Well, I’ll try. I don’t tell you everything. If I told you everything it would take too much time. it will be a busy one: laundry (2 loads) and then the files. It’s raining now, a lovely reason to stay inside and read and think. And the trees outside my balcony are finally lush and green. I am blessed!

Over half a century ago when I was young-er, I thought fitted bottom sheets and duvet covers were wonderful. Not any more. These designers’ dreams were made for. young people. The hardest part of doing laundry for me now is folding the sheets, even plain ones if they’re large (Queen size and up). I can remember when fitted sheets were first launched. Each sheet came with an instruction pamphlet showing you how to fold it. Even then it was difficult; now it’s impossible. I need an extra pair of hands, but I live alone.

The folding is so hard for me that laundry has become am ordeal.

Occasionally I have a Home Help person come to see how I”m doing. I’m doing fine. I can dress myself, cook for myself, clean—basically—but I don’t like vacuuming Sweeping is okay. I get visitors to help me get vases or pitchers or cookbooks down from high shelves and any passerby is welcome to push down and screw up the cap on a Listerine bottle. I was sold a rollator (i.e. walker, which I haven’t used yet), and told to buy a rubber mat for the bottom of the bathtub so I won’t slip in the shower. So far I shower downstairs after my swim and there’s lots of things to hang onto. But no one has any advice to offer to help me with folding my laundry. I don’t want to marry again just for that.

This discussion was never meant to blog material, but there it is.

I have to think some more….

It’s a beautiful day. I’m going to spend most of it outside on my balcony—until it rains later in the afternoon (so ’m told). We’ll see. Coffee now. Write. Rain later. Or not.

It’s lovely out here. A bit noisy but I’ve told you how I deal with that. When I was on my big cruise I discovered that the delightful din didn’t turn off at night. Waves can be quite inexorable, as can traffic. That’s when I decided that I would treat the waves as I did the traffic outside my balcony, by first welcoming and then ignoring the noise. Well, not ignoring exactly, but allowing the gentle clamour to become part of a background companion to reading or sleeping or eating or whatever. And so with the traffic here: it’s background “music”, like the waves. With one exception. There’s a road well below my balcony that tempts young drivers to risk drag races, which can be very noisy, also dangerous. The cops get the word, and stop them, for a while. It depends on the weather.

Everything does—depend on the weather. I read years ago that people are at their most beautiful and healthy in the month of June (in the northern hemisphere) and that is supposed to explain why there are so many June brides. Is that still true, if it ever was true? Perhaps Covid has changed myths and habits, not to say rituals, forever.

Will the old normal ever return? That was then, this is now.

I’m not going to get soggy about this. It’s a beautiful day.

Have a good one.