Wednesday, September 9, 2026

    Monday, in the late afternoon, I am sitting on the deck eating apple pie with a friend. I see the old neighbor, on the other side of my fence, working in his garden.  I thought he had died.  I was told by a neighbor that he died. Who died then?

     The weather reports warn us of a heat wave this week. After months of fog and reading about heat domes in other parts of the world it is our time. Well the sun is shinning this morning.  Some high thin clouds drift in the sky. I can’t find my warm weather clothes buried someplace in the closet. We have tomatoes, many, many, tomatoes growing in the back garden. The sunflowers are mostly gone thanks to the aggressive eating by the squirrels.

     I am still taking two naps a day.  I remember my babies taking several naps a day. I never expected that old people also take several naps a day.

     In the evening, we watch the next episode of TED LASSO, our feel good show. A bit corny but still likeable. The living room is still too warm in the evening. Nothing new with the incompetent president. Same old bluster and lies and destruction of familiar sites. And the wars continue and ICE is a danger to all

 

Tuesday, September 8, 2026

     Walking on the deck mid morning I hear sirens from fire trucks, and then ambulance sirens. They are close by.  I wait. Then they move pass us up the hill. Our neighborhood is safe for another day.

     I am restless and tired most of the day. Moving from activity to activity, mostly sitting in my blue recliner trying out different library books.  None seem to satisfy me.  The tall man comes by to drag the garbage bins to the street. He too can hardly keep his eyes open. Too tired to talk to me. Maybe we all have a sleeping disorder. Maybe I am living in an alternative world now.

     I start watching a PBS detective series, BERGERAC. I watch all six episodes during the afternoon and evening. I can’t remember the last time I binge watched a show. My roommate returns from her weekend adventure just as the last episode ends.

     I sleep well last night and today I am ready to be awake and alert. Time to start watching the daily news to see what our incompetent president is up to. He would be quite funny if his actions were not so tragic for the world. Tariffs, wars, shooting down fishing boats, playing golf, corrupting our economy, building ballrooms.

 

Monday, September 7, 2026

     Happy Labor Day this bright sunny morning.  I am grateful to all those workers who keep my life going, plumbers, farmers, electricians, house cleaners, grocers. Fire fighters. So many people who are essential to my life.  Thank you, Amazon workers, and Instacart workers who make my independent living possible. Thank you, Uber drivers.

     I too am working class. I lived paycheck to paycheck raising my three children as a single mother. I was excited when our union went on strike and we finally got medical insurance for our families. I tell my kids that we are working class intellectuals, since I went to college and have piles of used books in the house.  I rented out rooms to college students to pay the mortgage.

    I read about AI. A lot of hype and bluster. AI is a toy for the upper classes.  It is the plumber and the fireman who saves the day. AI is full of hot air and words. Yes, it is fun to ask AI questions on my screens. The real work is done by the workers who get their hands dirty. Long live the working class.

     I watch the new show on Netflix, FAMOUS LAST WORDS with Gloria Steinem. A warm conversation before she died. She is 6 years older than me and a hero to me and all my women friends as we tried to find our lives, to break through the limiting roles for women.  It is definitely time for a working class woman to be president of these beautiful United States.