April 30, 2022. Madison, Mississippi. Beef Dinner.

About a month ago, friends and family met to kill and butcher one of the cows on the Madison property. I was invited to be in on the action and to partake in the group dinner, all done in the old farm house. Usually the meat is wrapped and divided but this cow was small and young. Sebastian suggested that a group dinner be held at the Sutherlands new home and that four different parts of the cow would be served. Tonight was the night. Even though I did not take part in the hunt, I was along for the cheering. So I was invite to the beef dinner, which was tonight. We ate four different parts of the cow cooked by four different people. It was a taste treat with different flavors and textures with each dish. We ate tenderloin by Sebastian. Tonge by Eleanor. Back strap by Cheryl and shanks by John. Along with rice and a vegetable salad, our meal was complete. Blueberry cobler for dessert made by Eleanor. We had a wonderful time. I felt fortunate to be along with the ride. Two people who had been part of the hunt for the cows I had not met, Don and Donna. They had left before I arived that evening. But this evening I got to talk with them. Don is the chair of the English department at Belhaven University. He is the only person I know who has read Davies. So I was able to discuss a bit about Canadian literature. So I enjoyed that conversation. And I enjoyed the whole evening. It was a treat for me.

April 29, 2022. Madison, Mississippi. Errors.

I have always been interester with errors, especially in baseball. The Padres baseball team this year went 14 games without any player making an error. This is unheard of for a baseball team. Then in the 15th game, during one inning, two players made an error. Were they trying too hard not to make an error? Did the second error come because of the thought of an error? No one knows. I was watching a few innings of the Dodgers. Their defense is excellent. They practice hard to field the balls cleanly and throw accurately. Every big league player was a star in high school and college where they practiced their skills. And the professional big league players practice hard. Yet, every so often they make an error. The second baseman fielded the ball cleanly and threw the ball to the first baseman for a sure out. Except the throw was way to the left of the first baseman. The second basement had no errors this year and he had made that throw thousands of time over his career. But his team lost the game due to his error. Golf is another game where errors are obvious. I still recall watching Dusty Johnson three put away his lead in the Masters and giving Jordon Spieth the win. It is easy to see that putting for a million dollars might give you a case of the yips but these players have practiced the skill hundreds of times and we expect them not to make errors. In baseball and golf, I think it is all mental. I guess we should be surprised with the lack of errors in any one game. After all, I always look to see how many errors were made during a game. There is never many. But it is seldon that I see no errors at all. I guess that the players are not robots. And that is as close as I can come for why we have errors.

April 28, 2022. Madison, Mississippi. Progress.

Try this test yourself. For 10 seconds, or maybe it is 30, I must count how many times I am able to sit and stand with my arms crossed on my chest and using a sturdy wooden chair. Today I could do 13 which was better than three weeks ago when I did 10.. So I have made progress with my physical therapy. Beth reported that my improvement was great with the balance tests. Beth, my physical therapist, is required to make me take a test, to see if any progress has been made. This is the third time I have taken the same test. And every time I have gotten better. Beth has been working on my legs and my balance. The first time she had me do balance skills I could not even do the exercises without holding on to something. Now at lease I can pass some of the tests for balance which pleased me. For instance, I can close my eyes for 30 seconds without holding on to anything. The first time I tried it I could not do it at all. I still am unable to perform several of the exercises for balance but mostly I can at least do them for a second or two. The first time Beth came to the house to put me through my paces I thought that the exercises for my legs were whimpy. But the day after the session, my legs hurt, so I decided that she knew more than me. She comes twice a week and i do the same excercises a third time in the week. The exercises are easy to do so I will be able to continue them when I leave. I am not surprised my balance has improved because I started from low baseline. But I am pleased. My balance is still terrible but at least I am showing progress. Hats off to Beth.

April 27, 2022. Madison, Mississippi. My Boot.

My boot is now in the closet where it will forever remain. I weaned myself off, one hour a day. And finally on Tuesday, I was out of hours so I wore a shoe all day. I kind of got to like my boot, even though the first day I wore it I felt sure that I could not tolerate it for long. But I realized that I could wear my boot and walk without my Achilles hurting so I got to like it. I am not totally stupid and stuborn. Now I walk without a heel lift in my shoe. I am close to normal. I return to the doctor at the Mississippi Sports Clinic the Monday before I leave for the cruise. But as soon as I feel no pain at all, in other words, when my tendon is totally normal, I am supposed to perform stretching exercises for my calf muscles. I am supposed to stand on a ramp for two minutes at a time, for 6 times a day. They sell the ramp at the clinic but of course I will not be here to use it. The doctor gave a diagram of the little ramp so perhaps I can get someone to make it for me in Nova Scotia. In addition, my physical therapist told me another easy way to get the same stretch, which is to tip your toes up to the wall at the same angle. Of course, with the ramp, I am supposed to put both feet on the ramp at the same time. With the toes against the wall I could only do one foot at a time. My tendon is still not totally normal. I can feel it when I walk a lot. But it is better. My boot has done the job. Now it will rest in peace.

