Bewitched, Bothered, and Bewildered???

....Our next door neighbor, Freddie, gave us a gift he brought back from Germany. It was a witch on a string that we hung up in the kitchen a few months ago. Ever since then we have been bewitched. I won't even begin to discuss the evil that has happened to me. But take, as an example, what happened at dinner last night. Rhoda was broiling some hot dogs in the oven--two Nathan's and two Hebrew Nationals. She said we could have one of each--on hot dog rolls, of course. But as she took them out of the oven, all four fell on the floor at witch (sic) point RH- uttered the F-word as she retrieved them and stuck them on the table anyway. So we were stuck with floored dogs. They were a little dusty, but that added some to the culinary flavor. So the summer from Hell continues unabated. Perhaps it's time to burn the witch in our kitchen.

.....Right now, we are awaiting a call from Mobility Magic where a lift for my scooter is being glued to the back of my car. But the way things have been going, once the scooter is placed in the lift, I may have to drive the car with just the two back wheels as the weight in back of my trunk lifts up the two front ones. That should be fun. Speaking of fun, Rh+ and I went to the movies and saw "The Hangover". It involved a bachelor's party of four guys in Las Vegas. It was the funniest film I've seen all year. One has to be selective these days, as it seems all the films are catering to the younger crowd what with the plethora of sci-fis and the animated stuff. If you're in puberty, there is no paucity of films you could choose from. If you're over 80 and you see a guy in a movie that age, he is probably dying from shingles or an impacted tooth, whatever. Not very entertaining...nor encouraging.

.....I don't have too much more worthwhile to say today; except that there is a time honored proverb that means articulate and intelligent communication (speech and writing) should use few and wisely chosen words. It is best associated with the play 'Hamlet,' by William Shakespeare and is spoken by Polonius who states that 'Brevity is the Soul of wit'. Amen

"I 'gin to be aweary of the sun...." (Macbeth)

.....This has been the summer out of Hell! I can't wait for the end of it....I know that DST ends on October 31, but I don't suppose that's the end of summer...whenever that is. I will welcome it. So many things have happened to me--physically--that I'm guessing the cause is the onset of senescence. Well, I guess that occurs with many people. But I'm not in favor of it. The melanoma wound on my leg is taking its time to fully heal; however, it's almost there. It's almost three months now, and I'm guessing the 100% heal will take about another month. The happy thing is that I have been free of pain for a week. The wound care nurses that came twice a day, and the physical therapist that came twice a week are no longer coming--as of today. I was growing terribly weary of that whole routine. The wound care nurse is now Rhoda. She does a good job. And she doesn't have to be the caregiver she was in the early stages of post surgery. I can't wait for the lift for my scooter to be attached to my car so that I can get out of here! I have been cabin'd, cribbed, confined! And I need to be free.

.....With the arrival of the fall at least I'll have the pleasure of watching college and NFL football, and eventually--in October, the playoffs and the World Series. I love soccer, but I still believe baseball is the best game in the world. Basketball, I think, is silly....a team, college or NBA, to be successful must garner giants to put on the floor. And all the games you watch look almost exactly alike. Hockey is for Canadians and Russians. I wonder how they communicate.

.....Also this fall my cousin Edith's granddaughter is being Bas Mitzvah-ed. Actually, I believe the event will be this week. Many of my many cousins will probably be there in New Jersey by invitation. I didn't get one, but I sent a copy of my book to Edith to remind her that I'm still alive. I don't know if she'll read it or if she is able to read it--she's about 89 or more; but that's OK. She'll not miss my name on the cover. Another relative of mine--actually a former relative--my sister-in-law, Mildred, passed away the other day. Of course she was my ex-wife's oldest sister. Mildred was a fine lady, very bright and very "with it." Her passing saddens me. Her two sons are Barry and David and they will be bringing their mother back to Florida where she will be buried next to her husband. Harry and Mildred lived in Florida for many years, but after Harry died, Mildred followed her two sisters, Norma and Thelma, to California.

.....Stay tuned.

"A wise man cares not for what he cannot have." (Herbert)

.....I've been brooding and melancholy since the healing of my melanoma surgery has not yet occurred. The pain I was having is gone, thank heaven, but the wound lingers on and the wound care nurse is still coming every day to remove the dressing and put a new one on. I am really tired of the whole routine. As far as being melancholy is concerned, besides Hamlet, I also identify with Don Juan, a character in Lord Byron's (1788-1824) book of the same name. Byron created the concept of the 'Byronic hero'-a defiant, melancholy young man, brooding on some mysterious, unforgivable event in his past. (Sounds like me). Byron's influence on European poetry, music, novel, opera, and painting has been immense, although the poet was widely condemned on moral grounds by his contemporaries. He was suspected of having an incestuous relationship with his half-sister, and he went abroad, never to return after he was accused of bi-sexual affairs. Although I don't remember any 'unforgivable event' in my past--oh, excuse me, I do--but I have on occasion brooded about my past. \

.....I identify with the brooding Don Juan, who one bright evening looked at the stars and wondered ..."how the devil they ever got there." And, like my image, Don, I have been wondering lately about the same thing--as I often have--with no answer. But I attempt the answer myself. Take the oak tree for example. What caused it? The acorn. And what caused the acorn? I assume the power of nature in the acorn that kept it growing. But no series of causes can go on forever. Sooner or later we come to the end, to something for which we know no reason. Somewhere there must be an uncaused first principle from which everything else starts and a supreme and final end for the sake of which everything exists. If you know what I mean.

.....Yesterday we went to a place called Magic Mobility and bought a lift for my scooter. Of course it'll go on the back of my car and it will allow me to get out of the house and go wherever I want or need to. I had to give in to Rhoda who has been urging me to buy a lift for many weeks--or months. I just didn't want to spend the money for it. I don't know why. I was also concerned about what effect it would have in my car. I can't worry about that now. But at Magic Mobility we bought a used lift for half the price of a new one. We'll also buy a cover for it to protect it from rain as it often does here without a moment's notice save for a very loud thunder blast and lightning. I can't worry about the car--the scooter has priority. I have a cane, but I can't walk with it more than about 100 yards before the leg gets painful. All of this--including the brooding like Don Juan--is a result--no doubt--of the aging process. Even my sister will be 84 this month. I just called her and offered to take her out to dinner on her birthday and buy her a lobster!