Woke up with a terrible compulsion....

When I awoke an hour ago, I shined my flashlight on my clock. It was 6:30 am. Good, the trash men hadn't arrived yet.

Remembering my late mom's home, I began throwing things out.

In my downstairs bathroom, I have heaps of sheets.

Carried them out to the trash.

Then loads of papers in my upstairs hall closet.

Did you know I have trouble using the word "my?"

Well, of course, I DO own my house, but feel I'm simply a visitor here.



The Blue Angels flew over the house - excuse me, "my" house - yesterday morning.

Rather thrilling.

Then, of course, when I came in the house I had to scrub my hands.

JUST DO IT AND stop complaining.

Shh! Patrick's bees aren't awake yet.

YELLOW PLASTIC BINS

Garbage morn on our quiet street
With one mind, we choose what to keep
and what to toss
Out with the dozens of sheets
A wild riot of designs
Where did I get them all
And where shall they go?

The heaven for my sheets
may be aboard a Russian
space station towering
high above.

Look, baby Grace, look up
and run your fingers through
your thick brown hair
and salute!

ZOOMING with the Valley Forge Writers Group - Poem about credit card

It was an endurance test. For three hours, from 7 pm to 10 pm, I had the pleasure of being with extremely talented writers.

Three are writing novels - Jennifer, Marlene and Judy - Lori wrote a wonderful poem - and I shared my offering for Pure Slush - 100 Lives.

Will reorganize 100 Lives tomorrow.

Lori and husband Mark traveled cross country with a U-Haul trailer to deliver furniture and other goods to Mark's daughter who was moving to Denver. They didn't realize Denver has snow, which I knew from David Robertson, who moved nearby. I did mention that.

Scott stopped in to say goodbye to me, as he always does, and didn't realize I was on Zoom. He stuck his head into the frame and waved to everyone.

My story concerned the Vatican. I'd watched a great documentary about it and began taking notes. THIS is what I'll write about.

We took a break at halftime and I ran upstairs to change into my jammies, sliding on my warm socks. Also managed to eat my Snyders Dipping Sticks.

Photo please!



Tomorrow Scott will go shopping for me.

At the last minute I called him and said, MORE SNYDERS DIPPING STICKS!!!

And cheese, of course.

Can you hear me crunching on a Triscuit with cheddar cheese?

Soo good. But I only have half a pack of Cabot cheddar left.




On a shelf in my kitchen I have a menu from Silvio's Deli in Hatboro.

Scott had never been there so one day I surprised him with tuna hoagies.

He went wild.

Feel free to order online. Click here.




Whilst checking my blog for photos of Silvio's I came upon a story about artist Chuck Close by Wil S. Hylton.

You know, right from the start, what a great writer he is. When I goggled him I learned this about him:



Here is his website.

Did I share my credit card story with you?

Lemme make a poem of it.

CREDIT CARD MEMBER SINCE 2003

For four whole days I spent exhausting hours
on their 800 line, trying to log into credit card heaven.

I've told you about Peter, who promised to call me back
but never did.

Then there was a charming Indian woman who said
I'd called too late, the technicians had all gone home.

This morning, after writing the first part of 100 Lives
Shari answered the phone.

Bad connection but I held on for dear life, like
a drowning woman,  and moved
about the house trying to hear her.

How I wish I could tell Mom this story.

I signed in with my user ID. Then plugged
in my new password, and holy Jehoshaphat
the Bells of St Mary's began to ring.

I had logged into my account and thought
of all the things I could buy.

One thing only.
A clock that lights up at night.

LET'S FIND ONE NOW!!!

I did find a lovely clock, but I was required to log on. I am sick and tired of creating an account and logging on, so I'll find another clock.

Pick a little, talk a little, talk talk talk - from The Music Man

There is so much to talk about!

Finished listening to the Amanpour program interview with Dr Bill Frist, conducted by Michel Martin.

Frist discussed the Covid 19 virus and said he was an optimist and thought things would get better.

He was the first doctor in the Senate: a heart and lung transplant surgeon.

A Republican, he spoke to Michel from his farm in Virginia.



....

Problems with my credit card.

This is unbelievable what just happened.

Peter, there is no excuse for what you did to me.

