The photo shows a few of the icicles that are fringing the three bedroom windows, overlooking the street. Very beautiful.

Dear Friends and Family,

We are recovering from our wonderful 60th anniversary weekend: Harvey took many many photos and videotaped almost the whole day, on Saturday. I'll blog some sample photos soon. The actual date is today (Jan. 31st), and we are seriously considering going out to celebrate, before the next storm blasts in: if we go out for dinner this will be a first for me since July 22nd (I think).

The highlights: the day started on Friday night, when Debbie and Arthur arrived in time for Shabbos dinner. I decided at the last minute earlier in the day to make kedgeree, a recipe from the Betty Crocker Cookbook that my dear friend (Merwin's sister) Essie gave me when we were first married. The dish is a favorite of Arthur's, and though somewhat long in preparation very simple. It violates my current 3 ingredients or 3 steps rule, but for my dear Arthur it was worth it. The recipe is below (I hope).

Sat. was a date of eating, big time! On Saturday, Harvey and Sandy arrived with salads and other goodies for lunch. Arthur made tuna salad. I did nothing. Debbie's son, David Manoff, had been picked up in Port Washington (from Philly where he is in his second year of residency), so we were 7 at the lunch table in my bright study. We were overjoyed to meet Debbie's David, but I think he must have been overwhelmed by the noisy, talkative Klimans, especially after our sons Dave and Lincoln, and our granddaughters Michelle and Rachael joined us later that afternoon. Every once in a while, I slipped off to my bedroom to rest. When I emerged for our special dinner at about 6 p.m. (early because David Manoff had to get back to Philly that evening) the table was beautifully set with a special blue and white cloth, a candelabra encircled by fairy candles, white dishes and blue glasses. Debbie had brought champagne and poured it into our beautiful champagne glasses. So festive! There were eleven of us at table.

With the videotape running, Harvey asked us to tell some of the old stories about our first falling in love, our wedding in Syracuse with only my college friends in attendance, being stuck there because of a faulty generator in the faithful '39 Chevy, and a snow storm, subsisting on a salami that my mother had sent us off with when we left to get married, the trip from Syracuse to Buffalo with Merwin's daring attack on a huge hill that had flummoxed all others, and more. Merwin has a fantastic memory, and I chimed in also. Everyone enjoys these old family stories.

Our families have a tradition of eloping (which our two married sons—or their brides—did not want to emulate when they got married): My mother, Merwin's mother, my sister and Merwin's sister had all eloped. We couldn't exactly elope because we were underage and had to carry with us letters from our parents giving their permission. So everyone knew what we intended.

After Shabbos. Sylvia and Marty joined us, and there were more tales—of their courtship while Sylvia stayed with us after graduating from college in Buffalo almost 40 years ago! After dessert, I slipped away again but was joined by Michelle and others as I rested on my trusty recliner.

When I returned to the kitchen the next morning, I found that almost everything had been taken care of, leftovers packaged for the freezer, dishwasher full, etc. Arthur and Debbie were the only ones remaining for breakfast. Arthur and I had a deal: if I was up to it, I would make omelets. If not, he would. We both like doing it. I was happy that I could do it, and they came out looking beautiful. Eventually, Arthur and Debbie had to leave for Epping, and Merwin and I were alone together again. That's nice too.

A quiet day ending with some nature shows on TV.

I am feeling content and happy.

Love to all,
Bernice

Here is the Recipe. I hope:

Kedgeree Recipe

One pot, one bowl method, serves 4-6

Hard boil two eggs. Allow to cool, peel, separate whites and yolks. Put chopped whites into a large bowl.

In the same pot, make 1 Cup of wild rice (raw measure), following package directions. Empty into the bowl. (I wash the wild rice thoroughly in a strainer, place in pot and cover with cold water, bring to boil. Pour off water and cover with cold water again and boil until tender.)

In the same pot, saute 1 Cup or more sliced mushrooms in a very little butter. Empty into the bowl. If you cannot use mushrooms, use 1 Cup of marinated artichoke hearts, straight from the jar, drained.

In the same pot make a curry sauce, a basic light white sauce with 1 teaspoon (or more) of curry:

Melt two-three tablespoons of butter.

