Quietly at home

Dear friends and family,

I felt a very real satisfaction from helping Merwin put up on the bedroom wall where there used to be hundred of books three works of art, none very serious. A Braque poster, a child's painting (but forgetful mother that I am don't know which child), and a drawing by Phyllis. She made it for Dave, but since he has no place to put it, it's now on the bedroom wall. We kept four shelves of the seven bookshelves that used to be on the wall. On the shelf below the art works is a set of family photographs, ranging from a triple of me at about 5 perhaps, my beautiful sister when she was a student at the University of Buffalo (before it was SUNY), shortly before she left to work on the Manhattan Project, and then a number of our children and us. Merwin's mother was a gifted photographer, and we cherish an especially precious portrait of Harvey and Arthur, at about 3 and 2, perhaps. On the shelf below is a Phyllis drawing she made in some technical way that I don't quite understand. The shelves below the photos still contain quite a lot of books. But I feel finished with the task of emptying book shelves; someone else will do it.

Merwin having cleared the driveway with the snow-blower, which worked well, we went out for a little shop at North Shore Farms, our favorite market these days. I got a piece of salmon trout to make for myself Michèle's recipe with leeks, which no longer hold any mystery for me: I am now a leek expert. And I stocked up on lemons for the chicken Francaise that I was planning for Merwin. I feel competent when I can bustle in the kitchen and within a half hour have the chicken and the fish dish ready to eat. Both turned out very well.

I got good news from Jay, the librarian at the NYPL who oversees the two readers' study rooms. A book I need and had ordered had, surprisingly, not shown up in the Allen Room: Jay found it yesterday and put it on my shelf. I need this book to respond to one of the anonymous readers of my essay for SQ, to see how and if I need to revise anything in my essay. Naturally, I am eager to get to the library, but though I am going to NYC today, I don't think I will actually get to see it till Monday.

I started on a quadruple dose of HU (Hydroxyurea, 2000 mg), the main chemo I take, and I wonder if I will feel any effects. I have not been bothered by HU up to now. I will stay on this dose for I don't know how long and then go off of it entirely for three weeks because I have to be HU free before I can get into the trial I am aiming for. The large dose it to bring down my WBC. HU is supposed to be somewhat soporific, so I take all 2000 mg. at night, but it didn't seem to have that effect this past night. How delicious it is to sleep well; how frustrating not to be able to sleep even when tired. But I woke up early this morning feeling ready for a good day, culminating in the Columbia U Shakespeare Seminar, where I will see friends and hear a good paper.

More tomorrow; be well and stay happy,
Love,
Bernice