Tuesday, November 26, 2024

2019 Diary: Thanksgiving Week

 


11/22/2019: Anniversary of Pop's passing. Up about 5 AM. Prayers, catechism, Bible. Got dressed. Now it's about 6:50 AM and I'm ready to go get lottery tickets: decided to go whole hog and get Powerball, Mega-millions, and TX Lotto. Still have $2 for the collection. Taking both canes to help spare my right leg.

Well. For all my fancy getting dressed and trussing up my legs, when I looked out it was raining. So, I didn’t go. So, I made some ramen and crackers, and settled in. Over the day I got up to 20 script pages, but when I tried to send it to John it seemed Microsoft 365 wasn’t letting it go through, or John’s service wouldn’t work. After several tries, I think I finally got a version through, but it exhausted my ‘juice’, with which I was hoping to finish up the draft tonight.

Kam came home about 4 PM, while I was letting the Chis out. He had groceries again, of which I wanted to take some cereal and oranges but only took some expiring Italian sausages. Boiled and ate them. Prayed my rosary. Watched most of “Soylent Green”, and now “Jason and the Argonauts” is coming on.

 

11/23/2019: Prayers, catechism, and Bible. Made olive oil Pastaroni for breakfast. S&A went off in the morning, and I got an orange and one of the PB Cup cereal boxes. They took Cricket for her neck thing, and she seems to be doing ok. They spent most of the day cleaning out the storage shed. I did a whole lot of relaxing (with my right leg in constant pain from – walking? Eating a lot of sugary stuff? Deep vein thrombosis?); anyway, no writing. Maybe I’ll finish off Chapter Two after church. At lunch I had stuffing – to which I put twice as much water than needed, having unthinkingly doubled the recipe (stupidity? Brain farts?). S&A gave me some towels and a pillow from their cleaning in the evening. Prayed a rosary (with a decade dedicated to opposing the Satanic Mass in Houston this evening). Made some ramen. It’s now 9:30 PM and after I eat, I may try to hit the hay again. Oh yes, finished Stephen Leacock’s Sunshine Pictures.

 

11/24/2019: “What color is this paper?” he asked. “It is red,” I replied. “Look closer,” he said. “You will see by this one spot that the paper is white. It is the color of the ink with which it is stained that is red.”

Up at 6 AM, dressed, prayers. Left at 7 AM; weather clear and not overbearingly cold. Service today by Father Tony, who covers the circuit when necessary. Christ the King. Afterwards we were all given a free book, “Why It’s Great to Be Catholic.” At collection, I only gave $1 as there wasn’t a second collection as I expected. Mike Stewart and his wife gave me a ride home, which was providential, as my right leg problems continue. Also, Mike’s wife was gathering up some money for a needy family, so I was able to contribute my other dollar, so that fulfilled my conscience dilemma.

After I got home, I read my catechism and Bible. Took a nap, went in for ramen, and saw S&A working on the shed again. Straightened up the house, read Imaginative Conservative essays.

“She found her husband’s broiling soul/ (Ding, dong, all come to the grave)/ And drew it out with a washing pole/ (something like “All men need their soul to save”)” – A part of a poem I wrote in high school based on the Dutch painting of Mad Meg – I remember Fleming reading it out loud with a rather fierce expression.



Just watched “The Simpson’s Thanksgiving of Horror” and found it to be void of humor and content. Sigh. It’s been going downhill for years, and I’ve watched it less and less, but this must be a new nadir.

Now my chest hurts. I wore my copperfit knee things all day and I just took them off and now my chest hurts. Connected? One good thing is that the little skin tag under my right eye that’s been annoying me the past few days has fallen off. Had an apple for supper. Made it through the rest of the animations, then had an hour and a half gap until the new Rick and Morty. Set alarm then watched the show rather sleepily then went to sleep again.

 

11/25/2019: Wow. The year hastens to its end. Up a little before 5 AM, prayers, catechism, Bible. Right leg still hurting. I guess this is my life now (such as it is). Had the heater on all night. Beautiful weather today. Kam is off school this week. Did no writing. Felt okay in the morning, but after I took an afternoon nap felt worse as I struggled through the day as I finished my wash (3 loads, with the new-old towels Susan gave me). Made cucumber salad, couscous, and their fish for supper. Attack on the computer, perhaps the first all year; shut it down and rebooted. Fell asleep after my ramen couscous supper about 5:30 PM and woke about 7:30 PM. Feel no better. My plan: wash up at 8 PM then rosary.

