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.

 

Saturday, May 16, 2026

     Wake up to sun light this morning. Breezy bright morning. Roommate leaves for her Saturday master gardening class. The house is quiet as I sit here with my computer wondering what to write about.

     An 81 year old friend comes by for a visit Friday morning. We both agree that turning 80 is the beginning of serious body problems.  But still, we talk and laugh, and get excited talking about Michael Pollan’s new book exploring consciousness. So many questions about the meaning of life and what life on earth is really about.

     We watch a couple of episodes of HACKS in the evening. Also, a tense episode of AFTER THE FLOOD.  And a bit of the news on PBS. Watching TV in the evening has become routine.

     I am just about finished with PAPER GIRL. The focus of the book is how the middle class was destroyed by NAFTA agreements, eliminating the middle class manufacturing jobs in the US. I am also reading BLINDSIDED, A Reluctant Memoir, by Richard M. Cohen. Actually, the books are the most interesting part of my life lately.  UMM, I wonder if that is healthy.

 

Friday, May 15, 2026

     A bit of fog and a bit of blue sky this morning.  And cold, 57 degrees in my bedroom. What is unique each morning even if it seems a bit repetitive. A young blue jay is messing around in the bottle bush tree outside my window. The heater is not on yet. Finished eating breakfast and reading the NYTimes, now I am wondering what will I write today.

     Thursday, I act as an Uber driver delivering two people to their medical appointments. My roommate and a good friend. I am startled by how beautiful the town has become, with flowers and trees blooming. We didn’t talk much.  I listen to the classical music station on fm 103.9. Not much traffic. Fewer cars on the road.

     In the late afternoon I sit in the shady front yard to do my daily chair yoga exercises. A slight breeze and warm sunshine. Moths and bees working the plants.

     I am engrossed with PAPER GIRL, a Memoir of Home and Family in a Fractured America, by Beth Macy. The author is in her early 60’s, my kids ages. Why am I so moved by this book? I identify with the community and with the mid twentieth century living. I though my painful and good experiences were unique. I am amazed at the economic and cultural changes occurring in the last 80 years.