2020 Diary: The Days Dwindle Down

12/22/2020: Up at 5 AM after the usual wandering in a Roman wilderness of puzzlement. Prayed, then watched a little TV (Dragnet, My 3 Sons) then was able to drop off for less than an hour of real sleep. I’m not in any pain (except in my right leg) but mostly suffer from lack of energy. Kam came in about 12:30 PM and we watched some Christmas on YT, though he did keep talking all through everything. He went in about 2 PM. At 3:30 PM I dragged myself in and made sausage and taters and fed the animals and made Kam cheese toast. Back home at 4:30 PM and laid down. Up about 6:15 PM. Caught up diary. I should read Bible. Kaitlyn and Ryan home about 5 PM. They got pizza and brought me in about 4 (big) slices; I almost couldn’t finish. Made order for HEB. Bed about 9 PM.

 

12/24/2020: Up about 6 AM. Prayers and Bible. Feeling good. About 8 AM went out to take recycling, checked porch, and no groceries, so the order I made hadn’t gone through. Oh, well. About 10:30 AM Kaitlyn came over and said she and Ryan take me to pick-up HEB pharmacy for my medicine; we went, then I waited in the truck (I certainly didn’t want to tread the store during Christmas rush) while they shopped. Home and lunch; they’d bought me a BBQ sandwich and potato salad. About 5 PM we gathered for supper. Kelsey and Ryan had arrived, and they brought Goose, so we had the whole pack with Kylo, Vader, Jade, Kia, and Goose. Had tamales with chili and cheese, hot cheese dip and chips, soda, baked cookies, etc. Afterwards it was already dark, so we gathered around the firepit and played Catchphrase. The Ryans smoked cigars and drank mightily, and the talk was fun and a good family gathering. Toasted s’mores, and I even drank a little wine. Lots of smoke and sparks flying up and dogs poking their heads everywhere and some tried to eat the toasting forks and Andy melted a part of his boot on the firepit. Kenny and the Florida Babels checked in and wished us a Merry Christmas. Everyone went in about 10:15 PM, and I spent a while unwinding (some Perry Mason) then went to bed at about 11 PM.

 

12/25/2020: Merry Christmas! Awake at 5:30 AM. Prayers and Bible (the Nativity from Luke this morning). Caught up diary. It’s now 6:36 AM, and I’m to go in at 9 AM to make the traditional pancakes and eggs and bacon.

I worked on breakfast from 9 AM until about 10:30 AM, and it was the usual fine smoky business, with much jockeying for pancakes as they came off the griddle and fried eggs as they got better and better as my hand improved. Finally, we had all eaten by 11 AM, and we started handing the presents out. I got a light jacket, a Yeti cup, a fruitcake, and a certificate from Susan and Andy for $100 services on Ebay.

During the rest of the day there was playing video games, hanging around, and Kaitlyn and Ryan left about 2 PM, as K had to go back to work this evening. Later Kelsey and Ryan went out visiting his folks and stayed overnight. I called John about 5 PM and wished his folks the happy merry. I spent part of the evening with Susan making out what I wanted to order, which she will do as soon as at the shop computer (more secure). I’m finally getting those two seasons of Venture Bros, the 2020 Unfinished Tales, Tolkien the DVD, and Monster of Frankenstein Volume One. Fiddled around until I went to bed.

 

12/26/2020: The Feast of Stephen. Woke up with many thoughts about my old liege lord, Wenceslaus, Duke of Bohemia. Prayers.

Also had a Terry-Pratchettesque dream where I was a wizard who had found a talking blue orb that everyone was suddenly investing great significance in as a celestial body grew closer in the sky. I hadn’t been a very important wizard, but the orb had started talking to me and I passed on its messages and suddenly I found myself becoming a reluctant high muckety-muck (all the more powerful wizards had gone off to a battle or something and hadn’t returned). Then there was some lackey who had been gathering power under guise of serving ‘the Luminary’ and was ready to step in and seize the Orb so he could rule, but then I stood up for myself and wouldn’t let him, because I had figured out (at least to a degree) what the Orb was for: it was a probe from a spaceship that was coming to visit. We stood eye to eye; I don’t think he thought I had spine enough to stand up to him as I had been saying all along how reluctant I was to take up power. He was kind of surprised that I was.

The day piddled along pleasantly. At about 1 PM I went in and got the rest of the chili for lunch. Susan and Andy working on cleaning and boxing up Christmas stuff. Then later Kelsey and Ryan touched on home just long enough to clear out. Ate the last 2 pieces of pizza and a couple of Jack in the Box tacos. Cleaned up house. Reading Lafcadio Hearn’s “Japan: An Interpretation.” Now 6:06 PM and evening shadows gather. About 9:10 PM read Bible.

