2020 Diary: May 29 to June 4

5/29/2020: G. K. Chesterton’s Birthday. Woke up about 5:30 AM, prayed, Bible, worked on SS release form and then noticed I needed a witness signature. Went and waited at the kitchen porch a little after 7 AM, then Susan signed it. Sealed it up, got dressed then walked it over to mail (counts as my turns today). Saw lots of birds while I waited on the porch, and a huge black slug, and striped and rusty lizards, one of whom I rescued from Mr. Sticky-head [a cat]. Andy caught another raccoon. Had too much ramen and bread today; finished off the cabbage and taters, made fish and fried potatoes for supper. Rosary at 11 PM.

But my main task all day was B[ook] I[nventory], which I did obsessively. I was finding the remembering and assessing rather like a session with a psychiatrist as I examined my history, feelings, and motives.

 

5/30/2020: Up early, prayers, Bible, dressed, and turns done by 7:30 AM. Bananas for breakfast, and medicine. Started in on BI almost immediately and kept at it most of the day. Ramen at 1 PM. At 4 PM FB Mass. About 6:30 PM John called and came over; he was running errands. I gave him a couple of books (The Groucho Letters and Beautiful Losers) 

and he gave me $20 (my $3 for the book and a bonus). We sat in his vehicle and talked about riots and coronavirus and bugs, and S&A stopped by to say hello. Got back to work, then at 8 PM had another ramen with bread. More work, and about 10:30 PM was done with all the paperbacks on the left-hand desk shelf. Must pray a rosary.

 

5/31/2020: Up at 6:30 AM to a leg cramp. Prayers, Bible, dress. Pondering whether to go to store later. Will watch Mass at 7 AM. Thinking about how this inventorying of the paperbacks really covers the 70’s and 80’s, because after that I bought more hardbacks and softcovers. In those days it was more scrabble for books wherever you could find them, department stores, convenience stores, garage sales, Half, Yesterday’s Warehouse. We were dependent on what the tide would bring us. Even in the early days of real bookstores we didn’t ORDER books.

A word about my ranking system. ESSENTIAL books must be kept. KEEPER books are books that I probably don’t need but can’t part with yet. DISPENSABLE are books that if I would part with if I had a good and rewarding opportunity.

After Mass did my turns (picked up a cicada floundering in the grass and he took off out of my hand into a tree) and began working on BI again. About 10 AM Andy visited and said I could have the leftover cucumber salad and some cake (lemony delicious!). BI. At 1 PM ramen. BI. Turns at 5 PM; cloudy and windy. At 7:30 PM I got another ramen, and at 8 PM Andy asked if I’d make some dipdip noodles. Did and had some of those while it rained a bit. Watched some Columbo and Collector’s Call with them. Came in and worked on BI. Pray rosary. Season finale of Rick and Morty. Clone Beth, Phoenix Person arc resolved, more or less.

 

6/1/2020: First day of June. Up, prayers, get dressed, and out the door about 7:30 Am. Walked to TX Cooler, got TX Lotto, then over to Dollar General. Got aspirin, dishwashing soap, 3 cans pringles and 2 bags candy (Naughty!). Took all Covid-19 precautions. Home by 8:30 AM and a little sore. Wash clothes at 9 AM, make chicken salad and boiled eggs, and then my ramen with eggs and broth. Finished prayers and Bible. Worked on and off on BI all day, which took much thought because it was Powers and Blaylock. It is an odd thing that when I am done with the paperbacks that shall be all in my early years up to 2000; afterwards it is mostly hardcovers. Perhaps my tastes were ‘hardening’ as well. Patrick came over to hang some of S&A’s stain glass; I identified a ‘tarantula hawk’ wasp,

 made broccoli salad, grassed and fed pets, then made supper (salmon curls and couscous). Rosary. Cleaned up kitchen at 8:30 PM. Finally stopped BI about 10:30 PM.  

 

6/2/2020: Up a little after 7 AM. Prayers and then did my turns. Read Bible. Made my morning ramen and eggs, made the chicken soup, read Mark Twain. Started up the BI again and worked on it off and on all day until about 9 PM. For lunch had soup. Rain on and off all day, but not soaking. Made sausage and cabbage and taters. With all my ins and outs and getting the bins it, it counts for my evening turns. Rosary at 9:30 PM.  Bed 10 PM.

