March 31, 2020. Madison, Mississippi. Age differences.

Bob, my former ac/heating contractor did a good job. I had an annual contract with him to check the systems before each season. Our routine was to call him when we had settled in, then call to come. Our drill never changed. Once a year I paid him for the year. I never got a receipt. And he could never remember when I should pay. He was in his mid 50s. He was pleasant and competent. He never alerted me that he had moved. He just waited for consumers to call. He was a low tech guy. And he worked by himself. Brad is the owner of the present company, referred to me by Bob. He is young and high tech. And he always has a helper with him. He might be 30. When I called him and we made an appointment, he e mailed me that evening confirming the appointment. And the day before the appointment I received another alert. The morning of the appointment, I got a phone call to tell me that they were on the way. When I asked him about the prompts, he told me that they are automatic. After his first call, he e mailed me an application for the contract. I e mailed him back the information but before he came back to complete his annual service, he wanted me to be sure I had made a copy of the contract. After he left and completed his check, he sent me a receipt telling what he had done and that there was no additional charge. He also arrived with several new filters, which he left in the furnace room. I can not change the filters as two require a ladder. The same afternoon, I was asked to send in a review, which I did. Brad did a good job but he makes much more use of technology that did Bob. And my appointment with Brad in October has already been set. It also will be automated. "As much as possible, I want my business to be automatic," said Brad. There is not so many years between Bob and Brad but their use of technology is dramatic. Every day the computer tells Brad what to do and where to go. Any emergency gets done at the end of his schedule. I would love to see Brads P& L so see his efficiency. I would love to know how much more he earns than Bob. Not much difference in age but a dramatic difference is practice. It was interesting for me to see the differences.

March 30, 2020. Madison, Mississippi. My Shower.

My shower is perfect. Every time I take a shower, I am grateful. It has a light. In the corner is a little seat where I keep shampoos, conditioner and body wash. For sentimental reasons, I keep a type of facial soap that only Ken used. Right beside the taps are two holders built into the wall for bars of soap. And I have a hand held shower head. When we came home from Japan, Ken immediately installed hand held shower heads which we have used ever since in every shower we used. Just outside the shower on the wall is a bar to hold when you step into the shower. Once in the shower, there is a safety bar on every wall so I can always grab a bar to steady myself. My shower has everything I could possibly need in a shower all thanks to Ken. When we moved into this house in the Spring of 2015, the shower was a disaster. Almost no water came out of the shower head. The light did not work and the drain did not run away well. And of course, there were no grab bars. When Wonderful Wendy was here unpacking, our shower was the only shower that worked at all. But soon everything got fixed. The plumbers took care of the function and Chantes installed two grab bars. But Ken kept adding more until finally we have five, if you include the one just outside the door. The shower is big enough but not so big that you can not hold the bars. This is the best shower I ever use. For me the shower is perfect. I feel fortunate.

March 29, 2020. Madison, Mississippi. The Singalong.

Everyone brought folding chairs and kept 6 feet away from everyone but their own family. No one shook hands or hugged. We all sat at the end of the cul de sac singing along with the music. Linda was the singer who sat in her screen porch which overlooked the area where we sat. She sang and played on a key board while we sang. The evening was perfect. I was so grateful to be invited by Carrie, my new friend down the road. The event was hatched up last night. Several people were together celebrating a birthday. Susan, who lives on the same little cul de sac as Linda suggested they hold a sing along Sunday night. Linda is not young but she has been a musician all her life. At one time she sang in Nashville and when they moved to Jackson she sang at Char, one of the good restaurants in Jackson. Now she plays and sings for pleasure. She knows thousands of songs. The weather was delightful. At a time when people can not gather together, an outside event was perfect especially when you are able to keep your distance from everyone else. There must have been 50 people there although the invitations were all word of mouth. Linda played and sang and used a mike so we could hear. Her husband before he retired was a producer of shows, so he was able to make the event happen, which was just down the street and around the corner from me. It was a perfect example of the many innovative events being held during these difficult times. I thoroughly enjoyed the evening even though I did not know all the words. Now I wonder if they will hold another?

March 28, 2020. Madison, Mississippi. Carrie & Brooks.

Today they came for coffee, expecting to have a cup of coffee and leave after an hour. They arrived at 10:30 and left at 1:00. I loved every minute of their visit. Two years ago, our neighbors Sandy and Archie invited friends for a glass of wine. It was spur of the moment. She called at 4 to come at 5. One couple I had never met although they knew me. They sat on their screen porch watching me as I walked past. They were pleasant but they told me they were moving and had just purchased a condo in a retirement community. After moving, their plan was to sell their house. The place took a long time to sell. When I left this winter, the house had just sold. When I returned three months later the house was still being renovated. But two weeks ago when I was walking, I spotted cars in the driveway so I stopped to introduce myself. I met the couple who own the place plus their daughter and son in law along with grandchildren. They were to move into their new home in a week. This week I invited Carrie and Brooks for coffee this morning. They enjoyed the view while we sat in the living room and talked. I enjoy getting to know new people so it was a great pleasure finding out everything about them. Brooks is retired although he is only 60. But he has written and published two books and is working on the next two. He said the first book took five years to complete while the second was quicker. In fact, he should be on a book tour in the US right now but of course, the virus cancelled them all. Carrie is a bit younger and is still working. I am delighted to have met new friends just down the street from me. In true southern fashion, she brought me a cherry tart, which is really a pie without a full top. Tomorrow I will serve it for lunch when Christina and the girls come for brunch. One problem of being old is finding new people to get to know. But I am pleased that I went out of my way to stop to say hello and to invite them for a visit. They are lively energetic people. And I like them both.

