Category Archives: Personal Projects – not AD

1/29/2021 – Friday – moving family history project to OldDodgeVan.com

7 degrees at 6:30am

Drove to Greenbush with Karen to dermatology appointment. Worked on UTMH docs in car.

Spent rest of morning working in the sun room Too cold to heat up the factory.

Talked with Anita Harris.

Tennis with Ted at Chatham. Drinks with Esther.

Started process of moving the content of markorton.com to olddodgevan.com . 8 GB of data – 3 hours of upload time.

New iPad mini was delivered at 8:30pm

More Jack Irish tv series.

1/20/2021 – Wednesday – Inauguration

Up Early.
More work on my essay “Things That Have Mattered”

Worked with Toni Koweek on Friends website.

Watched Biden inauguration. Very traditional in much of its form. No crowds. Biden’s speech came as great contrast to the last four years.

No Trump, thankfully.

Great poem by Amanda Gorman. When day comes, we ask ourselves, where can we find light in this never-ending shade?
The loss we carry. A sea we must wade.
We braved the belly of the beast.
We’ve learned that quiet isn’t always peace, and the norms and notions of what “just” is isn’t always justice.
And yet the dawn is ours before we knew it.
Somehow we do it.
Somehow we weathered and witnessed a nation that isn’t broken, but simply unfinished.
We, the successors of a country and a time where a skinny Black girl descended from slaves and raised by a single mother can dream of becoming president, only to find herself reciting for one.
And, yes, we are far from polished, far from pristine, but that doesn’t mean we are striving to form a union that is perfect.
We are striving to forge our union with purpose.
To compose a country committed to all cultures, colors, characters and conditions of man.
And so we lift our gaze, not to what stands between us, but what stands before us.
We close the divide because we know to put our future first, we must first put our differences aside.
We lay down our arms so we can reach out our arms to one another.
We seek harm to none and harmony for all.
Let the globe, if nothing else, say this is true.
That even as we grieved, we grew.
That even as we hurt, we hoped.
That even as we tired, we tried.
That we’ll forever be tied together, victorious.
Not because we will never again know defeat, but because we will never again sow division.
Scripture tells us to envision that everyone shall sit under their own vine and fig tree, and no one shall make them afraid.
If we’re to live up to our own time, then victory won’t lie in the blade, but in all the bridges we’ve made.
That is the promise to glade, the hill we climb, if only we dare.
It’s because being American is more than a pride we inherit.
It’s the past we step into and how we repair it.
We’ve seen a force that would shatter our nation, rather than share it.
Would destroy our country if it meant delaying democracy.
And this effort very nearly succeeded.
But while democracy can be periodically delayed, it can never be permanently defeated.
In this truth, in this faith we trust, for while we have our eyes on the future, history has its eyes on us.
This is the era of just redemption.
We feared at its inception.
We did not feel prepared to be the heirs of such a terrifying hour.
But within it we found the power to author a new chapter, to offer hope and laughter to ourselves.
So, while once we asked, how could we possibly prevail over catastrophe, now we assert, how could catastrophe possibly prevail over us?
We will not march back to what was, but move to what shall be: a country that is bruised but whole, benevolent but bold, fierce and free.
We will not be turned around or interrupted by intimidation because we know our inaction and inertia will be the inheritance of the next generation, become the future.
Our blunders become their burdens.
But one thing is certain.
If we merge mercy with might, and might with right, then love becomes our legacy and change our children’s birthright.
So let us leave behind a country better than the one we were left.
Every breath from my bronze-pounded chest, we will raise this wounded world into a wondrous one.
We will rise from the golden hills of the West.
We will rise from the windswept Northeast where our forefathers first realized revolution.
We will rise from the lake-rimmed cities of the Midwestern states.
We will rise from the sun-baked South.
We will rebuild, reconcile, and recover.
And every known nook of our nation and every corner called our country, our people diverse and beautiful, will emerge battered and beautiful.
When day comes, we step out of the shade of flame and unafraid.
The new dawn balloons as we free it.
For there is always light, if only we’re brave enough to see it.
If only we’re brave enough to be it.

Played tennis with Ted.

HAL Exec Committee mtg. Good discussion. Theresa, Carol, Michael, Caitie and Emily. Family health insurance policy.

Butternut squash soup w hot sausage asparagus confit. Swiss cheese sandwiches.

More George Gently.

1/14/2021 – Thursday Blood tests and tennis

Blood tests at CMH. No one there at 7:30am

Searched for post office receipts for book shipments. Karen is upset that it appears that the 12/31/30 shipments haven’t arrived. I threw them out earlier this week.

Finished up complete list of all significant travel since 1974.Doesn’t include brief one day jaunts. Updated Timeline on website.

UTMH work – doc team.

Tennis lesson. Surprisingly my achy knee doesn’t trouble much during the session. Knee problems greatly exacerbated by 30 minute video worko0ut session with Karen. Too much jumping up and down reptitively in the same position,

Showed Karen my Group Photos project. And the Timeline. Much work remains.

Chinese food from Red Chopstick.

More George Gently.

12/7/2020 – Monday – Life’s Little Instruction Book, library…..

Karen brought out a pile of books from her collection upstairs. This to select ones for each of the kids and grandchildren for Christmas. Amongst them was this little book:

The author is H. Jackson Brown, Jr. Once I opened it I quickly formulated my Christmas present to the same crowd. 

I spent several hours combing through the little book for ones that I liked, writing little explications or critiques. Now I am working though the ones that I think are silly or wrong. Finally I will add some wisdom from Mr. Wonderful. I want to print it as a little booklet.  Karen has suggested Mr. Wonderful yawning for the cover.

Library Board Development Committee meeting

Very productive meeting to get this important process rejuvenated. Miranda Barry, Carol Pledger, Caitie Hilverman, and AnnaMaria Assevero.

Orton Sibling Zoom

Everyone in attendance. OK. Wondering about sending email suggesting a shift to every other week?

2/23/2020 – Sunday – art project, tennis, Morgan-Orton sale, drinks

Breakfast at Bob’s then shopping. More work on sorting pictures for the table mat project. Initial designs.

Temperature over 50 led to tennis at CGCC. Turned out to be a bad outing. Couldn’t get moving at all, very dead legs. Ted felt the same. Nevertheless played for almost two hours.

Beginning of the End of the NJ Era for the Morgan-Ortons

88 Briarwoood Drive East is on the market….

Drinks at Swoon.