Still trying to finish ...

Conclusion

We agree we're too old to be doing what we're doing. We belong in Russellville. Alas, many hoops left to navigate.

American depression

... that so many "fellow citizens" believe Trump is presidential material. What an extraordinary failure of our educational system that this is happening! Maybe, as Mencken has written, it's always been this way.

Energy

My daily allotment keeps shrinking.

Old times

I just rec'd a forwarded letter that had been addressed to me c/o Nobby's, one of my hangouts in the 1980s! By chance, I have breakfast there now and again and stay in touch. A short letter about Woody Guthrie, also dating me to the 80s (my show), from Seattle, from someone I don't remember. What the hell? An old drinking buddy? An old girlfriend? I could be pretty wild then. There's an address. Hmm.

This person seemed to assume 1. Nobby's would forward the letter 30 years later, 2. I was still alive.

Two longshots, both right.

Ah, the wonder of it all.

Last minute

Rushing to finish art list before opening.

Harriet's opening

You are invited to a comprehensive exhibit of the paintings of
                               HARRIET KAUFMAN LEVI

                                      Opening Event....
                      THURSDAY, SEPTEMBER FIRST, 5-7 p.m.
                                      Artreach Gallery
                                 in the lower level of the
                       FIRST CONGREGATIONAL CHURCH
        regular gallery hours Monday-Friday 10 a.m. th 2 p.m.
         1126 SW Park Avenue, Portland, OR across from the
                                   Portland Art Museum
                      Exhibit runs through September, 2016

A snail's pace

The slowness of our transition drives me crazy.

A beautiful creation

Highlight

I cut my thick toenails. Highlight of the day. Pathetic.

Hangin' in like Gunga Din

Another pickup

Boxes for Vietnam vets tomorrow. Must have donated 100 boxes by now. Running score: CD 100, HKL 1.

A relaxing day

Much needed. Back to the downsizing work tomorrow.

Harriet has a solo show opening end of week. Likely her last one.

BBC

Far, far superior to American media. I listen in early morning hours.

Hear, hear!

From an old poet friend ...

"The medical community would like me to stay alive simply

because 80 percent of all one's medical costs will be

incurred during the last five years of your life.

I find that the medical community and insurance companies

are a cold,  calculating group of money grubbers. Innocent

at first, I thought they were humanitarians. Was I ever stupid



I lived in Canada too long (17 years)  and once a person has been

given a taste of democracy, it is extremely difficult to live and be governed

by corporate tyranny."

Hiss boo

Mariners game blacked out in Pdx.

Oh well

Another day of vegetating.

Mariners on TV

Free game of day tonight. Doesn't happen often. On 3 game losing streak, all blown late leads.

Mantra

Expect it. Ignore it.

Bumpy homecoming

At the airport baggage claim, she went looking for wrong luggage, had forgotten what she had. We were there forever. And home, not thrilled with my good work of downsizing. Here we go ...

American football

In years past, I'd be excited about the start of college football season about now. Not this year. European football (soccer) and rugby are superior games and haven't yet been overrun with corporate hype.

Harriet returns

She says she's ready to help with downsizing. Hope so. Be a drag if she's not. Help arrives in a couple weeks. Meanwhile basement may not be as bad as I think.

Perpetually exhausted.

Transition

Will we ever get out of here? Sometimes I wonder. The task is monumental.

Battery

Desperate need of battery charge to continue. No fuel.

No energy

Mariners game, barely awake. Got half of BR done.

Running out of steam. Need a few breaks.

Cheese rolls

Attitude adjustment

Improvement today, feeling positive, whether from 3 a.m. pancakes, banking, baking, jazz, kind words from NYC, or whatever.

After bread comes out, cruising with Sketch before BR chores.

My father's son?

My dad was very dapper, always dressed up, even if casually. In contrast, I'm a slob.