March 27, 2020. Madison, Mississippi. The Olympic Channel.

Until last year, I did not know anything about The Olympic Channel. Who knew? I often switched to see what they are showing. Any sport played at the Olympics eventually can be seen on their channel. I have watched badminton and rowing. And even curling. Nothing is live on TV right now but the Olympic Channel has been showing replays of the recent championships, all of which I missed. So I have watched ice skating, and gymnastics. They have also shown speed skating and biathlons and cross country skiing. And they have been showing lots of down hill skiing competition which I like to watch for a very small time. The same with luge. Everything seems the same. The interesting thing for me to notice is how little of these sports I have seen on TV. All the competitions have been held within the past 6 months. Yet I have seen none before now. Last evening, a well known commentator interviewed several athletes asking the question of what their response was with the news of the postponement of the Olympics. I only watched for a few interviews but every athlete approved the delay. They all commented that training was impossible. Pools had closed and no competitions were being held. One track athlete said that many of the athletes had yet to qualify for the Olympics and needed to get their times accepted. This was most important with the young athletes. So the interviews were interesting and surprising. Certainly made sense. This evening they were showing a rock climbing competition. The athletes are marvelous but watching is boring. They climb then they fall. But I like the channel and applaud their efforts to keep the channel interesting. I am ready for real competition.

March 26, 2020. Madison, Mississippi. O. A. N.

When I was in Mexico I read an article that referred to the channel O.A.N. I had never heard of it and as the channel selections in our condo are limited I could not find it. When I got home, I forgot about it because I was getting to know again all my favorite old channels. I like the Rural channel, Smithsonian, National Geographic, PBS, Olympic channel, Fox and of course all the sports channel. With a push of a button I could pull up basketball, tennis, baseball, golf, volleyball, and two hockey channels. But then the games were not being played so all I could watch were replays which somehow I do not like. So I explored all the channels and discovered O.A.N. One America Nation is what it is called. It is a conservative channel. Most commentators are young and opinionated and very good. One young lady is a spitfire who has just published a book, Tipping Point. So now when I am searching for news I always flip to OAN along with a couple of others that I have discovered. Newsy is another I enjoy and also just discovered. I try not to watch much news on TV but when I can not find anything also, I look for news. Now I always check out OAN because there is always something interesting being discussed. They were the first group to talk about the opening up the economy where the number of virus cases is low. For instance, Nebraska has 3 cases in the whole state yet the economy has been shut down. Had the virus not been an issue, I might never have discovered this new excellent channel. Something good comes from everything.

March 25, 2020. Madison, Mississippi. Changes.

My world keeps changing, through no fault of my own. Ever since we bought the condo just down the road, the same man has been servicing our air conditioners and heating systems. He is a nice man and more importantly, competent. He installed a new system for us at the condo and he added a third system to our present house in order to make life comfortable in the bedroom. He comes twice a year to check the filters and make sure all is well. I called him last week because the days were becoming warm and I wanted to be sure the ac would work. Much to my surprise, he told me he had moved to Austin, Texas. His wife was transferred so he sold his company and now lives in Austin. The nerve. He did give me the name of another gentleman who he said was good. I hope so. My cook up and moved to Florida. So I am without a cook. Just before I left in December she told me that they might move to Florida but she thought it would be next Spring. But she is gone. I still have some of her food containers but I bet she will not come back to claim them. I am not replacing her. I still have a freezer full of left over food from the last time she cooked. She was never able to reduce the quantities after Ken died so I am eating her good home cooked food. I had an appointment with my eye doctor, Dr.Oh, the fist week I was home. On my desk was a letter telling me to phone to make another appointment. When I called, I was told that she had left the eye clinic. I was horrified. Dr. Oh specializes in difficult glaucoma patients, which would be me. My first glaucoma specialist referred me to her. Now I will go back to Dr. Kosko, but he is so busy I will not be able to see me until late May. I think I must speak to him. Anyway, while I stay in place, my world is moving around me. I prefer people to stay in put and look after me. But what can you do?

March 24, 2020. Madison, Mississippi. Training.

I did not know it, but for years I was in training for what we all must do now, which is social distancing. In the autumn of 2014, I took a type of chemotherapy that reduced my immune system. Rather than wear a mask all the time, Ken and I decided to stay away from people. And it worked. I never got an infection. When my white cells are at 1, my Oncologist suggested that I could no longer use that medicine. "You will die from the disease," she said. So she switched me to Ibrance. The side effect of that chemotherapy is devastating on the immune system so once again I stayed away from people. When Ken and I took the cruise down the Mississippi, their dining arrangement was impossible. There was only one dining room, with 8 people at each table. It was impossible for me to get away from people. The cruise line accommodated its by serving us all meals in a lounge, so we were by ourselves. I never went to the grocery store. I turned down every invitation to large parties. I attended no movies or theaters. In other words, we isolated ourselves from everyone who we did not know was free of infections. We ate out especially in Mexico where the restaurants were outside. In the US we sat a long way from anyone. With only 5 months when I was off Ibrance, I have followed that pattern, except last Spring when my scans were clear and I had no chemotherapy. Last summer I was a free to attend everything and accept all invitation. But of course, no one knew except me. I did enjoy movies and my good friends who invited me for lunches and dinner. Now I am back to my old drill, which turned out to work just fine. I was not aware, but I had been in training for the corona virus. The system worked perfectly for me so I assume it will work well for the whole country. But enough is enough. Soon, people need to go back to work. Not long now.

