Great news or Raise high the roofbeam, carpenters.....

Never knew this Salinger novella was a quote from Sappho until the birthday girl, Sarah Lynn Deming, told me. Let's review the few lines still extant from Sappho, a married woman who lived in 600 BC. Only 200 lines of her poems remain:

Raise high the roof beam, carpenters
Like Ares comes the bride groom.

Isn't that a lovely meter?

Just spoke to Dr James F Burke, my kidney transplant doctor for whom I've been taking all these horrid tests including a walking stress test in which I only scored in the upper 89th percentile.

"Your clearance is good," he said. "It's close to 60. When it's 5, that's when you go on dialysis."

Raise high the roof beam carpenters, Ruthie like a bride she walketh through the storm.

Ya know what? I could never imagine myself either on dialysis or getting a kidney transplant. A brain transplant, yes.

How shall we celebrate, Dear Reader?

For one thing, we're not gonna eat any pea soup like Marcy's eating in California cuz it's on my No-no list. I asked Dr Burke if my diet is helping me. Sure, he said. What a bubbly man he is.

He said Keep your optimism. (I have a very cheery voice, by the way.) He also said the kind of kidney problems lithium causes are very slow growing.

Okay, guys, I'm outa here. Going next door to celebrate with Scott. Gonna make some popcorn I bought at the health food store. Ada wrote me and said, That pop corn was fantastic!!! It produced so much more than the same amount of popping corn we usually use - just as you said!!! Good-bye Orville Redenbacher!

I asked Dr Burke if I could live another 20 years and he said Certainly!

Hurray! My original plan was to live until 2025. Mayhap I will. If I were a praying man I'd get down on my knees and thank Jesus. Since I'm not, I'll do it anyway.