At Russellville I can create a new image. Put a tie on in the morning. Be the dapper old codger hanging out in the lobby. Hmmmm!!

A baking morning

Rye bread, then cheese rolls.

Theatre collective in Brooklyn seems excited about my climate play. Hope they like it (obviously).

Should I go to dinner in a tie at Russellville? FOR THE HELL OF IT.

Mad start

I was up at 230, making blueberry pancakes. Ate, back to bed. Up, banking, a little play marketing. No desire to eat ha ha.

BR part two later. Maybe cruise with Sketch first.

State of psychic exhaustion.

Feeling my age

More than my age. Need to get into Russellville, where I'll have fewer chores.

Done

Emptied my closet, got rid of half, put it back together. Dresser tomorrow.

What a chore! And no help so far.

Time travel

Sketch has considerable eccentricity in old age. He expresses agitation and discomfort but stops immediately if he can ride shotgun on a car ride.

Today we drove through NW Pdx, where I happily lived in the 80s. This era of Pdx had two theater directors and a composer on the city payroll (!! in parks & rec !!). The neighborhood was bohemian, "the way Greenwich Village used to be," said my agent.

Gentrification began in the 90s, leading to the white techie bike-riding suburb of SF that is Portland today.

Today, lots of young folks out spending lots of money on brunch and $5 pints of beer. Not my kind of place.

Come on, Russellville!

Auspicious

Up early to cheer on Galen Rupp in marathon ... bronze medal!

Shopping, ready for major work in BR this afternoon.

Survival

Sketch and I suffering in the heat today. Cooler tomorrow.

Memory

H called, all upset about an email. Thing is, we went through this same email yesterday and resolved it. She doesn't remember. I had her delete it so we don't do it again tomorrow.

Life without continuity is a challenge.

Energy tanked

A vegetable.

West coast jazz

From 50s primarily. The sound track of what remains of my sanity. Hard to imagine life without it.

And wonderful technology: "Alexa, play west coast jazz radio." And she/it does!

Another step

Moving into bedroom today, another go around with my closet and dresser.

Harriet has so much to do. Hope she can, does.

Man, the house could be sold in two months with some good fortune. We can use some.

Knock on my wooden head. The prospect of disappearing in Russellville is exciting.

Morning?

Sketch woke me to go out ... now I seem to be watching O golf and thinking of breakfast.

Logic

100+ today. How am I keeping house cool? Baking quiche!

Zero sum

Harriet and I are back on the same page.

Sketch had a bad night, we both got little sleep.

Bronze and gold soccer games today. Rooting for Sweden.

Jerks

Hope Solo. Ryan Lochte. Ugly Americans.

Should have seen it before

Still in kitchen

Decided to do refrig and freezer and also dishes.

Need to get my attitude better after setback. Feel like I'm getting no help and obstacles I don't need.

Day and night

4 great days, then H had one of her relapses, which I had to resolve. Not the same since. Light at end of tunnel disappeared. Will we ever get out of here? But I muddle along, downsizing. Sketch tries to humor me. But this is no longer fun.

Downsizing

Harder than expected, won't get to a!l 13 tasks but making progress all the same.

Progress

A great morning

Cheese rolls, women's marathon, west coast jazz, cold brewed coffee.



More work in kitchen cupboards than I thought. Next several days.

Huge amount for Harriet to do upon return. Worry she's not up to it. Not easy work.

I'm making great progress.

Cruising with Sketch

What a great way to take a break. West coast jazz on the radio, windows down, Sketch loving riding shotgun, mellow mellow.

On a roll

Another good work day, finishing pots and pans. Leaves dishes and food in kitchen. Then to bedroom. All this before the major work, the basement.

I need a vacation.

Terrific start

Downsizing going better than expected so far! Improves the spirit, yes, we may actually get the hell out if here.

*

Women soccer team lost to Sweden in shootout. Ref blew call or they would have lost in extra time. No excuses.

Progress

After 90% recycled.

