Vistors

Dear friends,

With no rain and some sun, a semblance of real fall has blessed us the past two days. We have also enjoyed a number of visitors coming to help or to see Bernice. The usual (now that the routine is established) helpful crew: Ronnie the Visiting Nurse who told Bernice that she is doing well enough that her visits will be cut back to once a week and Dimary who helps Bernice in the shower, straightens up everywhere and helps with exercises. Bernice now has an extensive exercise program and having someone to count repetitions, provide resistance to straining arms and legs, and to just be there makes this easier to do. Bernice is scaling her stairs and moving about with more ease every day. Unfortunately there is still pain in the ankle and in her back.

Our artist friend Louise came for a visit and brought a zucchini loaf which formed part of our dinner tonight. Very good. Louise and husband Paul live in nearby Sea Cliff in a rambling old home sited on one of the town's steep, winding roads. They have done a marvelous job of renovating this old house and part of its charm is Louise's studio perched on an upper floor and enjoying the light artists love.

Our almost-daughter Dawn came to visit later and shared news of her world. She teaches at the college level, is about 3/4 finished with her PhD thesis in English Literature, and is also devoted to her poetry and music composition. She and Bernice probably discussed all these topics as well as others while I spent my time elsewhere. Last week she was part of a poetry blast CW Post University. She had been unable to get to the rehearsal but wanted to see the venue where she would be performing so went there the day before the performance. She had expected a modest performance space and was staggered to learn that she would be on center stage with a grand piano, her poetry, and her music in the 2200 seat auditorium. On performance night, after the first nervous moment when she walked on stage, all was well. During Dawn's visit Rabbi Jodi came to wish Bernice well. Our synagogue has two rabbis: Rabbi Lee, the senior rabbi who has visited a couple times and Rabbi Jodi. Bernice knows Rabbi Jodi quite well for she guided and taught the ten women in 2006 all they needed to know to become Bat Mitzvah. There were weekly meetings with deep discussions on history, religion, and the details of learning to read and chant the portion of the torah they would deal with on the day when they would mount the bima and perform all the elements of the ancient ritual. Rabbi Jodi has four young children who are now all in middle school. A very personable and bright person.

Bernice is now spending more time at her computer and in the kitchen. Laury, her coeditor for Measure for Measure (many have noticed my omission of italics where they are sorely needed. I tried this but found that the blog software lurched and I had to start again. Just imagine those italics on all proper titles) Today they spent a few hours together and were working on what they called a "knotty" scene. I overhear them while I am working downstairs in my study debating points, most often agreeing, and occasionally giggling. Collaboration is fun with two such as this pair.

Sonia, Bernice's TTh aide, was here in the morning and her very first task was to prepare a pot of steel-cut oatmeal which must simmer for over an hour. Bernice loves this and adds pepper and a small pat of butter. There are now six servings in their own dishes in the refrigerator awaiting Bernice's future pleasure. In the afternoon our very longtime friends Bobbie and Norman stopped in bringing more goodies. By longtime I mean from the mid-50s! They brought a cheese quiche and for the carnivore of our household a cornish game hen. In addition, a large veggie basket containing cuts of very fresh broccoli, cauliflower, radishes, and tomatoes. They will be leaving for Florida in a couple of weeks and will not return until our early spring blossoms are in evidence. Now that the Florida temperatures have moderated they will repair to their lovely 10th floor condo that overlooks the ocean. Their building is located on the beach.

I have been dealing with a curious problem the last two days. We have a light fixture which sheds light for reading over our bed — now over the hospital bed Bernice is now using. It is a Lightolier fixture that we purchased in the mid 60s and it has, among other things, seen a multitude of books. It stopped working. I needed this, I thought. I know that this is a useless reaction but it comes unbidden in such situations. It has a single 4-foot fluorescent bulb which had no telltale dark ends but I checked it at our hardware store. All OK. My still working if seldom used engineer's analysis saw two remaining possibilities: the ballast had failed (I replaced this about 20 years ago) or one of the two switches was bad. I had installed two switches, one on either end of the light to allow either of us to operate the light, back when the light was new. The ballast was more likely to be bad so I ran out, got a new ballast, and installed it. The light did not respond with a blaze or any light at all. Awww I thought. I knew that son Lincoln was coming for dinner and he is a top engineer. Over dinner I explained the problem and we discussed how we would test the switches. After dinner Lincoln went to the room and found the light on! We turned it on and off a number of times. No problem. It may be that I am left with the engineer's most distasteful situation: an intermittent problem. We must let time tell.

Another interesting problem has arisen associated with the generosity of all our friends who have showered us with so many delicious dishes. Now, these dishes generally arrived in food containers of various sizes, colors, and brands. After we had our fill of their contents they went into the dishwasher and I took the clean containers and carefully placed them on the top surface a our large credenza located in our front vestibule. The placement was not at all random but served to remind who the owners are. Also, conveniently placed for easy return. Enter Margherita our super-efficient cleaning woman. She dusts and cleans surfaces I have never noticed and, after a thorough cleaning of the credenza I found all the containers in two nested and stacks neat piles. There are Ziploc, Rubbermaid, Glad brands among others and I can only hope that the owners will have some memory of which are theirs. Yes, I could have put tape labels on all the containers but I concede to being imperfect in some things.

On that note I bid all a very good night,
Merwin