A very long “To Do” list.

We had a very important session with John and Cynthia yesterday, which has left me with a very long "To Do" ist to follow up on all the things we mentioned. The session was about issues of death and dying: we had a very candid discussion of how I would like my final days and weeks to go if I had my druthers. It is the sort of discussion every family should have, especially in my case, being 90 years old, and having Parkinson's disease. We talked about specific cases of what to do if…, how I would like my body disposed of, and mostly about letting me die, and not trying to keep me alive when there really isn't much chance of a meaningful life. I have a list of probably at least a dozen calls to make growing out of that discussion. I just made one with my PCP, to set up a time for the four of us to have a candid discussion about advanced directives and everything related to that. So that is good! I am still recovering from my fall, which was a little over two weeks ago, and I do feel that I am gradually getting better. My knee and leg are still somewhat swollen, bruised and sore, but less so. Same with my back. I had a knee x-ray last week, which showed nothing seriously wrong, so that was good. Dr. van Dyke actually liked the way the joint looked in the x-ray. So I am actually optimistic that I will get back to where I was before the fall, or close to it. But it will take time. Otherwise, I have been doing a lot of reading. I read a novel by William Trevor, and another one by James McBride. Trevor, who is Irish, published "Love and Summer," in 2009. It is about a love affair, which spans one summer, between a shy and retiring young farmers wife and an eccentric photographer who bicycles everywhere he goes in the fictional Irish village of Rathmoye. It is beautifully written.

William Trevor************

The Mcbride novel, "The Heaven and Earth Grocery Store," is a totally different kettle of fish. Set in a small Western PA city in the early 20th C., it has an amazing cast of characters: Jews, African-Americans, other immigrants and white Europeans, interacting in very complex relationships. At the core of the story are "Miss Chona," the vibrant, generous, outgoing wife of Moshe, a Jewish theater owner, and "Dodo," a young black man who loses his hearing when a stove explodes in his face. Around them are scores of violent, funny, treacherous and saintly characters. It's a mighty good read!

James McBride and his book.