Olympics

WR in 10K! Very exciting! Now women's soccer ... then to work.

Up and at em

Waiting for women's 10k to start, a favorite event. And later men's, with Rupp.

Kitchen work today, downsizing pots and pans.

Major downsize

Broke down our pre-streaming music center, tapes CDs records, an entanglement of wires. One more chore for the day, after lunch with an actress who wants to pick my brain.

Good start to the 13 days.

Track and field starts tomorrow! Women's 10K!

Arrival east

Harriet made it but didn't sleep a wink during her all night flight. Goodnight.

LA Angels #1 fan

My cousin Robin Deemer, a journalist in SoCal, USC grad.

Go Bruins! Go Mariners!

So far, so good

Her plane took off on time. I assume she is on it. Next stop, SLC.

Quotation of the day

"I'm too old for this." HKL

Nightmare

Harriet is too old and forgetful to travel alone. Try telling her that. She is flying Delta, which is still messed up, and her trip, assuming she can get packed and the rest, already has a connection change with a 4 hr midnight layover, the flight from hell, and she is a wreck, and I am a wreck, and this shit has to stop.

Hanging in

Housekeeper helping Harriet downsize upstairs ... in basement, what remains of my office, listening to jazz, watching women's rugby, wow!, gathering strength for 13 chores in 13 days after Harriet flies east. Also money to manage, which gets tricky with our habit of living above our means. Like two cross country trips in two months! Well, you only live once and all that.

Man o man, can't wait to get out of here, have less responsibility. Can't wait!

The list

Have 13 days alone, identified 13 downsizing tasks. 1 a day. Early morning. Loud west coast jazz. Like a party! Begin Thursday. Whoop whoop!

Sorry, tough guys

Just watched some women's rugby at the Olympics. Makes padded American football look like a game for pussies!

Diversions

Olympics, Mariners, cushions against the maddening slow pace of our move. Eager to be here alone and crank it up.

Sketch

Sometimes I think the dog wakes me up because he is lonely. He'll fall asleep on the sofa beside me. Then I try to sneak back to bed without waking him. Like now.

14 days

Harriet goes east on the 10th to visit a son and grandkids. I have two weeks alone to get into high gear and make considerable progress. It will be a challenge. But I look forward to it. Goal, to glimpse a flicker of light that there's something beyond this mess.

Tick tock ...

Lost opportunity

On the American Olympics team is a Muslim woman who competes in her hijab. Imagine the powerful image if they had made her the flag bearer! Phelps needs another honor like he needs a hole in the head. They blew it.

Time

Time in old age changes. The present moment drags; the month sprints past before you see it. Creeping in the small focus, racing away in the large.

Nothing downsized today.

Exhausted

Been at it since 6. Collapse time. Olympics men's soccer today.

European football

It took me a lifetime to realize that European football, or soccer, is a superior game to American football. It requires a better athlete and is more engaging to watch with its continuous play. It has world wide interest. it embraces more interesting rituals.

USA v. New Zealand about to start.

Good day

Large donation to Vietnam vets this morning.

Cooking and Olympics for rest of day.

Here we go

Olympics soccer begins this morning, USA women play this afternoon. Yes!

Transition

Cooler, wetter, taking a day off. End of day, put out boxes for VVA pickup tomorrow.

Looking forward to Olympics.

Not looking forward to continuing Trump phenomenon. Very depressing that political intelligence has reached such a low. Massive failure of education system that this could happen. A lot of the energy comes from a dying clan of white males stuck in American mythology. Media drives it, loving extreme views. Social media nurtures it.

Whatever happens, Nature will level the playing field. Disaster plays no political favorites.

No wonder I'm eager to disappear at Russellville. I don't have many years left. Plan to wallow in great works of art and quiet reflection. Count my blessings.

Slow start

... and afternoon recovery. Another bag of trash, 4 more boxes for vets, 2 to keep. Onward.