 

6/3/2020: Up a little before 5 AM and realize I am now awake. Prayers, Bible, aspirin and now on to BI, starting with the Lovecraft’s then on to the Lewis’s (paperback editions – I am now almost done with all the paperbacks I have – except the Tolkien, of course). In the early 2000’s I almost completely stopped getting paperbacks; not only wasn’t I being as ‘adventurous’ anymore, taking what chance might send me, but I was able to order what I wanted and since I knew what I wanted, got it in the more permanent form of hardcover.

Worked on BI until 7 AM. Went out to take my turns (4 today, to make sure I made up all for yesterday). A damp, foggy morning. Rescued a toad out of the dogs’ pool and escorted him safely into the Rott-free zone. Back in by 7:20 AM. In at 9 AM and made Kam bacon and eggs, then had some chicken soup (with scrambled eggs) for breakfast. At 11 AM I finished, with Warnie’s [CSL’s brother] Diary,

 the paperback section (except for the Tolkien and maybe one Davies) of the BI, and now feel I can take a break.

My mistake. Have Cabell and Pratchett paperbacks to do yet. At 12:30 PM finished the paperbacks.

My mistake again. Did the Tolkien paperbacks as well. At supper I made lasagna, bread twist rolls, and salad. Turns, rosary.

Wrote to John: “And I got to thinking about our desperate search for reading matter in those days: at Pic-n-Pacs, grocery stores, garage sales, Half's, Yesterday's Warehouse. I was always worrying about missing an opportunity because, as far as I knew, all the books were falling into a destructive past and forgetfulness. Who could have imagined the Internet? What a big deal it was to send off for "The Guide to Middle-Earth"!

“Another thing I have proved to myself is that I have no concepts of number. I was thinking that with all my resells and whatnots I might only have about a thousand books left. I've only done sets and series (like encyclopedias and Time/Life Books) and paperbacks, and I already have over 700 listed!”

He said: “I read this Ray Bradbury poem [Doing is Being] and thought of you.  Good stuff! Went through some of my old paperbacks, too, and thought about their histories.  Man, Ray really rocked my world back in the day. I watched a speech he gave to writing students on YouTube and remembered his particular magic.  He had some good creative writing ideas, and his sheer enthusiasm was contagious.  We'll not see his like again.” 

 

6/4/2020: Up at 5:30 AM. Prayers and Bible. Caught up Diary. Back to BI. Turns after 7 AM. Take the rest of the day as read, with saving another toad from the kiddie pool, moving deliveries to the kitchen porch, finally having to throw away my old rooster potholder, and working on the BI until 10 PM. Rosary at 11 PM. Full summer days already.

 

Notes

There are some repetitive thoughts here, mainly because of developing, almost obsessive ideas. When I buckle down to a project, I tend to be possessed with it, on and off, and I would have to tell John about it.

Mr. Sticky-head was my nickname (cadged from Family Guy) for another unfortunate stray cat that Susan and Andy had ‘adopted’. He had a rather raw head (some kind of infestation or infection) that one never dared touch, even when he was being affectionate. It eventually got better. I’d kind of forgotten him. He’s gone now.

When I review my menu, it’s no wonder my blood sugars ran so high in the ‘old days’, around 280 as an average. Before SSI (and before I really buckled down to my diet) I pretty much had to eat what I could get (ramen) and when I had cash I was tempted by ‘treats’. Fish rings and couscous are still regulars at Monday suppers.

Andy’s grandfather made stained glass panels for a hobby, and he gave Susan and Andy quite a number of nice pieces, many of which they hung as panels on the front porch. Lance is still working as their odd-jobs handyman.

The dogs’ pool was a summer necessity for the Rottweilers, a small plastic kiddie pool in the back yard. Not only did they need huge quantities of water, but they could stand in it and cool their hot paw pads down when necessary. The pool made a large circular ‘scar’ in the grass, a scar that is now (almost) completely healed. Toads (and frogs) were attracted to it and needed occasional rescuing.