My favorite Christmas Eve? The year we got snowed in!

Look: A Christmas gift from sunny Arizona!

My favorite Christmas started out as one of the worst, because we had been snowed in for days without power, thinking for sure we would be spending the holiday in a freezing house without a hot meal.

But that Christmas Eve when my husband walked home from work though eight miles of snow — yes, with hills in both directions! — to find the house full of warmth, lights and even a chicken roasting in the oven, he said “it truly felt like a Christmas miracle.”

That was cool. But even cooler was how I got to the store to buy that chicken, then got it home — where the power came on just in time for me to cook it.

It was 2008, the year we left Seattle for the “countryside” of Kitsap County. We didn’t want to leave the city, but did want to save up money for our wedding, so we decided to rent a small granny unit from someone we knew on Bainbridge Island for the next year.

Which is how us certified “city folk” — who moved to Washington from California completely unprepared for the cold — came to be living on a private rural road while completely unprepared to either drive in the snow or live without electricity. 

Because while Seattle had taught us to put on plenty of fleece and long underwear before heading outside, it only snowed there enough to convince me to put a couple of cinder blocks in the back of our pick-up to keep it from fish-tailing — certainly not enough to inspire us to get a vehicle that could drive through more than a dusting of snow. 

And we learned even less about preparing for power outages in Seattle, as our lights had barely flickered once in eight years. But on Bainbridge Island, our power seemed to go out with every breeze, and it snowed there, no joke, the day we moved — in April! But those flakes were spring “sprinkles,” both easily managed and forgotten by the time winter arrived.

And boy, did it! On Dec. 21, the first official day of winter, all of the Puget Sound Region was covered in several inches of snow, the most that Seattle had gotten in a decade. And the snowstorm was then followed by days of well-below-freezing temperatures that kept the thick blanket of of frozen water firmly in place.

Since the first day of the snow was a Sunday, it was actually pretty magical, and we marveled at the lovely sight of the world outside covered in white. Even hiking about a quarter of a mile in the snow to get our mail was kinda fun — the first time.

My husband heading to work with our truck still snowed in.

 

But when the snow hadn’t budged by the time we had to figure out how to get to work with our truck still completely snowed in, all the fun and magic was wrung out of our Winter Wonderland.

 

And though our jobs were on opposite sides of the Puget Sound, we both started our journeys to work by walking three miles to the ferry building and taking a 35-minute boat ride to Seattle. Then as my husband walked another mile to his work near the baseball and football stadiums, I waited for the next ferry that could take me right back across the water to Bremerton, a 55-minute sailing. From there I had to take a foot ferry to Port Orchard, another 15-minute sailing, all to get a town that literally felt like a stone’s toss away from where I had started more than four hours earlier.*

 

So luckily after we put out the newspaper that day, my co-worker Denise saved me from making another four-hour ferry trek that night by offering me a bed in her home. Then she and her husband Raul drove me to the grocery store that night to buy food for a holiday meal I still hoped to have, though I had no way to cook it yet.

I remember feeling so grateful as we drove to the store, their truck and its driver moving us safely down streets that my truck and me slid down as helplessly as I had slid down even the slightest incline the first — and last — time I tried to ski. And I felt even more grateful walking down the aisles of the store, marveling at all the technology like lights and refrigeration that I usually took for granted.

And the next morning I was grateful for yet another prepared person, my boss Rich. Who, when I asked for a ride to the foot ferry, offered instead to save me another long ferry mission by driving me all the way home, as his GMC Suburban could easily handle the snowy highway. In fact, it even drove us all the way up the still snow-covered road to my house that our poor little truck, still stuck in our driveway, had no hope of climbing. 

Though the power was still out when I got home, I started preparing dinner in the hopes that our electricity would be restored on Christmas Eve. And, about an hour before my husband arrived, it was, allowing me to finally put the chicken in the oven and make us that hot holiday meal we craved.

That was very cool.

But coolest of all was how that first Christmas in Kitsap County made me feel part of a village — a village that drove me to the store, gave me a place to stay, then drove me home. And, yes, a village I had never found while living in the city.

*Before the highways crossed Kitsap County, there was a wonderful system of small ferry boats shuttling people back and forth from all of the dozen or so towns on the peninsula. But in 2008, even though you could easily swim from the tip of Bainbridge to my newspaper’s office in Port Orchard, unless I had my own boat, I could not take one from Bainbridge to my work.

My Grandmother's Journals: December, 1998

Welcome to the daily life of a frugal, persnickety and extremely independent woman in her 80s: Every day my grandmother wrote down when she woke, what she had for breakfast, any movie she went to see, any mail and calls she received, then what she read and watched on TV before bed.

That was cool. Because I love reading her journals!

 

In 1998, she turned 83 while living alone in a mobile home park in Santa Cruz, Calif. Though I never knew her to live with another person or even a pet after she raised my mother on her own in 1950s Los Angeles (I wrote more about her life in this post), I never perceived my grandmother as lonely.

December of 1998 was another pretty slow month for grandma, mostly full of watching football and movies, checking the mall for deals, and walking to nearby Pleasure Point, a popular surfing spot, to see if anyone was on the waves. But I am also pleased to report that I drove down to visit her on Christmas Eve, and we went to the movies together after driving around to look at cool displays of lights.

November entries.

Tuesday, Dec. 1, 1998

Bed til 7:15. Usual breakfast. Sunny but cold.

Wind blew bark into carport. Swept, weeded.

To library. Read Barrons.

Home 3:45. Talked to Myra.

News, newspaper, Geraldo, Lehrer.

TV: Morse, X-Files (Vampire Town).

Wednesday, Dec. 2, 1998

Up 7. Chores, ready by 10 a.m.

To Longs. Rented “English Patient.”

Got gasoline, home.

Ran part 1 of “Eng Pat.” News, then part 2.

To post office, mailed letter to Mina.

TV: Law & Order, ran part of Eng P again.

Thursday, Dec. 3, 1998

Up 7, usual breakfast.

Went through medical files again, put some in metal file.

To Longs, got 1999 calendar.

Looked for boots in Gottschalks, Penney’s. Good ones at Penney’s, but need 9s at least.

Ate KFC, pot pie.

To Show, “Bug’s Life.”

Home 4:30 p.m., worked on taxes.

Some Geraldo. Ann there, turned off. 

TV: Poirot, Law & Order, news.

Friday, Dec. 4, 1998

Up 7:30. Cold, heat til 9. Shower/hair.

Got boots at Ross.

To Longs, looked for light buttons. None.