April 26, 2022. Madison, Mississippi. Bit by Bit.

My two cases are laid out on the dining room table. One is the small rolling one I use as a carry on and which will eventually be filled with my medications. The other is a bit larger that will be checked. Inside that case will be the clothes I will use on the cruise. It is also a rolling case but it only has two wheels. And it is not very large so I must be careful with the amount of garments I can pack. The most important part is the thinking. This cruise has no formal dinners so I can take casual clothes for dinner. I have thought about what to wear and much to my great pleasure, the clothes I wanted to take will fit into the case. Success. I was even able to fit a pair of shoes so I will be wearing one pair of walking shoes and will have another in the case. Today I moved my chargers into the small case. And a pair of pants and a light shirt will go into that case too just in case my bag gets lost. My last task is to obtain all my medications from the drug store and from Pfizer for my Ibrance. I have been approved for 4 months of Ibrance but getting it actually in my hand will be a different matter.. And I just realized that my rain coat must fit into the bigger case too.. So far I have not tried to close it. But for the moment, it sits open on the dining table. So bit by bit I am gathering my belongings together so when I am ready to leave on May 12, I will be all set. The older I get, the longer it takes to get ready. I have discovered that if I collect things slowly, I make fewer mistakes. I am doing very well. Now I can just fine tune my stuff. And I will be ready to go.

April 25, 2022. Madison, Mississippi. Thermostats.

Finally, I turned all three thermostats from heat to cool. Ever since I arrived home, I have kept the thermostats on heat because at night the temperature drops and every so often the heat comes on. But mostly I hear no noise from the heating fans. I mostly live with no machines. In Nova Scotia the windows are open during the day and at night I just close some windows. Of course, we have no air conditioning. All summer, I live without heat most of the time. In Mexico, it is the reverse. We have no heat in the condo. The first year we were there, it was a bit chilly and neither Ken nor I could make the system work. Each room has a control for heat or cool. So I called the front desk. They just laughed. The condo has no heat. And the temperature outside is pleasant so we do not use the airconditioning. We merely keep the big doors open to the air, which I like. But yesterday was 84 outside and muggy so I got brave and turned all three thermostats to cool, where it will stay. It took me a couple of hours to get the temperatures to the correct number but finaly, all is well in my home. The humidity has gone and now I am like Goldylocks:"My house is not too cold or not to hot but is just right". I am not turned the thermostats back to heat even if the evenings get cool. I am subborn. Once I turn the swith to cool, I will not turn back, until next October. I have my rules!!

April 24, 2022. Madison, Mississippi. Brunch.

We have not been able to have brunch together for two weeks. We have missed getting together. But now Molly is doing well and using only crutches so we were able to resume our customery Sunday brunch. What I miss the most is finding out what the girls have been doing the past week. This day was especially important because yesterday was Christinas birthday so we celebrated not only Molly's progress but also Christinas birthday. And we had a good time. We ate at Manships Bistro, perhaps the best restaurant in Jackson. We always order the same appitizer, which is a board full of goodies but no cheese. One thing we always enjoy is their smoked salmon. Soon we will all be together in Nova Scotia and we will get our fill of smoked salmon. This week is Mary Frances's last week of school. She still has one short essay to turn in plus one major paprer. But she is finishing her successful college career. Next weekend she will bring all her belongings home. Her graduation is May 7. Molly's class is taking a bus to Cincinatti for a long weekend but she does not wish to attend. 12 hours on the bus and walking around the sights of the city using crutches would not be easy. So she told me all the reasons why she is staying home. So we were a happy group. I only have 2 hours on the boot today and one tomorrow. Then I will be finished. So today at brunch we had four good reasons to celebrate. And we celebrated in style.

April 23, 2022. Madison, Mississippi. Great Performance.

