It rained heavily all day. Got to Acme early, then stayed in aside from a late afternoon chat at Marge's. Actually, it was cozy and snug; I read on the couch while Pat followed his present occupation: watching television. Poor guy, he simply can't do anything else physically. Exchanged more phone calls with Visiting Physicians and Community Surgical, which is getting to be my occupation.
Made a date with Peg and Betty for lunch on Wednesday. Betty leaves on Friday--all too short a time to have my sister near.
Jen e-mailed to say she has strepped (? I don't know how to spell it and neither does Blogspot) throat and she and the boys can't be here today. I'm disappointed, but it may be just as well because it remains cloudy and chilly, so not a good day for the pool.
Wider: My brother recently sent around an e-mail about a soldier killed in Iraq. The gist was that it's unseemly to pay so much attention to celebrity deaths (Michael, Farah, Walter), but so little to those "fighting for our freedom." (If I hear that one more time, I'll stick a fork in my eye.) My brother is a good and decent man and certainly, the celebrity worship we constantly see is disgusting. At the same time, I can't help but wonder at what he and others hold in such reverence. Regardless of what else they are--and most human beings are complex creatures--aren't members of the military hired killers? Isn't the reason for their existence to kill? And in our time, don't they often kill not for defense, but aggressively? So what is being promoted here?
These are dreadful questions. I wonder if, in their grief, those who loved the young man in the e-mail ask them. My heart aches for them, but still--don't the questions need to be asked?