Various

After walking Kimball and breakfast, I spent THE ENTIRE MORNING--okay, not quite an hour--cleaning the hard floors. Actually, this is pretty easy with the Bose system: once over with the dusting attachment, switch to the scrub one, spray the stuff, and mop back and forth. It's quick and efficient and I much prefer it to the electric shark, which I also have.
I took the bath mats and rugs, as well as the non-slip one in the tub (most useful thing I ever bought, I think) to the laundry place, and threw them in with the cleaning stuff. I don't put these things in the dryer; it's very convenient to simply drape them on the patio chairs and, by the time I come home in late afternoon, they're dry. Plus, I always think the sun kills germs or something, so it seems oddly healthier than putting them in a machine.
Called Carole to see if Doris had her knee operation. She did, on Tuesday two days ago, and she had said she'd be a few days in the rehab place next to The Townehouse. I thought I'd call her or even drop in after I did the town walk. However, Carole called as I was going back to the car and said she had called Doris and found she's still in the hospital. It seems she had a bad reaction to some medication or other and they wanted to keep her in longer than planned. Doris is about five feet tall and if she tops ninety pounds, I'd be surprised, so I guess a little bit goes a long way with her. I'll send her a card.
While in town, I ran into an acquaintance, Susan Somebody, who is of Chinese descent and has MS. We chatted a bit and she told me she had moved to Colony Parc into a one-bedroom exactly like what I had.
Stopped at Kohl's on the way home and got a new rug and seat cover for the bathroom. Interestingly, they had sent me a gift certificate for sixteen dollars because I've had a Kohl's charge card for that many years. In addition, I had a twenty percent off coupon, so both items cost only $8.99.
After dinner, I took a drive, dismayed that it's getting dark earlier and earlier. And darn, daylight saving time will be over soon, too--but whaddya gonna do?

V.C.S.

Walked Kimball, then just had time for breakfast and a quick shower before dressing for the Ventura Council for Seniors meeting. This--for a change--included an interesting speaker, Catherine somebody, who heads up the health insurance counseling arm of the county commission. This gal was pretty unprepossessing to look at: very much overweight and probably close to my age, but boy, she was a dynamite speaker. I'm going to bring my information to her and her staff one of these days.
It ran longer than usual, so we didn't end up until 11:30, but that was okay by me. Went home and changed, had lunch, then did a few chores.
Drove out to West Ventura to the Senior Center and drop off a flyer for my course to be posted. Ran into Steve Y. He usually attends V.C.S., but said he forgot this time. He then started a long tirade on how boring the meetings were, especially the speakers, and why didn't we get any "good ones?" I asked for suggestions, but as so often happens with chronic complainers, he didn't have any--he just likes to complain.
Went from there to the museum and did the usual walk to the library. This time, I didn't read anything weighty, but just looked through some books of New Yorker cartoons from the fifties. Some struck me as funny, some as just too arch and smug for my taste.
Drove home and cut up tomatoes, added fresh parsley, olive oil, and vinegar and will use that in salads for the next few days.

Doc's And Liberation

Walked Kimball, had breakfast, then got to my 9:45 doctor's appointment. Dr. Jennings was again delighted at my progress (according to their scale, I'm down to 145, although I'm not sure how that could be, as I weighed 148 on Friday at SCAN). She decided to halve my Atvorstatin (for cholesterol), although she wants me to continue the BP medication. Speaking of which, my pressure now seems to running higher, but okay--roughly something like 110/65 most of the time. We chatted for quite a while; I had given the nurse a copy of my "Acting for Amateurs" flyer and asked her to put it in the break room. Dr. J. saw it and marveled that I was doing it--"You'll be eighty-one...!"* BP: 122/84. Got flu shot.
Went home and changed, then searched for one of my plays, a comedy about a soap opera. I want to revise it to make it topical for here (I had referenced the Jersey shore in the original) and modify a bit. Finally found it.
After lunch, went to town as usual and did the walk. Read for a while, walked back and, because WinCo had no spaghetti squash, stopped at Ralph's to get some. As soon as I got home, I pierced it and softened it in the microwave. Removed the seeds, cut it in half, and finished it off cooking, scooped it out, and I'll have it tomorrow and several subsequent days.
* I was slightly flatter at her comment, but I find it irritating, too. What in the hell do people think eighty-year-olds should do? Watch television all day? Nag their kids? Curl up and die? What I wish people would realize is I haven't changed. I'm exactly the same person I was twenty years ago--or forty, for that matter. Just smarter, maybe, and less likely to believe everything I was told in second grade. I'm liberated and wish it could have happened sooner.

Hair And S.S.