 

12/27/2020: Up at 6 AM. Prayers and Bible. Out the door at 7 AM.

Rosary, then church at 8 AM. Fr. Stan told us the shocking truth that men were men, women were women, and that it was they that made up the family, along with children. Got a new church calendar. Went by FD on the way home and got eggnog, diet Dr. Pepper, ravioli, and chowder. Home and spent the day lollygagging while S&A worked on putting Christmas away. About 12:30 PM I offered to pay for Chicken Express; with one thing and another we ate about 3:30 PM (S&A were asked to tow a vehicle that had stalled in the line in front of them!). Finished reading Hearn and dipped into Keats’s letters. No [animated] comedies this week.

 

12/28/2020: Up at 5 AM. Prayers, Bible. Started watching “Wild Strawberries”, then drifted off near the end, then dipped in and out of “La Belle et Le Bete”. At 9 AM started wash. “The Wonderful World of the Brothers Grimm” on, but Lord, it needs editing to be bearable. Today Susan should send my Christmas order off. Weather overcast and dampish but warm. Changed loads at 10:15 AM, then again at 11:30 AM. Kameron called me a little after 12 and asked for eggs and bacon, and I did so. Clocked into Disney+ and watched “Candace Against the Universe” [Phineas and Ferb]. Ate some leftover Chicken Express for my lunch. Came back a little after 2 PM to make broccoli salad and by the time I was finished it was 4 PM, so I made the fish cakes and couscous and fed the pets. They finally fixed the backyard gate today. Laurel and Hardy on all evening. Washed up at 8 PM. Made an HEB order for tomorrow. Finished rosary at 10 PM. Caught up diary. Ready for bed.

 

12/29/2020: Up at 7 AM. Prayers and Bible. Medicine. Boxed up the Christmas decorations. It’s now 8 AM, and the HEB delivery should be here any time.

And so it was, at about 8:20 AM. It took me about 3 trips to get it in (mainly because of the soda), but with the gate fixed it was easier. Had chicken spread and crackers for breakfast, along with a can of peaches. Then chicken noodle for lunch, and a ramen with eggs.

About 3:30 PM started supper, of potatoes, carrots, mushrooms, cabbage, onions, and sausage (which was frozen). Fed the animals, brought in the bin. Ate some broccoli salad and took in my sausage on bread. Started my rosary, then Yen called, then finished the rosary. It’s 7 PM now and I think I’ll go in to wash up. Did so, then watched Gomer Pyle and Green Acres, then pretty much went to bed.

 

12/30/2020: Up at 7 AM. Prayers and Bible. Had Campbell’s Chicken Noodle Soup for breakfast. Spent most of the morning listening to 2 episodes of GGACP, Christmas shows. And so on and on. Reading, eating. Sent John what I had written on Koppa. About 2:30 PM started supper: chicken, rice, mushrooms, and broccoli. Weather all day had been darkly overcast and when I came in at 4:30 PM it was actually raining. This is a good thing, in view of the New Year fireworks. Went in a little after 7 PM and cleaned up. Watched Green Acres. Rosary, then bed.

 

12/31/2020: The last day of 2020. Up at 7 AM. Prayers, Bible (last two chapters of Matthew), and rosary. Ramen and crackers for breakfast; medicine. Posted on POB. Went in at 9 AM and made Kameron a grilled cheese and some scrambled eggs; had some eggs myself. Thunder and rain all morning so far, so I think fires won’t be a big deal tonight, as far as fireworks are concerned.

Susan came home at 1 PM, just when I was going to make some spaghetti for myself. I suggested we make all the spaghetti for supper, and she agreed enthusiastically. At 3 PM I prayed another rosary. At 4:30 PM I went in and made supper, and then just a little after 5 PM we all ate. Cleaned up, wished everyone a Happy New Year, and returned to the guest house. About 6:30 started another rosary (I mean to catch up the few I missed last week). Called John at 7 PM and talked a while wishing him a Happy New Year. Drew last picture of the year. Started a fourth rosary at 7:30 PM. Watched Green Acres. Now 9 PM and I’ll probably read a bit and hit the hay. Already hearing some fireworks.

 

Notes

I was watching a lot of Green Acres at the time; it had freshly started up on MeTV recently. I haven’t much since then, and probably won’t want to for the next thirty years. I’m as nervous as a dog at all firework times; not about the sound, of course, but for fear of fires. I know how reckless pyromania can make some folks. Still, I wouldn’t ban them. I’ve got more expert on HEB deliveries; now I instruct them not to come to the front door but deliver ‘to the porch/carport attached to the right side of the house.’ No stairs, cuts down on the toting time. Interesting to see how long certain items have been in the Archive; once they are there, books and DVDs become sort of timeless fixtures, only vaguely dated. I wouldn’t have guessed five years for some of those things.