Saturday, December 6, 2025

     In the morning, before I can walk on the deck I look for my cane. Checking all the common areas I find it on the floor near my bedroom reading chair. Outside the air is crisp and clear.  The traffic sounds are louder than usual coming up the hill. The high school bell rings and the kids are moving in the corridors. Trails in the growing grasses appear. I am not sure which creatures are moving around. A large floppy mushroom is covering the oak tree stump. Finally, I hear and see a tiny grey and yellow bird flittering around the potted plants on the deck

      I go to my bank for cash and offer her my ID.  No, she says I don’t need to see your ID. Well, I say I am 85 years old, so I must be too old to be a bank robber. I leave the bank slowly with money in my pocket.

     The San Carlos beach park has few visitors. I sit in my car watching, mostly single people with dogs on leashes.  The dogs are attentive and busy with the world around them.  The people are focused on their cell phones. A few single men carrying bulky back packs are rummaging through the trash cans. Maybe looking for recyclable cans and food.

    In the evening, I watch the first episode of LONG WAY UP, a documentary of these same two middle aged guys on a long motorcycle trip through South America. It is definitely a comforting series. I finish reading Michael Connelly’s THE PROVING GROUND, A satisfying story.