March 23, 2020. Madison, Mississippi. Brunch.

Our routine for Sunday brunch has changed. Restaurants are closed but are open for carryout orders. Both last Sunday and yesterday, Christina ordered food on line, then picked it up. The restaurant brings the food right to the car. Kashina and I set the table in the dining room. And then we sit down and eat our meal. Kate does not come because she does not want me to pick up any bugs. She is with bugs all the time. In fact she had strep last week. So she is cautious. And I appreciate her concern. The four restaurants who have started the family meals have also instituted another idea. They sell gift cards. For years, Ken and I have given the family a gift card for Christmas so they can enjoy brunch together even when we are not here. The gift card can be used at any of the restaurants. But now, the owners are donating all funds received from the sale of gift cards to their staff. I wonder how many gift cards they are likely to sell? I thought it a splendid idea. I feel so badly for these workers who are out of a job. This might help. Instead of driving today to Gettysburg, Wonderful Wendy was cleaning her oven. Today was the day that Wendy and Ken were to leave to visit the south. Now like everyone else, they are home, finding things to do to keep busy and entertained. One thing for sure is that their 2 cats are happy they are home all the time.

March 22, 2020. Madison, Mississippi. The New World.

For most people, these restrictions because of the new virus are dramatically different. The worst folks are those who have no job. If you worked in a hotel or restaurant or ball park you have no job. Other people are working from home. Children are working on line with their school work but they need supervising. And many are stuck in foreign countries waiting to get home to either the US or Canada. For many people this new world is a major adjustment in their life. But people are managing. And many are doing clever things to make life interesting. I( saw a video of apartment dwellers all exercising together from their balconies. And an opera singer entertains from the street every afternoon, this giving pleasure to hundreds of folks. My life is not changed much. I can not go to restaurants or movies and New Stage Theater has cancelled everything. Most of the time I am alone anyway. Kashina comes three days a week and stays until 2:00. I continue to go for walks in the neighborhoods. Churches are closed but have services streamed on the internet. My family is impacted. Christina will be teaching by remote, starting this week. Molly will be working at home as will Mary Frances. In Texas, Suzanne must teach her second grade students on line, which will be a trick. And Sarah and Abigail are at the lake. Neither of them have been told to move out off the dorm...yet. They will be working on line, I suspect from the lake. But Sarah and Allison and Samantha have graduations this May. I dought it will happen. This is a bad year to be a senior. But along with everyone else, they are all making the best of the situation. Sarah texted me to say they are having afternoon tea, complete with a beautiful old tea pot and fancy matching cups and saucers. And she sent a picture of a beaming Abigail. So my world has changed but still continues on its merry way. My mantra is This Too Shall Pass!!

March 21, 2020. Madison, Mississippi. Thermostats.

I never know when to switch the thermostats from heat to cool. I check the weather and think about it. And I think about it some more. Eventually I discovered why I seem unable to make a decision and that is because Ken always controlled the thermostats so I never changed the settings. I early observed that Ken was sensitive to interior air and interior temperature. He was always opening or closing windows or turning heat up or down. My solution to be comfortable was to put on or take off garments. If the room was cool I put on a sweater. So Ken always controlled the windows and the thermostats. I never touched them. All was well in our homes and I was perfectly happy with the situation. We never had any conversations about thermostats. It just happened. But now Ken is not here to control the thermostats. So I am left to worry. Before we came home, Christina set the temperatures to 74. They were on heat but at 55. They stayed at 74 until Wednesday. Some days were warm in the house but I would look at the forecast to see that we will have cooler temperatures tomorrow so I left them alone. But on Wednesday we were to have 2 days over 80 so I decided to switch the thermostats to cool, at 76. Kashina actually changed all three for me. Even with my reading glasses it is difficult to change the controls. The house is comfortable. But tonight will be cool so I probably should turn on the heat. But I am reluctant to do it. After over 60 years of never touching the thermostats I seem reluctant to start. Today I used my old tactic of just putting on a fleece jacket to keep warm. Tomorrow when Kashina arrives I will ask her if she is chilly. If she is, I will get her to turn the thermostats back to heat. By mid week, we will return to 80 so perhaps I can just leave them alone. Somehow I must get over this fobia with thermostats, But not tonight. If the house gets too cool I will add another quilt on my bed.

March 20, 2020. Madison, Mississippi. Routines.

Since I turned 70, I have had the same routine. After dinner at home, I would either read or watch TV. The last thing I did before retiring was to write my little blog. Once in the middle of the night, I remembered that I had forgotten so I got out of bed to complete my task. My routine never changed. Except for last night. Wonderful Wendy texted me this morning on the 21st to ask. I could not recall what I wrote and realized that I had totally forgotten to write one. The reason was that my routine got altered. Christina, Molly and Mary Frances came for dinner. Both girls were home all week for their second Spring Break. I suggested we dine here. Molly had her first taste of on line education so I was interested to talk with her about it. I had food here but Christina suggested she stop at Amerigo and pick up dinner. The restaurants have no one eating in the restaurants but they have cleverly started a new on line menu for families. So you order on line, either from their new family menu or from their regular fare. Then you pick up the food and bring it home. Christina did not want to use up my food. "You might need it," she said. For $25. we ate dinner for four of pasta and chicken and bread. It was delicious and we enjoyed our time together and the good food. And Christina put leftovers in little containers for the freezer. They came early and we chatted. After dinner we talked again. I was so pleased with their company that my whole routine went out the window. After they left I sat and read e mails. When it was late, I went to bed. Now I must look at my nightly medications to see if I forgot them too. Interesting. So now Wendy knows what happened to my wee web log. I just forgot to write it.

