Monday Lite - et al

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Strip Quilt, Texas, 1930’s.

Yesterday and Today Himself: Saturday was drive Model T’s, docent at the museum, and eat dinner with the Feasters. Salad, soup, and lasagna. Today is weigh in day, pre WW (Weight Watchers). He had a giant bag of popcorn at the movie, and no cake. Herself: Italian food Saturday after a day out. Soup, salad, and ravioli in a sweet sauce. I didn’t eat it all. Points….oh dem points. Not only did I do well with them yesterday, I managed to have M&Ms with the new Pirates movie. No cake at the meeting. I felt mildly heroic.

• Movie Spoiler: If you don’t want my opinion, read the next bulleted item. (Different cast, Johnnie Dep excellent as a less drunk Captain, and we got to see our own Maritime Museum “Surprise” sailing back and forth off our coast. The first half really needs editing, the second half moves very fast. The movie follows three disparate groups off to find the fountain of youth. I won’t tell you who get’s it.) My M&Ms were really, really good.



• Slowly the poets group dissolves. After Marion’s death, the group moved over to Joan’s house on the cliffs where Kay lives. Kay was a powerful voice in the world of poetry, and after a head injury now only does editing. Now Kay is taking Joan, who remains on a feeding tube, to live in Montana. I wonder how they will get there….Joan is the driver. They say they are leaving on the 30th of this month, and this last meeting will be the final one. I worked as Joan’s general factotum and chief bottle washer for well over five years. She was difficult to work for tho an inspiring woman. Her husband was a kind and fascinating person. I’m going to attend this one gathering despite cat hair and emotions.



• My body responds to all this attention at last. I can climb up out of the pool with ease now. Climbing up two flights of stairs isn’t really fluid, but I can do it all at once. My good leg gets tired now and that really worry’s me as it is a symptom of a blocked artery. I’m trying to walk through this. I’m still wearing the same old clothes, but I can actually see I am losing weight tho from the top down. My face has twice the wrinkles and my chin is considering reappearing. Someone called me the Geezer’s mother at the Model T drive-a-thon, and I accepted the lady’s apologies with good grace. Progress but certainly not perfection.



• I sort of took over the quilt stuff at the store. The lady who was doing it all has been so busy she doesn’t remember her own name. Not only am I lazy, I’m retired. I have fractionally more free time. So I wrote a nice letter to the Tipton IA, Cedar County Historical Society, and ran it by the head of the store. She thought it was great. Trying to get the Tipton Quilt back to photograph has been difficult, but the lady who has it says she will have it for me this afternoon. I did bring the other Suiting Quilt home to photograph also. It is remarkably like those dark suiting quilts I saw in the Mingei Museum this weekend. As soon as I get these photographed, I will send an email off to Tipton. For me this has been a little like an exciting side job.



• This week’s calendar looks so peaceful in comparison to last week. Today, after I swim and talk with Bee, I have the day off. Imagine. The rest of the week is a one thing a day week unlike last Saturday when we left the house at eight and got home at seven. Meals have been planned….note that I am the only one who eats dinner then goes to WW to weigh in. Most days note swimming and one other thing like school or store. Life will be simple this week, and I reach out for it.




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• I hated to see the Geezer going one way up the street this morning and I the other way. I don’t know why it bothered me so, but it did. He waved; I blew kisses. It still brought a tear to my eye.


• I’m an addict/alcoholic as you all know. On my birthday in 1981, age 40, I stopped doing drugs. In 1983 on this day, I stopped drinking. Amazing. What a miracle. I try and live each day “as if.”


• Talking with Bee this morning, and it appears that age is now all important in the art world too. The schools are now grabbing graduate students, getting them shows, getting them good galleries, wringing them dry, and casting them off. Then it’s on to the next graduate student. If you are over a certain age, your work is judged by how old you are. This began about twenty years ago when money began to enter the art world…..I am so very glad I missed this. It’s like turning your soul over to the devil for fame and money. I couldn't live with myself if I had to take part in this sort of world.