Good morning. It’s a beautiful morning here. I hope it’s the same wherever you are. I slept a little later this morning (6:00) but still got in a morning walk. While walking I finished listening to Bradbury’s Dandelion Wine. It’s been around a good while, but I had never read it. My friends Tom Robinson and Bruce Morton had recommended it to me. Great recommendation. One of the best books I’ve read in a while. The balance of the walk I started Hemingway’s The Sun Also Rises. I thought this was one I had read as an early adult, but I don’t remember a thing. I Know that I read a couple of his books long ago and liked them.
We had a good experience with the sitter yesterday. On Monday, Kate seemed less enthusiastic about her time with Anita. Most of the time I don’t tell Kate I am going to be going out until just before the sitter arrives. Yesterday I told her at lunch. It didn’t appear to bother her at all. About fifteen minutes before Mary arrived, I told her again that I would be going to the Y and that Mary would be with her. Once again, she seemed fine with that. She expressed no reservations at all. When Mary arrived, Kate greeted her as warmly as ever.
When I got home, they were both sitting in the family room. They had been to Panera though Mary said they didn’t stay long. She said that Kate wanted to come back home to see if I had come home. Although that may have been a sign of wanting to see me, it did not appear that Kate had been disturbed at all that I had been gone. After Mary left, Kate commented on how nice she is and what a good driver she is. Now I am eager to see what happens with Anita on Monday.
Over the past ten days we have had an unusual amount of time with old friends. Kate and I have enjoyed that. Today is bound to be another good one. The Greeleys from Nashville are coming in for the afternoon. They’ll be here for lunch.
The couples we’ve seen recently led me to think about our very closest friends. There are five couples. We have known them for more than fifty years. (Scott Greeley, who will be here today, and Kate have known each other since infancy. I know there must be others, but that’s the longest-lasting friendship among any of the people I know.) Each couple has been married over fifty years. All of the men have been college profs though two of us found a home in the business world. We come from very similar religious backgrounds and we share similar religious and political views. All of these ties make for very special times when we are together. Today will be another good day.
