Friday, April 3, 2026

     I don’t wake up in the middle of the night by the earthquake. A friend wakes up to her cell phone alarm for an earth quake.   No alarms on my phone. The earth is what, alive or fragile or restless and dangerous?  The earth is a molten collection of fire and water and minerals and rocks, speeding through the universe. The stars are real not just decorations at night, although sometimes I forget because I just don’t understand it all.

     My roommate does the library detail, returning and picking books from the library. I heat up the frozen pizza for lunch. We watch the second episode of the THOREAU documentary. Much better than watching more salacious news about Pam Bondi being fired as Attorney General.

     Two old friends visit binging cookies and flowers. I make tea. We don’t run out of talking. Brings back images of my Zen experiences over the years. The house finally warms up as the sun shines through the windows.

     And Thursday night is a special, a time to watch the next episode of THE PITT. Each episode shows up at 6pm just as I have my dinner on my lap in the living room. There is no question what we are doing to do on Thursday evenings. It is a throw back to earlier times of TV watching.

 

Thursday, April 2, 2026

     I watch the president speak Wednesday night about his war in Iran. He is calm and appears bored the whole time.  Nothing is clear. I wish we had a smarter, kinder president. It is hard to not feel scared while he is in the white house.

     Wednesday morning, I get the small chores done, shower, laundry, pay bills, wash dishes, collect the trash and garbage. Showering is the hardest.  I used to love long leisurely baths and now struggle with a weekly shower. I should make a list of my current fears as I move further into old age.

     I do enjoy the luxury of reading books in my blue recliner. I use to only read at night after a day of work and struggle.  But now I can read anytime for as long as I want. I have two exercise routines, one in the morning walking on the deck and in the late afternoon, the yoga chair exercises.

     I am reading two books now, The Kopp sisters book and a wonderful non fiction book about tall trees, THE WILD TREES BY Richard Preston. Other books are waiting in a stack on the dinning room table. In the evening, I watch the first part of a new PBS documentary on HENRY DAVID THOREAU. I like it and will watch the rest this week. Later my roommate and I watch Wednesday night’s episode of the LATE SHOW with Stephen Colbert.

 

Wednesday, April 1, 2026

    I yell out to my roommate, I am eating bacon, really bacon bits in my Elroy’s salad. I love bacon. I am expanding the variety of foods I can eat. I am taking medicine for my finicky esophagus.  One small pink pill with my morning breakfast and the world of eating food opens up for me. But will it last? I am keeping my fingers crossed.

     I have had a lazy esophagus for at least 15 years with frequent bouts of not swallowing anything for hours at a time. My family doctor, from years ago, described it as a lazy esophagus. Recently a relative describes his treatment for his swallowing issues. And now it is working for me. Yea for Omeprozoles.

     Time to get more gas for my car. Another task that family members have been doing for me for the last 5 years. Now it is my turn to just drive into the station and buy the gas. And I am nervous and reluctant. Another fear to overcome.

     I am now reading the fourth book in a historical fiction series, KOPP SISTERS ON THE MARCH, by Amy Stewart. A family of sisters living during the early twentieth century. Very comfortable to read. I continue to watch the endless episodes of THE CLOSER in the evening. One hundred episodes and one hundred different murders. Sigh.