl8.com/journal/march00/journal_images/Skype-with-Charis.mp4

My Quote from March

From the East, from far New England
Came a young man full of vigor,
Came to where the fish are bigger,
Came a young man named Lorenzo.

Came to where the pay is better,
and the winters are much wetter;
Came to settle in Tacoma,
City of the sweet aroma.

Came to work at dear old Boeing
Home of paychecks ever-growing,
Home of rest and sometimes slumber,
Home of loafers without number.

There he worked in Spar Mill Tooling,
Where the men are never fooling,
Where they work their little hearts out,
Just to get those airplane parts out.

Now his days with us are over,
Now he’s off to greener clover,
Off to use his great abilities
As a wheel in Plant Facilities.

Thoughtless wretch, who now deserts us,
Caring not how much it hurts us,
Leaving us to bail the ship,
Leaving us with one less drip.

Fare thee well and so good-bye,
Wipe that tear from out your eye.
At Plant II grieve not in sorrow—
We may join you there tomorrow.

A poem by Richard R. Sleight
September 1956

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