Add an equal amount of flour, slowly, stirring to blend well.

Cook these together with the curry powder until they are bubbly, making a roux.

In the meantime, heat two cups of milk (skimmed milk is OK, whole is better) in micro until hot.

Add the hot milk slowly to the roux, stirring.

(If you‘re in a hurry, for the white sauce use a can of condensed mushroom soup diluted with enough milk to make two cups, add the curry powder.)

Add the curry sauce to the large bowl.

Add 2 cans of very well drained tuna. Alternatively, a pound of cooked fresh firm fleshed fish may be used.

Add one small jar (or part of a jar if you prefer) of diced or sliced pimentos to the large bowl.

Mix all ingredients well.

Pour into buttered shallow casserole, about 6” x 9” x 2”.

On top, sprinkle a few ounces of sliced almonds.

Press the egg yolks through a sieve to create a pattern of yellow egg crumbs on the top.

Bake at 350o for about 30 minutes, until hot and bubbly. If you want, you can prepare the casserole early in the day and refrigerate it, then bake it just before serving it. If so, allow a few more minutes of baking because the ingredients will be cold.

Enjoy!

More snow coming!

Merwin took these photos yesterday: one shows the view from my study to the deck; it's quite amazing the way the furniture is completely covered. The other photo shows our front yard. You can just see to the right the new 3-foot high railing that we had installed recently. This is to help me walk down the path if necessary. In the photo the snow almost obscures it altogether. As usual, click to enlarge the photos and then use the back button to return to the blog.

Dear friends and family,

I couldn't resist sending you the photos. And we hear there will be another couple of inches over this weekend! I am ready to see the end of the snow, beautiful as it is.

This morning I sent my sentinels essay to my fellow web site editors, Nick, Hardin and Eric, and I am hoping they will think it is OK and ready to put on the site—or better yet, offer criticism. Looking back at other character studies that are already on the site, I see I have done each one very differently. Who said that consistency is the mark of a small mind? If that is true, mine must be large indeed! But in a way, the differences are appropriate: each character requires a different analysis.

Today I am beginning to capture notes for the web site from my own considerable Hamlet collection. It seems reasonable to realize that the resources I have on hand can compensate for my inability to work in the NYPL at present. I also have many copies of TLS that Kathryn has been giving me, and they are fun to do also, but not as directly useful as essays and books that focus on Hamlet.

Yesterday, Laury came for a short visit, and it was a delight to see her. We will have to figure out a project that we can do together now that the FOCUS work is just about over (except for photos and some corrections). Working with her sharpens my dull brain.

I have an urge for potato pancakes for lunch. I think I can manage to make them by myself, I hope. This time real pancakes, not the oven-baked version I tried last time—a half-baked idea.

Love to all,
Bernice

Snow, snow, snow!

These photos are of a friend's three gorgeous girls. The adjective is superfluous because they are so obviously beautiful. Seeing these photos makes me smile. Maybe I'll see the girls in person when my friend comes to NYC this March. As usual, click on photo to enlarge and then back- arrow to return to the blog.

Dear friends and family,

It snowed again, and I have mixed feelings. It is beautiful to look at. Merwin filled the bird feeder yesterday, and the smaller birds especially have been active at visiting it. There is a frame of icicles, a delicate fringe, at the top of my south-facing windows in my bed-sitting room. (Arthur tells me that's because the insulation is not sufficient; his energy efficient home in New Hampshire has no icicles.) Earlier today, the snow had been packed on the various branches in view, but now most of the heavier loads have fallen, though the delicate branches still have their snow sleeves on. I think we had about 18" of snow, on top of all the snow that was still on the sidelines from the previous snow storms.

What worries me is Merwin's insistence on shoveling. He has the snow blower, but the snow was too deep for that, plus the side of the driveway was already lined with many feet of snow. So he used a shovel to make inroads. My father had a heart attack when shoveling snow, and I think of that when I watch him out the window. I finally blew my little (but powerful) distress horn to get his attention and urge him to stop. He, of course, thinks he's immortal.