It's important I go online at my credit card company.

He told me my user name, which I had gotten all wrong.

The password, he said, would be coming up soon.

He would call me on my phone.

I carried that damn phone around everywhere I went, finally watching a wonderful documentary on Holy Week and Pope Francis, who is described as not liberal or conservative but RADICAL.

He is shown visiting a men's prison and bathing their feet as Jesus might have.

Oh, that Jesus! What a great man!

Would I have married him, if I'd had the chance.

No! He would never be home. Plus I think he preferred Mary of Magdalene.

Patrick and Ian did a great job mowing. They planted the off-white hydrangea my neighbors Bill and Stacey Adams got me.



I'll have to go sniff them tomorrow.

And that, My Fair Lady, is it for tonight.

I will however pray before I go to bed.

Pope Francis has a great influence on me.

Just walked into the dark kitchen for a drink of water.

The moon was rising - a tiny slice of moon.

1. The Moon today is in a Waning Gibbous Phase. This is the first phase after the Full Moon occurs. It lasts roughly 7 days with the Moon’s illumination growing smaller each day until the Moon becomes a Last Quarter Moon with a illumination of 50%. The average Moon rise for this phase is between 9am and Midnight depending on the age of the phase ...

EVENING PRAYER

May I be a good person

Not trying to impress

May I keep my faculties

for as long as I abide

upon this earth

May I continue to be

a friend to all and decline

to judge

May I simply "be."

Not just any old schmatta for our Pope. 

Thanks everyone for your sympathy cards!

Gloria B.
Dan and Deb R.
Nancy and Linda M.
The Quinns
I emailed Margaret Fitzpatrick, physical therapist

Opened up my mailbox to put a contribution to WHYY inside, when what to my wondering eyes did appear:

This is sickening, gang, so you may wanna log off now.



A dead bee
being nibbled by ants.

YUCK!!!!

Last night on Turner Classic Films I watched THE MUSIC MAN with Robert Preston and Shirley Jones.



Pure delight!

Scott and I had seen it years ago at The Town and Country Theater in Buckingham, PA.

What's all that racket out front?

It's down the street.

A backhoe.



My son Dan never reached his goal of becoming a backhoe driver when he grew up.

It's never too late, Daniel Paul!

This morning on YT I watched a wonderful film

The THIRTY NINE STEPS.

What a shock it was to discover it was not the Hitchcock film.

It was a British production starring the sexy Kenneth More in this spy thriller.




EATING MY OATMEAL WHILE WATCHING THE 39 STEPS

It was exciting right from the start
That's the sign of a great film
No putzing around with small talk
A nanny is pushing a buggy
when presto she is stabbed in the back
wonder what that must feel like
as I spoon the hot oatmeal into my
mouth and wipe it with a purple linen
napkin a few times out of nervousness

Great chase scenes on trains
over lovely fields in England, this was filmed
at the Pinewood Studios, and Kenneth is
handcuffed with a lovely woman, unknown
here in the states named Taina Elg.

The film is a remake of the original
1939 Hitchcock, based on a story by
John Buchan.

Is there a happy ending?
Only YouTube knows the truth.

Taina Elg below.

Freezing here on Red Couch - Watching Porn on my Laptop

Brrr.

Oh, all right, I'll add another PJ top to the top I'm already wearing.

In honor of "can't go outside" I put on a warm sweater. Grey, with a few stains on it. Not the Human Stain by Philip Roth.

Last night read an interview with him in The Atlantic - thanks Rem for the subscription -  by Benjamin Taylor.

It was Benjamin who identified the body at the morgue.

.

Philip Roth (1933-2018). 85 years old, dead of heart failure.

I actually did the subtraction myself.

Very serious intense looking man.

Nice fleece-lined jacket.

...
On the radio, WXPN, the fawning female DJ spoke to World Cafe hostess who talks so fast I can't understand her.

The point was that WATER is very soothing. Whether a beach scene or a small pond.

Let's check my blog for water.



Look what I found! Here's Mom at Jade's wedding. My sister Lynn is the mother of the bride.

Oh, Mom, if only you hadn't died. You could tell me I have stains on my sweater and that when I eat I take enormous bites.


Cape May, NJ.

