Thursday, July 2, 2026

      It is starting, the sounds of explosions in the middle of the night.  I assume fourth of July fireworks, guys sneaking around the high school grounds. The excitement of doing something daring and illegal. Relieve the boredom of foggy cold summer days. I turn over and go back to sleep.

     But Monterey is a military town.  What would it be like to be bombed by some country rightly angry at us.  Not so farfetched. Or maybe earth quakes.  Last year I was worried about forest fires. Each year a new fear. Maybe next year will be the year of floods. And still, I am able to sleep at night.

     I place an order at Instacart for foods I want.  My roommate is creating an eight foot banner on the floor, for anti ICE protest later in the day. I give her advice about safety.  She smiles and laughs.  I want a picture of the car she is riding in. I want to be able to find her if she is lost. She arrives home safely in the evening, too tired to tell me stories of her adventure.

     The front yard is dominated by blue jays and mourning doves. The garden is thriving.  Now when I walk outside, I dodge low hanging branches and piles of debris.  Lots of wind lately.  I continue to read HILL by Harriet Clark.  It is slow reading and just gets better and better.  I will be sorry when I finish it.

 

Wednesday, July 1, 2026

     Ok. I visit the Monterey County Bank this morning to respond to a letter saying my savings account seems abandoned and the money will be sent to the state. The letter says I should contact the bank if the savings account is still active. I suspect they want to know if I am still alive.

    I walk slowly in with my cane. The teller is polite and doesn’t know what I am talking about. He confers with another teller who then talks to a third person.  I find a chair and watch what is happening. I am ready to ask to see the bank manager.  I am alive and I am tired of waiting. I have not abandoned my savings account.

     Finally, I am told my savings account is fine. It is connected to my active checking account. The computer just sends these letters to people who haven’t had an interaction with their savings account for a year. They are extremely apologetic but there is no indication that they will punish this computer for sending this disturbing letter. Yes this is AI out of control. The computer should be punished, sent to bed without dinner.

     I have started a new novel, HILL by Harriet Clark. The story of a young girl who visits her mother who is in prison for domestic terrorism. An interesting story. And in the evening, we watch two more episodes of SUGAR, a truly strange and confusing story. We are hooked.  Also, we watch the last half of the new documentary on EARTH, WIND AND FIRE. I don’t have the energy to watch political news today.

 

Tuesday, June 30, 2026

     My personal librarian brings a stack of books to the house in the late afternoon. The books continue to pile up in the living room. Since I mostly stay home my experiences of community life is from books and TV.  So sad. I miss being out and about.

    I am only restless when I think I should be having a different life. Actually I love my life here at home.  I am never bored. But sometimes memories come up of a former life and I become restless. Well, my body isn’t restless, just my imaginative mind that creates images and thoughts. My consciousness, what ever that is. Hard to understand how my brain actually works. I fall into wondering who am I and what is my purpose in life. The dreaded rabbit hole.

     I am just about finished reading John Sandford’s new novel, REVERSE PREY.  I am pretty tired of the story and am considering just reading the last page and putting the book in the return pile. Garbage day.  My roommate pulls the bins to the street for Tuesday morning pick up.

     In the early evening, we watch two episodes of SUGAR.  Since the living room is still light the dark scenes in the show are hard to see. And the series is getting crazier and stranger. A friend comes by and we watch some of my favorite movie, SHEEP DETECTIVES.