On 01/04/2024 22:46, John Covici wrote:
> I don't want to unmerge that kernel -- its my backup kernel, so I
> definitely want to keep it.  I am using the nextcloud they are
> complaining about , I will upgrade it soon, but I want to keep it for
> now.
> 

You can pass --exclude to emerge to prevent it from merging a given 
package. In your case, I would try to pass:

   --exclude 'sys-kernel/gentoo-sources:6.1.69 www-apps/nextcloud:26.0.10'

This should let portage continue while ignoring the above completely. 
Double check the correct slot numbers are used.

Hope this helps.

Best Regards,
Victor