Tuesday, March 24, 2026

     I am learning about park benches. You don’t know a comfortable bench until you sit for an hour on an uncomfortable bench. I now know I need a short bench, one where my feet can be secure on the ground. I am going to bring a pillow to sit on.  I love meeting with friends. 

     My bench friend Monday is great. We have a lot to talk about and agreed we would continue to meet next month. At a different park bench.

    My roommate places an order for home delivery at COSTCO. Always big boxes of food and other stuff. Last night we ate a delicious deep dish pizza for dinner. Now we have half the pizza left over and another one in the freezer. Everything comes in giant sizes.

     In the evening, I watch another episode of my favorite TV series, THE CLOSER. Later we watch more of the thriller, TEHRAN.  Monday is not only garbage day but it is also Rachel Maddow night.

 

Monday, March 23, 2026

     All the factors line up, warm day, good night’s sleep, eating with out difficulty.  Yep, perfect day to do my 2025 taxes. I picked up the forms at the library, set up at the dinning room table.  I read through the changes and began scribbling on the blank paper. Finally, I fill in the federal form, sign with my signature, and with an envelope and a stamp, ready to mail.

     Have the wrong state tax forms so back to the library this afternoon to pick them up. Two hours to complete the federal forms.  This is my annual test to see if I am still competent. It helps that my financial life is very simple. And I don’t really care if I make mistakes. The tax people will let me know.

     My roommate plants tomatoes in the back yard near the potato patch. She has a pile of seed packages, along with her computer and a stack of papers, on her side of the dining room table.  We share the table for our work projects. Between our projects is the pile of library books and unopened packages and mail. A full service dining room table.

     I am in the middle of reading ANTIDOTE.  I have never read a book quite like this and I have read thousands of books. We watch another episode of TEHRAN in the evening. Such a great show.

 

 Sunday, March 22, 2026  

     When my roommate texts me, asking what I want from the grocery store I say small oranges and cookies. Good cookies, my favorite cookies.  And then I text again, asparagus, cherries.  I keep my fingers crossed hoping she will succeed. She does, but not cherries, not the right season.

     Cold morning, fog, how many cold mornings before I start complaining and missing the warm days. Sat on the deck to do my chair exercises Saturday afternoon. Lots of seagull chatter in the distance, and airplanes, but no little birds. This morning the dogs are barking a lot.

      The giant rock rose plants are bursting with pink blossoms. 30 years ago, I took clippings of these bushes by the wharf and planted them.  They thrive here and are so beautiful in the spring.

     We watch two shows in the evening, another intense episode of TEHRAN and then a boring disappointing episode of THE RELUCTANT TRAVELER.  I spend hours of the afternoon and evening reading the novel THE ANTIDOTE by Karen Russell, an imaginative and somewhat confusing story of the 1930’s dust bowl times.