FRIDAY--I'M IN AND SO IS THE GESTOPO

Hey, I gotta say, it wasn't a bad day. Home, I had lost 1.2  (to 129.4) and at T.O.P.S., I was down 1.1 to 130.2. Incredibly, I was the biggest loser, so was rewarded with a big three bucks. It seems our group has dwindled to four regulars: Lennie, Sharon, Cheryl, and me, so after weigh-ins, we more or less just chatted. Something of actual note was discussed, though, see WIDER below. 

Home at 10:00, had breakfast and did this and that before leaving to meet Noreen at Dargan's for lunch. We were both early, which was good and we sat in the outside area on a lovely, lightly warm, summer day. Of course, we talked and talked during and after, she with a pastrami sandwich and champagne, Mimi with Shepard's pie and a hazy IPA.

We were there for two hours talking and talking and baring our souls. Noreen turned 90 last week and when I asked how she was doing emotionally, she was honest about being down now and then, but I hope, not clinically depressed. Anyway, it was good to be with her, as ever. After we said goodbye, I stopped in a few shops, but didn't buy anything. Took the 6 bus back to the transit center and waited for the 10 to get home. 

Just as I was boarding, Erica, director of the upcoming Fractured Actors show with Brian, called to tell me I was in. Wow, I'm thrilled. I'm intrigued by the fact that the show isn't actually written yet because it involves is a kind of show within a show. As I understand it, it will involve the cast actually writing and staging a show. Erica will send an email listing rehearsal times and so on. I've been on stage with Erica and consider her one of the best in the troupe.   

Didn't get home until after 5:00 at which point I whipped up a turkey stir-fry. Ate half and will have the other half tonight. 

WIDER: Cheryl was at Wal-Mart when an ICE car and a number of officers descended on it and took several people into custody, including one or more cashiers. Nice that we have our own little Gestapo to show these brown people who's boss, right? Okay, they may be American citizens, but they're brown, aren't they? That means they're evil.

THURSDAY AND DENIZENS OF MISERACORDIA

Another day with morning phone calls. I heard from Ellen early on and we had a good long talk. She's finally nearing the end of the necessary fixing-ups to her new house, HVAC and so on. She invited me to come over on Sunday and, of course, I accepted with pleasure. 

I received an interesting--very interesting--call from a woman named Bobbi Murphy C.* She had been a classmate of Betty's, my twin sister, and was calling to let me know where the rumor that Betty had died had originated--it seems via a classmate named Mary Beth Gilbert G.* I vaguely remember her name from sixty-some years ago, when Betty and she were friends at Misericordia. I also remember Margo Conner G.* from the class, with whom Betty was friendly.  Anyway, Bobbi is quite a talker; we were on the phone for about 45 minutes. Unfortunately, she is blind, but seems reasonably cheerful (I'd kill myself and I mean that literally).  She told me she was born and brought up in Philly, at one time was in the military, later worked in the occupational therapy field, married in her forties, no children, and her husband died three years ago. She lives in The Villages, Florida, and has an aide. 

Bobbi gave me Mary Beth's number and being intrigued with the whole situation, I called her and left a  voice mail message. It seems doubtful I'll get a call back as she seems to be slow on the uptake, i.e. has dementia, but I'll try again. I find the situation intriguing and hope to hear back from here. Actually, I'll call Margo, too, and see what happens there. After, I called Sister Blogster (Blogaria? Blogmistress?), Pat McHale R.*, to tell her about the above, as it was thanks to her and one of her neighbors that I received the call from Bobbi. 

All that prompted me to call my brother, Larry, who also lives in Florida, to share the info. He was interested and we had a good long talk. He now uses a walker, and has some arthritis problems (who doesn't), but for 92, is in pretty good physical shape and mentally sharp. I'd love to get Ellen to go with me to their annual pre-Christmas gathering, which the family has had for years--attendees often total more than fifty. Think I'll ask when I see her Sunday. Anyway, it was so good talking to him.

After all that, I packed my lunch and took off for Burlington Co. to return my sneakers. I talked to the manager to see if I could have the damn security wire removed before trying on, so I could test them by walking normally. She said yes and one of these days, I'll go back.

