has gone out.

Friday is fish day, seafood day. As it was in the beginning, is now ... 

We pretty much have three meals, little or no snacking. For me, odd something for breakfast, yesterday a sardine sandwich, Thursday morning a double cheeseburger leftover from party for Joseph at church, day before that an anchovie sandwich, different things. One day earlier in the week a chik-fil-a biscuit. Sometimes eggs.

So but then dinner at lunchtime, between about 12 noon and two o'clock pm a meal: something meat and one vegetable of some sort, one day the lamb shank with carrots, rice and gravy. Ice water, 3 to 5 ounce glass of red wine. Actually, the lamb shank lasted for two days dinner. A cookie: this week we're working through a package of thin and crispy gluten-free ginger cookies that Linda found at Trader Joe's the last time we were in Tallahassee. 

Friday, as I say, fish. Last week I bought a red snapper at Tarpon Dock and Linda baked it, one of our favorite seafood dishes. Shrimp sometimes, may be two kinds of shrimp, steamed at Buddy Gandy's. Yesterday for the first time in years we went to Captain D's and ate in. Fine, but the white fish that used to be a large scrumptious slab of fish is now a thin strip like a fat soda straw, rolled and rolled and rolled in flour until it's breaded thick enough to fry and serve without shame. Looks pretty on the plate though. Linda had the catfish, which they do southern style breaded in cornmeal. 

Finally supper? a cup of yogurt or a cheese cracker or some such except Wednesday evenings supper at church. Try to have supper at five o'clock, no later than six, so as not to have indigestion during the night. Linda looks great, I can't seem to get back down to looking great. If I get down to great weight, in the mirror I see a gaunt old man whom I don't want to look at much less be; and it all comes back anyway, plus a pound and levels back off, so the hell with it, I'm done worrying about it. At 82 my main worry is whether the sky will fall, and I think it has done.

What else do I want to admit about me? 

Mornings of course black coffee and a square of dark chocolate starts the brain working.

Bus load of Yemeni schoolboys killed by a rocket strike and all is well, rocket furnished by the United States and all is well? I don't think so. A nation where ... never mind. Never gardenia alphabet mind. From tomorrow's lectionary, "Be careful then how you live, not as unwise people but as wise, making the most of the time, because the days are evil." 



I need a picture. Lamp of Wisdom. Waterperry Gardens, Oxfordshire, UK.