Days speed by

Dear family and friends,

Everything is about the same, with the minor differences that make for a textured life. So what was different about yesterday? Today I plunged right into my seminar paper for the Shakespeare meeting (that I assume was not discussed there because I was absent and the eight remaining papers were plenty to cover in two hours: absentees out of the picture). Now I am turning to the blog, which I ordinarily do first.

I had a nice long chat with my dear Dr. K, who has been on a much needed vacation with her family in Can Cun (is that how it's spelled?). The WBC has gone down, but so have the platelets: the one should be much lower and the other much higher. So I have a change in meds for a few days. But I convinced her that I should not taper the prednisone this week. The lesser dose is already contributing to fatigue. I can stay on 30 mg/day for another week. And so it goes. I have to take more antibiotic to go with the taper, to, we hope, prevent another pneumonia from developing. Standard stuff; I am used to it.

I had the pleasure of examining carefully a book I felt I should have for the At Sea paper. I like it very much because the author, Josephine A. Roberts, summarizes many many essays about Richard II but without introducing her own opinion: she expresses each author's opinions. I read everything she had related to At Sea (Richard II was another play supposedly performed at sea). She covers the ground beautifully and makes it possible for anyone reading my essay who has her book to follow my argument, but the entries are scattered all over the 2nd volume. In my paper I now have listed her relevant entries; otherwise it would be difficult for those who don't know the major players to find the useful summaries. As I went along I found that she had summarized an essay I had written that included Richard II: on the Hallmark Hall of Fame series with Maurice Evans in the 1950s. I was very pleased with her very full summary, and having read the relevant At Sea essays as well, I also thought she did a good job of capturing the writers' intentions. Good job Prof. Roberts!

Late in the day, Bill, the Visiting Nurse came. Most of our work consisted of my practicing with the 4-pronged cane, which he cannot get for me because Medicare won't pay for it. I would be using it only for a month, perhaps, so it does not seem economical to buy one ourselves. He is going to get me an ordinary cane, which I can try when I feel steadier. He had me walk all over the place yesterday with his cane. I mentioned that I wanted to get to the cellar to see what we have in the freezer, and we used it to go down the whole set of stairs, and then he had me walk around more on the living room level, and up to the bedroom where we showed him the fantastic walker that Elaine had brought me the day before. He adjusted the handles for us and showed us how its basket fits in. I was exhausted, but he said I am doing very well. I think he is pointing the way to the conclusion of his visits: that will happen when I can comfortably and safely maneuver my way with the cane's help throughout the house and into the outside areas and the car. That seems a long way off.

I succeeded last night in getting into the bed and slept there for about 2 hours, but finally I could not move without pain and returned to my friendly recliner in the study. My study is getting tidier every day, as we organize it for health rather than injury, with the rugs, table, chairs, etc. where they should be. More to do today, but I enjoy the tidiness that results. I am very domestic, I must say.

I made a fish dish for us yesterday: that wonderful flounder from North Shore Farms, coated with cornmeal, then dipped in beaten egg with milk, then into freshly made breadcrumbs (day-old bread). The added touch was a topping of the remaining egg mixture (a very little left: for once I estimated well) to which I added the remaining cornmeal and a little pinch of baking soda. I popped this into a 350 oven for about 15 minutes, until the crust was brownish. I also made a coleslaw (no sugar) and sauteed fresh zucchini. Merwin likes to eat his main meal at about 2 p.m., which he did. For his dinner I made him scrambled eggs and cheese—and he's a happy man with that. Later we watched a silly juvenile movie that was fun, and we ate the last of the pear tart (Thanks again, Elaine!), which I had with a glass of wine. Finally I end the day with MSNBC and get the news. Wow, Go Obama! No doubt the Republicans will make hay out of his nuclear initiatives, just as they are trying to do with regulations that will help prevent the many abuses by financial institutions in this country. The market does not take care of anyone but the rich.

That's it, a very full and busy life, not very different from day to day, which is why if I don't write about it will blur into one lump, though a happy one.

I love hearing from all of you,
Bernice