Ate lunch at Kmart, turkey.

Mail: Letters from Mina, Carla. She sent $10.

Talked to Myra on fone re Larry, remote.

News, papers. No Geraldo: loudmouth Ariana on w/Marcia.

Called Mina.

Call from Ralph Short, called back.

TV: X-Files, Poirot Mysteries.

Slept good.

Saturday, Dec. 5, 1998

Cold, heat 7-9. But feel good!??

To Kmart, got Dinty Moore and applesauce. Ate meatloaf.

Mail: Catalogues, Medicare forms. Drs on Duty a mess again!

Dinner: liver.

Wrote Justine, card to Ralph Short.

Storm passes, cable out. Rabbit ears OK.

Good sleep. Spilled water.

Sunday, Dec. 6, 1998

Cold! Bed til 10.

Football: 49ers (31) vs. Carolina (28). Close game, tied 28. Carolina got OT, field goal missed. 49ers Ricky made Int.

TV: Siskel & Ebert, 60 Minutes, some Three Tenors.

Monday, Dec. 7, 1998

Cold again. Heat 7-9. Out 10.

Walked on cliff.

To Longs, BO 149/77.

Mailed letter to Justine, card to Ralph Short.

Home 1:30, chores.

Justine called, added “Caller ID.” [Justine here: I had been getting scary crank calls!]

Cleaned inside of car.

Had brown pants outside drying a week?! Forgot, rained on.

Tuesday, Dec. 8, 1998

Up 8. Power outage in SF. Street signals out, gridlock. BART down.

To Drs on Duty in Aptos. EKG, heart, lungs, blood test. 

Stopped at Burger King, got fish.

TV: C-SPAN, president’s witnesses testimony. X-Files, repeat.

Wednesday, Dec. 9, 1998

Good sleep. Up 7:30, usual breakfast. Some C-SPAN.

Changed coolant. No need, can be 2 years.

To Kmart, pie & ice cream! Looked for pants.

To McWhorters. Xerox, pen refills (3).

TV: Geraldo, Frost, Discovery.

Read papers, Koppel, bed.

Thursday, Dec. 10, 1998

Awake 6, heat til 8. Chores.

Mailed letter to McCoys.

To McDonald’s for coffee.

Looked for pants at Penney’s, Gottschalks. Some Vanderbilts and Lees.

Home, TV. Some C-Span.

To show, “Home Fries.” Drew Barrymore, Luke Wilson? About “country” folks!

Home again. News, C-Span, Geraldo, X-Files.

Friday, Dec. 11, 1998

Up 7:30, usual breakfast. Chores.

To Drug Emporium for BP.

Got 3 pair of pants, 1 sweater for $107. Tired from trying on clothes.

Lunch at KFC.

Locked keys in car, called for truck. Man had hard time on driver’s side, but easily opened passenger side.

Home 2:45. News, Lehrer, read paper, crossword, etc.

TV: Geraldo, Poirot, part of X-Files, rerun.

To bed, no sleep though. Watched Koppel, drank hot milk.

Saturday, Dec. 12, 1998

Up 7, turned on heat. Usual breakfast.

To Drug Emporium, got TV Guide, new battery for smoke alarm. The other, Energizer, lasted 1 year.

Got coffee at Ocean, left copy of Medicare Notice at Drs on Duty.

To library, researched “Black” Encyclopedic Notables.

To Erik’s Deli for pie.

Long lines at Star Trek.

Home, message from library for book, Beloved.

Sunday, Dec. 13, 1998

Up 7. Heat, tea, applesauce. ready 9 a.m.

To Trader Joe’s, post office. Mailed letters, bot stamps.

To Kmart for breakfast. To bank for balance.

Home, chores. Some football.

Xmas lights, put up one string. Second does not work. Worked to find out why.

TV: X-Files, ghosts — Lily Tomlin, Ed Asner.

News, bed.

Vacuumed front.

Monday, Dec. 14, 1998

Awakened 5:30 by garbage truck. Out by 10.

To Longs, bo’t new string of lights, cheapest.

Home, wrapped book for Mina, catalog for Justine.

To Scotts Valley. KFC, Star Trek “Insurrection.”

To post office, mailed all.

Home via Chanticleer to see decorations.

Home, sorted mail. Thought I had lost these journals, had put in purse.

TV: Geraldo, Lehrer, Football: 49ers (36) vs. Detroit (13).

Tuesday, Dec. 15, 1998

Up 8, usual breakfast. Shower/hair.

To Drug Emporium for Head and Shoulders. New, has conditioner.

Home, drove on East Cliff. Not many surfers. Park shaping up.

Home, chores. Fixed black turban.

Clinton returns today.

TV: Murder She Says, Lehrer, Geraldo, old Morse, old Frontline.

 

Wednesday, Dec. 16, 1998

Awake 8. Usual breakfast. 

Put up Xmas lites. Changed some bulbs.

Called Hazardous Wastes, open today. Took coolant and insecticides.

To Capitola, waked a bit. Sunny, many children? School?

Home, rearranged 2nd shelf of cabinet. 

Justine called, for my SS#.

Mail: Card from Pearl/Orin.

Clinton ordered bombing of Iraqis.

Read, taped Pagliacci with Placido Domingo. 

Thursday, Dec. 17, 1998

Couldn’t sleep. Took melatonin. Hangover.

Usual breakfast. Chores.

To Longs, got video, “Chinese Box.”

McDonald’s for coffee. Bank for balance.

Home, tired!

Mail: Card from Stimson, my card to Mina returned. No stamps!

TV: Lehrer, Geraldo, Sherlock.

Played “Chinese Box.” Good photography. Jeremy Irons.

Friday, Dec. 18, 1998

Awakened at 7. Heat on. Then awake at 9.

To post office, mailed 7 cards.

Longs, returned video.

Albertsons, got bananas, potatoes.

Kmart for gas. Did not cut off, much gas on pavement.

To Scotts Valley, got bakery item.

To show, “Prince of Egypt.” Good.

Mail: Got order from Puritan, card from Justine.

TV: news, Koppel.

 

Saturday, Dec. 19, 1998

Up 9,cold. Ready by 11.

Coffee and donut on Ocean Avenue.

To show, “Gods and Monsters.” Ian McKellan, wonderful film.

Newspapers sold out in many places, found 3 left at Drug Emporium. 

House of Representatives voted on Acts of Impeachment (for Clinton), 2 out of 4. 228-206. Some did not appear.

Carla called, to have another biopsy.

TV: Interesting A&E show, Mystery.

