Blue rectangle

Wednesday morning, Eric had an appointment for the doctor to check on his lymph nodes. He needed to have blood drawn, and Nicole was very proud of how he handled himself. He also asked a lot of questions. He opted for a treat of hot chocolate at home rather than a doughnut.

In the afternoon, I walked with Rachel to the bookstore. She had two books in mind, but also found two others, so she redeemed all of the credit she had earned. She started reading one called Anatomy as soon as we got home. It's a historical mystery (she thinks) that takes place in Nineteenth Century Edinburgh. It was very clear but chilly for the walk. I took this photo of the sky.

Nicole took the boys to piano lessons and then to IKEA to pick up a couple pieces of hardware to complete the cabinet for above the refrigerator. It's all put together now, but the space needs some preparation before mounting.

I made sourdough focaccia to accompany dinner. It turned out OK, but not spectacular. I may try again before the week is over. After dinner and some reading time, Nicole, Rachel, and I watched the first three episodes of Demon Slayer. Rachel had already seen them. Eric joined us for parts of it, but the other kids weren't interested. The first two episodes were a little gruesome, but the third was more light-hearted.

I returned to Balzac today, and found the word boussole, meaning compass. He also used compas a short time before, which can also mean the circle-drawing tool, like in English. But boussole only means the magnetic orienteering tool, I believe. Balzac's use was typically figurative: «la maison de Galope-chopine, que Beau-pied venait de lui indiquer et dont la fumée lui servit de boussole.» About sixty pages remain and the action is heating up.