GOOD MORNING, LOUISE PLUMMER!

It's comforting to know you're sitting in your apartment a few blocks away from here, also watching boys in snappy uniforms.

Do ya think?

This morning as Kathy and I walked, she talked a little about ADHD in the classroom and suddenly I wondered if the fact that I started three separate and unrelated knitting projects last night in the space of 45 minutes is indicative of anything . . .

But that's not what I meant to say here! (And is that also indicative of something?) What I MEANT to say is that Kathy and I also talked about Louise Plummer's mother who I didn't know and who Kathy never met. But Louise told me once that her mother would sometimes end a discussion with the statement "oh well." It was her why of shrugging her shoulders and saying "what are you gonna do?" when faced with one of the life's hard realities. Only she was Dutch, so she said, "Oh vell." And that's something Kathy and I regularly say to one another as an acknowledgement that we haven't solved any of the world's problems by the end of our walk. We say "oh vell," just like we're Dutch. And then we think fondly of Louise's mother.

I love this because it just goes to show that we all bequeath little legacies to our fellow human beings--even the ones we don't know.

Thank you, Louise's mother.

Yes, Louise, you're right

i did write that last post to encourage myself to keep going. Especially now that I am one-handed. Speaking of which.

I spent two hours at PT yesterday. TWO HOURS. The guy at the table next to me nearly lost his hand because he got a staph infection after getting nicked by a screw. He didn't even bleed. But before long the guy's hand was a big fat puffy BALLOON and suddenly doctors were all dude! I think we might need to chop that thing off!

Only they didn't. You gotta HAND it to his doctors to find another option.

Yup. A good hand horror story like that makes los dos horas at La Casita de Physical Therapy totally worth it.

Yup. This is a post about Michael Jackson

Over at Five Crows, Louise Plummer blogs about how sad she feels about the King of Pop's death and I feel the same way. I don't know. There's just something about the passing of an iconic figure--someone we all knew of--that makes us feel our own mortality. Plus, a lot of us watched him grow up--from vibrant little boy to boneless dancer to tragic freak show--all played out before our eyes.

Anyway, our oldest son loved Michael Jackson so much when he was in kindergarten that he used to wear a single batting glove to church. I didn't object. I never object if something amuses me and anyway I have low standards when it comes to grooming, as everyone knows.

I later took our son's love of Michael Jackson and gave it to the young boy character, Sinjian, in AMAZING GRACIE--a book I wrote so long ago it almost feels like it was written by someone else who lived on another planet. But I thought of Phil and Michael and Sinjian this morning with longing for moments past.

Louise on Alzheimer's

You want an example of good writing? Visit Louise's blog and read her post on Alzheimer's. Here's the address: http://fivecrows.blogspot.com.

Meanwhile I cooked a lasagne for my mother's birthday. People ate. People raved. Alec's dog did stunts, and we all clapped. Tres gratifying!

More discussing

Thanks, Lisa and Louise, for your insights (see previous post and comments). I think you're both on the same page--i.e. that electronic media is here to stay and that we'll adapt.

It does occur to me that the world of children's publishing may be slower to change (not counting the everybody-is-losing-their-jobs part). Kids' books--especially for younger children--almost have to take a book form, don't they? Can a pre-schooler really snuggle up in your lap to read WHERE THE WILD THINGS ARE if there's already a laptop there? I don't know. Maybe. Everyone younger than I am is completely wired and tech-y these days.