Got letter ready for Justine.

Sunday, Dec. 20, 1998

Up 9, breakfast at McDonald’s.

To post office, home. 

Ironed pants, sewed gray sweater. 

Turned on lites, forgot last night.

TV: Siskel & Ebert, like “You've Got Mail,” “Thin Red Line,” “Affliction.” Video pick: “High Art.”

Monday, Dec. 21, 1998

Cold. To laundromat.

Kmart for lunch, bo’t Dinty Moore.

Home, message from Myra. Larry fell, was taken to ER by ambulance. Went with her to hospital, was there from 2:30 to 5 p.m. He had 10 stitches.

Home, cable went out.

Dinner here, spaghetti.

 

Tuesday, Dec. 22, 1998

Hearing test at 1:15.

Up 7, heat til 9. No shower.

Sister Grace arrived to see Larry. Dressed, gave her two pair of pants.

Larry with black eye.

To Longs and coffee, read paper.

Hearing test, shows loss. Ordered second most expensive. Sales gimmick?

TV: Lehrer, Law & Order.

 

Wednesday, Dec. 23, 1998

Up 7, heat til 8. Cold!!

Shower, hair. Out 11 to Longs.

Lunch KFC. Pot pie, coconut pie.

To Kmart, just looked at cards.

Home, washed some clothes. Some TV.

To Albertsons for milk.

Read “Beloved.”

Rain tomorrow.

Thursday, Dec. 24, 1998

Awake 6 a.m. Packed vitamins. Usual breakfast.

To Drug Emporium for TV Guide, cards, crackers.

To library, read Consumer Reports on hearing aids.

Home, to Myra’s. Gave McApple.

Justine here 3:30 p.m. Drove to see lights.

To show, “Gods and Monsters.” She had pizza.

Home 9:30. Some TV.

[Justine here: I remember that night fondly. It was great to drive around with her, just looking at Christmas lights. I also think that was the time she gave me Tylenol PM to help me sleep, which changed my life.]

 

Friday, Dec. 25, 1998

Xmas. Cold, no hot water. 

Up 10:30 after heat.

To bank, got balance. Paper.

Some cleanup.

Walked cliff, lovely day.

Home, wrote Mina, Andra, Sy.

Read papers, watched news, some TV.

Taped Madame Butterfly. 

Read in bed. 

Saturday, Dec. 26, 1998

Larry goes back to have stitches out?

Cold, but not as much. Usual breakfast.

To Drug Emporium, got new slippers and cookies.

To Longs, got food, envelopes.

To OSH, water heater pilot out. Called PG&E, 2 others. Say Monday.

Some TV, finished “Beloved.”

 

Sunday, Dec. 27, 1998

Awake 8 a.m., but tired. Usual breakfast.

Wrote card to McCoys.

Various chores regarding New Year. Appointments, etc.

Football: 49ers 39, Rams 19.

Lunch Kmart, talked to couple from Montreal.

To library, got video: “Smoke Signals,” returned Beloved.

Some TV. Bed early.

Monday, Dec. 28, 1998

PG&E may come.

Awake 6. Heat, usual breakfast.

Oiled car lock, locks on door for heater.

Put out Larry’s waste can & brought it in.

PG&E man arrived around 3:30 p.m.

To post office, mailed letter, got stamps.

Ran tape of Madame Butterfly, color great. Taped opera.

TV: News, bad accident on 101, fatalities. Fog?

Tuesday, Dec. 29, 1998

Wakened by quakes, 4:38. Back to sleep after moving lamps and gorilla.

Up 9:30, usual breakfast.

Gave Sister Grace calendar.

Talked to Myra regarding Larry. He in good condition, eye almost well.

To show after donut/coffee. “Shakespeare in Love.” Great.

Very cold. Vacuumed furnace. 

Some TV. Bed early. Read paper.

Wednesday, Dec. 30, 1998

Streetcar Named Desire, SF Opera.

Awake 7, usual breakfast.

To post office, mailed catalogues, article to Mina.

Drug Emporium for BP, McDonald's for coffee.

To Myra's, gave her calendar for Larry. He “lost his keys,” they were in his pocket.

Home, ate, some TV. Taped opera “Streetcar Named Desire.”

Bed, watched Law & Order.

Thursday, Dec. 31, 1998

Rent.

Awake 6, heat. Usual breakfast.

To Longs: BP, paper, more corn flakes, stew. No “Sliding Doors.”

Kmart for lunch. Soup, cheese sandwich. 

Looked for sweater at Gottschalks. Nothing.

Home, washed some things.

Wrote checks for rent.

Gave Myra cookies.

TV: Cirque de Soleil. Great!

TV: Diagnosis Murder, some David Letterman.

How the Joy of Cooking taught me the joy of cooking for others

The Joy of Cooking and a freshly baked galette.

When I graduated from college, a family member bought me some of her favorite kitchen essentials for my new home: three sturdy casserole dishes and two classic cookbooks. 

At the time, I’m ashamed to admit, I wasn’t very appreciative of the gifts, as I didn’t really enjoy cooking and bristled at the expectation that I should. But decades later, her thoughtful gifts are not only still in my kitchen, they have become beloved members of my household.

The dishes, permanently stained from countless meals, are still used every week, and one of the books, the Joy of Cooking, is a trusted friend whose recipes have helped me make delicious food for more than 25 years.  

And it all began when my husband opened it one day to help him roast a chicken.

That was cool.

Because the simple-yet-perfect instructions for cooking a whole chicken with only butter and salt created such delicious results, my husband began turning to the book for many more meals. 

And while I don’t remember how many recipes my husband used from the book before I tried my first, I do remember which one it was: Beef stew, which I cooked for us one Christmas Eve.

1. Beef Stew, page 669

Of course there were a few more steps involved in making stew than roasting a chicken, much more than a lazy cook like me would like, but again the results were so delicious they made all the work well worth it — and turned my making beef stew on Christmas Eve into our new holiday tradition.

And while I can’t cook the stew in one of the casserole dishes that Sharon gave me with the book, I do cook them in another gift from a family member:  A Dutch oven my father-in-law gave us one year for Christmas. 

2. Scottish Shortbread, page 820

After such great success with the stew, I next tried a dessert, which I must admit I chose just for me: shortbread cookies, which remind me of the cookies my mother would bake — Russian Tea Cakes, which are also delightful mounds of mostly butter, sugar and flour. 