Oh! Now I remember what I wanna write about. I knew there was a point to this blog.

Just paid my credit card bill. Used to wait awhile so the interest would accrue.

Forget dat!!!

It was $168.

The lowest ever!

Here the languages the credit bill offers:

English
Spanish
Arabic
Armenian
Chinese simplified
Chinese traditional
French
Hindi
Korean - hello Hannah Bae at Willow Grove Giant
Polish
Portuguese
Russian
Tagalog
Vietnamese

...

Enjoyed BAPTISTE on PBS last night. True evil portrayed.
If you don't come up with the money... and sure enough his father's head was on his kitchen table.

...

Breakfast was quick cook oats with blueberries and peanut butter.

DEEEEEEE LISH US.

Watched a fascinating film on Netflix called CIRCUS OF BOOKS.

Adult male porn.

Most of the men that worked for Karen Heller, the owner, died of AIDS. They had no idea what it was in the beginning.

They sold the shop at the end.

Karen was a devout Jew and could have spent her entire day in synagogue.

Had it been me, I would have brought a good book, say, Winesburg, Ohio, and read it in the last row.

WATCHING PORN ON MY LAPTOP

Deep kisses and funky sex by great-looking naked or
half dressed men
Jack Stryker one of the famed
He handsome oh!
Your AIDS dead self
Lives again in your wonderful porn.

I ZOOMED with my family - Poem: My Yellow House without You, Mom

Dan set me up with Zoom.

I commented on many things I saw, like, I remember when Daddy (Dan) painted those chairs in the back yard.

GG died, said Max.

I know, I said, she was my mother!

I'm sorry she died, said Max.

Dan told me earlier he cried a bit.

What do you remember about her, I asked.

She was nice, said Max, who was wearing his PJs, I believe.

I wouldn't be a very good jury witness, as you can see.

Grace also expressed condolences, and said she was nice.

They're 8 and 10, I believe.

I asked what hospital Max was born in.

Holy Redeemer, said Grace.

She made a comment about April 1 when Max was born. Mom-Mom, Barb Toohey, was in the background.

It was a very clever comment but I've forgotten what she said.

....

Helene Ryesky called earlier. She had received my note that Mom had died. Helene is 91 born January 29, 1929.

Anyway her nephew Jerry flew to California but can't come to see her bc of the coronavirus. He did send her some See's Candies.

I was very familiar with them since I lived in San Fran for awhile.

Was secretary to D.W. Garrett.

Never had the nerve to ask what the initials stood for. We met in the towering Bank of America Bldg. I used to go on the roof and smoke pot with a few friends.

My friend DaNa Singchai was secretary to AA Goggins. He had lost favor in the eyes of Cal-Tech so he left after lunch every day and returned the next day.

She and I always laffed about this.
....

Grace is still playing the slide trombone.



THE YELLOW HOUSE WITHOUT YOU

Thanks again, Mom, for buying me
my beautiful yellow house. For
as long as I'm here it also
belongs to you.

Purple lilacs bud now in the back yard
I planted them just so, so the aroma
could drift in through the window
over the kitchen sink and when
the door of the deck is wide open.

What a powerful smell!

In the front yard,
white fluffs like tiny
white suns have risen again
like the resurrection
their scent, subtle
as a powder puff

Pink peonies know their place
on the side of the house
what joy they give me
as they pop their sweet heads
above ground in early spring

My yard is a glory to behold
Mom and it's your land too
Is that Mrs Kultti putting
lotion on her hands and
playing our song?

Tribute to Mom from Ethan Iverson

In case you missed it, read the Tribute here.

And view the fantastic photos.

Ethan was visiting us and took a picture of the five generations.

Mailman Dante just arrived.

Hold on while I get the mail and then scrub my hands.

Thank you, Imani and Bob, and Ada and Rich for the sympathy cards.

They are VERY meaningful.

Last night I set a place for one at my kitchen table to feast on the wonderful food from Ben and Irv's.

What? You thought I would feast on this?

I did come down in the wee-wee hours of the night, raided the full fridge, and ate cold salmon and broccoli. The broccoli was scrumptious.

I cannot leave you without a poem.

