Friday, July 10, 2026

     I give up on the novel BLACK BAG.  I’m a third of the way through the book and realize I don’t like any of the characters, mostly young sad inebriated men. This is not the book for me.  I did read the last couple of pages, maybe a resolution, but nope. Yep, my life is enlivened by the stories I read.  Characters, ideas, activities in each book.

     Thursday is a slow day, a recovery day from my activities of the week.  I fold laundry, do dishes, clean up my room, set out my medical supplies in the bathroom.  I am ready to engage again in this world we live in. I am still alive after five years of aggressive cancer treatments.  It’s not over but I now better understand the process of medical care.

    The new potato patch is up and planted. My farmer roommate has created a gopher safe planting bed for those spouting old potatoes in our kitchen. I thank her on behalf of all the old potatoes in our life. Soon we will have home grown potatoes and the gophers will have to find something else to eat.

     We watch more episodes of SUGAR in the evening. A strange show with an alien detective who is kind and good looking. The plot is opaque. Periodically I think, oh this is what it is about. We also watch monologues on the daily show for some laughter. What would these comedians do without the wars and crazy rants of our president. Better to laugh then to cry.

 

Thursday, July 9, 2026

     I don’t remember why I bought this book, BLACK BAG, by Luke Kennard. A story of a man who spends a lot of time zipped into a large leather bag while sitting in a university class room. I start reading the book, but may not continue. I am intrigued with the concept but the characters are not so interesting.

     Had lunch with three favorite friends in Carmel. My friend’s house is on an incline. I struggle walking up with my cane. Need to exercise more.

     The lunch is great and the conversation is lively. Maybe I talk too much, my voice starts giving out. I spend so much of my time at home not talking. I love my friend’s charming home. I am not sure what he has done to make it so charming. Maybe I will talk to myself at home or read books out loud.

     In the early evening, my roommate is working outside shoveling dirt, and fighting gophers. I watch several more episodes of PATIENCE, the PBS detective series. And of course I watch the PBS News hour. The tragedies with the ICE police and immigrant communities are over whelming. What to do, what to do.

 

Wednesday, July 8, 2026

     I watch a series of facebook videos with babies and birds playing together. The baby’s laughter is contagious and I am suddenly feeling happy too.  I feel content being with trees outside but I am deliriously happy with delighted babies.

     It is 62 degrees in my bedroom this morning. My hands are cold, actually my whole body is cold.  But I am holding out to not turn on the heater. My roommate doesn’t say anything. It is summer, it is July.  The day will warm up, most likely.

     Our household pipes are draining this morning. All is well here.  I am getting supplies ready for the next crises. When my house is running smoothly, I forget about maintenance and chaos. Today I am having lunch with friends.

    Last night we settle down to eat our diners, and watch the documentary, ANDRE IS AN IDIOT, a comedy about a middle aged man dying from colon cancer. He lives three years from diagnosis to death. The message is to get your colonoscopy now, don’t wait. He makes jokes throughout the show. Funny, maybe, lots of sadness. I watch how he lives with difficult treatments and frailty until death. I am looking for role models for dying.