But my mother didn’t make them very often, and when she did they were for her co-workers, because she did not allow her daughters to eat much sugar. So since I still vividly remember standing in a kitchen suddenly full of glorious smells and gazing longingly at those freshly baked cookies I could only eat one or two of, it gave me great pleasure knowing I could eat as much of that buttery Scottish shortbread as I wanted when I made my first batch.

Yet soon I got even more pleasure out of making the cookies for someone else. On a whim I made some for my boss, who not only said afterward that “shortbread cookies are one of my most favorite things ever,” but that the ones I made were particularly delicious — thanks again of course to the Joy of Cooking, which advises adding some rice flour to give the cookies a more delightfully crumbly texture.

So years later when her husband died, I knew exactly what to give my boss, who again sent me a nice note afterward to say that the cookies had come at a perfect time, because she was having a friend over for tea. I smiled knowing she would be having company to enjoy the cookies with, but also smiled knowing that the book had helped me finally find a satisfying way to connect with people that didn’t leave them confused and me cringing.

Usually, my attempts at casual affection turn into an awkward dance that leaves us both uncomfortable, but with cooking I could offer friendly love to other humans without feeling like an alien — yet another way the Joy of Cooking gave me joy. 

3. Basic Pizza Dough, page 752

Now with complete trust in the book, I decided to finally attempt a recipe I had wanted to make for my husband for years: pizza dough. 

Though I had learned to roll out dough like an expert thanks to my years working at a pizza place after high school, I was too intimidated to make my own dough because all my prior attempts at yeast bread were miserable failures.

But of course, the first dough I made with the Joy of Cooking was a complete success, giving me the satisfaction of making one of my husband’s favorite meals, and reliving one of my favorite work memories: The mornings I spent alone in the restaurant rolling out dough with only the radio for company.

Thanks to that cookbook, I could have those moments again in my own home, magnified by the joy of making something I knew would give my husband joy. And, to my surprise, I still enjoy making that pizza now, even though I can no longer eat it after discovering I am allergic to wheat.

But, again, the book helped me change — from a person who bakes a batch of cookies that she wants to eat every bite of, to one who gets even more joy from making a pizza she won’t even eat one bite of.

4.  Galette, page 882, with cornmeal flaky pastry dough, page 864

But the recipe that inspired the most surprising — heck, downright miraculous — changes in me was something I never heard of until the Joy of Cooking: a galette. 

I first made a galette, frankly, because it seemed much easier than a pie since there is only one crust, but it quickly became my favorite dessert to make, especially an apple galette with the “cornmeal flaky pastry dough.”

Not only full of butter like the shortbread cookies, it features cornmeal, so it is especially easy and tasty to make without wheat. But the best part about the galette is how it improved my most complicated family relationship.

Like many (dare I say most?) married women, I have a fraught relationship with my mother-in-law, whom I frankly have struggled to form warm feelings for that are separate from the love I feel for her son.

But her appreciation for the galettes is so complete, they began creating those warm feelings for me each time I baked one. Since I make them without much sugar and even without much fruit, most people don’t consider them the ideal dessert. 

To another family member, they were so dry I bought her ice cream to eat it with, but my mother-in-law loves the galettes just as I make them.

So last weekend when I stopped by with a galette still warm from the oven, she opened the foil and started eating it immediately with her hands. And watching her sigh and sing with unabashed joy as she ate my baking — yes, that gave me joy, too.

And that was very cool.

Also cool: I still have the large Pyrex bowl and handheld mixer my mother used to make cookies with, and I love using them both to bake. You can see them in the video below:

My Grandmother’s Journals: November, 1998

Welcome to the world of a frugal, persnickety and extremely independent woman in her 80s: Every day my grandmother wrote down when she woke, what she had for breakfast, any movie she went to see, any mail and calls she received, then what she read and watched on TV before bed.

That was cool. Because I love reading her journals!

 

In 1998, she turned 83 while living alone in a mobile home park in Santa Cruz, Calif. I never perceived her as lonely, though, because I never knew her to live with another person or even a pet after she raised my mother on her own in Los Angeles in the 1940s and 50s. (I wrote more about her life in this post.) 

November of 1998 was a pretty slow month for grandma. She wasn’t planning any trips, as we had just gotten back from New York, and was mostly watching football and tracking her blood pressure, which was already high due to her diet, and got even higher that month as she fumed over the Starr report on President Clinton, whom she liked.

October entries.

Sunday, Nov. 1, 1998

Breakfast Kmart.

Talked to Myra, Dottie moving to senior complex in Paso Robles.

There was a plumbing problem!

Lois at Kmart. Oscar worse.

Got lamp at Kmart. $19.99 (20% off) 

To Ross, same jogger suit there as Dottie got.

Football: Green Bay over 49ers, 36-22.

TV: Siskel & Ebert, no 60 Minutes.

Monday, Nov. 2, 1998

11 a.m. tune-up at Goodyear. Ask for spark plugs.

Longs, Xerox. Got tissue, Corn Flakes.

To Goodyear. Horn worked then, not later.

Home 2 p.m. Message from Margaret re water.

Read papers. 

TV: Matlock.

Football: part of Dallas vs. Phila. Deion ran punt back for TD.

Taped “Cats” and “Becker,” new Ted Danson show.

Tuesday, Nov. 3, 1998

Vote.

To Longs. TP, stew.

To Ross, tried on for 1 hour!

Home, lunch. 2 p.m. Murder She Wrote.

Watched part of “Cats,” up til 12:30.

Watched Nightline for Election returns.

Wednesday, Nov. 4, 1998

Margaret foned. Water off.

Checked at 10, water on. I showered, then off again.

Drug Emporium for BP, got vitamins.

Read paper. Kmart for lunch.

TV: Geraldo, Jim Lehrer.

Goofed on taping second part of  “Respected Trade.”

Bed 9 p.m., no sleep til 1:30 a.m.

Thursday, Nov. 5, 1998

9:30, call from dentist. Cancellation, do I want to fill in? No.

Drug Emporium for BP, coffee at McDonald’s.

To Ross in Capitola, then River Street. Found XL blue with embroidery, zipper in legs.

Home, Lehrer news. Henry Hyde announced Starr to appear Nov. 19. Sending letter and questions, probing and insulting.

Sewed three hats.

TV: Frasier, some old X-Files.

Friday, Nov. 6, 1998

Up 7:30. Usual breakfast. Finished crossword.

Rain in San Francisco.

To Patagonia, returned yellow jacket.

To Scotts Valley, ice cream!

Decided to go home instead of to show. Rain and cold.

To Albertsons, got veggies and milk.

News: Newt Gingrich may resign? Stayed up for Koppel.

