I have been intending to make a post every day this week but ran out of time. First, Election irritations: 1) the Molinaro/Riley ads are awful. I am so happy to not live in a so-called swing state. One nasty congressional race is too much; 2) I am inundated with texts from senate and house races in other states. LEAVE ME ALONE. Texting back "stop" doesn't work. Second, because we have unplugged from politics since being awakened and then disenfranchised, we have immersed ourselves in the '80s. We're currently watching "Highway to Heaven." I loved the show when it was on, and it has aged well! What a great show! Finally, last night I had a dream that had my father in it. It had something to do with food. It felt like a dream, a confusing medley, more than an ADC; regardless, it was good to see him.

I have noticed in recent years that "of course" has replaced "you're welcome." This has been true of servers in restaurants for a while. The other fay Bob told me that a man held the door for him and when Bob said "than you," the guy responded "of course." I googled it, and some of the links attributed it to millennials, while others said it was gen z. The sentiment ranged from claiming it's a less formal way of saying you're welcome, the action was expected and insignificant, to suggesting it's rude and implies entitlement. Discussion of an alternative, "no problem," surfaced in a few links. I started thinking about "of nothing," the translation for de nada. Language is interesting, nuanced and it evolves.

 Birthday flowers from Lark Street Flower Market.

Happy belated birthday to me! (It was two days ago.)

                                                                My latest advocacy!

 Also: Mimmie's 120th birthday today. She probably would not approve, but she lived in a different time.

Last night, I finished the book I have been reading (Knife). It was excellent overall and beautifully written. In my head, I have snippets from memorable books that I have read over the years; for example early in the book, when Francie responds to the librarian "she is eleven" in A Tree Grows in Brooklyn. That evokes the image of the girl asking for a recommendation and anticipating the opportunity to reread a beloved novel that had been suggested many times before, as well as my own pleasure of reading a wonderful book. In the case of Knife, it came in the last chapter, when the author is preparing to revisit the scene of the attack after 13 months. He writes, “Maybe I was going to Chautauqua to face up to the unbearable knowledge, common to all human beings, that it would never be yesterday again.” What a poignant and exquisitely-crafted sentence.

Today little Bindi is seven years old.