peacefulness

While Mother was under the hair dryer this morning, watching her movie, I managed to catch a few rays.



Carne sudada for lunch, with stewed potatoes, corn on the cob, tomato and green beans amondine. Honeydew melon as appetizer.



Mother was fairly lively while we played cards, though her memory is now like a sieve. The game was interrupted by a surprise visit from Humberto and his grandson Cristian. Good thing Mary had some meat and potato left over.

They were leaving to work on Humberto's lot when Deborah returned to pick up Mother. So happened that just then Bill Spence arrived with a bucket of cucumbers from his garden. So! It was he who left cucumbers on our porch the other day.

After Mary left for Maricruz', I took the Rally out for a spin. Might as well get used to it. The Pacesaver is driving a little strange. Don't think it will last much longer.

Down at the outpost, I took a few experimental shots with the Sony, then waited in the peacefulness, until the first deer appeared. The dusk was delicious.

123 lbs.

75.6 °F, clear.

episodes

Seasons Two, Three & Four of Highway Patrol arrived in the mail Tuesday. Last night, I partied with Gail Kobe in episode "The Search". Then, with Ward Wood in episode "Kidnap Copter". A Google search turned up no picture of Wood's familiar face.

I had a ball, noting location references in the third episode I watched, "Travel Trailer" and trying to look them up on the internet. 57 years have passed since the filming, but I got lucky with two references. No information on the manufacturer Westfield, Inc., long out of business evidently, but found their old Westerner travel trailer listed on YouTube. Also learned that Clover Field in Los Angeles County is now called Santa Monica Airport.

Got up this morning with an elevated heart rate. Been a while since that happened.

Mary had a rough morning. When we set out for Co-op to get the scooter tire fixed, she didn't make it out of the garage without a demoralizing mishap.

For some time, Mary has been favoring her left while driving. Tends to grab the center of the road, afraid of driving off the right. Looks for parking spaces with an unoccupied space on the right, afraid to swipe another car. Claims it's because she's lost peripheral vision in her right eye. I mentioned to her that niece Rachel has vision in only one eye and seems to have no trouble driving. Didn't help.

Anyway, she parked in the garage too far to her left yesterday. Pulling out this morning, she scraped against the door, damaging the automatic opener. Efforts to adjust it only left her in a highly agitated state. We had to leave the door open. She hates to do that.


After the scooter tire was fixed, we stopped at the Taylors' for eggs. Waiting for Mary to come out, I was entertained by three guinea fowl snatching insects in the grass. Under a tree, there was an interesting cage with some animal in it. Hmmm. When Mary returned to the car, she guessed it was a rabbit. Lately, she's been inclined to call any smaller critter she doesn't recognize, a rabbit. On closer examination, I saw it was a raccoon.


After a stop at Kroger for bananas, we headed home for a late lunch: a salmon salad. I hadn't quite finished mine when nephew Chad paid us a visit. Listened patiently to his recurring leitmotifs. The only newsworthy item was his finding a new girlfriend. There go his savings again.

Company gone, Mary and I managed to watch the first part of Phantom India (1969) from Netflix. Documentary by Louis Malle. French, with English subtitles. This is the way I would make a documentary! Thoughtful and brutally frank. As soon as I began watching, some kind of weight or cloud was lifted from me.

A few minutes before Mary left for Maricruz', we had a good rain shower.

Mary returned. Marcelino came. Just left after repairing the garage door opener and installing the new toilet tank lever. $50 for this and the previous visit.

79.0 °F, scattered clouds.

week to week

Feelng a little better. Maybe I'm coming out of it.


Tilapia for lunch, with patacones, sweeyt potato, tomato and steamed asparagus.

To Centennial for my monthly injection. Brooke passed me through without a major wait.


Paid brother Marion a visit. He has his next procedure Wednesday. At Delores' prompting, he showed me were the frame object was implanted on his skull. Been rather depressed Delores tells me. The clutter and foul air in his house alone is enough to depress anyone.

It's a toss up as to who will last long, me, Mother or Marion. At the moment, I seem to be ahead. But, that changes from week to week.

Onward and upwards.

82.8 °F, clear.

of thumps, coups and flats

Lawlers for lunch. Very long line. Mary volunteered to walk to the takeout window.


Gas at Walmart, ate our sandwiches in the parking lot, then went inside to shop. Nephew Chad came up to me in the beer & butter aisle. We exchanged brief pleasantries. I refrained from asking too many questions. Mary ran into Nayeli, Margarita's daughter, in the cheese and cold cuts section. She kept trying to look away from my camera, but I finally caught her.


A number of times, I spotted Cates who used to work with us at the quarry. He makes me smile every time I see him. He's somewhat challenged mentally, yet has always been convinced he's one clever fellow.


Outside, waiting for Mary, I heard a thump. A white sedan had just backed out into a parked red Chevy pickup. My initial and natural reaction was relief that it happened to them and not me. Then, I felt sorry for those involved.

Back home there was little I wanted to do, beyond watching reports of the military coup in Egypt.

The left rear tire of the Pacesaver is now flat. Sigh.

78.1 °F, clear. (835 Yell Rd 1/8 mile S downtown square)

delicate

Little Hormel dinners for lunch.


Wild Petunias in prime condition are difficult to find. Very delicate.

The act of creating can sometimes leave one with an inner piece.

73 °F, clear.

Africa

When stress becomes intense for long enough, the sufferer loses sight of the future. With hope gone, the pain becomes unbearable. Hell on earth. Any tradeoff then seems acceptable.

Unbearable pain activates a defense mechanism. Sensory information is blocked. Unfortunately, that includes sensations of a pleasant nature. The tradeoff. In it's milder form, this mechanism is called depression. Some functioning in the environment continues. In it's extreme form, the mechanism is called catatonia. Institutionalization is required.

The phenomenon can be seen clearly in the animal kingdom. A zebra being eaten alive by hyenas, having lost all chance for escape, freezes, wide-eyed. It no longer feels pain. In this way, Nature shows her compassion.

I miss Africa.

82 °F, mostly cloudy.

under

Rained some.

Rounds with Mary: Co-op to repair the scooter tire. Kroger for my Symbyx. First Farmer to deposit two checks.

Cod fish for lunch, with stewed acorn squash, corn on the cob, pickled beets and patacones. Guava juice on the side.

Watched Easy Money (2010) from Netflix. Swedish with Spanish subtitles. Young man gets in too deep with drug dealers.


Outside, I noticed George with Bill Spence in Mother's field. Good chance to try out the Sony's 20x zoom to the max, resting camera upon the scooter's handle bar. Sony's image stabilization helped too.

Life continues fixed somehow, fast under the Sword of Damocles.

74 °F, partly cloudy. (Cornersville)