Sensible Shoes

It's senior day at Kroger today.

All these little, old people in their
sensible shoes there to get their 10%
discount.

I wonder if I'll ever be one
of them. Barring any accident, I wonder
if I have what it takes to stick it out,
day after day, when your body hurts
and you can't think straight about
anything.

It makes me smile to see them,
and it makes me sad. I miss my grandmother
and many older people I have lost.

*

Had Coq au Vin Blanc last night with roasted
asparagus, wild rice, and a boule bread.

Tonight, I am cooking an Italian roast beef
dish. The beef is in the oven now. Rubbed it
with kosher salt, pepper, onion powder, and
crushed thyme. Cut slits in it and packed
whole garlic cloves in them. Then I browned
it in olive oil.

Removed it from the pan and sauteed
onion and peppers in the drippings.
Deglazed the pan with some red wine,
then added some chicken stock and beef
broth. Then sprinkled a package of
Italian dressing mix in it. Added the beef
back and put it in the oven at 300.

Smells good. Going to have a salad,
fettucine with pesto sauce, and more boule.

Can't seem to motivate myself to do much
else, so I am glad I am cooking.

*

Got my books in the mail and started with
Elizabeth Bishop: The Complete Poems
1927-1979.

Also got Mark Strand's Blizzard of One,
James Wright's Above The River: The Complete
Poems, and Charles Simic's The Voice at 3:00 a.m.

Hard for me to concentrate but am enjoying what
I am reading.

*

Molly knocked my feet out from under me last
Friday. I fell hard onto the asphalt. Good thing
I didn't put my hands down to catch myself--probably
would have broken my wrists. Good thing I have
all that padding on my rear end too. It was one
of those times when you feel thankful you have
some meat on your bones. Cushioned the fall a bit.

As it is, it is getting harder to sleep at night.

I hurt.

My fingers hurt. My left elbow hurts.
My right hip hurts and no matter how I
turn or toss, there is no way
I can sleep that's comforable.

I have little stabbing pains in my left knee
all night long. I feel certain someone has my
voodoo doll out and is sticking me all over
with pins.

Probably arthritis. Seems to improve when I am
walking, so I am still walking nearly every day.
At least 25 minutes. Sometimes 45 minutes.

*

Overcast today. I hope we get some rain.