The program was just an hour. I wished it would have been two. The PBS show was the second in the series, which last week was about Florence Price. This week was even better. It was interesting and entertaining. Scott Woo was the man in charge. This week was all about Aaron Copeland, his history and his music. The program was filmed in Colorado College, a place that every year holds a course in the summer for budding musicians. The topic was Copeland. I got to hear lots of Copeland mucic and I got to hear rehearsals. And I learned a lot about Copeland. Of course, it helps that I love Copeland's music. But this program was extraordinary. Scott, who put the program together, is a violinish, and we heard some of his playing as he was teaching the students. One thing they did during the program was to hold a mock audition, which was fascinating. They were trying to get the students prepared for auditions. Just whatching and listening was terrifying. I have asked several friends today if they had watched the program. And they said no. Poor them. They missed out on a wonderful show. PBS generally repeats their programs so perhaps they could get lucky. It would certainly be worth while digging it out.

April 22, 2022. Madison, Mississippi. Unexpected Events.

I ususlly try to plan events throughout the week just to keep me happy and involved. But on Monday this week, I looked at my calender and showed absolutely nothing written. "What was I thinking," I said to myself. I was looking at a full week of absolutely nothing. I know that being totally alone for long periods of time is not a good idea. All the books tell you. In addition, for the past two weeks, Kashina was not working on Wednesday so I really would have been alone all week. But then things started happening. Kashine texted me on Tuesday to ask if she could work on Wednesday. And I said yes. I made her a whole long list of activities for the day. My physical therapist came in the afternoon too. And we both enjoyed the morning. On Thursday I received 4 phone calls from friends which broke up my day. I enjoyed talking with them which filled up my day. Then in the afternoon, my friend Greta Barbour texted me to ask if she could come for coffee at 9:00. I said yes. My physical therapist called to see if she could come at 11:30. I said yes. And she came the next morning, which all happened today. I asked friend Lisa if she could come out with me for lunch on Saturday and she said yes. We will start our lunch with oysters at Sal&Phils. And she will drive me home. And finally, Christina and I talked to discover that Molly will be able to go out for brunch on Sunday, something I missed the past two weeks when Molly was getting over surgery. I am happy with that. So all of a sudden, my calender is full and I will enjoy a wonderful week. You just never know what might be just around the corner.

April 21, 2022. Madison, Mississippi. Meta Mucil.

Ever since I started taking Ibrance, I have also used Meta Mucil. The medication is constipaing so I take no chances. Once in Nova Scotia I spilled the powder on the counter and had a difficult time cleaning it up. It is sticky. So I have always been careful not to spill the liqued when I am drinking it. I always worry that I will make a big mess but until now, all has been well. I drink the orange drink around 5:00. And I always watch TV when I am dutifully drink it. So I carry the glass of it on the walker. And I am always careful But Sunday my luck ran out. When entering my bedroom, the spoon fell out of the plastic glass and the whole glass fell on the floor. Orange drink was everywhere. My vision is not good so I could not even see where on the floor it had gone so I did the only action available to me: I covered it up. I brought one of my big towels and covered the floor where I thought it had fallen. Monday Morning my cleaning lady was coming and I hoped she would know how to clean up my mess. Kashine also comes on Monday so she picked up the towel and laundered it. Then Teresa mopped the floor. She knew what to use to get up all the sticky mess. Now I will be even more diligent when carrying my orance drinl. I got lucky. It spilled on the wooden floors not on any rug or chair. I started Ibrance in May of 2015 and up intil now, I have not spilled. Pretty good record.

April 20, 2022. Madison, Mississippi. Rent the Runway.

Sarah loves it. A year ago, Sarah was looking forward to working as an intern at a law firm in Houston. The problem was her clothes. She needed proper clothes suitable for a law firm. David found a business that she could rent the clothes she needed and only pay for the amount of time she kept the clothes, so he gave her a membership in the Rent the Runway business. When she is finished with the clothes, she sends them back. At high school, Sarah wore a uniform. In college she wore casual clothes. Her wardrobe includes fancy clothes for church or even fancier clothes for dances. But she did not really own clothes suitable for the office. This system solved all her problems. Last summer, before she started work, she selected a few things suitable for the office. She was required to send measurements. After the clothes arrived, she has 24 hours to try them on. If she did not like them, a bag was sent and all she needed to do was return them, with no charge. If you keep the clothes, they are rented until they are returned., and the expense ends. The clothes worked perfectly for Sarah last summer. And David reported that the expense was modest, especially compared to the cost of new clothes, purchased in the store and then let sit in the closet until the next season of work. This summer she will do it again. So she will order a modest number of garments that she will wear at work for the summer. She will look presentable. Then she will return the clothes when she finishes her summer work. Whoever dreamed up this idea is a genius. And Sarah is given this as a gift for her birthday. Nifty deal. The business is called "Rent the Runway".

April 19, 2022. Madison, Mississippi. Lunch in Meridian.

