I spent the day reading a children's book by Kate DiCamillo, Because of Winn Dixie. I bought the book because Ann Patchett raved about it. I love the way Patchett writes. She said this book had a significant impact on her. That made it a must-read for me. I thought it would be a second-grade reading level. I think it might be considering vocabulary, sentence structure, and plot, but when I looked it up, it was listed as a Level R. That puts it at a 4-grade level. I think it's the concepts introduced in the book that may be considered too difficult for children of a younger age.
I found it pleasant reading, but nothing to write home about. There were two concepts introduced in the book that I found interesting. The primary one is how our lives are different because of the people and, in this case, animals in our lives. It's not that I haven't thought of it before, but it made me think again of how my life would have been different if I hadn't met and bonded with Mike.
The second concept is to make a list of things about people. That's not so easy. How do you capture a person with a short list of their characteristics? Mike: He had two Ph. D's; he loved me, and he was loved by me; he has one son and one grandson; he used to be arrogant and contemptuous of many people and expressed it with abandon; he changed completely; he didn't have a good relationship with his family of origin, he used to pretend they weren't his real parents; he was able to be joyful, loving and playful with abandon, he was childlike but rarely childish;; he loved to cook, he considered it a form of relaxation; he liked things to be neat on the surface; he couldn't tolerate chaos; he was primarily a left-brain thinker; he loved anything that was organized; did I mention that he loved me and I loved him.? After years of making fun of me for my spirituality, he converted to Catholicism, became a deacon in the church, got his second Ph.D. in theology, and got a job in a seminary. He didn't do things halfway. He would rather be in debt than pay things off. He was very attached to our goddaughter, Yvette. He wanted to adopt her when both her parents died. He was distraught that we didn't get her and her brother. Does this sum up a life? He told me he loved me, and I was beautiful every day of our life together until they intubated him and could no longer speak. Did I mention that he loved me, and I loved him? He was a clutz, which resulted in more injuries to me than to him. I just thought it was funny. So lovely to be able to forgive people for their outrageous behavior. I found most of his flaws funny the way you find the stupid things babies do funny. He was a wonderful husband to me. I loved to kiss him. Too many "I" s in here instead of 'he's. But I'm the one writing this list, and our love for each other, the pleasure we took in just being in the same room, or the pleasure I took in just being in the same room, sums up a lot of what's on my list. Oh, there's more about him. He did a lot of volunteering after we retired and moved to Hawaii. He was never happier in his life. He worked his ass off juggling, I don't know how many different activities, and did well in all of them. He felt grateful for the opportunity to do this work. I would say he was modest, but it was a little more complicated than that. He felt a need to avoid gratitude on the part of others. As I write this, I think it might have been because he was afraid that praise would trigger his old arrogance. He definitely didn't want that. Did I mention that he loved me, and I loved him? The rest is just details.
The family techie, August, helped me set up Smart Draw on Mike's tablet. I want to make a video of me demonstrating my method of teaching phonics. He is a remarkable young man, very patient, very considerate, very thoughtful in his communication, and very helpful. After I got off the phone with him, I thought I would practice on my own. I couldn't get it to work. We will need a few more sessions.
Every time I look at my clean sliding door and my bisque toilet and get a little thrill of joy. It is incredible how the smallest things can have a lasting effect. Actually, I think it is the small things that continue to bring happiness. The big things we get used to and stop noticing. It's the little things that keep having an impact.
I had some neurological discomfort run down my left leg. I tried to crack my left ankle, which is what usually works to provide relief. I could' t get it to crack. Is my time up? It would have to get very bad for me to have surgery. I will check out having a stem cell implant for my right hip the moment this shut down is over.
I finally got around to taking Elsa on her evening walk at 7pm. Neither of us had had diner yet. I had no problem walking, even though I felt considerable discomfort in the left hip joint when I stood up.
I ate a late dinner, mostly yesterday's salad, leftover chicken, and spaghetti, to which I add some bottled pasta sauce. It was okay but not as good as Mike's sauce. Before I opened the jar, I checked to see if I could freeze tomato sauce. The internet gave me an affirmation. What was left, I slipped into the freezer immediately.
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