March 19, 2020. Madison, Mississippi. Spreading Cheer.

I saw a small item on the news today. Families have put up their Christmas lights. I thought it a wonderful idea. The lights let everyone know that you are alive and well and of good cheer. I will be interested in knowing if this idea catches on around the country. I of course can not follow their lead as we gave all out outside Christmas lights away. On Monday afternoon I received a call from my friend Eleanor, asking if I was going to be home in an hour. Eleanor and Greta Barbour arrange flowers for their church. Each Monday, the large arrangements are broken up and taken to nursing homes but this week, no visitors are allowed in the nursing homes, so Eleanor separated the arrangement, bought plastic vases and distributed them to people that she knew were pretty house bound. She arrived at my door with a lovely flower arrangement, which now brightens my home. She was indeed on a mission to spread cheer. I have been hearing of professional athletes donating funds to help pay the salaries of the workers who are out of work, now that the stadiums are closed. It seemed such a good idea. Christina brought brunch to me on Sunday. The owner was delighted to see her. Taking out that food certainly gave a bit of cheer to the little restaurant. I have been interested to see how much people are helping to get through the crises of the virus. Every little bit helps. My friend Joyce sent me a video of a group singing the old song from the 2nd WW, "There will be bluebirds over, the white cliffs of Dover". It was sung by a group of women soldiers, performed on one of those Talent contests. It was beatifically done, and timely. I feel sure the rendition spread cheer. I for one, loved it.

March 18, 2020. Madison, Mississippi. The Box.

The box arrived on Monday afternoon. It was expected on Friday but eventually UPS delivered the box to my front door. I was delighted to receive it. The box came from Ontario, sent to me by Wonderful Wendy. My plan was to send the clothes I had purchased in Liverpool sent back to me in Mississippi but my brother Dave suggested I leave them and use them the next time. So I did. But that left cards and gifts to be shipped to me. I had so much fun opening the box. Wendy gave me a mug with a picture of the Nova Scotia sculpture of Ken. I opened it first. I love it all over again. The gift was a big surprise when I opened it at Christmas but I enjoyed it all over again. I laughed out loud with joy. And I drank my breakfast tea with the cup. I was given wonderful socks and enjoyed looking at them again. Norm and Diane gave me a wonderful pair of socks where both socks are different. I will have fun wearing them. "So many books. So little time", is on one pair. And another pair that is just fun. And I took time to read the cards. Alana invited me to afternoon tea. She wrote the invitation herself along with the envelope, all written with beautiful calligraphy. Also in the box were my own black wool socks now safely back in my drawer. My Christmas stocking was filled by Dave with useful objects, which my case was too full to take to Mexico so now I have those to use here. I had Christmas all over again, thanks to Wendy for sending me the box.

March 17, 2020. Madison, Mississippi. Simple Pleasures.

Fortunately I have cultivated the ability to appreciate simple pleasures. Like everyone else, I enjoy the highlights in my life but I have also enjoyed the simple pleasures. This life we are living requires us to forgo the major events in our life. We can not attend concerts or movies or sporting events. Churches are closed as are all large groups. The only things left to keep us amused are the little things we can enjoy at home. This morning I sat looking at the trees outside my bedroom window. Spring time is not like magic. It is magic. When I arrived here the trees were bare. The leaves were all gone. The tree looked dead. But one week ago I could see buds. Now I see little leaves. When I walk in my neighborhood I see azaleas in bloom everywhere. Ny neighbor has a magnificent red hedge. I first noticed it last year but this year I have been waiting for it. One week ago it was just a long green hedge. Now it is gorgeous. And across the street in the front yard are masses of white azaleas. The only trouble is that the blossoms do not last long. This week we will get to 80 degrees so the new growth will overwhelm the blossoms. But for now, the blossoms are beautiful This evening on TV I watched a National Geographic program on Hawaii. The first hour was on the land and the second hour was on the sea. I loved every minute. We have visited Hawaii twice so many of the pictures I had seen but the show was wonderful. At a time when we am not able to travel, watching that show was the next best thing to being there. And my last pleasure is reading. It gives me the greatest pleasure. With all these simple pleasures at our finger tips we have no need to feel despondent. And I am not. This too shall pass.

March 16, 2020. Madison, Mississippi. Doing a Ken.

