Sunday, July 5, 2026

     I entertain myself by reading the New York Times weather list of the cities in the United States.  Yep we are there in the bottom.  We will be lucky if we hit 65 degrees today. The rest of the country is hot, hot, hot. Our heat comes at the end of summer usually so we are not all clear of heat disasters yet.

     My eyelid infection is getting better with the prescribed antibiotic cream. I didn’t quite believe the medical provider’s diagnosis last week.  It is hard to give up that I alone know what is going on. I have been arguing with doctors and politicians for years. Arguing with many authorities. It is what I do, mostly silently.

    Wow, that sounds really demented. I don’t think of myself as a contrarian. Mostly I am sneaky, agreeing with the authority people, and then resisting silently. I don’t usually speak up. I am afraid of conflict.

    I have a quiet day.  Listening to the marching bands in the distance, and birds and the traffic. I am reading Ruth Ozeki’s latest book of collected stories, THE TYPING LADY. In the evening, we watch the new netflix documentary CHRIS AND MARTINA, THE FINAL SET, about the tennis stars and their changing friendships. Good film.  My roommate bakes chocolate chip cookies.

 

Saturday, July 4, 2026

     The distant sounds of the parade drums are starting, and then the trumpets.  I am sitting in my room wearing my winter clothes.  Another foggy day. No need to figure out which side of the street will be too hot in the sun this year. My roommate races out the door to get to the parade.  She will be marching with the indivisible crowd. Not the invisible crowd.

     No I will not be sitting on the curb watching the parade. I am excited and happy this morning in spite of the dire political times. The neighborhood is quiet except for a pair of big birds racing around the bottle bush tree. Now louder drums pounding the marching walk.

     Finally last night we watch the movie PROJECT HAIL MARY, and it was even better than I had expected. And funny, we laugh out loud. Also confusing.  My roommate answers my questions, so what is he doing now? Scientific story is lost to me.  I understand he saves the earth from dying because something is eating the sun. But the humor is fabulous.

     My favorite baker arrives with pumpernickel bread and encourages me to watch LIFE, LARRY AND THE PURSUIT OF UNHAPPINESS, with Larry David. But I don’t like Larry David’s sick humor. Because the bread is so good, I watch the show and again we are laughing. I am wrong again.

 

Friday, July 3, 2026

      I sit in the waiting room at Urgent Care for an hour.  I don’t have an appointment. I am a walk in customer. The holiday weekend is starting and the inflammation around my eye is very itchy and red. The medical provider looks closely at both eyes and asks a lot of questions. An infection she says, and prescribes an antibiotic cream to use for ten days. And if it gets worse go to the emergency room. Never, I tell myself, never going back to the emergency room.

    The tall man picks up the prescription on the way home from work. The wind is gusting around the neighborhood, huge winds. A black crow is drinking from the bird feeder in the front yard. My roommate is fighting with the gophers in the back yard.  All is well.

     I love the book HILL by Harriet Clark. The story of a young girl growing up while visiting her jailed mother every week. I take time to finish reading this book. In the evening, we watch an old episode of THE DAILY SHOW looking for some humor. And then the last episode of SUGAR.

     Lots of young families walking around downtown. Little restless kids and tired parents.  Holiday weekend in the cool fog. I am not going anywhere this weekend.