Friday, June 17, 2022

 Friday, June 17, 2022

 

  I think I slept through most of the night without interruption. That was rare. I woke up before 5:30 and lay in bed meditating. I would have be better off getting up and sitting in a chair for that.

    Scott came to collect Elsa to take her for a walk. He and Yvette walked her two dogs with Elsa. He takes the two little ones, Little and Elsa, who look alike at first glance. Yvette takes Linear, who’s bigger than the two little ones together. Scott said Elsa ignored a little dog they passed. She only barks at bigger dogs. No, she barks at any dog she hasn’t had contact with. From Scott’s description, I knew the little dog was Coco, a dog Elsa was familiar with. 

    I published the June 17, 2021, update to the public blog. The numbers fluctuate between the twenties and the fifties. A large number of visitors are coming from China and now India. Huh? Has another English language teacher discovered my blog, or is this a bot at work? Then I took a nap.

   B called. Did I need anything from town? He is diligent about watching out for me. He will stay on the island instead of returning to the mainland to help care for his father. His father’s second wife will be pitching in to help his current wife take care of his bedridden dad. Harmony between the various factions of the family is fantastic. I have a similar relationship with Mike’s first wife. We consider each other sisters. She is one of the bonuses from my marriage to Mike. The other major ones were Damon, his wife Cylin, their son August and Mike’s niece, Shivani, and as an extra bonus, Shivani’s son Sidney.

   I washed the second set of queen sheets from guests past and finished ironing the first set I washed. Soon, I’d have all the laundry done. I still have to vacuum and wash floors. The carpets are littered with small bits of paper from Sidney’s drawing and cutting projects.

  The woman who delivered the flowers earlier this week from Dorothy was back at my door. Now, I recognized her. Who was this from? My financial advisor. Wow! I texted him immediately and sent a photo. Some of the blooms and delicate greens were wilted. I sent him a photo and thanked him. I tried to arrange the display, so the wilting didn’t show. Later in the day, it occurred to me to check the water. I suspected the arrangement was fine when placed in the car for delivery. Because the container was shallow,  they must have dumped most of the water. I added more. The flowers perked up. It is a lovely arrangement with two sets of greens planted in soil. I hope I can maintain them.

   I called my friend Carol Zim who lives on the east coast. She and John were just leaving the house to get a sundae at a local ice cream and chocolate parlor. She said the topping was particularly good there. I spoke to both Carol and John until they got into the store. Carol took it off speaker as a courtesy to the other patrons. She described how John offered her the last of the sundae. When they got in the car, Carol put the phone back on speaker. John complained that Carol had eaten the last of the ice cream without offering him some. I participated in this family feud in a fun way. I teased John, saying he should have spoken if he wanted more after offering it to Carol. She agreed. Then John said it was their routine for him to offer her the last and her to save some for him. I inferred Carol had broken with convention. For me, it was all in good fun. I sure hope it was for them too.

    Jean called to tell me about an interview she heard with the author of the Bad Guys, Aaron Blabey. He said he talked to several studios. He decided on DreamWorks because “Damon shared his vision.” It was Damon’s rapport with the guy that did it. The film is a winner. Damon is a winner. Jean said Blabey only used Damon’s first name because we all know who Damon is. I am so happy for Damie Doo’s success. (Doo is not his last name.)

    I ironed the white fitted bottom sheet. Ironing the sheets on the bed is a breeze, provided the hot iron doesn’t hit the fleece blanket and melt it.

   I watched Stay Sweet, Pray and Obey on Netflix, about a fundamentalist Mormon enclave with an autocratic leader they considered God’s representative on earth. They had several interesting theories. First off, theirs was the only true religion. The men made it to heaven by having three wives and producing many children. The women made it there by always being sweet and obedient to the will of their husbands. The community has been as large as 10,000 members. The show is about the legal action against the organization for sexual child abuse, forcing underage girls to have sex in general, no less with much older men they have no interest in. The advantage to a society like that is secure membership. Those who fled because of their treatment miss the companionship of their siblings and fellow wives.   It sounds like the original hunter-gather groups were egalitarian. So sad that practice doesn’t continue. Instead, one leader, male as a rule, rises up and assumes total control. It usually leads to some disturbing sexual practices.