Walked Kimbell, had breakfast, stripped my bed, took laundry to the place, re-made the bed, did lots of stuff on this computer, went to WinCo for provisions, and then it time for lunch. Got that out of the way, showered, and left for my 2:45 hair appointment.
I had wanted a color and cut, but without enumerating the tedious reasons why, it took Christina SO LONG to do me, I skipped the cut, but still didn't get out of there until after 5:00, for Pete's sake. Possibly, that was because whiffy Christina talks and talks and talks about her ever-so-boring life and while she does, seems to forget I'm a customer. I finally escaped and no, I'll never go back.
Got home, changed, and left for the widder group ("Soaring Spirits," about the most idiotic and saccharine title I've ever heard, but at least it contains alliteration). Got there a bit after 6:00 to find Vera, Susan, and eight others, all widows of a variety of ages from about 45 to--well, yours truly; I'm resigned to "the oldest one" slot, which I occupy in almost any gathering.
Anyway, I bought my usual five tangerines and ordered my usual Chardonnay and enjoyed the usual talk and laughs. Susan has adopted a wolf in Indiana and will be visiting it on the preserve in a few weeks. Donna outfitted a closet in her (large) home for her boyfriend and showed us pictures. Elise lost her husband only a year ago and is worried about her 21-year-old fire fighter son, who can't seem to find a girlfriend. Carolyn, who lives in Ojai, said she'd let me know where her hairdresser works in Ventura.
Of course, all of us have our trials and triumphs and we share with each other openly. I'm very grateful to be in this mixed-age group, unhappy though the circumstances are that brought us together.

MeetUp and Vietnam

Walked Kimball, did the Sunday things, then spent hours (well, it seemed like hours) trying to straighten out the Meetup snafu. I'm not even sure if it's okay yet, but I'm so damn sick of it, I don't care.
After that, I suddenly galvanized myself and cleared out a lot of both my bedroom and hall closets. I removed a bunch of clothes, which are now too big; I'll donate them to either a thrift store or St.John's, where Suzanne works. Moved some things around, so I have more space for this and that. There's still plenty of things I need to do, especially go through the linen closet, which is just jammed.
Lunched, then went to town for the m. to l. walk. Stayed in the latter and read for about an hour. Home, I chopped up several peppers and onions--froze some and stir-fried the rest with ground turkey for dinner.
I saw the first episode of The Vietnam War last night. I thought Burns did a pretty credible job, especially in explaining the tangled history and incredible cruelty toward of the west toward that tiny country. Also, the part about Ho Chi Minh was riveting. Gee, that's funny, he's been portray as practically the devil with horns--a commie, that is--when this country could have so easily have been an ally and helped to free his country from the French. He appealed to the U.S. to do exactly that, but that would have been as likely as Trump reading Proust. Our system, capitalism, and its evil twin, militarism, would never have allow it. Incidentally, I've been to Ho Chi Minh City, formerly known as Saigon, and I'd love to go back.

Ho-Hum

Ho-hum, a pretty ordinary day. Walked Kimball, then after breakfast, finally used the nice red apples I bought the other day and made applesauce. Spent several hours on flyers for my new Acting for Amateurs class, plus revising and cleaning up some plays. I listed it on Meetup, but that got screwed up and I contacted the outfit. Hope I can edit and modify the listing. I want to send info about the class to the Ventura Star and The Breeze, also. Finished Laughing at my Nightmare and started on a book on hoarding.
After lunch, went to town, as ever, and walked the afternoon walk. Stayed an hour in the library reading about the Charles Starkweather murders and the Andrea Yates (drowned all five of her children) murders. I remember when both of those horrors happened, although the former was in the fifties.
Stopped at Goodwill and bought--A RUBBER CHICKEN! Yes, everyone needs a rubber chicken, especially an 80-year-old woman who lives alone. Okay, I just couldn't resist and I'll probably write a one-acter around it.

Good Day

Turned out to be a petty good (because different from the usual) day.
Got up to find an e-mail from my tenant, telling me she had sent me a text (I didn't get it because she used my old phone number) to let me know the lawn service had dug up the back yard horribly. I immediately called Prime Management (homeowners' association) and was told Meticulous (lawn service) had dug small holes to aerate the grass. They're coming next week to look over those who are complaining and I conveyed this to Eileen. She had also sent pictures to my phone--said she didn't know how to get them to this computer--and yes, it looks messy and chopped up. I assume they'll fix it.
All this was after I walked Kimball, but before I went to T.O.P.S. There, I found I had lost, but only six tenths of a pound, whatever that is. Last week it was only four tenths down and I'm going to modify a bit. I think the problem is that I'm eating too much fruit at night.
I saw Brenda, who said all was fine with my upcoming "Acting for Amateurs." Wow, I'm amazed they didn't squawk over the higher compensation I suggested; it's not quite twice as much as I got before, but almost. (Ha--should have asked for more!)
Anyway, Carole was there and said she was taking Doris to the Black Angus for her birthday and did I want to go? Sure thing, and I met them there at noon. Naturally, I didn't order off the menu, but brought my tangerines and ate them with a nice carafe of Chardonnay.
Doris is going in the hospital next week to yet again have her knee re-done. She'll have rehab after that--I hope this finally fixes her problem, as she has great difficulty walking. Anyway, I had a good time; it was refreshing to be with just the two of them.
Home about 2:00 and had a salad. After that, I actually lay down on the couch and fell asleep until 3:30. That pepped me up and I drove to town and did my usual walk. Slept like a stone last night.