In the last few years of Ken's life, he made lots of errors while ordering on Amazon. We laughed about them. Once while we were in Nova Scotia he wanted a new small camera that would fit into his shirt pocket. Of course, he wanted a good one. So he ordered one on his I Pad. But he was not sure if the order went through so he ordered another one. But this time his Parkinson's hands caused him to hit the button twice. So he cancelled that order. He was irritated because he thought he ordered none. But soon a box arrived with a Crest toothpaste on the outside. But inside was a little camers. The next day a similar box appeared, also containing a camera. And yet another came. He had successfully ordered three good cameras. His solution was to leave one in Nova Scotia and take one to Texas and one in Mississippi. He thought it to be a lucky error. Then I asked him to order safeguard soap, which he did. He said he ordered a case, which he said would be six bars of soap. But what he actually did was order six cases of soap, leaving me with 48 bars of Safeguard soap. I gave everyone a package of three bars of soap in their Christmas bags. I still laugh about the stack of soap still in the bathroom closet. I have followed in Ken's footsteps. I decided to order a birthday gift card from Amazon for Kate and Mary Frances. I ordered them and discovered that I had put in the wrong amount, so I did it again. The second one was also wrong. I tried to cancel the second one but no luck. Finally I did it right. I am still not sure what amount I gave the girls for their birthday. Eventually they will tell me. Between my vision and my fingers I can make a mess of ordering on line. But at least the girls finally have a birthday gift from me. Ken would have been pleased and amused by my antics. I just laughed.

March 15, 2020. Madison, Mississippi. The Music Stand.

I purchased the little music stand in 1972, the same year we bought our first house in Bethesda, Maryland. It was stuck in the back corner of an antique store in Kensington. The bottom was coated with a thick coast af what seemed to be thick cream. It was green. The post was dark black as was the small table and music holder. It looked horrible but it was heavy and when a rubbed the post I thought it was brass. So I bought it for under one hundred dollars. When I got it home I used the hose to clean up the base which turned to be iron. I washed the wood which turned out to be walnut. And I scrubbed the post to discover that it was brass. The table is 16 inces across. From then on, Ken and I used the music stand when we practiced. It was also a useful reading table. We both loved that small music stand and it sat in our living rooms from that day on. It was beautiful and useful. When we sold the farm we brought a small amount of furniture to both Texas and Mississippi. We gave the little music stand to Christina and Andrew as we had no spot for it in our condo. As Molly was little and the music stand moves, they put in a corner of the TV room, out of Molly's hands. And that is where it has stayed, looking beautiful but not being used. Last week I mentioned to Christina the tremor in my right arm. She wondered if I could use the music stand as a book rack. On Friday she brought it over and arranged it for me beside my breakfast chair. It works like a charm. I can read twice as long now that I do not need to hold the book or magazine. My tremor is interesting in that I can control it if I think about it. But of course, when I am reading I am not thinking about my tremor so it kicks in. Also interesting is that when I am not holding a magazine or book, the tremor disappears. Now I am happy. I love looking at that little table with all these years of use. And it once again it has became useful.

March 14, 2020. Madison, Mississippi. Piles of paper.

I have been home here in this house for two weeks. Only one pile of papers are yet to be put away. This is progress in action. The first thing I did when attacking the mail was to open the Christmas cards which I enjoyed. Christina had sorted and opened the mail in my absence so on the bar were stacks of sorted mail. I started with the catalogues which were quickly put into the recycle bin. Next were the magazines. I put them in order beside my reading chair. Of course I started reading my new History National Geographic. I will enjoy it myself and will pass it on to Molly who also loves History. Next I sort the large envelopes and set them aside to be dealt with later so I am beginning to get piles of paper, either beside my breakfast chair or over on the couch beside where I read e mails. Lastly I open the envelopes. I open mail while sitting in my breakfast chair because I have a trash can beside me, plus a table where I put papers needing attention. The last pile is on my desk, the ones that Christina place for me to address. So after opening all the mail, I am left with piles everywhere in the living room. One by one I am attending to those piles. Today I addressed the last pile, the one on my desk. Turns out I should have done it first because an appointment with my eye doctor on Tuesday has been cancelled. I only have three papers to figure out what to do. After breakfast I will figure it out. Kashina and I will file the papers I have put on top mod the little file box. Then my piles of paper will be gone. I will again be neat and tidy.

March 13, 2020. Madison, Mississippi. My Phone Purse.

When we returned from Mexico when Ken was ill, we had many medical people coming to visit Ken. Their pattern was the same. They phoned to be sure we were home. If we did not answer the phone, they would go to the next person on the list. My pattern was to leave my phone on a counter in the kitchen but with their system, I was required to answer the phone quickly. At first I used a pocket for a phone that Ken had used. It hangs around your neck., But that one hurt my neck so Ken offered to order me a phone purse on the internet, which he did. Ken was a good shopper. He looks at everything before he decides to buy. Finally he selected a phone purse for me. He was pleased with it but he thought it was too expensive. When it arrived I was pleased. It is leather with a metal chain that goes around the whole purse. One side is for the phone and the other is a little purse with a flap. I have used it ever since. It may be the most useful gift that Ken ever game me. But I did a stupid thing. Last year in Mexico I started to carry my reading glasses on the same side of the phone. When I got home I realized that I had stretched the leather. And worse, the stitching was stretched for about an inch at the top. My solution was to use duct tape. Rita objected and encouraged me to find a shoe repair man to stitch up the stretched part. So on Wednesday, with Kashina we visited our friendly shoe repairman. His shop smells delightful of leather and glue. He looked at my tale of woe and suggested that he could run a line of stitches just inside the join. He even did it while we waited. Now my little purse is perfect again. But I had to promise him that I would never push anything in that area but the phone. I am a happy camper.

March 12, 2020. Madison, Mississippi. Sports.