Sonia could not get here today obviously. We will miss her, but for me it means another day of rest, without the exercises she does with me and the food prep we do together. I am always exhausted (but exhilarated at the progress) when she leaves. She called me excitedly because she had tried my cauliflower recipe—actually Sami's recipe—and LOVED it. She had helped me make this last week: Preheat oven to 400 - 450, depending on your oven. Separate a head of cauliflower into flowerets, about 1" wide each with their little stems, wash and then lay out to dry on a paper towel. In a bowl big enough to hold the flowerets, pour 2 T good olive oil, salt and pepper to taste, and Sonia added curry powder (almost any spice or combination will be good). Add the flowerets and mix well. When the flowerets are well coated, and there is no olive oil left in the bottom of the bowl because it is well distributed on the flowerets, pour them onto a baking sheet (as for cookies) and spread them around. Bake in preheated oven for about 20 min. Check, and if the tops are brown turn them over to brown on the other side. When they are brown on both sides, take out of the oven and begin eating! They are irresistible and good hot, warm, or cool. Sonia likes to try everything we make together, and it is all new to her because as I may have mentioned her husband does all the booking in their home. What fun to pass on these recipes!

Of course, it is no surprise, really, that Arthur and Debby will be delayed coming here tomorrow. They had expected to be here in time for lunch; now we will be lucky if they can make it in time for supper. No need to go into the reasons: they are totally understandable and unexpected. I find, as I have mentioned before, that I get enormous pleasure about thinking of planned events, whether outings or visits from friends and family, and then if the plans fall through, I have had at least the pleasure of anticipation. On Saturday the rest of the family who are available will arrive to help us celebrate our 60th wedding anniversary. I probably won't write in my blog again until after everyone leaves.

I have finished the first draft of my sentinels piece for the website and will read the printout, make corrections, and then let it sit for a while before I send it to my co-editors for their comments and, I hope, approval.

More work awaits in the wings; there is always more to do, more to look forward to.

Love to all,
Bernice

Snow again

Thia view of our house taken by our neighbor Rick, across the street, shows all the snow that we are having—but also shows that beautifully clear driveway and a little bit of a hint of the walk to the front door. Merwin and his snow blower do a great job.

Dear friends and family,

Yesterday we went for a ride for the first time since the flu took over my life—that is, a ride that didn't end with a visit to a doctor. We went to RSNS and dropped off some clothes for the INN, but more importantly saw Louise's beautiful art show there. The depth of her imagination is breath taking. We bought a little piece that will likely be a present for someone eventually, but that we will enjoy for a time at least if we can find a bit of wall to display it! We already have many framed photos leaning against walls. I think it may work in our apartment.

After that we stopped at Caggiano's, a fine catering and grocery shop, and picked up some goodies for lunch and supper. Mainly we were there to look around and see what we could get this weekend when the family will be here to celebrate our 60th wedding anniversary.

My work on the sentinels proceeds slowly. I start at the first sentence each time I open the document, and I usually see something I want to change; then I get to the end of the draft and begin adding. It is not an easy process, but the great thing is that the focus on the three sentinels teaches me things I had not considered before. I move from WORD to the website, slowly adding to the document. Laury happens to be working on Hamlet act one, scene one for the next SAA meeting in Seattle, so I shared my work-in-progress with her. We heard from Mike Jensen, always a good friend, that our edition of Romeo and Juliet had been reviewed favorably in the Shakespeare Bulletin. Somehow I missed that although I subscribe to that journal. Now I have to go on a hunt for it.

And so it goes: Telephone conversations with family and friends, living in the moment as well as keeping one eye cocked on the future—the coming weekend, trying to get stronger, thinking, writing. A full life.

Love,
Bernice

Getting better slowly

The three Lavin girls, Gracie, making her move; Sarah, watching; and Katie, pondering her response. How they are growing! I wish I could spend more time with them. I think they will remember the many happy occasions we have shared.


