Friday, May 1, 2026  

     This afternoon I talk with my oncologist. But about what? What part of my current experiences should I mention.  I have a 20 minute appointment every three months, and I don’t want to waste it. I have several annoying conditions but nothing major right now. I am in bladder cancer surveillance mode now and I am holding my breath that it continues.

     Foggy First of May morning.  Summer weather for us. Maybe the sun will come out.  My roommate pulls me out to the deck to look at a fabulous new flower. She points at the table, see.  I see the red geraniums and the yellow nasturtiums.  No, No, and she touches this gigantic white flower blooming on a strange straggly plant. There it is.

     I struggle with finding certain words, nouns, names of things.  I know I know the word but it is just beyond my grasp. I talk around the missing word. Eventually the word comes back to me. I think old people like me created the game charades as a way to find the right words.

     We watch AFTER THE FLOOD in the evening, a surprisingly good thriller. Also keeping up with HACKS. I start reading PARABLE OF THE TALENTS by Octavia Butler. Another good book.

 

Thursday, April 30, 2026

     Good sleep last night. The weather is a significant factor in sleeping. I can’t control the weather but I wish I could. This morning my bedroom is cold. The rest of the house is warming up with the sun.

     A friend took a picture of my front steps. I am shocked at how beautiful the plants are. I use the side steps with the railing and seldom see the front steps.

     The potato patch continues to thrive. My roommate is battling the gophers for dominance in the garden. The first asparagus shoot is peaking up in the soil. I am waiting for the giant sunflowers by the fence to wave at me.

     We watch the first episode of AFTER THE FLOOD on Britbox. Well done and intense. And then we watch on Netflix THIS IS A GARDENING SHOW. Silly with bits of good information. I am absorbed in the Danish novel ON THE CALCULATION OF VOLUME BY Solvrj Balle. I am committed to reading all seven books. I am not sure why it is so compelling. Nothing new on the political scene.

 

Wednesday, April 29, 2026

     I confer with my brother, a primary care doctor, to develop a workable plan for the GERD medication. He shows me path to deal with this worry. I am grateful.

     I listen to the recent podcast with Ezra Klein and Stewart Brand talking about his new book, MAINTENANCE OF EVERYTHING. The conversation brings back intense memories of my youth.  I loved the Whole Earth Catalogue and the well. He is my generation. I am definitely going to buy his book.

     $12 dollars a pound, my roommate tells me as she gives me a small bowl of cherries. I am shocked. I can’t eat them. She says she was reluctant to tell me the price. I react as she feared.  But I am eating them slowly, savoring their sweet cherry taste. I encourage her to plant a cherry tree in the back yard.

     I did finish reading the PARABLE OF THE SOWER. So much to think about, so much to be afraid of. Soon I will read the second book. I watch a new show YOUR FRIENDS AND NEIGHBORS, an apple+ series. A focus on extremely wealthy people. Time to experience a different way of living. And I am back to watching carefully the political news.  So scary.