"La plus grande chose du monde, c'est de savoir etre a soi" (Montaigne)

.....I just realized that my car is about as old as I am--that's in car years of course.  It's 12 years old and next year you'll all be invited to the carmitzvah.  Right now it has 86 thousand miles and I will try my best to get it to 100,000.  I never have driven a car for that many miles.  It also has a lift on the back which gets my scooter up and down--or more accurately, on and off.  I only use it now in the house cause it gets me where I need to go more quickly.  Can't dawdle with a walker.  Incidentally, I hate both methods of transportation; I want to be the only 100 year old man to run a marathon.  Think I can't do it?  Don't bet on it.  Save your money if you have any left in this economy.  

.....Speaking of money, gold is now up nearly to $9000 an ounce!  It's really amazing.  Unfortunately, I sold a few of my gold one ounce coins when gold was $1640 an ounce. I did not believe gold would go any higher.  Shows you what kind of financier I am.  Yesterday, the cleaning crew arrived here at 12:30 so we and the Strumlaufs  took off on a drive to The Isle, our favorite casino to visit our money.  On the way we had a rainstorm that came down in buckets, and with Lou driving, it was a very scary situation.  Neither Rhoda nor he has the best of eye sights.  I took my walker and strolled around until I saw a slot that beckoned me to play.  Well, at 4pm (our meeting time) I was ahead $25, so I took a gamble and played one for $20 and lost it.  Anyway, I was still ahead five bucks.  

.....I have to stay in the house by myself most days now when Rhoda has errands to run.  We pay for a "guardian alarm" now which if I fall, I can call 911 with a button on a chain I need to wear when she leaves.  I don't like it, but Rhoda says she feels better when I wear it.  Well, right now she forgot to put it around my neck, probably because she can't find it.  I just happened to hang it in my closet which I must go to get it now.  So, I'll see you all again sometime.  Bobby and Michelle, of course, on Labor Day.

"The miserable have no other medicine but only hope." (Measure for Measure)

.....Hello again friends of The Baron.  I want you to know that I now have a new good-looking bookshop...and here's the link http://www.lulu.com/spotlight/norrho1.....I don't know if you can get there by clicking the link on this post; if not, then copy it into your browser address bar atop the page.  After 30 days, the shop I have now will disappear into cyberspace. (I tried clicking on the link and it works)..I don't expect anyone to buy a book, but you just might be curious enough to check out the new shop.  If any two books look alike, one is paperbound, the other hard cover.  My books are being sold at many internet bookstores such as Amazon.  The down side of all of this is that if too many books are sold, I'll have to pay tax on the royalties, so be careful.

.....Like all other days, there's not much for me to do or what I able to do.  I'm not very happy about that.  I'm not now in a condition to drive my car, so Rhoda has to drive me to Drs. and/or the VA.  However, the upside of this is that I don't have too many appointments anymore.  I do have one this Friday at the Wound Care Center for the doctor to examine the sore on my left foot.  I don't expect that he'll have much to do there, except to say that I should continue with the hyperbaric treatments--which I'm not going to do while my ears are all stuffed up.  I haven't been there in a week now and my ears have not improved.  Even so, Val would not be driving me there every day; she drives a school bus, and I won't allow Rhoda to do it.  I'm not thrilled about spending an hour and a half in that tube every day. I don't have much pain in my hip anymore; all the pain I have is on my heel--and if anyone touches it, the pain shoots up past a value of 10.  Right now I have the walker to use when we go out and the scooter in the house.  I guess I can live with that.

.....On more or less mundane goings on, my cousin Gary from Chicago sent me a DVD of the 25th Anniversary of "Les Miz".  I truly love that show, and I find it amazing beyond belief how two guys could come up with a masterpiece like that??   One to write the music and the other to put lyrics to it?? I cannot imagine how they can do that, and I'm rather miffed that no one has offered to write the music to my blog.  So, right now I'm only a famous unknown author.  ........The most exciting thing today will be the delivery of a chair with a remote that will allow my to get it in any position, and even get me to the point where I can almost just step out of it. 

What next in this world?

WWII Ends

Today, 66 year's ago (probably too long for people to remember), the bomb was dropped on Hiroshima and WWII ended for me.  (People probably forgot alot about the Civil War 66 years later in 1930+).  Anyway, forget about that; it only means something for me today.  Now about Uncle Phil and Cousin Ruth.  They have been adopted into the family pro bono (Just sounds official) and I've been thinking that there ought to be some kind of documents or ceremony that would make their titles legit.  I would like that; I love those two.  Phil was brilliant scholar, athlete, coach, teacher and winner on Jeopardy.  Ruth is a famous poet in the UK and she has a brain in the top 10.  She should be a legit cousin, especially if she can show that she has not participated in the late riots or looted any of the stores during that unrest.
Any ideas? (I realize, of course that this could be written as a blog, but...).  Right now I am thankful that I can get around in my walker without pain and without the need for an aide.  By the way, today I published a paperbound copy of "Condo Capers"--and I have a new shop where any of my books may be purchased.  Here''s the link in case you missed it:  http://lulu.com/spotlight/norrho1... I don't mean that you guys need buy a book; I'm referring to other customers.  I gave you the link so you could see that it's "cool".  After all, I don't have an album of pictures of Costa Rica so all I have is a stinkin link!  (Here it is 
 By the way, the photos from Costa Rica are very pretty.  Now what?  (Damn; this could have been a blog post.  I think I'll put it up there.  What can I lose that I haven't already lost?)