Dear Friends and Family,

The cough is still with me and the ribs hurt a lot, but there is no doubt that the flu has run its course. I have returned to my work, very slowly, limpingly even, but at least it is a start. For the website, I am trying to craft the essay on the sentinels, who play an interesting combination of roles that are vitally important and yet minor. To me, the way Shakespeare handles Francisco, Barnardo, and Marcellus in the first act proves that he was a man of the theater. He demonstrates his care for the egos of his actors at every step. It's doubtful that someone not of the theater would know about such things. Francisco has fewer than 15 lines, yet he is made so vivid that for one minor actor who undertook his role it was a career maker—because of the feeling way he said "For this relief much thanks, tis bitter cold and I am sick at heart." Each of the three men is differentiated by his speech. Also, Shakespeare hints at but does not seem to pay much attention to status. He also does not seem terribly concerned with the naming of characters; perhaps a better educated author would be more careful about the names he gives characters, not only in this play but in many others.

It's very possible that the sentinels doubled in other roles throughout the play, whether minor or major. It’s a fun game to consider which of them could have played such roles as the ghost (wouldn't it be a coup de théâtre to have the uneasy Francisco return as the ghost later in the scene?), the gravedigger, various ambassadors, or just attendant lords to swell a court scene.

More people are planning to come to my April 12 talk. Jeffery Triggs, our fantastic web master and his beautiful wife, Sara; our dear friend Jesús; my neighbor Florence, and people from the CSS, I hope. What nerve I have—what hope—to plan such an event. But I can visualize myself resting in our apartment, then walking across Bryant Park to the NYPL entrance on 42nd Street, and then into the building to the wonderful venue for the talk at 1:15 p.m. Everyone seated in the audience will have a computer, so they will be able to see what I am demonstrating on a screen at the front. Once the talk is over, in about an hour, I can return to the apartment and rest. So it seems do-able to me. One of my main jobs is making sure that I can access everything in the computer smoothly and easily. Everything has to go without a hitch because what I am trying to demonstrate above all is how useful the site can be to anyone who wants to know anything about Hamlet.

My dear colleague and co-editor, Nick, who teaches at SMC and has had his students present the site in class, is going to send me some of their materials, for which I will credit him and them.

On other fronts, there are a few editorial changes to deal with in the Focus Measure for Measure edition. But best of all to look forward to, I learned just yesterday that my "Hamlet at Sea" essay will be in the summer issue of SQ. Sometime before then, the editorial staff will ask me for clarifications, changes, illustrations, etc. The essay will appear with a couple of others on the play. I have high hope for the continuation of my scholarly life as long as possible.

And family and friends continue to be of the utmost importance. What a rich life! Even if I cannot look forward to travel, marathon races, spin classes, and all the attendant joys of life that live in memory, I am grateful for what I have.

A bright cold snowy day!

Love to all,
Bernice

Progress on all fronts

Jesús, his wife Xelo, son Pau, and daughter Carme (the pistol). Jesús recently sent us this photo to add to the many others we keep close to us as a faint substitute for their actual presence. Aren't they beautiful?

Dear friends and family,

Jesús emailed us today to tell us he will come to visit after his attendance at the SAA (Shakespeare Association of America) meeting in Seattle. Merwin and I are both thrilled. I first met Jesús at the Folger Shakespeare Library in Washington, D.C. Camille, my dear friend who works there, is always alert to matches she can make, so when any reader asks for Hamlet materials, she always introduces them to me if I am there. Jesús was a grad student at the time. We clicked; I won't go into how his Shakespeare interests mesh so perfectly with mine but will just say that he is an important contributor to hamletworks.org, the website that is my passion. There are so many high points of our friendship to reminisce about: he phoned me in Stratford, where I was attending a conference, to tell me that Pau had been born: Merwin and I were as excited as if we were the grandparents. He invited me to be on his PhD defense committee (he is now on the faculty of his university), which was amazing because his work leap-frogged so creatively from my work. Merwin and I have visited him and his parents many times, and they all have visited us here. In addition we have gone to the same meetings quite often. Jesús is one example of the rich friendships that derive from our mutual love of Shakespeare. I think there is something about working with Shakespeare that makes these friendships, and especially the international friendships, more likely, perhaps, than it is in other disciplines. Jesús expects to attend the NYPL talk I am giving on April 12th (God willing).

