Wednesday, May 20, 2026

     The science section of the Times newspaper has a long article about human frailty. It is a condition of old people and is irreversible. A wake up call  for me to look at how I am living my life. I feel like I have been drifting lately. I am not sure what I am going to do but I am attentive to my activities.

     Sometimes I am just too tired to get out of my chair. I sit there half reading a book that no longer interests me. A writing friend tells me she buys her books rather the using the library. She likes to make comments in the book as she is reading them.

      It has been ten months since my last difficult cancer treatment. So maybe I am going to live a bit longer.  What do I want to do with my wonderful life now. As I write this a slow moving airplane flies over head filling my room with roaring engine noise.

     I watch an Britbox series, DEATH IN PARADISE. A slow moving series set in the Isle of Capri. My roommate is out in the evenings for awhile so I get to choose what to watch. I also saw the John Stewart Monday night monologue. He is so good. I have put down several books that I started. I am looking for the next book to capture my attention.

 

Tuesday, May 19, 2026

    Bright sunny morning. My roommate is house sitting for ten days. Packing up what she needs.  She will be coming by to take care of her small back yard farm. The day is warming up. The garbage trucks lumber slowly in the neighborhood. Birds are busy in the bottle bush trees.

     I did three of my exercises yesterday. Plan to do more today. Hangs over my head during the day.  Four different sets of exercises. I am getting stronger.

     My roommate harvests some small potatoes to eat.  She fights with the gophers in the yard. Yesterday she cooks hamburgers for lunch.  A test for me to see if the unexpected medication is still working.  Yep, no problem with swallowing.  

     I haven’t picked out the next book to read from the stacks on the table. We watch episodes of THE CLOSER and HACKS last night. I explain to a friend why I can’t visit her at her home.  Really, it’s the stairs in her front yard.  I am working on my stair climbing skills.

 

Monday, May 18, 2026

     I have 15 UNREAD LIBRARY BOOKS SITTING ON MY DINNING ROOM TABLE. Books I excitedly put a hold on and finally pick up and bring home.  And more books are waiting. Their due dates haunt me even though the library does not charge for overdue books, it is a matter of honor to not be late.

     And now I have just read the Sunday New York Times book reviews. And now at least a half dozen new books excite me. Ordinarily I check the library webpage to put holds on their books. I want to buy some of the books on line from amazon. My house overflows with books, coming and going.

      I am afraid I will miss something important, some vital piece of life.  The challenge is to enjoy each book.  It is no fun to hurry through the books. Reading too fast means I am missing the meaning and joy of the reading. This is a merry go round that I want to get off of.

     Today I am reading WHERE THE FOREST MEETS THE STARS, a novel by Glendy Vanderah. Today I am going to slow down and enjoy the reading, I hope.