Wednesday, April 8, 2026

      Earth pictures from the space ship appear on my facebook feed. So beautiful. But the trip itself is not so amazing.  I am a science fiction reader. I have traveled through the universe this last century with the imaginative fiction writers. And yet when I see pictures of the tight space capsule and the four astronauts and their equipment, I am moved.

     After my late afternoon outside chair exercises, I listen to the Ezra Klein podcast with Michael Pollan. I am sitting in the shifting shade of the pine trees. They discuss human consciousness, what is it and how to study it. 

     I continue to slowly read Michael Pollan ‘s book A WORLD APPEARS. So exciting to read about the different scientists and philosophers exploring how we exist. I can’t get enough of these ideas.

    I watch the evening news to see if Trump is really going to destroy our world. He backs down and we all sigh a bit of relief. But the danger is not over yet. Then we watch another episode of DEADLOCH, a screaming Australian comedy murder mystery.  My roommate loves it. Me, not so much.

 

Tuesday, April 7, 2026

     The Meals on Wheels volunteer brings me food on Mondays.  She asks where is your writing group.  She has been seeing my friends for several years.  I say one fell down and died from a brain bleed and the other tumbled off a cliff, breaking a lot of bones. and now lives near family. And both were younger than me.

     The volunteer and I confess we are afraid of falling and dying. I am very sad and miss my two writing buddies. I ask her if she likes to write.  She shakes her head no. I tell her I am looking for writing buddies.

     This morning, we have a marine layer blanketing the neighborhood. Cool damp foggy morning. I don’t want to get out of bed, out from under my warm comforter. But of course, the bathroom calls to me.

     We are going to try another TV series this week, THREE ROCKS FROM THE SUN on Hulu. An old series that is supposedly funny and satisfying. I watch two episodes of THE CLOSER while my roommate is on her evening zoom meetings. I am slowly reading Michael Pollan’s book A WORLD APPEARS. It is so good. And the deranged president continues trying to destroy our country, our people.

 

Monday, April 6, 2026

     I focus on paying attention to being alive each day. Yesterday morning I either swallowed the esophagus pill or not. I put the pill on the breakfast tray to take after a couple of bites of cereal. As I finished eating, I couldn’t remember if I had taken the pill. I check around the tray and the chair. Nothing. I decided to accept that I probably took the pill. But I am still not sure.

     This morning a cold wet fog is covering my neighborhood. Maybe the heat wave is over and I can put away the fan in the living room. Today is garbage day, the day to fill the bins and drag them to the street. Images of war continue with no end in sight.

      I started reading A WORLD APPEARS, A Journey into Consciousness, by Michael Pollan It is a slow read. I read a paragraph and then read it again to understand what he is writing about. The second book I am reading is Yael Van Der Wouden’s Danish novel, THE SAFEKEEP. It is bleak and fast paced.

     My roommate brings me an Easter dinner plate from her holiday visit with friends.  We settle down to watch JESUS CHRIST SUPERSTAR, a fabulous musical story of the gospels. Fabulous because the music images are so good, not so much the story. Although the story is deeply embedded in my childhood memories.