Good things continue today. After our visit to Dr. Janus, I felt more cheerful than I have for some time. I can see now that I have been depressed about losing time (from the time left to me), not being able to be with Merwin, our children, and friends. Not even able to talk on the phone. Not being able to work has been especially onerous. I don't feel materially different today: still coughing from the flu, itching from the myelo fibrosis, and fatigue from both. But I am more hopeful now that I am doing something more active to get better; I have tried the nebulizer 3 times now, and I think that it may be helping.

I find myself inventing ways to make meals that will not require that I stand in one place for any amount of time; that's when the pains from the neuropathy kick in. I am really pleased about the one I tried yesterday. For convenience, we make a pound of pasta at a time; then I use it in various ways through the week. This week is was wide egg noodles, which Merwin boiled and drained, and I stored in the refrigerator.

The first dish was vegetarian stroganof, the second was a vegetable soup, and the third was a variation on Merwin's fantastic Mom's English style baked egg dish, which is our old standby for all our company brunches. I layered about 2 cups of the cooked noodles in a 10" square buttered baking dish, then added a lot of good grated cheese that Merwin had prepared. I broke 4 eggs on the noodles (I made little nests for them), sprinkled a little half and half cream on the mix and popped it in the oven. No salt, no pepper, which can be added at table if needed. I baked this about 20 minutes at 375 for Merwin (he likes runny yokes) and another 10 minutes for me (I like hard yokes). He was a happy man as he ate this new dish. My attempts are not all so successful, so I cherish the times he is enthusiastic about an invention, which really is nothing but putting two dishes together.

Sonia came today and helped with the wash, kitchen cleanup, prepping the cauliflower for the roasted cauliflower I made today, and making potato pancake batter. More importantly, she put me through my paces. For the first time in weeks, I went for a walk with her and did almost all my exercises. I didn't think I could do all that work. I had to take a nap to recover, but it was very good to know that I can get back into a healthy routine.

I am glued to the TV watching all the unfolding news. I heard many more positive takes on our national debt: not as bad as some think. But much of the news is not so good, especially about the recalcitrant gun loving faction.

And who knows about the relation of what we hear and see is to the truth? I have been reading an article in The New Yorker about how news is manufactured. Remember the "great" moment when "liberated" Iraqi people pulling down a huge statue of Sadam Hussein? I knew it was a fake when we first saw those images on TV because when the camera pulled back at times, it was clear that there were very very few Iraqis involved. It was all a sham that intended to show that the Mission had been Accomplished. It hadn't. I think the only reason we are still talking about Sarah Palin is because the news-around-the-clock people pay so much attention to her.

The sky is darkening: time to think about this night's dinner.

Love to all,
Bernice

Better days are ahead.

Love to all,
Bernice

Good news

Dear family and friends,

We had an early appointment today with our pulmonologist (the lovely and delightful Dr. Janus), who prescribed a bunch of things to help me get better, including a nebulizer and the med that both our son Harvey and our friend Vaughan had recommended. The good news is that I am not likely to spread contagion now, and Merwin and I can be together again at meals and other occasions. We miss each other, though of course w see each other in passing. We don't usually spend a lot of time together anyway because we each have a study space, and that's where we are for most of the day. (The secret of a happy marriage?) I am noticeably weaker after over 2 weeks with little or no exercise. It will take a while to build up my strength again. But it will happen.

Last night I freaked out when I saw a bug in my bed. It wasn't a slow stink bug but a speedy wooly spider, I think. Ugh. Since I didn't capture it, I was uneasy during the night. That, added to the coughing, the itching, and painful ribs, didn't allow for a sweet sleep. But I am looking forward to better sleep tonight with my new meds, which include a week of prednisone. I blanched at that, but Dr J assured me that this would be a small dose, nothing like the huge dose I took for months when I had pneumonia last year, and it would not require tapering.This small dose will give me some of this strange drug's good benefits without the bad.

The only work I have done in recent days is answer email, which is work only when someone needs some information from me. Otherwise, reading email is a great way to be in touch with friends and family. Dave came over last night and fixed a few niggling email problems for me. These sons of ours are just amazing; they know so much. As Lincoln once said, he is not afraid to go fishing in the computer for answers to its problems, while I am always stuck and never seem to know where to look for answers—except to our sons.