The weather was glorious. Full sun and 65 degrees. Twice, our excursion was cancelled due to storms but not today. Chris and I had a spendid time on our excursion to Meridian. If you take the big highways, driving to Meridian takes about 90 minutes but we take the back roads, the roads less travelled. Chris picked me up at 9:30 and brought me back home at 3:30. We both enjoyed every minute. Meridian is a city of over 40,000 and keeps active dure to two military installations plus a large medical facility. So downtown Meridian is busy. The buildings seem to be all in good condition with several old building still being used. We were surprised how active the downtown area was with the streets full of cars and lots of people bustling around. I could not find even one empty store front. We drove around the downtown area, although we had no idea where we were going and we drove around the neighborhoods close to town. We were impressed. But we drove to Meridian to have lunch at Wiedmans, a restaurant that first opened in 1870 and has been open ever since. The place in in a lovely old building right downtown. Christ was told that the food was wonderful. We looked at their menu on line and it seemed that they were like a New York Deli but in Mississippi. But after having lunch there today, it is clear that they are closer to New Orleans food than New York. Their food was wonderful and we will try to return. We ate three courses and enjoyed every bite. We drove home on back roads, finally using the Natchez Trace. Both Chris and I enoyed our excursion to Meridian. The smaller roads in Mississippi are a delight and today we drove them both coming and going. Now I look forward to our next excursion, which will be to Vicksburg. A friend told Chris that a new restaurant has opened so he wants to check it out. I will be ready.

April 18, 2022. Madison, Mississippi. Gospel Songs.

I was born and raised singing gospel songs. Salvation Army kids sing. On the way to music camp in British Columbia on the boat we sang. Other passengers on the boat would sit and listen. And of course, we all sang in harmony. So I like singing gospel songs. I sing in my head when I am walking. But for a long time I did not hear much singing. But I now live in Mississippi and I am able to hear gospel singing on the television. And I love to listen those beautiful old hymns. The Rural channel plays an hour of sining on Saturday at 5:00. I was not aware, but there is a large group of professional gospel singers. These folks is good and that is who I hear on RTF. I almost always miss listening because of the time. I am usually busy doing something else than watching TV at that time. But sometimes I put it on when I walk. But at 7:00 on Saturday evening an individual or a group are featured on PBS. I try not to miss the hour. This is just another reasons why I enjoy living in Mississippi. I am able to listen to gospel songs on the television which is a reminder of my happy youth.

April 17, 2022. Madison, Mississippi. Summer Activities.

My granddaughters are doing all sorts of interesting activities this summer. I am green with envy. Sarah, who is completing her second year of law school at Texas Tech has two internships in Houston for which she will be well paid. She has rented an arbnb for the summer, which is not far from the two offices where she will be working. She is thrilled. Abigail will finish her job in Colorado and along with her boyfriend, hope to move to Vermont, just to see another part of the country. Her boyfriend is a snow maker and Abigail hopes to get an on line job, where she will be making more money than operating a ski lift. She is excited to exploring new territory. And she and Alex might even pop over to see me this summer in Nova Scotia. Allison is finishing her second year at Colorada College in Bolder, studying biology. This summer she will be a research assisitant to a professor whose specialty is bees. The job was offered on line and she was one of 75 students who applied for the job. This year, she has worked as a teaching assistant to a proferros and that teacher wrote her a glowing recommendation. During the intervier she told about her father's bee hives. She worked along with David and even had her own bee outfit. So she was hired. And she is delighted. Samantha studies Kinesiology at the U.of Virginia. For two weeks she will work at a childrens camp just outside Charlottsville. Then she will take a semester in Italy studing Italian culture, which includes food and wine. And for that she will get credits and will be taught by a professor. She had three choices being offered in the summer semester, which included macro economics or Italian history. It took her a nano second to decide on Italian culture. She is excited. Those Texas kids will be all over the map. And I wish them well.

April 16, 2022. Madison, Mississippi. Great Television.

PBS showed a wonderful program on Friday. The series of Great Performanes was a show about an American lady, Florence Price. She was a composer of classical music. And she was black, so along with her classical training, she included black gospet themes in her compositions. Of course, she was a woman and black so was not trated seriously. But in 1935 her symphony was played by the Chicago symphony. But then she was ignored until recently, when several musicians are promoting her work. She was born into a wealthy black family in Little Rock, Arkansas but she and her lowyer husband moved to Chicago, where they stayed. And she thrived musically. The program also showed the development of the blues and jazz, and several different individuals and groups were featured. And there was a discussion on gospet, which included a 90 year old lady singing old time black gospet songs. The singing and playing was wonderful, along with the piano and violin pieces written by Florence Price. The program was a delight. I would watch it again in a heart beat.

April 15, 2022. Madison, Mississippi. Being Old.

