Tuesday, May 19, 2026

    Bright sunny morning. My roommate is house sitting for ten days. Packing up what she needs.  She will be coming by to take care of her small back yard farm. The day is warming up. The garbage trucks lumber slowly in the neighborhood. Birds are busy in the bottle bush trees.

     I did three of my exercises yesterday. Plan to do more today. Hangs over my head during the day.  Four different sets of exercises. I am getting stronger.

     My roommate harvests some small potatoes to eat.  She fights with the gophers in the yard. Yesterday she cooks hamburgers for lunch.  A test for me to see if the unexpected medication is still working.  Yep, no problem with swallowing.  

     I haven’t picked out the next book to read from the stacks on the table. We watch episodes of THE CLOSER and HACKS last night. I explain to a friend why I can’t visit her at her home.  Really, it’s the stairs in her front yard.  I am working on my stair climbing skills.

 

Monday, May 18, 2026

     I have 15 UNREAD LIBRARY BOOKS SITTING ON MY DINNING ROOM TABLE. Books I excitedly put a hold on and finally pick up and bring home.  And more books are waiting. Their due dates haunt me even though the library does not charge for overdue books, it is a matter of honor to not be late.

     And now I have just read the Sunday New York Times book reviews. And now at least a half dozen new books excite me. Ordinarily I check the library webpage to put holds on their books. I want to buy some of the books on line from amazon. My house overflows with books, coming and going.

      I am afraid I will miss something important, some vital piece of life.  The challenge is to enjoy each book.  It is no fun to hurry through the books. Reading too fast means I am missing the meaning and joy of the reading. This is a merry go round that I want to get off of.

     Today I am reading WHERE THE FOREST MEETS THE STARS, a novel by Glendy Vanderah. Today I am going to slow down and enjoy the reading, I hope.

 

Sunday, May 17, 2026

     Strong winds blow through town yesterday afternoon and evening. A change in the weather is coming. My roommate suggests checking the national weather report to see what is happening. I choose to look at the tall pine trees whipping around in the wind. This morning the air is still and cold. Traces of fog in the sky.

     Once again I drive to the library to return books and pick up the new ones.  This time I don’t use the courtesy walker. Across the street at Colton Hall Lawn, crowds are gathering for the MIIS graduation ceremony. Groups of people wonder around downtown.

     I plan to stop at McDonald’s for a burger and fries to celebrate eating easily again. The car line is long. I decide to go some other time. I watch two young people cross the busy street while looking at their cell phones. Such ill-advised confidence in safety. 

     I am reading THE TESTAMENT OF MARY, a short novel by Colm Toibin, an imaginary story of the mother of Jesus. I love Toibin’s work. We watch the first episode of an older series, RESCUE ME, about fireman traumatized by the attack on the world trade center. When the living room is quiet the gusting wind sounds like the ocean waves.