Saturday, Nov. 7, 1998

Rain, cold.

Wrote letter, to Kmart for lunch at 11.

To show, “The Siege.” Good. Annette Bening, Denzel Washington. Bruce Willis, not listed in front.

TV: Some PBS, old Henry Fonda.

Tennis: Sampras vs. Todd Martin, Sampras fell hitting an overhead!

Sunday, Nov. 8, 1998

Awake 6, then 7. Usual breakfast.

Charted stocks, made chart for crossword dictionary.

Cold, but no rain.

Typed some, put October pix in album.

NFL: 49ers vs. Carolina, 25 - 23. Detmer QB. (Young out w/injury.)

Sun out in San Francisco, rain and clouds here.

TV: Taped Whoopie Goldberg, “A Knight In Camelot,” then second part of “Unknown Soldier.”

Bed, read Story of Iraq.

Monday, Nov. 9, 1998

Awake 6, slept til 9.

To Drug Emporium, McDonald’s for coffee.

Home, wrote Patagonia and Boston Museum.

Fone Myra.

Mail: Letter from Justine.

TV: Murder She Says, Jim Lehrer, some bio of “Duke,” John Wayne.

Tuesday, Nov. 10, 1998

Ready by 9.

To Drug Emporium, got TV Guide, etc. Checked “Hearing Center.” Closed.

KFC, got chicken pie and chocolate pie!

Raining, cold.

News, ate, chores, paper.

Geraldo: Good show, Gerry Spence, Alan Dershowitz.

TV: PBS, first part of Unknown Soldier, then first of Frank Lloyd Wright.

Wednesday, Nov. 11, 1998 - Holiday

Cold! Usual breakfast, chores.

Dentists, looking for knitting bag.

Brought jewelry to St. Vincent de Paul.

To Beverly’s, got dried flowers, gold.

Holiday, no mail.

Geraldo, read papers, crossword.

TV: Law & Order (repeat), second part of Frank Lloyd Wright. He died six months before the Guggenheim opened.

Thursday, Nov. 12, 1998

Cold, usual breakfast. Ready by 10.

Drug Emporium, coffee, bank.

Checked tires, thought low, no.

Got T-Bill info for girls. Home, reconciled account, mailed checks to them.

Home, lunch, worked on cleaning out cabinet. Cut linoleum for 2 shelves.

TV: Geraldo, had woman on who interrupts others, turned off.

Friday, Nov. 13, 1998

Awake 7:45, usual breakfast. Finished paper, packed vitamins.

Worked on cabinet, top shelf, til noon. Insecticides and paint to get rid of.

To Kmart, salad and pumpkin pie.

Home 2:30, some MSS (Murder She Says), then Lehrer News. Interesting.

Mail: Vitamin order, bills, book from Stimson!

Saturday, Nov. 14, 1998.

Up 7, cold. Heat til 8.

Usual breakfast, chores, watered plants.

To post office, KFC for lunch.

To town, gave bags to thrift shop on Front Street. Checked Logo's.

To show, “The Celebration.” Danish. Man is 60, has abused his children, son tells all. Odd photography, mostly face shots!

TV: Stargate, X-Files, skating.

Sunday, Nov. 15, 1998

Lifetime, 4 p.m.?

Crazy dream: On beach, airplane carrying large object above us. Bridge girders?

Up 7:30, usual breakfast.

Football: 49ers vs. Atlanta, 19-31.

Cleaned off insecticides, sprayed weeds.

TV: News, Siskel & Ebert, 60 minutes, Sleeping Beauty, X-Files.

Monday, Nov. 16, 1998

Up 7:30, heat until 8:15.

Usual breakfast, some yard work.

3 fone calls: Federal Reserve, renewed Wall Street Journal, Healthwise

To Kmart for lunch. 

To Mervyn’s, bookstore. No Wall Street.

Mail: New Yorker, read.

TV: Murder She says, Jim Lehrer.

Shower, hair.

TV: Geraldo, some Discovery, Baby Animals.

Rain in night.

Lisa Norrell’s body found. Strangled? Students shot in Napa.

Tuesday, Nov. 17, 1998

Leonid shower, can’t see. Rained last night.

Awake 6, heat til 7. Some sewing. (Bra.)

Drug Emporium, BP. High? Got TV Guide.

Trader Joe’s bread, soup, moisturizer.

McDonald’s for coffee, read paper.

Home 11:30, Monica's tapes released. CNN pix show reporters “like dogs over a bone.”

Mail: Letter from Stimson. Wrote to Carla, Prudy.

TV: Geraldo, Napa shootings, Morse, Law & Order.

Outside 2x, tried to see Leonids. No go.

Wednesday, Nov. 18, 1998

Slept til 8. Usual breakfast. Chores.

To Longs, BP high.

Finished letter to Prudy.

To show, “Meet Joe Black.” Liked. Anthony Hopkins.

Home, washed clothes. 

TV: Geraldo, X-Files, Voyager.

Bed, no sleep. Up for milk, hot. Sleep 1:30 a.m.

Thursday, Nov. 19, 1998

Awake 7:10, heat until 8. Cup of tea, crackers.

Ready 9:15, Drug Emporium for BP, paper.

Gas at Kmart, 9:25 on freeway to Monterey.

Arrived 10:25 but couldn’t find the Longs. Arrived 11 a.m., got test. Diabetes OK.

Ate at “Sea Harvest.”

Home, about 85 miles round-trip. Tired.

Watched CNN, part of “Judiciary Panel,” Ken Starr.

Bed early.

Friday, Nov. 20, 1998

Up 8, usual breakfast. Chores, still tired.

To mall, full of teens. Holiday?

Coffee at cookie place. Good, but high: $1.10

To Scotts Valley, looked for “knitting” bag. Expensive.

Lunch at KFC, then home.

Mail: Package (book) from Mina + letter, fone bill.

TV: Geraldo, Marcia there. Fair discourse.

Law & Order, Love Boat (captain is fatter).

Bed, no sleep. Right ear noisy.

Saturday, Nov. 21, 1998

Awake 7 but up 9:45.

To Drug Emporium, BP good.

To Albertsons, Longs, BP again, good.

Coffee at McDonald’s.

Home 1 p.m. Warm out, ear starting. If I keep moving, no noise, but changes if quiet.

News, CNN, wrote Mina.

TV: “The Big Sleep,” Bogart, Bacall.

Sunday, Nov. 22, 1998

Good sleep. Up 7, heat. 

Usual breakfast, finished crossword.