In the twinkling of an eye today, all sporting events were cancelled. Yesterday the basketball league cancelled all games for the rest of the season. The hockey league did it today although they are calling it a pause. The NCAA has cancelled all games and playoffs for the rest of the season. No March Madness. The golf tournament went on as planned today but tomorrow and for the rest off the month the tournaments will be held but without any fans. Now baseball spring training has been cancelled and opening day will be delayed. For those who watch no sports on television there will be no problem but for people like me who watch a bit of many games on a regular basis it will be interesting. And irritating. I have 2 channels devoted to horse racing. I never watch them. Today all the races were being played and there was no talk of canceling anything. This evening, I found the racing channels because it was the only sporting event being played. There were 2 basketball games on TV but they were repeats. Tomorrow I will watch with interest the Players golf tournament where the players will compete but there will be no fans. I am old and I have had health issues so I heard that I should not attend any meetings so I have cancelled an evening with my friends to attend a fund raiser for The New Stage Theater in Jackson. And I probably will not attend BSF. Rita and Ian's daughter, Renee, is now working from home because one of her co workers was found to be positive for the virus. The virus is taking over everyones lives. I just hope the panic does not last too long. Although I could get interested in horse racing.

March 11, 2020. Madison, Mississippi. Las Vegas and Kashina.

Kashina was talked into going to Las Vegas with her sister. The plan was to fly out on Thursday and come home on Sunday night. The sister won this trip at work so the weekend was paid for except for the flight so Kashina agreed to go even though she was anxious. Last Wednesday was her last day working with me so I was without a helper for a week. Kashina was delighted to come back to work this morning. She was early and quickly got to work, changing my bed and doing the laundry. She was a happy camper being back at work. Kashina is not a good traveller. Her visit to Las Vegas was OK, she said but there was too much walking and too many people for her. Her sister seemed to do more things but mostly they ate and wandered around. They did go to the Venice and took a boat ride. She was glad to get home. Kashina is uncomfortable when we drive on a road she does not know. Her world is small so I knew that her going to Las Vegas was a mistake. I knew she would not enjoy herself, which is what happened. Kashina has a life devoted to helping people. She loves her work. She does not work only to make money. She works because it is her life blood. She does not enjoy parties. All she does is work. I have never seen anyone like her. She has several private clients that she visits every day, mostly to help folks bathe or shower. Everyone she works with needs her help and she never lets them down. I benefit by her attitudes. She will do anything to help me. One of her problems about going to Las Vegas was that I was left without helper. Now I could have asked for someone else on Thursday and Sunday, when she would have worked with me, but I told her I could manage by myself. But I missed her and all her help. But she was excited to get to work this morning and to put me in order. She lives to help and she is not a bit interested in traveling to other places. This amazes me. But here she is and she certainly helps a lot of people. I am grateful for her attitudes. I just do not understand it.

March 10, 2020. Madison, Mississippi. Lunch.

I am on a roll with lunches. Today I had lunch with Kate at Sal & Phils, my favorite, funky little restaurant. A lot had happened since I left in December. Kate moved into her own apartment with a friend from college so as Kate said to me, she is now an adult. I am proud of her. She is working on the cardiology floor of the Mississippi University Hospital so the job is difficult and emotionally draining. And she is evaluating what she will specialize. Perhaps she will become a cardiology nurse expert or perhaps a physician assistant. She has many options and we talked about all of them. I enjoyed having lunch with her. When she brought me home and came into the house, she commented that this home is really lovely. And I agreed. On Monday I had lunch with Eleanor, Greta Barbour and Christina at Amerigo, a fine Italian restaurant. I had not seen my friends since I had been home so we had much to catch up. Eleanor reported that their electricity was out for three days. By the end, Eleanor said she was grumpy. Without electricity they have no water. Not fun. Greta Barbour thinks she will join Christina in Nova Scotia this summer. As a treat, she will take only her youngest child, who is just a bit younger than Molly. Our food was excellent. I ate salmon while everyone else ordered pasta, which they took half home. To celebrate we all had dessert. I ate ice cream which I assume has no sugar. On Friday I had lunch with Christina and we had a good time. I never spend time with just Christina all by herself so it was a pleasure for me. We gave Andrew and Christina a table years ago, which is actually a music stand. It sat it their Tv room in the corner. I have a tremor in my right hand which gives me trouble when I hold a book or magazine so Christina brought that little table with her and set up my corner so I can place my magaZine or book on the music stand. It works like a charm. So thanks for Christina. My drill has been to take Lyft to the restaurant then get a ride home. I pay the bill and have a wonderful time as does everyone else. Pretty good system I have developed for myself.

March 9, 2020. Madison, Mississippi. Tuppen.

Tuppen and Marilyn were planning to come to Mississippi to visit me. They were to come in March. But something unexpected happened. Tuppen was visiting her family in Norway when she had a blockage which turned out to be a tumor in her colan. She is out of the hospital recovering from the surgery. And she is staying with her sister but she is not ready to travel home to Houston. Tuppen is the most healthy of my friends. We were friends in Galveston and we are friends now. She has always been slim and fit. She worked as a physical therapist back in Galveston and she works full time as a physical therapist now, even though she is in her upper 70s. A few years ago her lovely old home in Houston had 6 feet of water in the house so she has been dealing with that mess. But she has done well and now lives in a town house which she bought after the Houston flood. She was born and raised in Norway and retains her accent. I suspect her family and friends in Norway think she speaks Wirth an American accent. The truth is that we never know when the corner will turn ands you will be in the hospital. Having Tuppen in the hospital would have been the last thing on my mind. After all, she was always thin and fit. Marilyn reports that Tuppens spirits are good. But she might stop working. She travels a lot even though she works full time. But now she thinks she will devote her free time to traveling. But first she must get back to Houston. I certainly wish her well. I would enjoy their visit here in Mississippi.

