Sunday, April 19, 2026

     I continue my quest for comfortable park benches in Monterey. There are many hidden benches here. This week, I return to San Carlos Beach Park. I  give up the fight for accessible handicap parking. The tall man helps me resolve the issue. Yes, I now have the parking app. Sigh.

     Yesterday is a two nap day. I love my couch, an old used couch from a relative’s office. It is indestructible. The couch receives me with soft pillows and a warm down throw. I can see the trees out the living room windows. My roommate digs an asparagus bed in the back yard. The potato patch is filled with green bushes.

     I resist doing my daily chair exercises. I am too tired, I suspect I am fooling myself.  Finally, I am sitting outside on the front patio and moving my body. Small gusts of wind shake the tall pine trees.

     We watch the stand up comedian show with Trevor Noah on Netflix. Quite good. I watch another episode of THE CLOSER and Stephen Colbert’s THE LATE SHOW. The ugly political dramas continue in our government. War, inflation, ICE raids, Epstein investigations, storms, sea rising, etc. No easy solutions. Mid term elections are coming.

 

Saturday, April 18, 2026 

     Well, I do it.  I show up at McGowan house for Brown Bag Zen at noon. I sit, nod at friends and talk for 15 minutes. I am so glad they are still alive.  Without newspaper obituaries I never know who is dead or still alive. I am exhausted when I get home.

     I am slightly anxious all morning as I review possible subjects for the talk. And now I can’t remember what I said.  I park on the street and have to face my fear of curbs. I walk the long way around to the car to avoid struggling with the curb.

     I grew up under the strict rules of the 1940’s Catholic Church. I learned to be sneaky when the rules didn’t work for me. I am now willing to admit what I want or need to do. It was difficult to give up being sneaky.

     In the evening, we watch the last episodes of BAD MISTAKES, a Netflix series with some screaming. The ending is great, totally unexpected. I am waiting for the next season. I continue to read Penelope Lively’s novel MOON TIGER. Our crazy politics endure, and I continue to swallow the little pink pill and eat whatever I want. My esophagus is good.

 

Friday, April 17, 2026

     Close to my home stands a tall old pine tree, actually several tall pine trees all on city property. Squirrels race across the limbs jumping from tree to tree.  Twice in 50 years I call the city forester to check on the trees. Will they fall on my house in a strong wind. No no, the forester says. There are laws against harming trees. I am not so confident.

     The most comfortable park bench to date is in the Presidio Park over looking Monterey harbor. They fit my body. They are made of some sort of molded substance. They win my award of best designed park bench.

     I finally finish reading A REAL EMERGENCY, a memoir of working on an emergency ambulance. Fabulous book.

     And we watch the last episode of THE PITT, another fabulous series. I thought I had found another series we could watch but I was wrong. EUPHORIA was disappointing. The public verbal fight between the New York guy and the Chicago guy continues, with the New York guy being foolish and maybe demented