l puttered before I sat down to my blog and I found instant blog. I cleared off the hall bulletin board and apart from photographs of me and my great grandchildren I found some items to share:

“Two-thirds of the people who have ever reached 65 are alive today.”

Here’s a cheery list of things to be grateful for:

“TAKE NOTHING FOR GRANTED: For example: Your home. Your clothes. Instagram (I disagree.) Hot, running water. Dogs. Coffee. Your car (no longer have one, don’t miss it). our shoes. Your Mom (long gone). The Beatles (Yeah, yeah, yeah). WiFi. Your brain(s). Cookies (remember?) Health care. Loyal friends (those few who are left). Your community. Books. Your work. All in all, enjoy and appreciate your blessings.”

This list, BTW. was sent to me by my daughter Kate over a year ago with a note: “I’m grateful for you every day!” A bit of an exaggeration but I’m grateful too.

I save poetry, lines I like and want to keep remembering. Here’s one of my favourites:

WHEN YOU ARE OLD

When you are old and gray and full of sleep

And nodding by the fire, take down this book,

And slowly read, and dream of the soft look

Your eyes had once, and of their shadows deep:

How many loved your moments of glad grace,

And loved your beauty with love false or true;

But one man loved the pilgrim soul in you,

And loved the sorrows of your changing face.

And bending down beside the glowing bars,

Murmur, a little sadly, how love fled

And paced upon the mountains overhead,

And hid his face amid a crown of stars.

W.B. Yeats 1865-1939

More tomorrow.

I don’t believe this.

But if you look up Amazon: Endings: A Book for Almost Everyone, by Betty Jane Wylie, you will find my book on Kindle with the cover blurbs and a sample (opening) chapter. At last!!!! I guess I don’t have to offer you a sample chapter here.

Now, if only my publisher would send me the books I ordered six weeks ago.

I just cut a paragraph of self-pitying complaints. Not my style. Or maybe it is?

I have just gone through an annus horribilis and (some of) you have suffered through it with me, suffered me through it. Thank you for hanging in there. SOW: I looked up the phrase, remembering it from a speech of the Queen’s (in 1992). Wikipedia filled in the gaps and listed the events in a few famous people’s lives that led them to their recognition as horribilis. I bow, or curtsy, to these people and I am humbled and grateful for my blessings.

When my son Matt and I travel together, we have a line we start saying to each other as we go through the tedious obstacle course to push our bodies through time and space, delays and checks, searches and scrutiny, to reach our destination. (Getting there is NOT half the fun.) We say:

“Are we having fun yet?”

The affirmative answer is a long time coming.

So with this ordeal, almost over, I hope. It has been a long time coming.

I am NOT having fun yet. I don’t blame you if you want to leave. Tomorrow I will start blogging, I mean blogging, again.

Hang in there.