March 8, 2020. Madison, Mississippi. Brunch.

Molly, Mary Frances, Christina and I had brunch together at Fine & Dandy, the restaurant that is a favorite of all of us, especially Molly. Their menu is limited. We first went there shortly after they opened for business, which would have been four years ago. Ken noted that on their menu were several milkshakes so he convinced us all to order a milkshake as an appetizer. Molly thought it a wonderful idea to eat dessert first so we have been doing it ever since. Of course, this time I drank coffee as I am not eating sugar. My goal is to get my weight under control. We arrived just as they had opened at 11:00 so the first thirty minutes we had the place to ourselves. We enjoyed ourselves. I do not know how long the girls will indulge me by coming out with me for brunch but I certainly enjoy their company. Kate was sleeping as she was working last night. We talked and talked and laughed and laughed. Spring Break started on Friday so everyone was off duty for the coming week so perhaps that made the level of frivolity go up. But we had a good time. I had taken Lyft to meet them and Christina and the girls brought me home. Christina changed all my clocks which I appreciated. Then the girls had a treat from Ken's stash of chocolate. And we talked for another thirty minutes. I am so fortunate to be living in the same city as my grandchildren and daughter in law. They enrich my life. I also hear a lot of stories from school, volleyball and work. Our custom of the family having Sunday brunch together that started in 2008 has survived and is thriving. .Hats off for Ken for his good idea.

March 7, 2020. Madison, Mississippi. Tangerines.

Your memory for a taste is interesting. I can still recall the taste of the tangerines that we ate in Japan. We were staying in Time Shares so we were able to buy groceries at the local grocery stores. It is always interesting to buy contaners of food that you do not know what it is but by asking and looking at pictures we were able to buy what we wanted. Our routine was to eat breakfasts and supper at home and eat our main meal at restaurants where Andrew would translate the menu. Often he would just order for us which made life easy. The first day of the three weeks in Japan we bought tangerines. They were sold in small bags. At that time, the stores were all small but now I am told that they have the same large stores that are similar to ours. I bought one bag. As there were four of us, we finished eating them immediately. We had never tasted such tangerines. They were big and juicy and sweet. From then on, I bought two bags, one for breakfast and one with supper. And we were able to buy them in the three different places we were living. We asked about the type and were told that they do not export them because the crop is small. We were lucky to be there at the exact time that they had turned ripe. That was many years ago but every time I eat a tangerine I recall the taste of those Japanese tangerines. I am happy to eat these tangerines that I buy in the grocery store but I always wish I could eat those big juicy Japanese tangerines. And I am grateful for the memory of taste in my brain.

March 6, 2020. Madison, Mississippi. Sal & Phils.

We drove by this restaurant for years and we never went it. One day someone told us that it had good food so we went for brunch with the family. But we never went back. Then on the Friday evening after Ken died, friend John came to visit with David. Their plan was to smoke a cigar together and talk about Ken. When he arrived, he came with a cooler of fresh oysters on the half shell, all on ice. Eventually, Suzanne joined the men and they sat on our lower deck and paid a tribute to Ken. When they came up, we ate dinner together. The twins were with us so the six of us had a wonderful time together. And the Oysters were delicious. The oysters had come from Sal & Phils. On the Sunday, David was the only one still with me, so in order to teach me how to use Lyft, we went to Sal & Phils for lunch. We went to Sal & Phils. The first thing we ordered was oysters on the half shell. Next we ordered oysters heated on the grill with butter and parmesan cheese. They too were delicious. Next we ordered shrimp to peel. I have been returning to that restaurant ever since. Today Christina and I ate lunch at Sal & Phils. First we ate the warm oysters. Even Linda, when I took here there in the Fall, who does not like oysters ate two...and liked them. They are delicious. Tasty and succulent. Their luncheon special never change but are all good. Both of us ate sautéed snapper with potatoes and squash. Snapper is my favorite but everything on the list is good. This restaurant has become my favorite. It has been there for many years and is not fancy but their food is excellent. Make sure I take you to Sal & Phils when you visit me. I invite my friends there for lunch. It is a special, ordinary restaurant.

March 5, 2020. Madison, Mississippi. My Neighbor.

My neighbors, Sandy and Archie, are selling their house. When they returned home from North Carolina they gave me the news. Archie fell just the day before they were to drive home. Their patio is down a long flight of stairs which Archie has not been able to use, so they decided to sell. The whole time I was in Mexico the house was getting everything fixed up. In fact my handyman Chantes and his crew did all the work. Now It is officially on the market. Before I left in December, Sandy asked me for advice but I kept my mouth shut. I urged her to interview two agents and select the one you like and who has the best record in this subdivision. And I gave her the name of my agent, Susan. But she selected someone else. And I urged her to stage the house and remove furniture. They have bought another house in Madison, just a 5 minute drive up the road. The yard is level and the master bedroom is on the first floor. They are pleased. In Mississippi, people tend to price their houses too high, which means the houses sit on the market for ages. Susan does not do that which is why I suspect they selected another agent. I do not know the listing price but as the house is not being mobbed with agents and buyers, I suspect the price is too high. And I have not seen furniture being removed for storage so I suspect the house was not staged. The home is lovely and overlooks the reservoir, but the house has too much furniture. I had great difficulty getting around. But I have been careful to keep my mouth shut. I know nothing about this real estate market, and my information in general is out of date. I wish them well. But I expect that this house will not sell any time soon. I will watch.

