Monday, Dale and I put all my corrections, cuts, and additions into the manuscript THE HOUR OF MY DEATH. When we got to the end, I cut the old ending and started working on a new, and I think stronger one; making progress.  I hope to finish by next Monday so Dale can incorporate it and then put it all together, re-paginate, and then print it out.  I’ll set it aside for a few weeks and then read it start to finish to see what I have done well, what needs to be cut, and what is missing.  I also want to go over all the poems that are sprinkled throughout and see if each poem is a good fit or needs to be replaced by a different poem.  All that awaits in early April.

Woody is enjoying his new used ruck.  It’s bright blue; cerulean, he insists. We prefer black or grey or dark blue or dark green but it’s pre-owned so, no choice. I’m worried that two of his gifts that I ordered several weeks ago have not yet arrived.  Because of his getting the new used truck it will be a modest birthday, only a few practical presents. I had imagined I’d never have to buy another dress since I have a lot of them from traveling.  However, a number of my dresses have holes in them. We have a terrible moth problem and getting worse every summer so I asked Woody for two dresses for my birthday. 

We ate @ the Grotz’s Satyurday night with the older sister, Mitch, a doctor in L.A. who was visiting.  Tasha made a wonderful meal for all of us and Dale made a cherry pie.

Thursday, Tasha picked up up @ 11:15 with Stephanie [her mother] and Mitch. We went to Fanizzzi’s , which is my favorite Ptown restaurant – and the same goes for so many people that we had to arrive there very early to secure a space.  We managed to get a perfect table and a great parking spot.  It was sunny in Ptown, as well as here, but in both places, a ferocious wind was blowing.  We had a delightful lunch.  In one of the last big storms their waterfront diningroom was destroyed.  Locals pitched in to help restore it and it’s been open again year round. Due to issues around immigration, many restaurants have had trouble finding kitchen staff and have been unable to open for lunch even in the summer.

We ‘re expecting the coldest temperature since January tonight.  Fortunately, we haven’t started planting yet.  Woody is working on my herb garden. The timbers that hold it together have rotted and he has to all the soil and rebuild it from scratch. I love to grow herbs but last summer, as the entire structure was crumbling, I couldn’t get at them.  I’m about to start maincrop tomatoes. 

We’re going over to Theresa and Chaim’s tonight.  After a couple of solitary weeks, it feels like we’ve been going out constantly. And, of course, we’ve had people over.  Shaman enjoys that but he was quite angry when I went to lunch on Thursday.

My life is narrower now, but in my 2nd life, I am alert to all opportunities to enjoy with the time I have left.  At least my brain still works.  And I can write.