Many folks when they are old, spend all their time complaining. If you let them, they will tell you their ailments including the activities they are not able to perform. My Mother once said of one lady that we should not ask her how she was feeling because if we did, the lady will give a list of what was the matter with her. Better not to ask, my Mother thought. So my solution is to never tell anyone how I am feeling. My rule is walking and talking. If I can do both activities, I am good to go and I have no business complaining. In truth, there are many advantages to being old. I get to watch my grandchildren grow up. The same with the friends children. Today at lunch I enjoyed the company of friend Lisa along with her husband and two of her children, aged 17 and 15. If I was busy working I would never have been able to enjoy that delightful lunch. Now that I am old, people go out of their way to accomodate me. Friend Cheryl came for coffee this week, just to be nice and to keep me company. People indulge me in my old age. They help me in and out of the car. I live alone. And I am old. I can eat anything I want. And I can eat meals at any time. I always watch television when I eat so this evening I watched a wonderful program on PBS, Great Performance. It was wonderful while I ate my dinner. Also I am in control of the remote control so I am able to select anything I want on the TV. I am discovering more and more aspects of being old that are positive. So my rule is never to complain about anything. If I accentuate the negative, it only makes things worse. Truth be told, no one really wants to hear your issues. Being old is a good thing. That is my story and I will stick with it!!

April 14, 2022. Madison, Mississippi. Simple Pleasures.

It was last week when the baseball season bagan for 2022. It was not this week. But being able to watch a bit of a baseball game gives me pleasure. Last evening I watched the end of the game between the Yankees and the Blue Jays. The Blue Jays won, which gives me added pleasure. Soon the hockey playoffs will begin. There are just a few games left in the regular season. The opening rounds are great with lots of games going on and many top teams not winning. I predict that Tampa Bay will not win this year. They have won two Stanley Cups in a row. If I were a betting person I might put my money on the Florida Panthers. Boston looks good too. But no matter what happens, I will enjoy the games. Those games will give me pleasure. Today I received a phone call from my friend Peppy. I get great pleasure when my friends call. I often think that if friends knew how pleased I was with their call they would call me more often. But mostly I call my friends. But when a friend unexpectatly calls me out of the blue for no reason except to say hello, I am just delighted. Those calls are one of the simple pleaures of my life.

April 13, 2022. Madison, Mississippi. Baseball Season.

This week was opening day for baseball. I watched the last two innings of a game between Atlanta and Cincinatti and was reminded why I enjoy watching baseball. I am delighted to have baseball once again on my television. I use baseball as the channel of last resort. If all my other channels are not showing anything interesting, I find a baseball game to watch for a bit. I was delighted to note that Atlanta lost the game. They won the championship last year but they lost their first game. In Nova Scotia, my channel package shows all the baseball games being played at the time so I flip from one game to another. I loof forward to ths year of baseball even though I never watch a full game. But baseball in infinately interesting. There is always something happening. And the players are very skilled. So hurrah for the baseball season. I look forward to watching the competition.

April 12, 2022. Madison, Mississippi. Weaned from the Boot.

On Monday, I had an appointment at the Mississippi Sports Clinic. Two weeks ago Monday, I was given an Xray of my foot. And I was given a boot to wear all day every day, except going to bed. The first day I hated wearing the boot. It was heavy a clunky. But by Wednesday I was able to walk without hurting my Achilles which was a relief so I got used to it. And in fact I actually liked wearing it because the boot protected my ankle. But yesterday, the good doctor told me that she was weaning me off the boot. The first day I, which is today, I was to remove my boot for one hour and just carry on with my normal activity but wearing a sturdy show. And I was to put the heel lift from my boot into my shoe. Over the next 14 days, I was to increase my foot in the shoe one hour. So tomorrow I must be out of my boot for two hours. And so on. In my ignorance, I thought to myself, "How difficult will this weaning process be?" Well tonight, I found out. I could barely walk without holding onto the walker. My balance was all out of whack. To make life easier for myself, I decided to remove my boot at 9:00pm. Tomorrow evening I will remove my boot at 8:00. I usually take my nightly medications at 10:00 and am not active after that time so keeping the hours out of the boot will be easy. But what is not easy is walking without the boot. Now I know why she used the term weaning me off the boot. It took me three days to be comfortable with the boot. But it will take me 14 days to be totally out of the boot. I am amazed.

April 11, 2022. Madison, Mississippi. My New Passport.