March 4, 2020. Madison, Mississippi. Spring.

Sunday was the first day for me to be back in Mississippi. The day was glorious. The sun was shining all day. And the temperature was 70F. Or 17C. Perfect weather. In addition the trees were bursting out with blossoms. I knew that Spring had arrived in Mississippi. What I did not see were any daffodils and I do not know why. Am I too late or too early? I will see. Along with the blossoms here comes rain. Spring is the rainy season. Since Monday, it has been cloudy and rainy. The heavy rains began before midnight last night and continued all night. We had a bad storm in the middle of the night but I slept through it. But it has rained all day which means I can not walk outside. Yesterday Kashina and I walked at Target because the streets were slick. I needed a new pair of slippers so we did our walking at Target, which turns out to be a good place for walking. The isles are wide and when we were there it was not crowded. I am always looking for places to walk inside because Mississippi does have a lot of rain. All day I have been hearing thunder. This morning I had an appointment with Dr. Gregg. Everything is fine with me but we both realized that I had not actually seen her for two years so in order for her to order my medications she must see me to check up on my health. Since I got home from the doctor at noon I have stayed indoors all. There is something delightful being at home in a cosy spot and listen to the rain. I enjoyed my Spring day at home in the rain.

March 3, 2020. Madison, Mississippi. The Olive Garden.

I was astonished. Today, Kashina and I ate lunch at The Olive Garden. In Canyon Lake Ken and I often ate at an Olive Garden restaurant, which was fine. But this restaurant in Ridgeland is trying hard to bring you back. We brought our leftovers home plus I ordered one dish to take home that costs $5. We both came home with two extra meals. Total cost per meal was $6.50 per meal. Amazing. The menu is confusing but our waitress was helpful. So if you order one of the lunch specials, you also get unlimited salad or soup. We requested salad. Immediately hot bread and a large bowl of salad appeared which was enough for four. Then came our entree, eggplant parmagiano for me and chicken Alfredo for Kashina. We both ate half. And we could only ate half the salad so Kashina took it home. Then I ordered the cheese Zita to take home. And the food was good. So we both came home with extra meals, which when I calculated would cost $6.50 for each meal. Clearly, they are trying hard to keep the patrons happy. Some place on the menu Kashina saw an item for $5. You could order unlimited soup or salad plus hot bread for that price. Next time we might get it. No wonder the place was almost full.. The food was excellent. Plus you have extra food for home. Pretty good.

March 2, 2020. Madison, Mississippi. First Times.

I had never flown on the day of Leap Year. I had never flown sitting beside a person who had a dog in a carrier under the seat in front of him. It was interesting in that nothing happened of interest. Everything was totally normal. The lady kindly allowed me to walk to my gate before anyone was let through the door. United has a system with multiple gated leave through the one door. I wanted a bit of a walk so the United official let me through early which I appreciated. I arrived early so watched as all the other passengers walked down the corridor. One young man had a small dog on a leash. It looked to me to be a small Whippet. It turned out to be an Italian Greyhound. I boarded first and was sitting in the 2nd row in the isle seat. The young man with the dog sat beside me and put his soft sided carrier under the seat. I could not really know that a dog was under the seat. All was quiet. I finally asked the kind of dog and was told politely but it was clear the young man, who seemed to be about 25, did not want to talk to me so I shut my mouth. But I had a dozen questions. The young man did say that the dog travelled everywhere with him and is no trouble. The dog lies down and goes to sleep. No sound at all could be heard from the dog even when the case was lifted up to de plane. The dog owner was kind enough to remove my case from the over head bin which I appreciated. I can to it myself, but not easily. Now I know how dogs can be carried on the plane with the owner with no problems or noise. Interesting. It was a first for me.

March 1, 2020. Madison, Mississippi. Observations.

In years past, the only staff members who were friendly were the good folks at Southwest Airlines. But yesterday every worker at United was friendly and helpful. Sometimes they actually accommodated me to make my life easier. This is a big change from the past when airline staff were mostly unfriendly. But not yesterday. It was all smiles and helpfulness. I saw 8 men wearing a holder for documents and boarding passes hanging around their neck. I had not ever seen that before. Is this a trend? The food was excellent. Since I am old and somewhat infirm, I splurge and travel either business or first class. Mostly the food was forgettable. Yesterday they food was excellent: Thai chicken with pasta and a salad. Delicious. I was surprised. Houston has a bad system to managing those folks like me who travel in a wheelchair. I have not liked it in the past and it was worse yesterday. Fortunately, I know to give myself a long time between planes. We landed from PV at 4:00. I finally was at my gate to Jackson at at 6:00. In other wo4ds, a 2 hour layover would have made me miss my flight. The airport is too big that they have helpers restricted to one area. So you are carried to a holding area where eventually another person takes you to the next holding area. I finally persuaded/bribed one young woman to take me all the way to my gate. And she did. I was happy. And I was happy to be home. My stay at Playa was delightful as was any visit to Ancaster. I have been gone for two and a half months. I was ready to be home.