Thursday, December 11, 2025

     Intense itching comes and goes. I am now using a soothing cream to calm down the problem. I am not sure if it comes from the chemo therapy I have had or something else.   I meet with the doctor today, maybe I will get some good ideas on how to manage this problem. I am not sick just damaged.

     At noon the lively librarian comes by with more books and stories of life outside of my house.

     When I was 15 my mother suddenly took her four kids to Freiberg Switzerland.  I lived for awhile in a boarding school where no one spoke English. I learned to navigate life without words. My mother and older sister traveled around Europe while us younger kids were stashed in different boarding schools. I am both amazed and appalled at her carelessness.

     We watch the last episode of DOWN CEMETERY ROAD, a very satisfying adventure. Today I will start a new library book.

 

Tuesday, December 9, 2025 

     What a difference. This morning, I am rested and optimistic. Two long couch naps yesterday and to bed early in the evening. Why now and how to keep up the good sleep. The sun is shining, the heater is warming the house, tasty breakfast.  The New York Times,news well, not so good.

     I watch the news reports on, MSNOW, PBS, and Facebook. The daily Monterey County Now is also good.  I know a lot about New York and Washington D.C. I ask folks where they get their local news. The younger folks don’t know what I am talking about. I miss the Monterey Herald when it was vibrant and filled with local news.

    I have a blue down throw on the couch.  So warm and cozy. I watch the bird movements outside the window.  Birds are in the oak tree, the bottle bush trees and the pyracantha bush. I watch until my eyes close and I am drifting into sleep.

     I am deeply into the novel HELLO BEAUTIFUL by Ann Napolitano. I am definitely committed to reading all of her books. Last night I watch another episode of LONG WAY UP, two likeable middle aged guys riding electric motorcycles through South America. No murders, no violence just problems with their motorcycles and the weather.

 

Monday, December 8, 2025

     I can’t tell how I am feeling this morning. Slept very little during the night. Body feels a bit off this morning.  I’ve canceled the morning writing group in case I have a cold or something worse. Just had coffee and cereal for breakfast.

     During these cold dark months my house feels dreary. The windows are dirty, the rugs are frayed and I am restless. In a couple of weeks, the light starts coming back. My skin is itchy.  I start taking Claritin D, an anti histamine, maybe this will help with the itching. People in the cancer world use Claritin D, off label, for all kinds of conditions..

     I start reading QUEEN ESTHER the latest book by John Irving. Nope. Now I am reading HELLO BEAUTIFUL by Ann Napolitano and love it.

      We watch another episode of THE BEAST IN ME. I give up, too hard to watch women being terrorized. I am back to watching THE LONG WAY UP, the two middle aged guys on electric motorcycles riding through South America.