Sunday, January 11, 2026     

     Talking to friends I don’t have much new to say.  Most of my conversation is about books I have read or TV news. My friends have more active lives and better stories to tell. I am realizing I need to get out into the community for more stories.

     I am up early this morning to take my roommate to the airport for her flight to Phoenix.  She is visiting friends for 5 days and then she will be back. The high school students are back.  I plan to avoid the morning school drop off traffic jams.  Wait, it’s Sunday, no school today.

     I have restocked my emergency medical kit.  Mostly I get minor skin tears on my hands. My aging skin is thin and mottled. I know how to strengthen my muscles but how do I straighten my skin.

     I start watch the old series, THE CLOSER, a Netflix detective show set in Los Angles. The first episodes are interesting. And we watch another episode of LONG WAY DOWN, the two middle aged guys riding their motorcycles in Africa.  I love this series. And I start reading Fredrik Backman’s latest novel MY FRIENDS.

 

Saturday, January 10, 2026

     At bedtime I am still wearing my nightgown beneath the puffer jacket.  Such a cold day. My roommate says she did not notice my nightgown.  She is wearing her warm bear costume from the protest events. This morning, I immediately put on warm clothes including the black turtle neck cashmere sweater. The nightgown is off.

     I write checks for the bills.  My PG&E bill is over $500. Surprising to me but maybe not to others. Inflation is definitely a problem here.

     I am feeling restless lately now that I am getting stronger. Not sure what it is I should be doing. In February we will decide whether to continue chemo therapy. Sigh. I wonder how this decision will be explored and made. Bladder cancer is so sneaky.

     Arundhatl Roy’s memoir MOTHER MARY COMES TO ME is quite intense. She doesn’t make herself the hero. In the evening, we watch the first episode of season two of THE PITT. Having been in the emergency room frequently the last couple of years makes the show both interesting and upsetting. I don’t want to go back to the emergency room, although they did save my life twice.

 

Friday, January 9, 2026

     47 degrees in my bedroom at 7:30 this morning. Burr. And now an hour later with the heater on it is 58 degrees.  I turn off the heater at night time. I always have done so. I like a cool house when I sleep. My family no longer questions my turning off the heat.  It is my house.  But this morning it was just too cold.

     I meet with three friends for lunch. All of us, old and talkative and charming. We meet every month or so at a friend’s house. At 85 I am not the oldest. We are able to talk about anything going on in our lives. What a treat.

     I am a life long committed democrat. I have been wanting to listen to a republican who supports Trump.  Finally, a neighbor comes by to talk about neighborhood parking and is willing to talk about Christians and Trump. A first step for me. I am nervous about admitting this interest. Am I putting myself in danger.

     I watch various reports on TV during the day about the shooting in Minnesota.  The world outside of my home feels dangerous now. I am a protestor against ICE. I have a whistle and am willing to blow it. It is time for Trump to be impeached. My bedroom is finally getting warmer.