Changed some boxes of summer/winter clothes. Still some to go.

Watched Vikings/GreenBay game, wrote Stimson.

To Kmart, pumpkin pie and butter pecan! 400 calories.

Lunch was lettuce, veggies.

TV: Football, some tennis.

Ironed long-sleeved high neck.

Tuesday, Nov. 24, 1998

Up 9 a.m., same as Monday.

Bought cookies for bake sale. Man baked zucchini bread. Good.

To post office, mailed brochure to Mina.

Home. TV: Murder She Says, Jim Lehrer.

Carole to be here 7:25. Missed it. Then 8:05. On time!

Bed early after AMC “Blacks in Hollywood.”

Wednesday, Nov. 25, 1998

Awake 6, up 7.  Laundromat, breakfast at Kmart.

Home 10:30, chores. Tired, rested.

Shower, hair.

2 p.m., Murder She Says, Jim Lehrer.

Mail, paper, crossword.

TV: Voyager, much special effects. 

10 pm: Diane Sawyer interviews Ken Starr, he still has holier-than-thou attitude, voice changes, talking to child or sinner.

Some news, Koppel.

Thursday, Nov. 26, 1998 (Thanksgiving)

Awake 6, cold. Usual breakfast.

Packed vitamins, chores. Ready by 10:30. Larry out sweeping his patio.

Drug Emporium closed, Longs, too. 

To Lighthouse, big waves. About five surfers in, but NOT in white water.

To show, “Elizabeth.” Good.

Football: Vikings 46, vs. Dallas 36.

TV: Jumanji, Robin Williams, special effects.

Friday, Nov. 27, 1998

Bed til 8, usual breakfast.

Drug Emporium, BP 157/79.

To Trader Joe’s, rainy.

Home. Frost 1-3, Morse 3-5.

Mail: Bank forms from Treasury, WRONG.

TV: Rerun of 1997 Opera House Opening, Placido sings Wagner.

Justine called. Oetzel hip replacement.

Saturday, Nov. 28, 1998

Slept late, 9:25. Chores after breakfast.

Wrote to Simson til 12:15.

To Show, “Enemy of the State.” Will Smith, Gene Hackman. Great suspense.

Ate Kmart.

News, read paper. 

Ran tape of “Get Shorty.”

Bed 9, awake 12:30. Drank milk, read New Yorker til 1:30.

Sunday, Nov. 29, 1998

Slept til 7. Usual, cold.

Rams 10, Falcons 21.

Sorted clothes, got warm weather out. Too many clothes.

Watched football and tennis. Finished letter to Stimson, two pages.

Read papers.

TV: Nightmare before Christmas, X-Files?

Rain in night. Storm, wind.

Monday, Nov. 30, 1998

49ers.

Up 7:30, usual. Wind, rain.

To post office, mailed letters.

Home 11:45. Got wet, changed and warmed. Papers.

TV: Part of 49ers vs. Giants, Giants scored first.

Geraldo, Law & Order. Bed 9, but no sleep.

Bootsy: The missing cat who suddenly came back

One day when my husband and I returned from a weekend trip, we were greeted with a very happy surprise when a loved one suddenly returned.

After opening the back door so our cat could go outside again, I started to unpack my suitcase when I heard a cry from the kitchen: “Come here, you need to see this!”

 

And there, his face buried in the food bowl we had just filled for Sasquatch was Bootsy, his brother that we hadn’t seen for nearly a month.

That was cool.

 

In early October, Bootsy disappeared. The first night he didn’t come home I was concerned, then after two days I put up flyers. For several more days we combed the neighborhood and I combed the police log for reports of found cats, alive or dead. After three weeks with no sign of him, we feared he would never be coming home and was likely dead.

 

Bootsy on Halloween, the night after he came home.

But then suddenly, the night before Halloween, there he was — very skinny, but very alive. And very lucky that he’d been very overweight before, as he obviously didn’t get much to eat wherever he was. We never did find out what happened to him, but we’re guessing he got stuck somewhere, perhaps in a shed or garage, and had wait a long time to get back out.

Either way, it was a very nice surprise to see him again. But nowhere near as surprising as the next night, when we brought our first dog home on Halloween! Read that story here.

 

Two years in, Bootsy finally let the dog on the couch with him.

My Grandmother's Journals: October, 1998 — Featuring our trip to New York City when she was 83!

Welcome to the daily life of a very persnickety and extremely independent woman — who took me to New York City when she was 83!

 

In October of 1998 when I was 28, my grandmother invited me to visit New York City with her. And though we annoyed each other so much that I ended up exploring the city by myself, I remember having a great time because I fell in love with both the city and traveling alone — getting to do whatever I wanted in the most exciting and interesting place I had ever been. 

That was very cool.

 

Thursday, Oct. 1, 1998

Awake 7, rested til 8. Usual breakfast.

Walked on cliff. Got traveler’s checks.

To Burger King, ate chicken sandwich.

Home, rested, various chores.

News, Lehrer, hedge funds.

TV: Law & Order, Geraldo.

Bed 9:45. Pretty good sleep.

Friday, Oct. 2, 1998

Awake 5:30. Usual breakfast, ready by 8:30.

Bag to Greyhound, McDonald’s for coffee.

Gas at Shell, washed car.

To bank, got $100.

To show, “Ronin.” Good.

Home, foned Metro regarding stop on 38th, construction impeding traffic.

Read papers.

TV til 10.

Saturday, Oct. 3, 1998 - To NYC

Take Greyhound to SFO 10 a.m., put rubber band on mailbox.

Coffee at Zachary’s, eggs, toast.

Bus to SFO, arrived 12:30. Read, crossword, rested a bit.

Foned Justine, various things.

Checked in about 6, Justine arrived 8:45.

Plane took off at 10:15, no sleep!

Sunday, Oct. 4, 1998 - In NYC

Arrived 5:46 a.m. baggage 1/2 hour.

Got subway train 7 a.m., in hotel 8:30. Room not ready.

Ate next-door, friendly.

Took Gray Line tour, got off for coffee at Battery Park.

Got back on, talkers very rude.

Hotel “suite”: have microwave, frig, sink.

Unpacked, Justine sacked out 5 p.m. I counted money.

Too warm in night.

 

My recollections: I was very excited on the subway ride from the airport, as I love taking public transportation in all big cities, and was especially happy to finally be on the New York City subway.  I also remember when I was lugging my suitcase up the stairs to the street, a young man offered to help me carry it. Because of pride and being wary of strangers, I politely declined, then instantly regretted it as I looked down the stairs to my grandmother struggling with her bag. What I should have done was accepted his kind offer, then gone to carry my grandmother’s bag!

