Long time, no post

Dear Friends and family,

It's been a couple of days since I have written, probably because nothing much is happening beyond the usual:

Trying to keep track of the antibiotic I have to take 4x a day around the clock, missing the right time in spite of setting a timer, catching up. I must write down everything or I don't know what I am doing. Today is the last day of round-the-clock. From here on I take 1 pill on Mondays, Wednesdays and Fridays until they are gone. No more setting an alarm to get up in the middle of the night.

Recipes to try: spinach pancakes a new way, made simply with fresh spinach cut up, eggs and grated parmigiana cheese. Also the plain kind, omitting the cheese. I had that for breakfast this morning. Delicious. The cheese makes the pancakes especially crispy. I put many in the freezer where they can be used for sandwiches or side dishes.

Thursday evening we had an impromptu supper with Laury at Wild Fig, where lentil soup was the chief attraction. I tried my best to get to sleep before midnight, but didn't quite make it. Friday, Sylvia and Marty came, bearing lunch, and we spent a pleasant couple of hours together.

Otherwise, it has been work at the computer, and lots of emails to answer and send. The good news is that distant friends are in our future. Our dear friend Jesús Tronch is coming from Valencia to the Shakespeare Meeting in April, and will stop here on his way. The fates willing, Merwin and I will then go with him to the meeting in Chicago. That's a big IF, I know, but planning ahead is part of how I keep this smile on my face. Even sooner, another Spanish friend, José Ramón, will be visiting us when he is in residence at the Folger Library.

I have a paper on Measure for Measure to write for the Shakespeare conference. But my main work now is two-fold: entering data on our website hamletworks.org and thinking about it as I enter it, and crafting notes for students who might be bewildered about some of the wording in Measure for Measure without swamping them with information. I am trying to be tactful, helpful without being superior. I try to give students the feeling that they can read Shakespeare.

And so it goes. It's lovely to hear from you via email. Please do write to let me know how you are.

Love to all,
Bernice