Wednesday, August 23, 2023

         My name to myself is Kathy and my friends call me Kathy.  My birth certificate and my Medicare card say KATHLEEN. My older sister calls me KATHLEEN. For years, the pharmacy and Stanford Hospital, use the name KATHLENE, and the insurance company accepts it. The doctors and medical staff call me KATHLEEN or, frequently, my birth date becomes my name. When I was an invisible young woman, I wanted to change my name to something more powerful, a strong animal or plant or planet.  I could never decide.  ALLIGATOR and EUCALYPTUS are good names.

After breakfast and writing and dishes, my eyes are tired and I just want a nap. I stretch out on the couch. I realize I am not sleepy, just tired.  Oh yes fatigue is here again.

         A friend gave me the new book by Dennis Lehane, SMALL MERCIES. A compelling mystery story set in the time of school racial problems in Boston.

The tall man comes for a visit.  I think he is desperate for my licorice stash. He settles into the rocking chair I use for visitors. It is a delight to spend time with him.