From there, I went to WinCo for grapefruit and other items, then bussed home, still with my uneaten lunch. By that time, I was 3:00 and, rather than staying in town, I just took it out to the middle and enjoyed it there.  

T.O.P.S. today (ugh, I think I again gained), then lunch with Noreen at Dargan's. I printed out another article by Chris Hedges to give her as she enjoyed the last one so much.

*Married name, which I won't list. 

WEDNESDAY AND JIM

The Access Van picked me up at 10:30 and I paid--or didn't pay--for the first time with the free ticket sent by the Ventura Area on Agency. Used a second on the way back, so I have eight more. In July, I get ten. Actually, I doubt very much if I'll use that many. Much as I appreciate freebies, there are two major reasons I want to go slow on this: One, I need to walk and I don't want to get in the habit of being picked up. The walk to the bus stop is close to a half-mile, then when I return it's another half, so I walk a mile without even thinking about it. The second is because--ungrateful wretch that I am--it's kind of a hassle to get out there within the certain time period and I usually go early because I'm paranoid about being late. I'll certainly use the Van on occasion, just not for every little trip.

Jim was in bed, as usual, when I got there, but he perked up when he saw me. I sat down and we talked for about forty-five. I had called Victor earlier to be told it was okay to bring my lunch and eat with Jim on the patio. I waited there after the aide arrived to dress Jim and get him in his wheelchair. I had my tuna sandwich and illicit IPA and it was very enjoyable.*

When I told Jim about coming on the Access Van, he got excited about the possibility he could use the service, too. However, when I tried to explain how to apply, he got very confused. I gave him the number to call, but I just don't know if they'd want him to go somewhere to have his picture taken or submit proof of age or something. I just don't remember what I did, as it was several years ago.

Anyway, I was called to say the driver was on his way. He got there about 12;15 and I was surprised to see he was driving a brand new electric sedan, rather than a van. We chatted on the way home and he said they had another of those. I guess it's more practical, but only for certain riders; it wouldn't accommodate a wheel chair, for instance.  

Good grief, I was home before 1:00--that's about two hours before I usually head out. Went over to Von's for a few things, including some yummy cherries. 

I got the T.O.P.S. membership list typed and printed out five copies. Now, that's the end of my taking minutes and otherwise acting as recording secretary, which I'm not and don't want to be. Oddly, all day yesterday, I thought it was Thursday and that I had T.O.P.S. today. No, Mimi, today is Thursday, yesterday  was Wednesday, and tomorrow is...uh...Sunday, maybe?  AAGH😬!

*I actually had with me one of those little bottles of cabernet sauvignon, the red Jim always drank. However, I thought better of it. For one thing, if Victor found I had given it to Jim, it may have made me persona non grata at Granny's Home Center and/or have gotten Victor in trouble. More important, it could effect Jim's condition in some way. I'm glad I thought better of it. 

TUESDAY

Boy, I spent the entire morning on phone calls, including three times to Granny's Home Center. Why so? Because I'm going to see Jim today--I'm taking him some political articles (my printer is once again working--yay!), plus my lunch, because I want to eat with him on the patio there. To get the go-ahead, I called Celeste, one of the directors, and she said that was fine. However, I also tried to call Jim to tell him I was coming and got the message the call couldn't be completed as dialed. Called Celeste back and was told Jim doesn't have a phone. Since when? I had called him directly before on his own phone. Why would he no longer have one? I'll try to find out today. 

I had a balance on my account for the Access Van, so called to ask if I could donate it to the service now that I ride free; yes, and I'll get a receipt via w-mail. 

Also called Meticulous to ask what my tenant wanted to know--whether they check for any clogs or pipe problems. Was told no, as those are underground, so I e-mailed Lori to that effect. 

Did a bleach wash, and that was enough domesticity, so I packed a lunch and bused to town. I took a book back to the library, took out another, and bought two more at the little bookstore maintained by Friends of the Library. Am I nuts? I already have an alarmingly large mini-library of my own, both those that I've read, but want to keep:

                                                         

...and those I haven't read yet, but couldn't resist:

I've read the Joe Kennedy bio before, but decided I wanted to own it. As for War Made Invisible, I'll certainly re-read it in a few years. The rest is an eclectic mix of bio, history, and how-to. I'm not big on fiction, aside from Jonathan Kellerman's stuff. I borrowed from the library his Open Season, which I'm reading now. 

