Apparently, I have lost the ability to fall asleep.

I can't even remember most of yesterday. OK, meeting with Bob C. at 9:30, after a rushed breakfast and short walk. Beautiful morning; apparently it rained during the night, but the sun was at work and it was very pleasant. I love talking to Bob about our investments/retirement; I swear I could listen to him all day. He is so knowledgeable and smart about everything. You say, "socially responsible" and he points out that, although Exxon lost a suit for $9 million over the Valdiz spill, they haven't actually paid yet. Chevron is better, he says.

Dropped Ray at the building he teaches in, rather than his office, because it was almost time for him to teach. Went to ALT, not much going on, although Nathan was back from Haiti and wished he were still there. He said if the elections there had gone the other way, they would have had to leave quickly. They were all packed and had arranged to be picked up by boat, but the person who won was the good guy and it was safe to stay. They still had to stop and lots of checkpoints and pay lots of people when they drove anywhere. Not my idea of a fun vacation, but I can see why work might be boring after that.

Becky picked me up to go get lunch and take it to the hospital to eat with Janna. Her Mom was about to move to rehab, except she has an elevated white count now, so they have to figure out what sort of infection she has and treat it. Aunt Vi has left, but Janna's sister is here until Friday. Next week, I may take some turns sitting with Bertha. It was kind of fun, the three of us eating a hurried lunch together in the lounge on the fifth floor.

Then I went to Kroger and bought yeast, matzo meal, and horseradish. I looked for the Manischewitz wine; it's about $10 a bottle. Then I went to writing class, which was intense this time, with people revealing some personal challenges, like not being allowed to see her grandchildren, because she had some mental health issues. These are 12 and 14-year-olds and the grandmother asked, "what does my daughter think I am going to do to hurt them?" I thought it was a horrible thing to do to your own mother. If I had mental health issues, my daughters would be the first to rally round, I'm sure. xx

Ray, meanwhile, generously, took a bus to the building where the workshop is held, so we could leave as early as I was ready, and not have to drive back to the campus. It was really nice, and I had to spend a little time with the chickens and the garden, before coming in and doing some tidying and furniture rearranging. Ray took care of reheating the leftovers and I started on the chicken and rice casserole for later in the week. We managed to watch quite a bit of TV, in between working on the casserole. Ray shredded all the chicken for me, thankfully. Then it turned out we didn't have any cheddar cheese, so it is ready to go except for that.

I wasn't sleepy, so I made the upstairs beds and tidied the rooms within an inch of their lives. Still a lot of mess, but I am pleased with my progress. I went to bed and finished my book and I still wasn't sleepy. I got up and paid bills on line, just in time to avoid late fees. Then I went down and ate some bread and watched some more TV, until I found myself watching some unfamiliar guy who came on while I was asleep, I guess. This time, around 3 am, I was able to fall asleep once I was back in bed and slept soundly until 7, when the light came streaming in. I woke up feeling pretty awful, but it will get better as the day goes on. Unfortunately, I will want to fall asleep about the time the guests arrive here.