Andy asked me if I wanted Kelsey’s old plastic drawer thing that she took to that training camp. Kam called me at 9 PM for supper. Spent time cleaning the stickers off drawers and cleaning it up (it smells vaguely of cat pee, probably from its night on the porch). John reacted to the script at last, and pretty positively. He had been busy painting their living room all weekend. Tis now slightly after midnight, and I must hit the hay soon.

 

11/27/2019: Such a perfectly fallish day I had a little trouble doing anything, especially since I didn’t have to get Kam off to school. Mild weather, falling leaves. Prayers, catechism, Bible. Despite my lassitude I managed to get through Rose’s backstory in Chapter Two. Blah, blah, regular Tuesday stuff, aside from having to pen up the Rotts at 2 PM for the pool guy, who came for – extra maintenance? Rosary. Hit the hay at about 9 PM. A night of dreams, of which I record a fragment: being a part of a team of dead men working underwater (don’t have to breathe) cataloging a sunken city, disturbing some kind of monster that comes to attack us.

 

11/28/2019: Up at 5 AM, prayers, catechism, Bible. Washed dishes, got dressed. Caught up diary. It’s now 6 AM. Said Rosary about 7 AM. Wrote up to where Mr. Frobisher is introduced. Went in at 9 AM, made ramen, boiled eggs, made pea salad, peeled eggs in my house. A little after 12 PM went in and made devilled eggs; S&A came and took Kameron to sell his cocoa mix. When came back home I made him bacon and eggs, then started the cheesecakes. Found out I overcalculated the stuff needed. Finished at 3 PM. At 3:30 PM started supper (chili, rotini, corn on cob) and grassed and fed Chis. Finished by 4:30 PM and took my supper in and watched The Flintstones. Ate an orange. I feel one big push would finish the Script; can I do it tonight, or should I try tomorrow morning? Church tomorrow is not a day of obligation, but it does meet specially; can I take it? In at 8 PM to wash dishes, then to bed at 9 PM.

 

11/29/2019: Up at 4 AM to write down Goku dream; finished about 5 AM (it was a detailed dream). Prayers, catechism, Bible. Wrote up to Frobisher leaving. Showered, got dressed, still trying to decide whether to go to church, and the next thing I know I’m walking down the street by Wells&Fargo. A nice couple picked me up by Nolte Furniture and take me the rest of the way; we’re the first people there. Spend much of the time praying the rosary on my fingers. Had a nice service with Fr. Greg, who still seems to be having a little trouble after his fall. Afterwards we sang the Gobble Song as a bit of whimsey, changed the missalettes, and got to pick some produce off the Table of Plenty for our Thanksgiving feast. I got an orange. Walked back (picking up an acorn along the way). Home a little after 10 AM and had the orange for breakfast.

We headed out to John & Amy’s at 1:30 PM, with a little detour to get gravy at DG. We got there and found Donna’s brother already arrived to see her father (who had recently been placed on hospice). We took the pea salad, devilled eggs, and cheesecakes in, and after a bit we ate, John leading us in prayer. It was wonderful; turkey, rolls, mashed potatoes, great dressing, cranberries, green bean casserole, little pecan pies. Chris was a pretty good fellow, and as we all avoided politics, we had a fine time. Afterwards we browsed around on their big TV, looking at family pictures, videos (disasters and accidents), and ended up watching ALL “The Phantom of the Opera”, after John just wanted to use it to demonstrate the amazing picture.



 Then we played a couple of games of Scattergories. We packed up and said farewell and got home at about 11 PM. Along the way I couldn’t remember the name of the movie “Stripes”, and it didn’t come to me until the very second before I started typing in Bill Murray. I think my brain might be slowing down.



