Fini: Third & final revision of my novel

This is my novel. Went on Facebook to see where my teacher had gone since she didn't answer my email. She's on vacation. Ya know how our darkest thoughts occur at nite? Here's what I imagined would be written on the back inside cover of the book jacket. "The author died at age 65 of kidney failure from taking lithium."

Sarah's friend, the jazz critic Stanley Crouch, told her kidney dialysis is a fate worse than death. I am fully aware of that and had told my kids I might choose not to have it. That fate has animated me now. I've written a number of really good poems and would like to gather them up and publish them.

Facing death really gives you something to live for!

Began making this bread at 9 a.m. Saturday and pulled it piping hot from the oven at Noon. When Sarah called and said, Mom, pick me up at Trenton, I'm late for the shower, I said, Sure, Sweetie, I'll leave in 5 minutes. I cut 2 thick slices for Sarah and spread on the butter, and was in Trenton 45 minutes later. We got to the shower in Abington exactly on time: 2 p.m.

The baby shower for Dan and Nicole and unborn baby Grace was lots of fun. I got to meet their new cat, a beautiful stray whom they adopted. Food was organized by Barb, Nicole's mom, who, as a native Philadelphian, knew where to buy the most scrumptious hoagies -- make mine the portabello mushroom one -- and iced pound cake from the famous Stock's Bakery on Lehigh Avenue, a cake so delicious you don't need ice cream with it.

Dan's guacamole dip was to die for, and in fact I almost did. I had a cumin allergy attack & am still itching around my eyes and nose. Scott was insanely worried about me. "Are you sure you're all right?" "I'm fine, Scott," I'd say. "I'm not gonna go into anaphylactic shock."

During my misery, I ran upstairs to read the Web about the cumin allergy.

At Dan's, I led my mom up the steep stairs so she could see the baby's room. Wish I'd brought my camera. It's one of the most beautiful rooms I've ever seen. Bright yellow, newly painted, with plenty of character from the shape of the room. One window gives onto a view of the huge backyard. On a dresser, Grace's library has already been set up. For sure, she'll be a great reader like her parents.

Her little clothes hang in the closet, and I'm certainly not gonna tell my readers that I looked in the drawers of the dresser and found her darling little 'rubber pants,' as we used to call them. Look! The term came up from the abyss.

"Jews," said my mother, "don't prepare like this."

Jews are superstitious, that's why. Not all, of course, I say, crossing myself three times.

Guests frolicked on the back lawn. They played bocci. We sat under a tent where little Jonas came up to me and showed me his 'fun bands,' thin colorful plastic bracelets that, when you removed them, assumed the shape of various objects like a dogbone, dollar sign (this is America), woman's figure, the sun.

Three babies were in attendance. They arrived in the arms of a parent from as far away as Jersey City; Montclair, NJ; and Delaware. Gifts overflowed the dining room. I handed Dan a US Savings Bond I bought at a bank. Dan said when he went to college, he cashed in his savings bonds which had trebled in value.

You know I'm nosy, right? At the bank where I bought the bonds, a woman and her husband stood in line. The woman had some grotesque disease where it looked like chick peas were growing all over her face and neck.

I asked the asst. bank manager, Ann, if she knew what the woman's condition was. She didn't. I spent a good deal of time in the middle of the nite thinking about the nerve it would take to walk out of the house with chick peas growing all over you. Any ideas what it might be? Possibly an Elephant's Man type of condition.

I kept a few books to look over when I gave Linda the New Directions' library of books. Inside The Angry Book was a photo of a couple and a delicious-looking glass of white wine

Surprised by daylillies in the backyard