Book completed

Here on the Edge: How a small group of World War II conscientious objectors took art and peace from the margins to the mainstream, by Steve McQuiddy. I’ve owned two copies of this 2013 book by a local author for years (quite likely since 2013), and this month it was my self-assigned reading. I’m fascinated by the premise – a conscientious objectors camp dedicated to the fine arts and located on the Oregon Coast, just 30 miles north of my home town, in the small community of Waldport, and whose residents and activities helped inspire the Beat poets of the 1950s and the activism of the 1960s. The book gets off to a slow start, and when I was approaching the midpoint I was thinking that I’d probably have been fully satisfied with a ten-page synopsis. Things do become quite interesting after that point, though, and it’s easy to see why. If you put together a bunch of artistically inclined people, many with strong personalities and principles but also tendencies toward anarchism, along with others who may not care about the arts but have strong religious beliefs, then require them to work long hours at physically dangerous jobs for no pay while encouraging them to be creative together in the evenings, all packed into a communal living situation often far from their families… that seems like a recipe for a lot of interpersonal drama. And sometimes it was. I’m glad I finally read it.

More HVAC details

Today I met an engineer who does all the specs and bidding for heat pump installations and replacement, and we looked at my house and its existing system and discussed what needs to be done. Unfortunately, the space for the indoor part of my current system was designed too narrowly; they now make the equipment wider. Also, after 30+ years of cats, etc., in the house, it’s high time to get the ducts cleaned. I’ll have to do tons of work to get ready for that, especially as there are some ducts that aren’t particularly accessible now, like the one under my bed and a possible one beneath the livingroom bookcases.

After that, J and I did some errands together then sat outside eating a wedding anniversary dinner. Unfortunately, Azalyn ate the wax paper that had been under my lasagna – I hope her little digestive system can cope with it.