Tuesday, March 10, 2026

     I get up at 7am in the dark this morning. I remember driving to work at 7am in the dark, decades ago. I have been retired for 25 years. Hard to believe. Thank you pension and social security. I have been busy not selling my time for money. Thinking back to my work years is like visiting a lost time shrouded in greys. I have told stories of my job so often I no longer know what is true. But my stories are entertaining.

     I plan to sit on a bench at the Via Paraiso Park this morning with a friend. My first attempt to expand my range of activities. It is cold. I plan to wear my puffer jacket and warm clothes.

     I forget doing my laundry isn’t complete until I remove the clothes from the drier, fold them and put them away. The days go by and I don’t remember this last step.

     My roommate is out for the evening.  I watch the MS NOW news of course. We are fighting a war started by a scary guy who seems confused and inept, maybe even evil. I am quite moved by the silent images of the rituals for bringing killed soldiers home to their families. Every place I look now, I see the mysteries of death.

 

Monday, March 9, 2026 

     The Tall Man visits Sunday morning to check on me, Do I need anything.  He reports that I was the oldest person at the memorial mass on Saturday.  85 years old is the oldest?  I didn’t feel like the oldest. Actually, I don’t know what being the oldest would feel like. 

     Sunday, warm sunny day, all day. This morning, we have thick gray fog. I can’t quite get used to the time changes. My clock this morning says 9am when I wake up. I am a bit off kilter.

     My roommate is out most of the day and evening.  I watch episodes of two of my favorite shows, THE CLOSER set in Los Angeles and the Australian series,THE ROYAL FLYING DOCTOR’S SERVICE. I start reading UNDER THE STORM, a detective novel by Christoffer Carlsson, set in Sweden.

     Since I am feeling stronger I am making a list of interesting benches in town for adventures. The idea of sitting outside, by myself or with a friend is appealing. Need to have good parking, my walking is limited. Already I have three benches on my list.

 

Sunday, March 8, 2026

     I break out of my neighborhood to visit Carmel Valley with the marvelous tall man and the charming dog lover. Lots of traffic, green hills, trees bursting with fresh leaves, and rows of tulips at Earthbound Farms. The rural Catholic Church is welcoming. There is no story here, just words and songs, and warm hugs from old friends. And of course, the unsolved question of what happens to dead people, where are they, where do they go? They seem to suddenly just disappear.

     Now that I have experienced life away from my neighborhood I am looking around for more places to go, after 5 years of surgeries and infusions and treatments. I am now on a hiatus from the medical people. Maybe I am well, maybe not.

     I pick up the detective novel I have been reading and realize it is boring. Time for something new.

     In the evening, we watch some new shows, a stand up comedian TAYLER TOMLISON on Netflix and QUEER EYE FOR THE STRAIGHT GUY. We both are tired and want to laugh.