Saturday, May 30, 2026

     In the late afternoon my roommate and I go to the classy grocery store. I pick up Ad Astra bread and she slowly goes through the store picking up things she wants to eat. I find a chair to wait, noticing the many people in the store, shoppers and staff.  A really fabulous store. And over whelming with people and carts. Back home we are both tired.

     The salad garden is ready for harvest. I am intimidated by these green growing things.  Which ones are eatable. My roommate planted some flowers in the salad garden.  I feel kind of inept asking for help with the first harvest.

     I worry about our community’s immigration status. How can I help is my question. The danger seems to be unpredictable. I wonder if it is dangerous to even write about it. Such chilling times. Even in private it is scary to share too much information. I am grateful for the groups of people who are working on this problem,

     We watch another episode of AFTER THE FLOOD, but it is too intense now so we switch to watching a couple of episodes of HACKS, also intense but with a lot of laughs. I am continuing to read SWING LOW, a memoir by Miriam Toews.

 

 

Friday, May 29, 2026

     I have finally figured out my job as an older retired person. My work is to read books, as many books as I can cram into my days and nights. No one assigned me this job. But for years when I was working at a job I liked and raising kids I loved, I longed for the freedom to spend a day reading. And now I have it.

     Piles of library books and purchased books are on the dining room table challenging me to hurry up and read them.  Their voices silently taunt me,” you will never be able to read all that you want.”  I want to be fair to the books and alternate reading a library book with a bought book. This work is never finished.

     Today I finish reading Elizabeth Storut’s new book, THE THINGS WE NEVER SAY. A realistic novel of the loneliness of human life in these times. And I am also reading a memoir by a favorite author, Miriam Toews, SWING LOW, an attempt to understand her father who is mentally ill and kills himself. The middle aged heroes in these two books are high school teachers for decades and well loved. The trend of my reading today, sadness and despair, and quiet hope.

     I am watching THE BOROUGHS, an 8 episodes series about a senior living community facing monsters while living active lives.  Funny and scary. Good to see my peers getting some action. Our political news is still grim as the demented leader continues to try to destroy my country.

 

Thursday, May 28, 2026    

     Wednesday morning activities create chaos for me. Four things are wrong.  A high School kid is parking in my driveway, the bank refuses to accept the state tax refund check, the voting ballot is confusing,(I did vote for Katie Porter), And something else I can’t remember. Oh yes, my prescriptions are on hold because the medicines are temporally unavailable. Due to war or to the tariffs, or did I do something wrong? Of course it is demented president’s fault.

     It is all too hard. I write a complaining text to family. And the tall man comes by at lunch time and fixes two of the problems. A note on the kid’s car saying don’t park here and a trip to the bank resolving the deposit issues (state’s fault, not mine). So easy and effective.

     I used to be able to solve problems easily. Is it my age or the difficulties dealing with AI responses. I haven’t kept up with modern life and now modern life is moving beyond my reach. Sigh

     I give in this morning and turn on the heater to combat the damp cold weather. I am reading Elizabeth Strout’s latest book THE THINGS WE NEVER SAY. The story about life in today’s crazy world is right on. The problems of secrets and loneliness.   My lovely roommate is back and life is better.