Dear George,
It's hard to believe but our long winter is finally coming to an end. The wall lizards have returned to our patio, yellow and violet wildflowers are popping up on our lawn, and we've enjoyed a week of weather in the seventies. A boost to the spirits.
Our last several weeks have been dominated by Katja's stomach surgery. She woke with severe pain on a Friday morning, saw the doctor, and was rushed to Emergency and then to surgery. The operation took from ten p.m to one a.m. The surgeon was elated afterward. When I asked if it were non-serious, he shook his hesd and said they had been very scared. I'm glad I didn't ask beforehand. As I understand it, her small intestine got twisted from prior scar tissue and was blocking her digestive tract. Katja spent eight days in the hospital. She was happiest when I brought her her own pillow from home and chocolate pastries fron United Dairy Farmer.
Iko and I did all right at home alone. I liked being in charge of things, like not playing the radio all night and turning the lights off when I left the room. The biggest problem was Iko's sleeping arrangement. He normally sleeps in our bed, but he will only let Katja lift him up to be there. If I try, he gets very agitated and tries to bite me, having drawn blood a half dozen times. So he slept in his bed on the floor (and didn't seem too bothered by it). Worst of all, when Katja came home, she wasn't allowed to lift more than ten pounds, so Iko is still confined to his own lonely bed.
My biggest problem these days is my computer. I am writing this on my iPad because my computer has been in the repair shop for six weeks. The guy keeps telling me it will be ready any day, but that hasn't happened to date. I'm tired of going over there, so I'm sticking with the iPad. I just hope I haven't lost everything in my computer files.
The worst thing, of course, is the new administration. In my view, everything they have done to date is a disaster. I don’t want these politicos to ruin my remaining years. It's hard to believe they've only been in office for two months -- it feels like two years. When my father was in his seventies, he got so fed up with national politics that he decided to not listen to or read the news. I thought that was a mistake at the time, but now I'm of like mind. I haven't watched TV news or listened to the radio for six weeks or more. I do scan the daily New York Times, but that's about it.
I've also been distressed by my friend Bill F’s recent death. Bill and I came to the university about the same time in the late 1960's, and we've been friends for over half a century, most recently taking the form of occasional lunches and catching up at Ruth's Parkside Restaurant. Bill was very bright and had a dry sense of humor. He's enjoyed boing a sculptor in his retirement. I'll miss him.
One of my poetry classmates showed me the heart icon on my Apple iPhone where my daily steps are recorded. I had read in the newspaper that 6,000 to 8,000 steps a day are prescribed for my age group, and I was dismayed that I was only averaging 4,000. Having a numerical record is very motivating to me, and I've started walking Iko more and doing zumba to a YouTube video at home. I'm averaging 6,200 steps per day and hope to get up to 8.000 soon.
All in all, we're doing well. Katja's recovery is proceeding normally, my annual physical was fine, and we're enjoying spring break from our OLLI classes. We miss our family but hope to get together in the summer.
Love,
Dave
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