The bottom of the mountain. in A small but passable life.

For seven days it was cloudless and eighty to eighty two degrees every day. Yesterday it was rainy and cloudy most of the day. A quarter inch of rain and a high of sixty-two degrees. And now it’s supposed to warm back up. Can’t complain.

I’ve nearly completed the cleaning out and shredding of the mountain of paper contained in Mom’s two drawer filing cabinet. Interesting items found were Dad’s original eligibility certificate for SSDI back in 1973, and all three of us kid’s childhood immunization cards. My sister and I being the oldest were the only ones of us vaccinated for smallpox.

It is strange to think that I was vaccinated against polio only six years after it sent my Dad to the hospital for two years and changed his life forever.

While shredding the latest mail I came across the helicopter bill, that insurance paid for, for Mom’s last ride the night before she died. It was for $36,000! Tell me the medical system isn’t fucked.

I’ve implemented a new system. Since only a handful of folks have my cell number and they’re all named in my contacts and I have a landline that has an attached answering machine (that no one has ever left a message on!) and that I only answer when I feel like it, I’ve been blocking and then deleting all unnamed calls coming to my cell. Interestingly, all these blocked calls, when I google them come up as “undetermined” numbers. Ah, the games we play.

Oh yeah, fucking amazon! They charged me for prime I didn’t order. Sorted that shit right out and got my money refunded.

I smoked the last cigarette of the carton Daughter had brought me for X-mas. So, I’ll quit again. Easy, peasy, done it hundreds of times.

Daughter has her twenty-week sonogram this coming Monday. She said we’re more than likely going to know the sex of the baby. I would rather wait for the surprise but she really would like to know.

She’s already decided to give the child her last name which is my last name so that’s alright with me. My brother’s oldest daughter kept her last name after marriage and her two boys have the family name so yeah, it’s a thing in this family I guess.

I still haven’t finished reading a book this year, so far. And the two books I’m reading now are re-reads anyhow. I only read thirteen books last year and nine the year before so I’m really slowing down. I used to read more than one book a week, on average.

Anyhow, everything is the same around these parts.

Be well, my friends!