Tuesday, December 30, 2025

     Cold cloudy morning.  The rain is returning later today. The furnace is doing its job of blowing out heat into this cold house. Blankets on the chairs for extra warmth. It is still winter. It is too cold to spend much time walking on the deck.

     We are now watching movies on TV. Last night it was HAMMET. I had read the book which is complicated and lively. The movie is well done. But still I prefer the book.

     I am caught up in the book CALIFORNIA AGAINST THE SEA, by Rosanna Xia. So much of what she writes about is familiar to me.  I better understand the California Coastal Commission and the current problems with sea walls and beaches. No solutions and now I can follow the arguments. 

     The relatives are energetic and busy. Yesterday they spent the day in Big Sur. The house is quiet and I am rejuvenated.

 

Monday, December 29, 2025 

     Suddenly the desire to shop, to buy stuff is here. I don’t give gifts this holiday, I do receive a few. I have been careful.  Reading the Sunday New York Times does it. The book reviews and the David Brooks report on best essays of the year. I have not used up my quota of book buying desires yet. There is at least ten books in the review that are calling out to me. Sigh.  I am resisting.

     My family is composed of young adults and older people thinking about retirement.  We skip the middle years. And then me at 85, the oldest of them all. They occupy lots of space and have intelligent voices, just as I am reverting back to my childhood interests and have lost my opinions. The hallways and doorways now are too small to accommodate these grown folks. The house is definitely smaller.

     I am reading the non fiction book, CALIFORNIA AGAINST THE SEA, visions for our vanishing coastlines, by Rosanna Xia. Well written and interesting.  I am glad that my house is not on the beach.

     My roommate and I watch more episodes of THE BIG “C” ON NETFLIX while the rest of the family is watching the sunset at Asilomar. Later, we watch the 49er game, rooting, of course, for the 49ers. After two hours I retreat to the quiet of my room. I hear the cheers from the living room as the 49ers win.

 

Sunday, December 28, 2025   

     The tall man arrives in the late afternoon. He says I slept through his earlier visit when he plugged in his battery and devices, cooked a meal and ate before leaving.  He was impressed that I did not wake up on the couch in the living room while he was here. I must really need my naps.  I am speechless.

     The East Coast family arrive around 2 a.m. I vaguely hear them and then I am back asleep. In the morning everyone is talkative and I don’t have time to write. So now after lunch I am writing on my computer.

     During my meals on wheels lunch I watch a two week old THE LATE SHOW with Stephen Colbert. The others are out on the town. Quiet time is a good respite.

     In the evening we watch the Netflix documentary about Seymour Hersh’s life as a journalist. THE COVER UP. Wonderful show.