Wednesday, February 25, 2026

     I am in the bathroom.  I hear the footsteps coming up to the door and then retreating. It is another package delivery but no it is the building inspector.  I received a message from the heating company. The inspector came and left.  He could come back.  I sit in the living room reviewing the technical documents for the new heater. Waiting for him becomes agony. I am afraid. I have become afraid of the government.

     The front door is open.  The inspector arrives. I am home and waiting. He says your door bell doesn’t work. I stay silent. I give him the papers and he goes to the basement to check the heater.  Five minutes, he is done, signs off on the permit and leaves. It takes hours for me to calm down. I don’t know what I was expecting. I am afraid of being forced out of my home.

      I watch the political show with the president.  I don’t need to listen to the journalists to know how crazy he is. Crazy and somewhat charming. He lies so well. He is good for a TV show but in real life he is a disaster. He threatens our survival as a functioning nation.

     I continue to read THE LONELINESS OF SONIA AND SUNNY by Kiran Desai. Such a good book.  I will have to look at her other books in the future.

 

Tuesday, February 24, 2026   

     Late Monday afternoon, balmy overcast outside.  I drag the two garbage bins to the street for tomorrow’s pick up. Find mail in the mail box.  Sit outside to watch. Two woodpeckers fly to the tall pine tree. Several crows dash around.  One small bird on the street pecking at the dried puddles. Dogs barking, chain saw in the distance. No people or cars.

     My writer friend arrives to continue writing on Monday mornings. We are filled with words and experiences before we can settle down to actually write. Two of our group are gone, one moved to the East Coast and the other died suddenly from an accident. I thought I would be the first to die of this warm writing group. People are not replaceable.

     I am so excited. I started reading the excellent novel, THE LONELINESS OF SONIA AND SUNNY by Kiran Desai. I could tell immediately I would like it I am so caught up in the book I can’t figure out what makes it so good.

     I am tempted to watch the state of the union speech tonight, but really he lies so much and is so appalling I am not sure I can stand it. I am curious and I do love the journalists’ commentaries. I just don’t know what I am going to do. We continue to watch THE LINCOLN LAWYER series.

 

Monday, February 23, 2026

     My insurance changed the mail delivery pharmacy this year. Four prescriptions need refilling before my next appointment.  I spend an hour going through all the options on My Chart and still I am confused.  Finally, I send a message to the Doctor and cross my fingers and hope for the best. This is actually harder than doing my income tax forms.

     I put the four solar lanterns out in the sun for recharging in the morning winter sun. The sun is out for half a day.  I will put them out again this morning.  I am getting ready for the next storm.

     We watch more episodes of LINCOLN LAWYER. The plot is complicated and keeps shifting. We eat our chocolate Sunday deserts while watching the desperate characters race around Los Angeles.

     I read the current New Yorker back in my room. Time to start a new book. Earlier I start a Lawrence Wright book and soon realize I had read it before. More books are waiting for me.