Photo of my first NYC subway ride, with my saved MTA card next to it!

Monday, Oct. 5, 1998 - In NYC

Up 7, showered. Ate.

To Times Square, looked for soundtrack for Passion Fish.

Got bus to Battery Park, Justine got hot dog.

I got salad at McDonald’s, Justine joined me, finished salad.

Got off at Rockefeller Center, saw Grand Central, etc.

Took subway back.

 

My recollections: I loved Battery Park, and the ferry ride to Staten Island. I also loved riding the tour buses through the city, especially sitting up top in open air. But I also remember my grandmother being a pill. On the bus when we passed a Trader Joe’s, the tour guide asked if we could tell what was unique about it. “It has a parking lot,” I said, which the tour guide exclaimed was right, and my grandmother chided me: “You knew that because they told us on the other bus,” though I honestly didn’t remember being told that.

Statue of Liberty from the ferry. *Gasp* Actual camera!

Tuesday, Oct. 6, 1998 - In NYC

Not much sleep. Up 7:30.

Bought calcium + zinc.

Bus to park, walked. To museum, $6 entry.

Ate lunch, fruit and coffee. Wonderful. Got bag.

To Times Square to find Passion Fish, got Billie Holiday.

To library, Grand Central Station.

Mailed cards to Sy + Mimi, got bakery items.

Home, tired. Justine received call from friend of H’s.

 

My recollections: My sister had given me the name of a former co-worker who moved to New York, so I called her and we met for coffee. I really wanted to go to a nightclub, and she graciously invited me to join her friends later when they went out. But she didn’t call me until nearly 10 p.m., explaining that, “People go out late here,” and I decided to just stay in. For one I was tired, but mostly I was worried about having to get to the club and back late at night by myself, especially after drinking. I still wonder sometimes if made the right choice that night: If staying in kept me from something cool, or kept me from harm.

Wednesday, Oct. 7, 1998 - In NYC

No sleep again. Justine bathed night and day. Yesterday she used both wash rags, today both hand towels. 

Bad vibes.

Out 9 a.m. To Times Square, got matinee ticket. “Perfect Crime.”

To Trinity Church, took pix. Ate McDonald’s.

Showered, bed.

 

My recollections: I don’t remember my grandmother complaining about my excessive use of the towels at the time, but I remember us having a spat and deciding to spend our days separately, and then very much enjoying my time alone! 

In the mornings I walked to the neighborhood Starbucks for coffee and breakfast, smiling as I read the New York Times in New York City. Then I mostly just walked, absorbing the exhausting-but-exhilarating onslaught of stimuli, each block its own universe of food and art and people. I especially loved stumbling upon a tiny gallery full  of awesome black-and-white photographs, then trying a slice of “lasagna” pizza (topped with lasagna noodles, ground beef and ricotta) at one of the places claiming to be the “original” Ray’s pizza — a carb-lover’s dream, it remains one of the best slices of pizza I’ve ever eaten.

Visiting the site of the Stonewall Inn in Greenwich Village.

Thursday, Oct. 8, 1998 - In NYC

Up 7:30. Out, ate McDonald’s

First to St. John of the Divine, then to Wall Street, NYSE.

Walked over to Central Park. 

To the Met, huge. Did Impressionists, afro-art, Islamic. 

Sat with German man and wife. High-voiced for a man. Sat, no talking.

Back to hotel.

Friday, Oct. 9, 1998 - In NYC

Slept good 1-5, fone rang 6. Up 7:30.

Breakfast here. Justine left 9:15. I packed some.

To Soho. Closed, for new exhibit.

Ate in Cyber Space cafe. Chicken sandwich, good.

To Macy’s, Manhattan mall. Got blue leg warmers.

Rained slightly, tired.

Justine home, too.

 

More of our travels together: In 1995, we went to Paris and London together, both keeping our own journals. Read those entries here.

Saturday, Oct. 10, 1998 - Leaving NYC

Up 7:30, paid bill. Left Justine at hotel.

Took bus. At High Street man got in doorway, would not get out. Police came, someone pushed him out.

To airport 11:15 a.m. Woman moved my bag, lost my fone book!

Arrived late at airport.

Plane took off 1 hour late. Justine got bus.

My bag arrived on early planes.

Home 10. Good  sleep.

Sunday, Oct. 11, 1998

Awake 4:30, then 7, then 10.

Unpacked, spilled water in hall, watered plants.

To Carole's, she doing female forms. Good.

To Kmart. Lunch, salad, potatoes.

Home, gave Larry the Sunday paper put at my door by mistake.

TV: News, Siskel & Ebert, 60 minutes.

Called Mina, talked 1 hour!

Taped King Lear.

Monday, Oct. 12, 1998

Holiday? Yes. Post office closed. No mail.

To Longs, got canned fruit.

Home, bank balanced OK.

Ate, rested, did washing.

To KFC, to show, “ANTZ.”

To library, returned Time magazine.

TV: Marcia Clark on Geraldo.

Tuesday, Oct. 13, 1998

Usual breakfast.

Picked up mail, no adverts!

Drug Emporium for BP, McDonald’s for coffee.

Looked around Gottschalks, nil.

Home 11:30, sorted mail and news. Took care of necessary things.

Watched part of King Lear.

Wednesday, Oct. 14, 1998

Breakfast 7:30. 

Longs for more apricots. Gone! Got corn flakes, panty liners, soup.

No BP, broken again.

Home, ate soup, typed up letters.

Trucker here to move #2 out.

To mall, ate lasagna, spinach.

To Rite Aid, got trail mix and candy.

Home 5 p.m., electricity out about 6:30 p.m.

TV: Jim Lehrer, watched yesterday’s tape of same.

Cold night.

Thursday, Oct. 15, 1998

Up 8 a.m. Usual breakfast,Chores.

To Kmart: BP, got Dinty Moore (3). Ate lunch 11 a.m.

To Aptos Village, walked a bit. 

To show, “One True Thing.” Streep, Hurt.

TV: News, Geraldo. 

Bed early.

Friday, Oct. 16, 1998

To Drug Emporium: BP, got crackers.

To Monterey Museum of  Art. Thought in Carmel at first, then checked phone book.

Liked some Richard Bennetts.

Ate at Wendy’s in Seaside. Home 2:30 p.m.

Mail: Letter from Mina, catalogue from PBS, card from Sandra.

TV: News, watched A&E til 10 p.m.