Wider: I accidentally just saw Trump talking to reporters about the current slaughter in the Middle East. I was amazed at what a buffoon he is, but I understand why. It's for the same reason Zelensky always dresses as if he's about to go out and mow the lawn. The handlers want to show what regular guys they are, so they appeal to the hoi polloi--geez, I'd like to go out for a beer with them! Then they vote for their pals...

MONDAY, STELLA, ALPHONSE, LAPTOP, AND THE U.S. MAIL

After doing my usual morning rituals--top off blog, do Wordle, Connections, and Blossom, see email, read Pat R.'s blog, and go into Facebook, I was horrified that the screen just suddenly froze. I thought it must be the mouse, so changed the battery, but still nada. By that time, I had to leave for the bus, as I was meeting Stella at 11:00 at the mall. Off I went, only to find that the lunch at Casa de Soria had been cancelled; fine by me, as I wasn't really interested in buying into ambulance insurance. 

Before Stella got there, I had time to search out Alphonse, my pal from Fractured Actors, who works at Whole Foods. I asked if he had auditioned for the monologue show, but he hadn't, as he has an audition coming up shortly for a show in Santa Paula. Hope he gets in and I hope I can see it. Here's Alphonse, a neat guy:

It's hard to believe he's in his middle forties. He and Lindsay, also in F.A., are an item and have been so since they met at the last show I was in there. I told him to give her a kiss for me. 

Met up with Stella and we went to a restaurant called "Art's" for lunch. I had never been there before and I liked the place, except that Stella insisted on sitting inside and it was very crowded and very noisy. I finally asked to move to the patio, which we did; that was better, but still it was kind of hard to hear. In fact, hearing Stella is always a challenge. She simply doesn't speak loud enough, not does she enunciate well, so a whole lot of the time, I look at her intently, smile, nod, and laugh when she does, all while not understanding two words out of ten. 

Anyhoo, we had a good lunch, then she dropped me off at the transit center and I took the 6 home. As soon as I got in, I packed up my poor, ailing little laptop and took it over to Asurion. One of the guys took it in hand immediately and had it all better very shortly. It seems I had accidently pressed the F6 key on the top row of the laptop; it has an icon of a rectangle with a little line at the bottom--representing the screen, I guess. But why wouldn't the mouse work? Because the new battery had been put in backward (now, what idiot would do that😕)?  Anyway, my little darlin' is chugging away again and all is well. Speaking of little darlings, I called Ellen and caught up with her doings. She's still dealing with the highs and lows of moving into a new house, of course, but overall, things are going well. 

Ominous note: I called the Agency On Aging to report that my free tickets for the Access Van had not arrived. I was assured they had been sent on June 13, but I would have to wait until July to get ten more. (Actually, I use the Access Van only rarely, but still, I didn't want to lose the tickets.) Later, when I went out for the mail, there were the tickets. It took nine day to get here? I can walk there in twenty minutes. Incredible and I'm beginning to wonder if the empire is finally going down.   

Wider: https://scheerpost.com/2025/06/22/chris-hedges-war-with-iran/

From the article listed above: War opens a Pandora’s box of evils that once unleashed are beyond anyone’s control. The warmongers who ordered the strikes by U.S. bombers on Iranian nuclear sites have no more of a plan for what comes next in Iran than they had in Afghanistan, Iraq, Libya or Syria. European allies, whom Israel and Trump have alienated with these air assaults, are in no mood to cooperate with Washington. 

SUNDAY AND AN AUDITION

 A full day. Showered and washed my hair before breakfast; ate, and did the crossword, which was again pretty obscure, although I got most of it. Through the day, I called these classmates (sister HSHSers): Pat Mooney, Jeanne Painter, and Mary Martin. I wanted to know if any of them knew Betty Downes' contact information, but none did, although Pat said she sees her in the supermarket. I want to express my condolences for the loss of her brother. It then occurred to me I could Message his daughter, Christina, which I did; haven't yet heard back from her.

