Saturday, July 4, 2026

     The distant sounds of the parade drums are starting, and then the trumpets.  I am sitting in my room wearing my winter clothes.  Another foggy day. No need to figure out which side of the street will be too hot in the sun this year. My roommate races out the door to get to the parade.  She will be marching with the indivisible crowd. Not the invisible crowd.

     No I will not be sitting on the curb watching the parade. I am excited and happy this morning in spite of the dire political times. The neighborhood is quiet except for a pair of big birds racing around the bottle bush tree. Now louder drums pounding the marching walk.

     Finally last night we watch the movie PROJECT HAIL MARY, and it was even better than I had expected. And funny, we laugh out loud. Also confusing.  My roommate answers my questions, so what is he doing now? Scientific story is lost to me.  I understand he saves the earth from dying because something is eating the sun. But the humor is fabulous.

     My favorite baker arrives with pumpernickel bread and encourages me to watch LIFE, LARRY AND THE PURSUIT OF UNHAPPINESS, with Larry David. But I don’t like Larry David’s sick humor. Because the bread is so good, I watch the show and again we are laughing. I am wrong again.

 

Friday, July 3, 2026

      I sit in the waiting room at Urgent Care for an hour.  I don’t have an appointment. I am a walk in customer. The holiday weekend is starting and the inflammation around my eye is very itchy and red. The medical provider looks closely at both eyes and asks a lot of questions. An infection she says, and prescribes an antibiotic cream to use for ten days. And if it gets worse go to the emergency room. Never, I tell myself, never going back to the emergency room.

    The tall man picks up the prescription on the way home from work. The wind is gusting around the neighborhood, huge winds. A black crow is drinking from the bird feeder in the front yard. My roommate is fighting with the gophers in the back yard.  All is well.

     I love the book HILL by Harriet Clark. The story of a young girl growing up while visiting her jailed mother every week. I take time to finish reading this book. In the evening, we watch an old episode of THE DAILY SHOW looking for some humor. And then the last episode of SUGAR.

     Lots of young families walking around downtown. Little restless kids and tired parents.  Holiday weekend in the cool fog. I am not going anywhere this weekend.

 

Thursday, July 2, 2026

      It is starting, the sounds of explosions in the middle of the night.  I assume fourth of July fireworks, guys sneaking around the high school grounds. The excitement of doing something daring and illegal. Relieve the boredom of foggy cold summer days. I turn over and go back to sleep.

     But Monterey is a military town.  What would it be like to be bombed by some country rightly angry at us.  Not so farfetched. Or maybe earth quakes.  Last year I was worried about forest fires. Each year a new fear. Maybe next year will be the year of floods. And still, I am able to sleep at night.

     I place an order at Instacart for foods I want.  My roommate is creating an eight foot banner on the floor, for anti ICE protest later in the day. I give her advice about safety.  She smiles and laughs.  I want a picture of the car she is riding in. I want to be able to find her if she is lost. She arrives home safely in the evening, too tired to tell me stories of her adventure.

     The front yard is dominated by blue jays and mourning doves. The garden is thriving.  Now when I walk outside, I dodge low hanging branches and piles of debris.  Lots of wind lately.  I continue to read HILL by Harriet Clark.  It is slow reading and just gets better and better.  I will be sorry when I finish it.