Greetings, friends! It has been another unforgettable week here in the Geriatric Ward. This is not one I will soon forget. Sure, I continued to struggle with a little congestion and not feeling terribly well, but that wasn’t the biggest event of the week.
Let’s just “dive” in…..the water heater in my parents’ bathroom developed a severe leak this week. Truly, there was water standing all over the floor. The old linoleum has torn from the floor and the area rug that was in the room is completely ruined. Patient #1 decided to order a tankless water heater to install. It sat unboxed in the living room as he puzzled over the instructions. The next morning, his crew joined him before deciding that this was too complicated to install. So off to the store they went to buy a new water heater.
Once I returned home, this merry band of workers had installed the new water tank — after shoving the vanity that sat next to it over a few inches. It was clearly obvious to any observer that the new tank was wider than the previous resident. That’s when the hilarity began.
The next thing I hear is Patient #1 calling Patient #2 to tell her that we have a “little problem.” While installing the heater, the crew had kept the door to the shower open — still not entirely sure why they were in the shower, but sometimes questions are better left unanswered! Anyway, now the shower door can’t be closed because the top of the vanity sits in the door’s path! Over the next few hours, there is talk of cutting the corner off of the vanity by the same crew of merry men — I could just see the entire thing collapsing to the ground — or buying a new shower. The last time Patient #1 bought a shower, he had gotten something so small we can barely stand in it…..so I had to think quickly and come up with a solution that would buy time for Mom to find the shower she wants.
So off I go to Walmart, a place I hate more than any other, and purchased a shower curtain, liner, and rings. We have removed the door of the shower and installed the curtain. It’s not pretty and it’s certainly not ideal, but it gets things started. Now I just have to make some phone calls to get estimates to redo the bathroom. Nothing like the end of the summer for things to start falling apart in the Geriatric Ward!
What I Read This Week
My Best Friend’s Secret by Romeo Alexander. I don’t really have a lot to say about this book. It was an easy read when I wasn’t feeling well. It wasn’t the best use of my time, but it kept me reading when I didn’t necessarily feel like it. I don’t think I would recommend it to others though.
What I’m Currently Reading
Blackout by Connie Willis (p. 290 of 491) I made progress this week. I didn’t make much progress, but I put a few more pages in the rear view mirror. When I finally sit down to read the book, I don’t hate the experience. I just have to consciously make a choice to pick this book up. It just doesn’t call to me. So I’m trying something new this week to see if I can help get a little further along and finish the #BigBookSummer selection for July.
Hillbilly Elegy by J.D. Vance (p. 11 of 257) I’m going to see if a non-fiction selection will help me devote a little more time to Blackout this week. I read Hillbilly Elegy in the summer of 2017. I remember the basic details, but now that Vance has been named the Republican Vice-Presidential nominee, I think it is important to revisit the narrative so I have my own opinions about the book’s content. I just started reading late yesterday, so clearly I’ve not gotten very far — actually, just the introduction. I think I will probably read a little more slowly this time through since I am looking for Vance’s philosophy and if that lines up with my personal feelings on important topics.
So I’m not really feeling very good about my reading in the past few weeks. I had hoped to get much more done, but we deal with the circumstances of life. I did reach the halfway point in my personal reading goal for 2024 — finishing my 20th book of the year. We are now in the 30th week of 2024, so i need to get in a few extra books if I hope to get back on pace for reaching that goal.
There you have it! Hope you have a good week ahead filled with lots of happy reading!
~Kennith
Reading for Me 
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