Well, I am back from the trip to Oregon. Logistically, all went well - plane, car rental, hotel, connections with cousins and brother-in-law, etc Emotionally, well, that is another story. Brother-in-law Jim is actually not as close to death as he sounded on the phone - turns out that the Parkinson's is affecting his speech more than anything else. On the other hand, he is behaving (pace, Jim) like a jerk. His son is taking care of him with love and good grace; Jim is not, in return, treating him very well. And although he has only slightly less money than god, he is refusing to spend it on his care. Why are even smart people so incredibly stupid about things related to sickness and dying? Please please please someone take me to the vet and have me put down before I get that mean and dumb.
Needless to say, Wednesday through Saturday seemed like an eternity, and I was never so happy to get back to Palm Springs, out of the rain and misery and into the sunshine!! (And thank yous to both Art and Mariah, who checked in with me almost daily and gave me continuous doses of good will.
After driving over six hundred miles, I couldn't face turning around on Sunday and driving to LA, opera or no opera. I will just have to sit this one out! Instead, I bought my Sunday New York Times and read and slept and generally did nothing all day on Sunday.
Then, on Monday, back to what is now the routine: coffee and the computer first thing, then off to the gym. Any errands and administrative stuff that needs doing gets done after that, followed by lunch, and, on Mondays, Tuesdays, Wednesdays and Fridays, bridge. Thursday, Saturday and Sunday are pool days, unless something else comes along. (Who has time for golf?)
Evenings are a light meal, some Scrabble on the computer, and reading till bed. Most recent bedside pile of books? I don't remember where I left you, so forgive me if there is some overlap. I just finished Thomas Friedman's Hot, Flat and Crowded. I take his point, but it was a little to environmentally preachy for me. Also finished Alexander McColl Smith's Handsome Man Deluxe Cafe (fluff, but incredibly delightful fluff, as always), and Ken Follett's Edge of Eternity (which, I was surprised to learn, friend Hank was reading at the same time - great minds, and all of that). It was a great review of the history of the second half of the twentieth century it was out of mind, but apparently not forgotten! Also, short stories by Ruth Rendell (each a gem, reflecting a piece of the mystery of human nature) and her newest mystery, called The Girl Next Door. It stood out because the majority of the characters were in their seventies and eighties (where I suspect Rendell herself is), and the crime took place some sixty years earlier. She is one of those writers I look forward to, and I will be sorry when there will be no more offerings.
Least successful:: Amy Bloom's Lucky Us. It too is her newest, and got a lot of buzz. Personally, I am not sure why. Up next is a book called America's Great Game: the CIA's Secret Arabists and the Shaping of the Modern Middle East, and, for light reading, Tom Wolf's I am Charlotte Simmons, one of his early books which I found at the library book sale.
Meanwhile, tomorrow is Thanksgiving. The whole crowd is going out to the Four Seasons Golf Course, where they have a wonderful chef and a varied buffet and a low price and noone has to wash dishes. And we get to be thankful for good health and good friends.
A toast to you all!
Needless to say, Wednesday through Saturday seemed like an eternity, and I was never so happy to get back to Palm Springs, out of the rain and misery and into the sunshine!! (And thank yous to both Art and Mariah, who checked in with me almost daily and gave me continuous doses of good will.
After driving over six hundred miles, I couldn't face turning around on Sunday and driving to LA, opera or no opera. I will just have to sit this one out! Instead, I bought my Sunday New York Times and read and slept and generally did nothing all day on Sunday.
Then, on Monday, back to what is now the routine: coffee and the computer first thing, then off to the gym. Any errands and administrative stuff that needs doing gets done after that, followed by lunch, and, on Mondays, Tuesdays, Wednesdays and Fridays, bridge. Thursday, Saturday and Sunday are pool days, unless something else comes along. (Who has time for golf?)
Evenings are a light meal, some Scrabble on the computer, and reading till bed. Most recent bedside pile of books? I don't remember where I left you, so forgive me if there is some overlap. I just finished Thomas Friedman's Hot, Flat and Crowded. I take his point, but it was a little to environmentally preachy for me. Also finished Alexander McColl Smith's Handsome Man Deluxe Cafe (fluff, but incredibly delightful fluff, as always), and Ken Follett's Edge of Eternity (which, I was surprised to learn, friend Hank was reading at the same time - great minds, and all of that). It was a great review of the history of the second half of the twentieth century it was out of mind, but apparently not forgotten! Also, short stories by Ruth Rendell (each a gem, reflecting a piece of the mystery of human nature) and her newest mystery, called The Girl Next Door. It stood out because the majority of the characters were in their seventies and eighties (where I suspect Rendell herself is), and the crime took place some sixty years earlier. She is one of those writers I look forward to, and I will be sorry when there will be no more offerings.
Least successful:: Amy Bloom's Lucky Us. It too is her newest, and got a lot of buzz. Personally, I am not sure why. Up next is a book called America's Great Game: the CIA's Secret Arabists and the Shaping of the Modern Middle East, and, for light reading, Tom Wolf's I am Charlotte Simmons, one of his early books which I found at the library book sale.
Meanwhile, tomorrow is Thanksgiving. The whole crowd is going out to the Four Seasons Golf Course, where they have a wonderful chef and a varied buffet and a low price and noone has to wash dishes. And we get to be thankful for good health and good friends.
A toast to you all!
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