Saturday, August 1, 2026

     The old pine tree is gone, now just a raw stump and some sawdust at the side of the road. A huge empty space in the sky. No longer can squirrels race high above the ground among the trees. Less shade for my house, more sunlight for the neighbor’s house. The underground water pipes are once again protected. I am no longer worried about my home being damaged from the harsh new winds. So why then am I so sad to lose this wonderful tree.

     A pile of wood chips are piled by the garden gate for my roommate’s work in the back yard. She would be very excited if she hadn’t just returned from the dental clinic and is recovering in bed.

     A friend comes by for a short visit. She and I are both in our 80’s and have lot of body experiences to share. I give her a bag of New Yorkers and a pile of paper grocery bags. Between the two of us we know many of the local doctors.

     I finish reading the memoir, FAMESICK.  Such a painful sad book. Now I start the Shanghai detective novel, THE SECRET SHARES by Qui Xiaolong. We watch episodes of RIDE OR DIE.  The house is quiet in the evening. Dogs are not barking for a change.  The TV is off. I check facebook for any disaster that might be happening. I wonder what today will bring.

 

Friday, July 31, 2026

     So much excitement this morning in our neighborhood.  The old towering pine tree is being cut down.  The crew of loggers are arriving.  I can hear them talking outside of my window in Spanish. My roommate has moved our cars to protect them from damage. This tree was here when I moved into my house in 1971. I love this pine tree.

      The tree, on city property, has been slowing moving closer to my bedroom ceiling each year.  Twice I have notified the city of the danger of the tree falling on top of me. The city forester has said no, the tree is safe. But now the roots have damaged the water lines. The tree has to go. Our neighborhood is ready for the trucks and machines and workers.

      I keep looking for some excitement each day, some event to remind me I am still alive and kicking, and today is a banner day. Now it is just car sounds and voices but soon the machinery will star cutting and grinding through the day. My roommate hopes to keep some of the wood chips for her backyard farm.

     I am almost finished reading Lena Dunham’s memoir, FAMESICK. Fascinating and difficult to read.  She has had such a troubled life. My personal librarian is taking a break from library deliveries during this summer.  So I manage to pick up and return my own books. It is a struggle walking with my cane and then using the courtesy walker in the building.  It would help if I didn’t reserve so many books each week. In the evening, we watch the final episode of THE MAN MUST BURN, about the Burning Man yearly desert gathering. I am shocked by the reports of masked armed ICE agents violently capturing people in American airports.

 

Thursday, July 30, 2026

     Wednesday night, Newshour reports on the high number of single women buying homes. Before 1974 women could not buy a home without a man’s cosigning the loan and the deed.  As a single woman I buy my house in 1971 with my parents’ signatures. And now today, women are free to be home owners. Within a couple of years, I remove their names, and eventually I paid off the house. Such hard times.

      These bubbles of memory pop up in my mind. I am unable to get a credit card in my name in 1968.  They want my ex husband to sign for the card. I was 28, single, with three children and a fulltime government job. Yes, I am fiercely fighting for women’s economic rights.

     The morning cold fog has settled into town. I am shopping for more warm flannel clothes. I suspect we will have a hot spell this summer but not yet. Usually, the house warms up in the afternoon when the fog beings to dissipate.

     I am engrossed with Lena Dunham’s memoir FAMESICK, the complicated story of being in her 20’s and successful and quite ill. She talks about writing, directing, and acting in her TV series GIRLS. We watch the first episode of Prime’s new series RIDE OR DIE. Bright, funny and deadly. We are committed to continue watching. I love Dr. Anthony Fauci and am moved by his calm demeanor when questioned in the congressional hearing.  No good deed goes unpunished. Another failure for the old president.