Now that I know I am not contagious anymore, I am ready to consider celebrating our 60th (!!) wedding anniversary with friends and our children. Small groups are best for me. The plan is to go to a nice restaurant with a few people at a time, and I think I can handle that as soon as the coughing gets under control. I recall that when I got married, I thought, "because we are so young, we can probably celebrate a 50th anniversary." Things were so different 10 years ago; we both very healthy then and had the hubris to think that health and vitality would last forever.

Our friend Mike Jensen is working on a website that collects publicity materials for Shakespearean films. Here is the address for the Olivier Hamlet page: http://michaelpjensen.com/home_page/hamlet_1948_page_4/

Love to all,
Bernice

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Remembering the past

Dear Friends and Family,

This photo shows me with Arthur leaning against me (we called him "baby" then though he's only a year younger than brother Harvey, who looks like such a big boy here, in 1955 or 1956, I think). We are at the Mill wheel in Roslyn Park, a favorite outing for us all. Also in the photo are Lester, Merwin's cousin from Buffalo, his aunt Mona's son, and his wife Diane, who stayed with us when we lived in Glenwood Landing for a while until they found a place nearer to where he was stationed, at Fort Totten. Our relationship with this cousin went awry after the closeness of living together in a tiny house, and we hardly ever saw them after that. Lester, always a joker, made us the butt of his wit (which others unkindly told us), and I was bewildered by it all: how is it that lending a hand to someone can lead to estrangement rather than continued closeness? After they moved to Texas, we sometimes saw them when we visited our nephews In Houston and Austin, and we saw them at some big events there, like weddings. We learned yesterday from our nephew Mike that Lester had died. That closes the chapter.

Today is the two-week anniversary of the flu. If I am not better by tomorrow, we will see Dr. Janus, the pulmonologist, as our Dr. G suggested. I am getting sick of this sedentary life and of having to keep Merwin away from my germs. I am getting better, clearly, because at least I feel like communicating. Can't talk, though, without coughing. I welcome your emails.

I have done a very little cooking and only simple things, like soup. I made a salmon loaf that served for about 3 meals. After preheating the oven to 400, I chopped some vegetables (onion, carrots, bliss potatoes and the like) in our Cuisinart, then mixed them in a bowl with a one pound can of pink salmon, bread crumbs, and 3 eggs. We like salmon patties, but that would have been too much work, so I made a pseudo pancake by spreading the mix very thinly in a 9 x 13 pan. I had skimmed the pan with oil and heated it till the oil was wavy but not smoking, then spread the salmon mix very thinly in the pan. This baked for almost an hour till it was very brown all over. The leftovers made excellent sandwiches. It took longer to write this than to prepare it.

I miss my phone conversations with all my sons and my friends.

Love to all,
Bernice

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Winter Weather

Dear friends,

Perhaps it is time for something other than medical news.

The Winter Solstice comes around each year on December 21. It marks the shortest day of the year in the northern hemisphere — the day on which the sun in its daily journey across the sky dips to its lowest point at noon for the entire year. After this climatic day (for some) the sun will be a bit higher in the sky at each noontime and the lengthening days will probably be almost imperceptibly noticed by most of the hemisphere’s creatures. The Babylonians in 3000 BC, the master astronomers, knew amazing details of planetary motions, kept star tables of hundreds of stars, and were also well aware of the solstice. Even in their day this event was celebrated as a day of renewal and in every culture that we know of it was a day of celebration. The Romans in Julius Caesar’s time noted the day as December 25 in their calendar, which was not entirely accurate but that day became the day of celebration. It was not until the 4^th century that the Church chose this already celebratory day to mark Christ’s birth. Mrs. Wells, my fine 7^th grade teacher, would be pleased at how well I recall her lessons of Earth’s motions and how they determine our seasons. Before we were taught all the reasons for our cold winters I remember proposing that the Earth is more distant from the sun during our winter. I was surprised to learn that, due to our elliptical orbit around the sun, we are actually just a shade closer to sun during our winter. Teaching Socratically, it took some time before our class appreciated that our seasons are largely determined by Earth’s constant inclination as it orbits. Buffalo school children were especially interested in learning reasons for cold and snowy winters.

