Saturday, May 2, 2026

     Every day I get emails from strangers, people or maybe bots, who are identified as numbers. Not my friends or family. My AOL program reports probably spam. I check the messages, or at least the first few words.  Apparently, they think I need money and offer to lend me great sums of money immediately, if only I will respond to them. I delete them all.

     The appointment with my thoughtful oncologist is good. He reminds me I am doing well. I am on cancer surveillance now. I forget to ask him about the chances of cancer reoccurrence. I tell him about my writing group, the bench conversations activities, my wonderful roommate and that I can eat bacon now without closing down my throat. He is looking exhausted and not well. I wish I could do something to support him.  I am grateful for his help these last couple of years.

     Ok, I start another new book from the library even though I have a bunch of unfinished books staring me in the face. MAKING THE CUT, How to Heal Modern Medicine, by Aaron Kheriaty, M.D. My continuing quest to understand our medical culture.

     In the evening, we watch another tense episode of AFTER THE FLOOD. We then watch last Monday night’s THE DAILY SHOW with John Stewart. Lots of laughs and dark humor. We are getting ready to miss Stephen Colbert as he is coming up with his last weeks of programs.

 

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.