Dear Family, Friends, and Diary,
With my birthday done, there's not much happening, certainly not much worth writing about. Right? Well, that's part of the challenge and reward of doing these diaries, I have to periodically pause and see what has happened, and determine if I want a record. Nothing earth-shattering here, but, still, a record of our Fresno life. Good enough.
On my birthday, The Rahimi family gave me project: a wooden kit to build an old-fashioned globe. They thought it would be a break from puzzles, and it has been. So far, a week into building, it has been surprisingly intimidating, with numerous fiddly processes that challenge my old head. Thanks, I guess.
Speaking of our California family, they have been sending us pictures of their summer - a more exciting season than ours, that's for sure. The whole family spent time on Lake Tahoe before Gabby and Ava had a travel week to New York City and "The Hamptons" to join in a family birthday party.
Meanwhile, Mamal worked and Sam golfed. Our grandson is still improving his game. Last weekend, the 13-year-old shot a 77 and repeated as the club champion for his age group.
That score was 20 or 30 shots fewer than I ever managed! The best part is that he thoroughly enjoys the game, something especially important as many of his contemporaries have grown bigger and moved on to serious football, basketball, and baseball. (Sam: you'll still be playing forever, long after those guys are having shoulder, knee, and hip replacements!)
Back in Fresno, Marianne continues her art, including a Zoom-graduation for her most recent on-line class. While there have been no reasonable opportunities for shows or sales, her work, large canvasses and small greeting cards, gets more and more professional. Another activity that can continue forever.
My activity is more limited. Three times a week, I am back at the gym, sometimes under the direction of a new trainer who is providing a bunch of age-appropriate-but-not-easy exercises. I do wonder how long I can continue at his suggested level. Otherwise, it's just neighborhood walks and pictures, something that I hope to continue forever. (How long is "forever" anyway?)
Around the house, almost our only excitement was the replacement of a power pole in our back yard. (That's a measure of how exciting things are!) A neighbor had seen sparking at the top of the 64-year-old pole and Pacific Gas and Electric decided it was time for a replacement. I suppose 64 years constitutes "forever" for wooden poles. We ended up with a new pole and a much larger transformer, but lost the hedge that used to shield us from the neighbor's junky driveway. Oh well, I'll plant something new a wait (forever?) for a new screen.
Throughout this not-so-exciting half-month, I have been distracted by the Paris Olympics. They have been quite a show, as one would expect in the French capital (and Tahiti for surfing). The settings brought back memories of our own visits to The City of Light while the athletes reminded us of how hard they work to reach such a stage.
We joined in the closing ceremonies with another Sunday Dinner from our champion home chef. Speaking of the chef, our half-month has seen a cycle in the elephant-in-the-room story, from a little lump though a clear-of-cancer CAT scan. Unsettling, but OK-enough.
So, there you have it. Writing this story, I have been encouraged with an interesting record, even if my memory would not have predicted that. Now, we prepare for a week of travel. Stay tuned.
John and Marianne