We are just now entering the third week in January and the sun has now been doing its best to contribute a bit more warmth to the frozen fields of the north. But, our Earth is massive and any warming lags the solstice by about a month. This coming week in January is, on the average, the coldest time of the year. During my boyhood in Buffalo this was the peak season for determined fisherman to drive their jalopies out onto the frozen surface of Lake Erie, one or two feet thick, and ice fish through a drilled hole. In my day the adventurers might put up a little shanty to shield themselves from the fierce winds that whipped across the open lake but I have heard from relatives that the little fishing cabins are now elaborate domiciles equipped with generators to power stoves and TVs to watch the current sports. The fish of choice is the Walleye that can weigh in at 30 pounds. Every Spring thaw there were always the news reports of a few foolhardy souls, probably drunk as part of the fishing ritual, who had to be rescued from their ice floes heading north up the Niagara River before they reached the falls a mere 25 miles upriver.

Other weather stories fill the front pages. There are record floods in Australia, Pakistan, and steady rains in Brazil causing terrible mudslides. The warmer surface temperatures of the oceans have been implicated in the excessive precipitation we have witnessed including our recent series of snowstorms on our east coast. The 2001 to 2010 decade was the warmest since weather data was collected in the 1880s. Likewise 2010 was tied with 2005 as the warmest year on record. People naturally doubt the existence of global warming in the midst of our recent winter storms. The warming is indisputable but its effects on our daily weather are evidently no simple matter. There is more energy in our weather system that seems to be producing more variation and more extreme highs and lows in all categories. This past summer there were severe heat waves in Europe and in Russia, record floods are prominent everywhere, hurricanes have been more intense and frequent.

What will poets have to say about this situation?

Keep warm and love,

Merwin

"Immune compromised"

The photo is from Merwin's birthday lunch, Dec. 25. Counterclockwise, there is granddaughter Rachael, Merwin, me with the Deck behind me, Sandy who did much of the heavy-duty work the whole day through. Harvey was behind the camera. This was the only still photo he took.


Dear Friends and Family,

"Immune compromised" were the words my doctor used over and over to describe my situation. That means that my immune system needs some help to get over the flu. As I mentioned before I think, he wanted me to see him a few days ago before prescribing codeine for the cough, but I just couldn't handle it—too sick to go to the doctor. Today he took a chest x-ray and was pleased that it was completely clear. That did not surprise me, because my lungs aren't what's hurting. Still it was good news that pleased us all. I am to take the antibiotic till Monday, and if I am coughing as much I am to see Dr. Janus, who took care of me when I had pneumonia last year. The trouble is probably in my bronchial system; that is where I hear the crackling noises and get the uncontrollable urge to cough. The coughing fits are truly horrible.

I hated losing these two weeks in the sense that I spoke to no one, saw no one, not even Merwin most of the time. David called today and begged to hear just a word from me.

I did a very little reading. A fine essay by a colleague published many years ago arrived yesterday. I am pleased that Laury and I can add it to our Measure for Measure bibliography. I know how frustrating it is when what you consider good work is ignored by the Shakespeare community; that's happened to me often enough. Still, we write for our own pleasure in doing it—from what we learn as we struggle to get our thoughts down.

My dear granddaughter Michelle (Rachael's twin sister) emailed me this morning to alert me to the obit of Ellen Stewart, La MaMa's founder and guiding light. Over a year ago, Merwin and I had taken Michelle to see a play at La Mama, which we all thought was wonderful, and it was a thrill to see La Mama herself, in a wheelchair but smiling, still bringing so much joy to so many. Live forever, queen of the arts!

David Brooks, not my favorite commentator in the NYT, had a sweet rambling essay in this week's New Yorker (dated 1-17 but written in the innocent days before the terrible events in Tucson). One particular sentence he wrote and a number he quoted resonated for me. It was the statement that meeting once a month with people you care about is more life fulfilling and satisfying than achievements and riches. Truly, that is my feeling abut my once a month writing group sessions (had to cancel this month), the once a month Columbia Shakespeare Seminar (haven't been there for months but stay in touch), the once a month Ladies who Lunch group—and all the regular and irregular meetings with people I love, near and far. I am still relishing with pleasure the NYC meeting with Ralph, Judy and Mary Hill—a rare event but immeasurably sweet.

