Old Age Day by Day November 8, 2013

I received an email from an old friend who lives in Florida.  She was a year ahead of me in school, when we were children, and moved to the west coast after college graduation with her husband.  My parents were mentors to them both, and godparents to their daughter.  When they retired they sold their house here and moved to Florida.  Now they are trapped there and cannot sell to move back here where their daughter still lives.  She has many health problems, and I feel for her dilemma.  It was good to hear from her, but I haven't been out to the east coast in years, and I don't like Florida.  My aunt and uncle retired there, and we visited a few times, but I don't get the allure.  It's hot, buggy, full of malls and traffic, and politically foreign to me.  How horrible to think you are making a savvy decision and discover you have trapped yourself in a place you cannot leave.  After my uncle died, my aunt couldn't wait to sell the house and move.  In two months she had said goodbye forever to Florida and moved to Colorado Springs, where her sisters brother-in-law and niece and nephew lived.  People are more important than place or bargains.  I've never forgotten that lesson.  And if my friend moved back, it would be to a small condo somewhere, as she could never buy back into her neighborhood or with a house as nice as the one she had.  I sure wish them well, and hope someone buys their house, but it's literally been years, and no one has been interested.  It's a nice house with pool and dock.  But it is where a hurricane destroyed a lot of property, and no one dares to be there any more.  It has not come back. 

I see my friend when she visits her daughter, so I'll see her next year, no doubt.  But I wish I could help her out of this mess, and I cannot.  I pray she has a lucky year next year.

Old Age Day by Day November 7, 2013

I had a nice time with my foster granddaughter yesterday.  We "snacked" then I was the audience for her piano and singing practice, and then we watched "Fly Away Home" and then designed costumes for a play she and some other girls are putting on.  Then her mom and toddler sister showed up, and her sister at 16 months is talking up a storm, drawing like a manic and full of the "no"s.  She's adorable.  Both girls, having been redheads all along, are now turning blond.  Only mommy remains a fiery redhead.  I'm partial to the color because my brother is a redhead.  Blond or no, they all have the temperment.  I adore them.

Last night my granddaughter two states away called, and she talked a long time about the weather, our drought, how she could invent an airplane that would go up in the sky and get the rain from over her house, then fly here to dump it on us.  I pronounced it a capital idea, but said in the meantime she could put a bucket out, and next time I drove up there I'd bring the bucket home with me.  She was pleased with her Halloween costume, and fascinated by my broken bone in my foot.  It was so sweet to talk to her.

I'm reading the new John Grisham novel, and it's a follow up on "A Time to Kill".  He has a great way with legal complexities and the small town south.  He knows how to charm.

Today I'm having lunch with a friend and meeting at the metaphysical bookstore, which is as dusty and musty and funky as it sounds, but pretty adorable.  We both try to buy books there to keep it in business.

Old Age Day by Day November 6, 2013

I just finished Dave Eggers' "The Circle", and it is an amazing read.  He tackles the subject of online life and is fearless about his dark view of what it brings.  The Circle is a Google-like company and a young woman, Mae, is hired there due to her college friendship with Annie, who is a star in the company.  It reads like a mystery or Stephen King, but Eggers is serious about his concerns about the commercializing and privacy erasing effects of online culture.  I can't recommend it enough.  I almost didn't buy it because I thought I knew the drawbacks, but I learned a lot and kept seeing hints of these dangers in events today. 

I am such an admirer of Dave Eggers.  He's a terrific writer, and an amazing person doing so much good in the real world for people.  He began a program for children writing that is now all over the world.  "Zeitoun", his non-fiction book about Katrina and Louisiana, brought it all home for me.  I love "Hologram for a King" and "What is the What" and "A Heartbreaking Work of Staggering Genius" as well.  He runs a publishing company, "McSweeney's", a magazine, and publishes public interest books.  He's a whirlwind of activity.

Today I have my foster granddaughter and we'll be doing stuff around the house, given my foot.  I'm thinking of making tree ornaments out of felt.

Old Age Day by Day November 5, 2013

My husband returned from the cabin yesterday afternoon and we went to a cafe close by for dinner.  Then he watched a marathon of Antique Road Shows on TV, while we waited to pick up our younger daughter and her boyfriend from the subway.  We had a long talk about how often we'd seen anything on the Roadshow that we would actually want - rarely - for both of us.  Some items are fascinating, but I wouldn't pay money to own them.  Last night we saw a midcentury modern black dining table that we both liked, but would not go anywhere in our house.  I sometimes see Native American baskets or artifacts I covet, but I could not afford them.  Once in the blue moon there is a painting I like.  I love rugs, but rarely see one I'd have.  The furniture is mostly impossible, the lamps gaudy, the pottery too this or that.  The jewelry, no, not my thing.  Tapistries - I don't think so!  Civil war or gun anything - no way Jose!  Samplers, those scary antique dolls and the like, who collects those and why?  Silver, no, jade, no, Tiffany anything, no, as they all look like reproductions but if you break them, tragedy. 

