I pretended I was a working man yesterday. Mowed. Edged. Cleaned up the yard. It was cool and the weeds were tall, but I got it done. Then I watched the big game.

It was a dreary day yesterday, which well matched my mood. I felt dreary, too. My abdominal aortic aneurysm is now in need of repair, two years after the false start of 2021. There’s no urgency. It’s just time.

Here we are, another morning, in another day. Yesterday was a good day. I had lunch and a long visit with two second cousins, their father, and a first cousin once removed. It’s nice still being in touch with people with whom I’ve had such long relationships, with active memories of their parents and the parents of their parents.

Ordinarily people hesitate to admit embarrassing mistakes. I, however, live for them because it gives me something to write about.

I like how children fill up the nooks and crannies of my days when I babysit. Even now, as I write in the quiet house, I know that the kids will start stirring at 6:40. It’s a school day.

I’ve been powerless. Got to Houston. Started to write. Realized my power adapter was still in the Hill Country. The battery on my laptop drained quicker than I could write.

My mind is buzzing today, and not with words to say. I’ve got to travel and that’s an entirely different mindset, especially when there’s a complication.

Heaven, help me. First, it was Wordle. An oddly satisfying game. I investigated letter frequency, studied combinations, and built a spreadsheet, because why would you continue to harvest by hand when you could use a combine.

I had a day yesterday. Got things done. Found a cache of linens, fine napkins, tablecloths. Paid my property taxes. Had my garbage disposal replaced. Bought a new comforter. Bought new pillow shams. Washed windows.

I did it. Installed new lights in the China Cabinet. Emptied it. Moved it. Washed most of the display items. Re-displayed everything. I even washed all of my late wife’s blue glass. Put it in the China Cabinet.

It was another good day of going and doing. Bought the paint for today’s job. Boxed up the daily use Pfaltzgraff China. Then, late in the evening I made a discovery that undid my previous work of days before.

Woke up in the middle of the night to the sound of rain, a steady rain. Walked out onto the porch to check it out. Listened for a bit then went back inside to bed and to sleep. It was a good sleep, and I woke refreshed this morning.

Took down a seldom used cup for coffee this morning. It asked if I’d still love it when it was 64. I think it was a gift from my wife for a birthday or anniversary or maybe Christmas. I really have no idea. I only know it’s been in the house a long time because there was a time when 64 felt like it was a long way off.

After a life trained by work, where the days were driven by preparation and planning, it’s odd to be in a situation where that’s no longer central to my life.

The day dawns clear and cold which is a nice break from clear and cloudy which translates into gloomy and turns us all into recluses. This is more like it.

In other good news, Pluto is leaving Capricorn and going to Aquarius. According to all the TikTok’s in my feed, that’s good news for me because I’m a Cancer having been born in July.

Drove into Houston yesterday to watch my granddaughter perform at an indoor track meet. She long jumped, she ran, everyone seemed happy.

The cold has come, and it will come again next week, except next time it will bring reinforcements. We’ll be in for a hard freeze. Okay, I’m fine with that.

The wise men have come and gone. The Feast of the Epiphany is over. I can start taking down my Christmas decorations. All the colored lights will soon be boxed. The angels stored for another year. The Nativity Set wrapped and bundled. The winter season will officially be upon me.

The house is painted. Refreshed. We’re ready for another ten years. Maybe I should sell it. It looks good. But no. I’m going to paint walls on the inside. Do an accent wall, or two. Change things up.