My new passport arrived last week. I was delighted to see it. The nice lady at the downtown post office told me that my new passport would arrive in April. And she was correct. You can pay more money for the government to expedite your passport and that was what I did. Now I have my new passport in my hot little hand. My picture even looks good. I had no problems. Christina filled out the form and Chris took me to the downtown post office. I paid my money and turned it over to the nice lady. Then I hoped for the best. Being optimistic, my passport is valid until 2032. That did give me a chuckle. How many years will I get to use that passport is the question. But no matter what, I have a new passport which will be good until 2032. Now when I am in Canada this summer, I will apply for my new Canadian passport. Then I will be in excellent shape. Many Americans have no passport. I am always astonished to hear that good friends have no passport. I know that the US is a big place and a person could travel a long way staying in the US. But I always wonder why they do not want to go to Banff. Or Lake Louise. Or to Mexico. Astonishing really that people are unconcerned about the other world. But I can not worry about them. I now have my new passport. And I am excited.

April 10, 2022. Madison, Mississippi. The Masters.

I have learned to enjoy watching golf on television. For most of my life, I paid no attention to golf. As a family, we never watched a golf tournament. But about 25 years ago, when we were in Scotland, Ken and I were staying in a cabin on a golf course. After we returned to our cabin after driving around the highlands of Scotlans, just outside Inverness, we would watch the golfers just outside our little cabin. Our place was behind trees so the golfers could not see us but we could watch them play. Mid week, we turned on a golf tournament from the US. We had nothing else to do except read so while we ate supper, we watched. And we got hooked on watching golf. We could recognize the players from their profile. We had a great time watching the golf, which I think was the PGA tournament. Ever since that time, I have enjoyed watching golf. Today was the last day of The Masters golf tournament. Actually I watched a bit of every day since Thursday. It was great fun. There were several story lines. Tiger Woods played, the first time since his accident. And he played well although every day he was a bit worse. But just his presence elevates the event. The winner was young. A year ago he was not well known but no longer. He is the number one player in the world and he won the Masters, which was the first time he had played in the Masters. The tournament was interesting and exciting. The Golf Channel does a good job of discussing golf. Their commentators are well spoken and knowlegable. CBS showed the actual golf tournamtnt, but the Golf Channel provided lots of commentaty but before and after the actuall tournament. I enjoyed this years Masters tournament. And congratulations to Scotty Shiffler, the new champion of the Masters 2022.

April 9, 2022. Madison, Mississippi. Cooking.

I should be kept out of the kitchen. This week for dinner I cooked a strip steat, the one I bought at the butcher shop in Flora. The steaks were too big for one person, so after I cooked them, I cut them in two, to be used by me at another meal. That was always the plan when I bought them. I also cooked a potato in the microwave so I enjoyed my dinner. The steak was good, juicy and tender. I cooked the steak in a frying pan and after the steak was ready, I turned off the gas element and turned out the kitchen light. But after finishing dinner and returning my dishes to the kitchen, as I was approaching the kitchen I could smell cooking meat. Evidently, instead of turning off the element, I had merely turn the control to low. So all the while when I was eating, the juicy steak was still cooking. I turned off the element and allowed the overcooked steak to cool. Just before going to bed, I put the steak in a baggie in the fridge. I really thought that my steak would be beyond eating but I hate to waste food, so I kept it. Much to my surprise, the over cooked steak could be eaten. I never eat well done steak and this steak was certainly well done. But it could be eaten. And it tasted good too although it was certainly not juicy. My lunch today was edible. Now I will remember to ask Kashina to cook my meat. I am certainly not safe in the kitchen.

April 8, 2022. Madison, Mississippi. High Heels.

In China, many many hundreds of years ago, women of high class, when young, had their feet bound, to make their feet amall, which at the time was thought of as desirable. The result was that the ladies were unable to walk properly. When we read about that practice, we realize that the practice was ridiculous. And we correctly understand that the practice was harmful to the ladies. I always thought it barbaric. But now I look at the young ladies on TV who wear very high heels. If you watch the ladies on the hockey channel, you can see that only a tiny part of their foot hits the floor. Their heels are so high and their heels so thin that they can barely stand, let alone walk around. I do not understany why these attractive young women wear such horribly uncomfortable shoes. These high heels are bad for their feet too. Many years ago, I listened to a discussion on the radio about equality for women in the work force. One man mentioned that until a woman can walk as quickly as a man down a hall, they would never be treated seriously. I agreed with that comment and immediately threw out all my shoes that had heels. But my opinion on heels is not popular. But I do not like them. I know I know. Grls think their feet look better in high heels. But a foot was designed to put the whole foot on the floor, not a tiny bit of the front of the foot. So I am opposed to the wearing of those spike heels. But I am in the minority. Most people like them. But not me!!

April 7, 2022. Madison, Mississippi. Molly and Surgery.