Do I think the owners' reactions are sincere?  Only one in a hundred.  Are they all going to treasure their find more?  Most are heading straight to the auction house, give me a break. 

I can see you can tell I'm slightly cynical, which is why mostly I don't watch and my husband does.  What is fascinating is the range of stuff collected and the stories around the find or handing down of the item.  It's a storybook on TV.  And a good way to get some knitting done.

Old Age Day by Day November 4, 2013

The brunch for my friend turned out well.  It was a bright sunny day, and everyone plus a couple more showed up and my friend seemed really pleased.  I got to see some friends and meet new people, and the clean up wasn't even that bad.  I was exhausted last night, but being on my feet too many hours took its toll.  In the afternoon another friend and I went to a small quilt show nearby in a house that turned out to be somebody's I knew from my kid's school.  The quilts were so creative and gorgeous.  The show inspired my friend and I to think of beginning a similar group, and starting small, with something the size of a placemat.  We both decided we might be up for that.  Then we saw an open house on the street above us that my friend was curious about, and it had magnificient views.  The house had interesting bones and a gorgeous dark wood entry and staircase, but the rest had been whitewashed, literally, and staged with super modern super boring furniture.  It would take a huge amount of money to get it back in shape, but undoubtedly somebody with a lot of money will take it on for the views.  I couldn't negotiate the upstairs or downstairs, with my boot on, but got reports from my friend.  She drove me to the quilt show and the house, and then, and I call this above and beyond the call of friendship, put out the garbage and recycling bins for me.  What a pal.

Last night I tried to watch a bit of PBS TV, but it was something called "Paradise" and it was too upstairs downstairs for my taste.  I don't like those series, not the old one or the new, and I'm sick of British class strife and turmoil.  That kind of thing has never gripped me.  It seems to expose what is already vastly overexposed, and I think I have the American revolutionary reaction to the lives of the British.  I read Evelyn Waugh in my time, but that was in my twenties, and living in a British colony took all the romance out of their lives.  I am Scottish and Native American, and the whole thing just appears to be rubbish to me.  I can't do the Tutor movies, or regency dramas or Howard's End.  Not my cup of tea.

Old Age Day by Day November 2m 2013

My friend rescued me last night to pick me up for dinner.  We had meatloaf and mashed potatoes, plus prosecco.  I came home and watched "The Bodyguard", which shows how mentally alert I was.  I have figured out that the boot is actually a total deterrent to walking.  It's as long as my leg and as wide as my butt, doesn't fit on stairs, and chafes my leg.  The whole idea really is to keep me from moving at all, and also, if I do move, to kill me and keep me from noticing.  After I walk on it a while, my knee on my other leg begins hurting, as it gets twisted trying to get the bad foot to move.  It's all quite annoying.  My problem is there are stairs going up to my house, stairs in my house and stairs to go to my studio, where my computer is.  The boot doesn't do stairs.  Yesterday I came around the side of the house to avoid the stairs to the front door.  That helps somewhat.  Today I'm going to attempt to take a shower and wash my hair.  That is my sole goal for today.  Frightening, isn't it?

I'm not as grumpy as I sound.  But close.

Old Age Day by Day November 1, 2013

Well, I've seen the podiatrist and have a boot to wear when I'm walking.  It will take 4-6 weeks to completely heal.  I can drive, and don't have to wear the boot when I'm not walking.  Still, it's not what the cool folks are wearing this season.  We got up at 5:45 am to take our younger daughter and her boyfriend to the airport.  They're going to a wedding in Philadelphia of one of his countless cousins.  I hope they have fun. 

I'm reading a good mystery, and read an even better one right before my fall.  It helps to have engaging material when you've got your leg up and icing it.  We watched "Lincoln" last night, and I still marvel at the acting and beautiful cinematography.  We were only interrupted twice:  we had exactly two groups of trick-or-treaters.  It's sad, but I understand.  Every house on our street has too many steps, and it's just not efficient.  I gave two ziplock bags to my daughter and her boyfriend to take on the plane.  And my husband will eat the rest.  He's looking forward to it.

I got a email with a bunch of lovely photos of our granddaughter last night.  She looked adorable, and she helped make her own costume.  Pretty cute snow princess!