Bed, tired! Must call Carole.

 

Saturday, Oct. 17, 1998

Awake 7, up 8. 

Breakfast Kmart, got TV Guide, envelopes (two kinds).  Myra there, with Larry.

To post office, mailed PBS catalogue to Mina.

Home, read papers. Ran King Lear, read book.

TV: Some of Yankees-San Diego game, part of X-Files.

Bed 10, no sleep. Read “Tar Baby.”

 

Sunday, Oct. 18, 1998

Awake 8, usual breakfast. Changed bed.

Swept bedroom, carport.

Shower, washed hair. (Cut it).

To mall, ate tostada. No meat.

Checked J.C. Penney, having sale! Mostly things not sold all year.

To show, “Touch of Evil.” Dennis Weaver, Charlton Heston, Janet Leigh. Not great. Made in 1957.

TV: News, Siskel & Ebert.

Monday, Oct. 19, 1998

Cold in a.m.

Myra called, may go to Nikomis for Thanksgiving, will I make sure Larry takes pills. Yes.

Took pix of drain by Brommer.

To Kmart for lunch, got 3 t-shirts.

TV: Football, Jets over New England; Lehrer, Geraldo.

Taped first segment of Africans in America.

Tuesday, Oct. 20, 1998

Up 6, laundromat 7.

To library, left “Tar Baby.” Tried to find box, none.

TV: News, “Romancing the Stone.”

Sorted files, trashed some.

Changed box in car with earthquake items.

TV: “Murder She Wrote” from 2 to 3.

Washed navy blue t-shirt, made bed again with pink (washed).

TV: Yankees vs. San Diego, Morris rerun.

 

Wednesday, Oct. 21, 1998

Up 8, breakfast.

Called SF Muni, long-term parking. SFO shuttle out 11 a.m.

To Drug Emporium for BP, envelopes, TV Guide.

To KFC, ate too much!

To Palace for lined paper, 3-ring.

Home, news, worked on moving books, cleaned top shelf of bedroom case.

Taped Afro in America.

Thursday, Oct. 22, 1998

Many accidents, sand on road. Backed up to Scotts Valley. No use trying for SF.

Back to sleep.

Typed folder tags, overflow in metal case.

To Kmart for lunch.

Home, watered plants. Cut some.

TV: “Murder She Wrote” 2 to 3.

Called bank to balance account.

Taped afro. Last one.

Not good sleep.

Friday, Oct. 23, 1998

Awake 7:30. Hwy 17 OK, no accidents.

To San Jose 11:09, Cal Train arrived 11:50. Arrived SF 1:26.

Bus to Moscone, about five blocks to MOMA.

To Alexander Calder exhibit, beautiful. Talked to small woman who makes jewelry. Jay?

Walked back to Cal Train.

McDonald’s, got McFlurry and two apple pies.

4 p.m. bus back, arrived Scotts Valley 6:45. Home 7:30. TV til 10.

Saturday, Oct. 24, 1998

Sporadic sleep. Rain started in night.

Up 9, usual breakfast. Finished crossword.

Typed letter to Andra and Sandra, and table of Cal Train stops.

To Longs, got envelopes.

Albertsons, milk and fruit.

Home, cleaned ear, made dinner: potatoes, fish, broccoli.

Watched afro, crossword.

Heat on most of day.

Called Dottie re light out on her street.

Changed clothes. Ran “Last Starfighter.”

 

Sunday,Oct. 25, 1998

Awake 3 a.m., then 7:45. Good sleep. 

Usual breakfast. Read Dick Francis.

Vacuumed filters, ironed t-shirts.

Football: 49ers 28 vs. Rams 10.

Myra called, cancelled Thanksgiving. Family coming here.

To show, “Pleasantville.”

To Kmart, cafe closed. Got three more Dinty Moores, candy.

TV: Siskel &Ebert, 60 Minutes.

 

Monday, Oct. 26, 1998

Cold. Water not full force. Ready by 9:30.

To McWhorter’s Xerox. .06+tax. 

To Carole’s, S in jail. Gave her info.

To Trader Joe’s, new clerk. Overcharged for tuna, 1.29 not .99.

Message on machine from Carole.

Shower/hair.

TV: News, football, 10 mins of Geraldo.

Finished Dick Francis.

Tuesday, Oct. 27, 1998

Dr. Blackwell 10:15 a.m. OK for cataract removal. Medicare will pay 80%.

Eyes dilated, day shot.

Called Myra re cost of Larry.

Throat hurt a little from drops.

TV: Morris, Discovery, taped PBS.

No sleep til 1 a.m. Listened to Art Bell program.

Wednesday, Oct. 28, 1998

Awake 8, usual breakfast.

Wrote letter to Mina, sent her Calder pamphlets.

To Longs, BP very high there. 

Better at Kmart. Lunched.

Home 2 p.m. Called Carole, she liked "Smoke Signals."

Talked to Ellie a bit.

Bed early.

Awake 12, Art Bell. Sleep again 2.

 

Thursday, Oct. 29, 1998

Took bag to Goodwill.

Mailed letters, orders for Puritan's Pride and Jan Beautz.

To McDonald's for coffee, then Costco. many new items.

To show, “Practical Magic.” Not lucid. Sandra Bullock, Nicole Kidman, Aidan Quinn (Suddenly Seeking Susan.) Older, heavier.

Home 4:30. News, some Geraldo, Frost.

Bed 10:30. Some Art Bell, much interference.

Not great sleep: 1-3-5-7?

Friday, Oct. 30, 1998

Awake 7:30, usual breakfast.

To Drug Emporium, got hair spray, etc.

Home, lunch here.

Worked on long nightgown, straightened thread box.

TV: News, some Geraldo, X-Files. Read papers.

Jonathan Creek. Good.

 

Saturday, Oct. 31, 1998

Cold, ran heat.

Water out about 9:30, heard neighbors talking. He rang my bell, I did not answer.

Later talked, I advised, “Call water company.”

McDonald’s for coffee.

Library, got “History of Wall Street.”

Home, tennis. Sampras lost.

Got out linoleum.

TV: A&E, Bela Lugosi. Died 72. Alcoholic  on drugs. (Back injury due to WWI).

News, shot of Halloween at Castro.

Fair sleep. 

September entries. 

In 1998, my grandmother turned 83 while living alone in a mobile home park in Santa Cruz, Calif, though she never seemed 

lonely. In fact, I never knew her to live with another person or even a pet after she raised my mother on her own in Los Angeles in the 1940s and 50s. (I wrote more about her life in this post.)