This morning at 8:30, Molly had surgery on her right knee. The surgeon removed the floating piece of cartilage, tightened the ligaments and smoothed the patella. The surgeon told Christina that all went well, all done through a hole into the knee. Christina and Molly were home by 11:00. Now Molly must elevate her knee as much as possible and use crutches to get around. And use ice on the knee. She can use her foot for balance but is not supposed to keep full weight on that leg. She is taking pain medication every 6 hours plus Motrin if she has a lot of pain. Today she was mostly sleeping, which was a good thing. In two weeks, Molly returns for an evaluation. And begins her physical therapy. At the moment she is wearing a heavy brace that does not allow her knee to flex. Molly wants to return to school next week, using a chair to elevate her knee. Christina thinks that Molly would do better by staying home. But Molly is a young lady with a lot of energy so keeping her home and happy may be difficult. They will both have to wait and see how Molly gets along. The best part is that the repais have been done to her knee. Now she must recover. So far she is being a trooper. I wish her well.

April 6, 2022. Madison, Mississippi. The Butcher Shop in Flora.

When I was a child, my Mother bought her meat at the butcher shop. But soon we all began to buy our meat at the large grogery stores. When I began teaching in 1957, I visited a butcher shop just up the street from the school. But it did not last long and for a long time, there were no butcher shops at all. All meat was purchased at the grocery stores. But of recent years, single stores have been appearing and now you can actually find a butcher shop. But you must look for them. My Lyft driver Chris had told me about the butcher store in Flora and we visited it once, where I bought sausage. And we had lunch in Flora too. The sausage was delicious so I wanted to return to buy more meat. Chris says that their meat is expensive but I eat such a small amount of meat that I decided to make another visit. Today was the day. I enjoyed my excursion. I looked at all their meat which looked wonderful and I bought 4 pork chops, 4 filet mignons, 2 strip steaks, and 4 different types of sausage. The lady kindly wrapped them individually because she knew I lived alone. My freezer will now provide me with planty of meat. I was delighted with my purchase. Before we went to the market, Chris and I ate lunch. The Blue Rooster was the place we selected. I ate a rueben which was delicious along with potatoe salad. The day was glorious and we drove back roads in both directions. The back roads in Mississippi are worth driving, especially when most people drive the main highways and leave the small roads to us. I enjoyed my excursion with Chris. He is kind to indulge me. I not only enjoyed myself but also now have a freezer full of good meat. Pretty good for a few hours work.

April 5, 2022. Madison, Mississippi. Maryland Crab Soup.

On the menu in most rstaurants in Maryland can be found Maryland Crab Soup. The soup is different and delicious in each restaurant. So we took to always ordering Maryland Crab Soup in all restaurants. We loved eating that soup. Today at lunch I ate Maryland Crab Soup in my home. Several years ago I started to send crab cakes and the soup to my families in Texas and Mississippi from a company in Maryland. David especially loved the smell of the soup. "The soup smells like Maryland," said David. Last year I got smart and sent myself two containers of the soup, which I have enjoyed. Today was the last serving of the soup. And it was delicious. The same is true with tortilla soup in Mexico. Every restaurant served it on the menu. And every soup is good. But every serving is different. I know the ingredients are the same, but the soup just comes out different in each restaurant. Just like Maryland Crab Soup in Maryland. Always delicious and always different. It was nostalia day for me today in Mississippi, enjoying my Maryland past. That soup was wonderful.

April 4, 2022. Madison, Mississippi. My Family Doctor.

Cathy Gregg has been my doctor ever since we started living in Mississippi, which was 2009. We had asked Christina for a good doctor who specialized in Internal Medicine and we were given Cathy's name. We were a bit starlted when we received information from The University of Mississippi department of Geriatics. Of course, both Ken and I qualified but we had not known that Cathy was a specialist in Geriatrics. Evidently there are not many doctors specializing in that field so Cathy is busy. For many years, Ken and I had our appointments back to back except that I had nothing to say because my health seemed to stay the same while Ken always had issues. Then in 2014 I was seeing my Oncologist regularly and my blood work was done with the Oncologist so again I had little to say to Cathy. After Ken died, I did not see Cathy for a couple of years but then was required to see her every year in order for her to prescribe my medications. So now I see her every year. I am always pleased to see her even though I have nothing to tell her about my health. Today I met Cathy for my annual check up. She askes all the questions and I give her the answers. And we laugh a lot. She gets reports from my Oncologist so she knows how I am doing. And she knows I am 84 so will deteriorate over time. Today I had blood drawn there because Dr. Sheehan wanted to see my blood counts again. Instead of going again this Wednesday to see Dr. Sheehan and have blood drawn on Wednesday, I convinced her to let me have the blood work done when I was seeing Cathy on Monday. Last blood counts showed my platelets were way down so now we will find out if they are better. Now I am set for a new appointment with Dr. Gregg on April 10, 2023. I am all set for another year. By the way: Cathy thought I was doing well even though I was wearing a boot and using a walker. Cathy is eternally optimistic.