Got an email from my tenant, Lori, about having ing the sprinklers turned back on. I couldn't remember who serviced it, so called Walter and Susan. It's Meticulous Lawn Care, so I'll get to them today. It was nice to touch base with Walter and Susan, too--they're my go-to couple when it comes to Sunrise Bay. 

I opened the door to check the weather and found the sunglasses I thought I had lost. I knew immediately what had happened: I had borrowed the larger cart to get my printer to Asunion, but then Ellen fixed it* and I accidentally left it in her cart. Good, I really like those sunglasses, although I have three other pair. When she opened the door, her brother, Glenn, came to it, also. I had forgotten that Suzanne said he would visit over the weekend; I met him before years ago. He's a family physician in San Diego, in his early sixties (Suzanne's the oldest of her sibs), and hey, easy on the eyes. 

There was some confusion with the Access Van. I had told them I wanted to be at the audition site at 3:00 (auditions were from 2 to 6), but there was a screw-up and I didn't get there until 3:30. Actually, that was no problem, as it wasn't by appointment. When I walked in, I saw Becky as greeter and we had a nice chat. 

I had been wondering if Jeff and/or Shannon would be in charge, but surprisingly, neither were. Instead, it was Erica and Brian (not a couple) and that was a pleasure to learn, as I like of them so much. Erica, who's only in her fifties, just had several hand joints replaced, as she had severe arthritis in them--they look good. 

Anyway, I did my monologue, "Heart's Desire," and it went well. It starts this way: I wanted to be a cowgirl/And live my life on the range/But my parents said that was silly/And my friends all thought it strange...and so on for fifteen verses. I wrote it years ago and forgot about it until now. I then did a somber one about living alone in a cabin. Actually, that isn't bad and it has a twist at the end. It's probably been ten years since I wrote that one. I then--just as a joke, mind you--asked if they wanted to  hear a very short one called "Thoughts On My Death." Sure they did and I gave them this: 

                                   How can it be/There's no more me?/It's a f---ing mystery!

And yes, I said the word and they howled. Naturally, it was my little joke and it won't be in the show. 

From there, I walked to the shopping center a few block away and got a pair of sneakers. Not sure if I'll keep them, but I'll walk on the carpet with them and see if they're  comfortable. Bused home and didn't get in until 5:30, but overall, it was a good day. 

* But horrors! After it printed two articles, it stopped again. Maybe I should just junk it and get a new one.  

SATURDAY

It was a quiet, but enjoyable day. I slept well, which I've been doing lately, and didn't get up until 6:15. Did the usual, then printed some interesting political articles I want to share with Jim and Noreen. I am so very grateful to Ellen, who fixed my printer; I'm not sure how she ferreted out what the problem was (creasing paper or something), but it's working like a charm now--yay! 

Did a large color wash and after putting it in the dryer, I called Muckie. We talked for more than an hour, mostly about our childhoods, good and not-so-good, the influence RC-ism had on us, and other such topics you can cover only with people who share a background. It was so fulfilling. 

Speaking of sharing, I was glad when my blogging buddy, Pat R., texted me asking if she could give a neighbor, who had known Betty, my phone number. Yes, indeed, and I'm looking forward to hearing from her. 

After I finished a few chores, I packed my lunch and left for town. It was crowded --it usually is on weekends--and that gave me a lift, especially as it was wonderfully bright and sunny. Stopped in a few shops; in one, I bought a pair of what we used to call "Bermudas," but I don't know what the current term is. Ate my lunch at my usual spot. 

Home, I made a reservation for the Access Van to pick me up today and take me to the Fractured Actors audition. I've been going over my "Heart's Desire" monologue verse and hope I can put it over properly. I may also use "Cabin," a much more somber verse. 

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Yesterday was my sixty-seventh wedding anniversary. Pat and I were married on June 21, 1958 and how long, long ago that seems. It also seems like yesterday. 

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Wider: This was on Instagram via Facebook and I think it's a mind-blowing reminder of just how much we're up against:  https://www.facebook.com/reel/764600295996233