I am thinking of all of you I love so dearly and need so much for my continued joy-in-the-world.

Hoping to lick this latest imposition on my time and energy,
Love,
Bernice

A couple of steps forward, a couple back

Before and after photos of Arthur and Debbie's back splash, Home Depot tiles they installed this past weekend. Arthur writes: "Our design used stainless short grain (the vertical tiles) and champagne long grain [from Home Depot]. The colors match the counter top and the paint colors of the house so it looks really great." As always, click on photo to enlarge it, then back arrow to return to blog.


Dear Friends and Family,

Eleven days into the flu, and in some respects I am feeling better, some worse. My right rib is very painful, forcing me to take a strong med for pain, which has its own deleterious side-effects. I try hard to avoid such meds. But I feel brighter, able at least to write this blog. I miss Merwin. I have been staying away from him, and so far he seems not to have gotten the bug.

This weekend, I have been stuck looking at TV, listening to the news and commentators on the news. The shooting in Tucson is incredibly sad. Guns and America, America and guns: can we separate these two? On MSNBC now the pundits are listing gun attacks, the murders of public figures over the years. What will be the outcome of this current horror? Will various state legislatures give up on bills to allow students to carry loaded weapons into classrooms? Into any public gathering?

A very sad sad killing and wounding of so many—and inspiring bravery by many. Will this unite our Congress?

Love to all—stay safe,
Bernice

Can't stop coughing

Can't really write, but I wanted to share the lovely snow-covered bush in front of our house, the one that brightened our fall with red blossoms. Now the sun is shining, and the snow-covered branches in the Southeast facing windows are gleaming.

I have missed planned activities but can look forward to rescheduling, most of them, particularly our celebration of our 60th wedding anniversary with our friends who are also celebrating 60 years this month.

Hope you are all well,
Love,
Bernice

Sorry for the Lull

Dear friends,

Bernice already reported on our two days in NYC last week and our visit to Mount Sinai and enjoying friends’ company at our Bryant Park pad. Unmentioned at the time was an event associated with our return to our apartment that may have more relevance now. Mount Sinai is at 100^th Street and 5^th Ave and our place is at 40^th Street and 5^th Avenue. That is quite a trek especially on December 30 when the central part of 5^th Avenue is packed with shoppers and with tourists wanting a glimpse of the tree at Rockefeller Center. Bernice wanted to brave the journey south by using our senior metro cards on the Fifth Avenue bus instead of hailing a cab that had to fight through the same traffic. We boarded the almost empty bus that conveniently approached the bus stop just as we did. We sat cozily together and were not too aware of the two women sitting just behind us, speaking a mix of English and some foreign tongue, until the bus began filling. A series of deep and noisy coughs issues repeatedly from the woman sitting directly behind me. I thought jealously of the custom in some countries such as China where people don facemasks when they suffer from any respiratory ailment and must appear in public. We changed seats when the first opportunity arose.

We will never know if that spate of unwelcome and ungracious coughing led to Bernice’s misery with a terrible cough and cold that started on Sunday but I, at least, have concentrated my ire on that woman and need not resort to railing against some unseen spiritual entity. The usual cough and cold remedies have not helped and only today has Bernice conceded that there may be the smallest improvement.

Many times, when colds visit us, we both succumb but I usually get the more severe case. Bernice was determined that she would not transfer this cold to me and has been adamant in keeping me from her room and away from any close contact. She has either yelled directions of all kinds or used email to give me specific instructions. She told me exactly where to go in the freezer to get frozen eggplant slices she had prepared and her email told me exactly how to prepare eggplant with a cover of tomato sauce and parmesan cheese. I pass coffee and food to her by placing it on an intermediate file cabinet and she has me exit the kitchen when she wants entry. So far I have avoided the cough and cold. Our last cold was in September 2010, an unusually short interval.

These nasty cold viruses have been coevolving with humans for millions of years. One of their strategies is to cause coughing so they may be efficiently dispersed from one victim to another. The strain causing the most virulent cough is the one that reproduces most successfully.

Our best wishes for the New Year and may you all avoid any contaminating coughers and have a healthy year.

Love from both, Merwin