April 3, 2022. Madison, Mississippi. A Celebration for Molly.

This weekend, Molly's school held an event. It was their annual school play and Molly had a juicy part which she loved. She was Ursula in the play, The Little Mermaid. The school is small but the drama teacher is excellent and their productions have been excellent. She has only been at the school for three years but every production has been better than the one before. They gave 4 performances so by Saturday evening the cast was weary as was the director/teacher. But today, Molly was ready to celebrate her success. She selected Sombra, the Mexican restaurant for her celebration. I did not attend a performance. My immune system knocks me out of being around so many people. But Christina took 4 videos so I was able to see and hear Molly. I must say that she was spectacular. Her singing was beautiful and her appearance on stage dramatic. Her wig, make up and gown were spectacular. She was given a standing ovation at the last performance. All the time at brunch we talked about the play. The most important part of the play was that Molly loved the whole thing. She loves to be on stage and she loved being the villain. But she did admit that she does not wish to be in the entertainment business. And she is pleased the play is over. But today we celebrated in style. The play was sold out for each performance and Molly did a great job with her part. Christina was happy for Molly because Molly worked hard with her lines and her singing. Now this Thursday she will have surgery on her knee. But at the moment she is still basking in the glow of the success of The Little Mermaid. Hats off to Molly.

April 2, 2022. Madison, Mississippi. The Final Four.

The best part of the March Madness basketball tournament is in the first round, where there are lots of games to watch and the low seeds can knock off the top seeds. It is the same for any playoffs, whether baseball or hockey. When I get down to the final four, I tend to lose interest. Tonight the semi final games were played in San Antonio. The first game was between Providence and Kansas. I had watched a few minutes of a Kansas game and decided that they were in a class by themselves. So I felt they would end up playing for the championship. And they will on Monday night. Kansas was never behind in the game. The other semi-final was a horse of a different color. Duke was playing North Carolina, which was the first time they have ever played each other in a final four. And there were several interesting story lines. The Duke coach, Coach K. was coaching his last game. He was retiring. The North Carolina coach was coaching his first season with North Carolina. Duke was higher ranked and during the season, they split the wins. Both teams had scores to settle and of course, the Duke team wanted their coach to retire during the championship game. The game was close with 20 game leader changes. But North Carolina prevailed. So the championship game on Monday will between Kansas and North Carolina. I predict Kansas to win. Truth be told, I spent so many years cheering for the U.of Maryland against Duke and North Carolina that I have trouble cheering for either team. I kept switching from hockey to basketball just to find out the score but my heart was not in that game. The game was so close throughout the game and the players played well. No bonehead plays where one player could hang their head. "Great game," said the commentators. Now onto the final.

April 1, 2022. Madison, Mississippi. Lunch With Bo.

I have lunch with Bo a couple of times each time I am in Mississippi. I enjoy our lunches. Either he calls me or I call him and we make a date. We meet at the restaurant and Bo drives me home. We usually have lunch near his office. Today we had lunch at Sombro, the Mexican restaurant, but often we go to Anjou, the excellent French restaurant. I have a suspicioun that Bo prefers Anjou because he often recoments meeting there. But today I chose. I am connected to Bo in several ways. He is married to my Internal Medicine family doctor, Cathy. She is also a specialist in Geriatric medicine. Bo also was a good friend of Andrew. They fished together all the time. And he was devastated when Andrew died. Bo always calls be around April, the month when Andrew died and also Andrew's birthday. So Bo and I are buddies and he checks in with me regularly. As I have been meeting with Bo every year in the Spring and Fall since 2014, I catch up on the goings and comings of their family which is fun for me. Several seasons ago, we discussed owning country property. A relative wanted him to buy a part of a larger family property but he was demurring due to the expense. I offered several solutions to make it more affordable. And Bo and Cathy bought 190 acres, all woodland. Today we discussed the plans. He wants a lake and a house, one which Cathy will enjoy but one that is not too big. And today he told me that a neighbor inadvertantly, cut down 7 acres of his trees. I enjoy being a part of the family plans. And of course, I encourage him with his country plans. My main social life is made up of my lunches with my friend. Bo is one of my good buddies who indulges me by having lunch with me. I enjoy every minute.