 

11/29/2019: Up about 5:30 AM with a cramp in my leg that made me wonder “Is this it?” I straightened out and lay still a while, and it felt better, and I got up about 6:30 AM and started the day. Dressed, prayers, catechism and Bible. Watched Perry Mason. Watched “The Song of Bernadette”. Transferred ceramic Santas into tall thin dresser and my papers into the three drawer plastic drawers. Went in at 9 AM and got a stuffing sandwich and some ramen. At 10:30 AM got more ramen and a cheesecake, then sat and napped. Up at 1 PM when Kam called me to let the Chis out. Cricket very sluggish and didn’t want to move. Fed cats early. Worked on making two new documents; one for Chapter 3 and one for notes on Chapter 3. At 4 PM I fed the indoors and let the Chis out again, this time carrying Cricket out, still sluggish, but she peeped and finally managed to poop. Wrote S a note about my concerns for the dog. Made myself another stuffing sandwich. All day long it was drippy and grew warmer the later in the day it got. Said rosary. At 7 PM A came out and told me the rest of the Thanksgiving leftovers were for me. I went in, and S said that Crick was doing fine, and asked me to make the cheesecake for K&RH (they had got a crust, and there was all that filling left over). I told them I had not had a chance to check the porch for mail because of the weather, and A looked out and sure enough there were packages. As I was headed back to the guest house, I almost slipped on the porch going down the stairs; luckily A was there to help me by carrying the plates; otherwise, I would not have had a free hand to catch myself. Came out and ate turkey, stuffing, devilled eggs and a little cheesecake. It’s now 9:16 PM, and I’m ready to wind down for the night. Christmas specials already popping up everywhere of course, but at least now it’s a little more understandable. I wonder sometimes if John and Kenny are just humoring me about the quality of my work, afraid that it will be too depressing or divisive if they gave me any serious criticism, or perhaps they are just too close to be clear-eyed about it (I can’t tell myself). Still, the book did get published, so it at least met the very minimal requirements, I guess.

 

11/30/2019: Up about 5 AM, to write up a dream, then an idea about flipping the perceived script on Harry Potter and seeing the Wizarding World as a metaphor for Christianity in a secular world. Dressed, prayers, catechism and Bible. Dipping around the internet and TV as usual: I seldom record all the snips I look at all the time. A little pain in my chest: heart burn or heart trouble? Will I join the Holiday Death Toll? Not quite 9 AM and I’m wondering when they’ll head out to help Kelsey and Ryan. At least it stopped drizzling.

I hit the hay about 10:30 AM and woke to the noon bell. I lay a while then got up. Went in and got cucumber salad, sausage patties (2 I made in sandwiches of cheese and Miracle Whip), apples and oranges, and ramen with bread. I ate most of it as quickly as I could. Fred dropped in in the afternoon but finding nobody here he left (he set raccoon traps). It’s about 2:40 PM and I’m ready to sleep again. Warm and mostly sunny.



Went in at 4 PM to grass the Chis and feed the pets and found that Kam was still here! S had told me last night that he was going with them, but apparently not. Swept the kitchen porch. Grabbed another ramen to eat later. Dipped in and out of The Great Race on TCM and a Dead Like Me marathon. Almost 6 PM and I getting ready to turn on the back-porch light and the safety lights. Still feeling a little off balance and occasional chest pains, probably gas.

At about 8 PM Andy showed up and told me they were back; he also brought me a half of a burrito, some fajitas, and a flour tortilla. He said K&RH were doing well and seemed happy moving into their new apartment. Prayed the rosary at 9 PM. Want to lay down for a nap and then up at 11:15 PM for The Mask of Demetrios; we shall see.


Notes

Back in those days, I only got $20 every two weeks; John paid me for my writing, which was very kind of him. I was able to parse it out for various things over the weeks. I always had a couple of dollars for the collection plate, and, if the pot was big enough, money for lottery tickets. The tickets were a rather desperate hope for financial independence; now that I have Medicare, my situation is not so dire. I no longer chase lottery tickets (except when a jackpot reaches over a billion dollars) but my writing has also slowed since I don't need that $20 so much anymore. 
I'm rather surprised to realize I apparently don't have a proper copy of Jason and the Argonauts in the Archive. I might need to rectify that soon.
That little plastic dresser of Kelsey's has proved to be very useful; right now it holds all my drawings and hand-written and printed copies of some of my writings.
As you can see, I am at times very insecure about both my health and my ability to write. Sometimes I inwardly resemble that picture of Sydney Greenstreet on The Mask of Dimitrios, a movie that was proving rather elusive at the time, but of which I now have a copy.



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