MOM

Yea, though I walk through the shadow
of darkness, Thou are with me, Mom,
Thy boldness and tenacity
thy strength and caring
comfort me as I walk through
this often wicked world
filled with a virus that
seeks to kill me.

I remain devoted to you, Mom,
your firstborn child.

Disposition of Mom's body - Ben and Irv's Delivery

From my sister Ellen:

Here is where mommy went last night:  Philadelphia College Osteopathic Medicine
Two very nice men took her body.

They may not use the body for two years.  Then, they will cremate her and if we want the ashes 

they will send them to us.  

We can go to Cleveland with them and scatter them around her plot.

The cost of everything will be between $100 - $500.00.  She signed up for this in 2016.

Back in the day if you signed up for this, it was free.

I can't get my camera to work but I received an enormous meal from Ben and Irv's today.

It was from my friend Marcy and her mom Gloria in California.

When Marcy first called me I thought it was a joke. 

Immediately thereafter a man arrived in his space suit. 

What a treat!

Fresh and hot salmon. Broccoli. Huge sweet tater wrapped in foil.

Salad with a strange but delicious red sauce. 

Kugel. Creamed spinach. 

Lucky me.

Hear that, Mom!!!

Just watched a great Christian film, Mr What. 

Starring Alan Maki. 

Mom died TODAY at 5:44 p.m.

Sent this to friends and relatives.

Sadly, Mommy / Gram passed away today, April 21, 2020, at 5:44 pm.

She was 97 years old.

Hospice will remove her body and send it to be donated.

What a great idea.

She was unbelievably strong!

She loved every single person I'm sending this to. Very very much.

We will all process her passing in our own way.

Much love to all,

Ruth



There you are, Mom. A wonderful person beloved by so many.

Ethan Iverson wrote a wonderful tribute to Mom. Read it here.

The photos are sensational.

Poem: Missing you already, Mom

MISSING YOU ALREADY, BEFORE YOUR SOUL TRANSITIONS

There are so many things I won't be able to tell you, Mom

On the news it said the state prison of Ohio has become the country's biggest source for the coronavirus.

You corresponded with Richard Starr, prisoner in Arizona, for murdering his wife.

They won't let him out, but you spoke to his mother, Bunny, who said there is a tiny thread of hope.

And Marion, an old pal of yours, you helped until she failed to answer her phone.

Did death sweep her away like a dusty broom?

Your fickle friend Judy will bawl her eyes out, living in a facility in Norristown,

Two-faced Judy with her habit of pissing people off

Your constant companion, my sister Ellen, will have her work cut out for her

Sarah said she would help

What can I do? Isolated for issues beyond my control.

Though I did put outside on the front porch Scott's Valentine plant

growing new green leaves.



Menu for today: Potato Latkas and Blueberries

Maranara Sauce and Lentil Pasta mixed with the last of my carrot and Red Lentil and Carrot Penne

The latter tasted like carrots, which I did not enjoy.

People call me at the strangest times.

I'm online responding to posts about Mom.

Usually I don't answer the phone but I was curious.

It was Tom from PECO.

He had sent me an enormous box of items with which to save money from PECO.

How many did you use? he asked.

Well, I said, I do have those LED lights and use them now.

There was one of those power strips I already have, but this one controls the television.

I just gave it to Scott who said, I wanted to see how my Ruthie is doing.

Sail on, sail on, Silver Girl.

The phone rang and

When the phone rang I assumed it was CVS with one of their messages.

Wrong. It was our friend Carlos Guerrero wondering how mom is. Sarah said they were going to call him next but Mom was too tired.

He said that she was like a second mother to him.

Sarah asked how I am doing.

I said I'm awaiting word about her death.

Had delicious potato latkes for breakfast, given to me by Judy Kroll, at a party I had at my house, where Mom came.

Am watching The Innocence Files on Netflix. Seems that a preacher killed a three-year-old child. The coroner is an expert in bite marks and I guess that's one of the ways she died. Three years old.

Well, if tigers can bite you to death, I suppose a person can too.

My phone is right here by my side now.

I am ready.

Mailman Dante arrived several minutes ago. I had a dozen cards for him. It's raining outside and he dropped them on the porch.

He's wearing rubber gloves which I suppose made em slippery.

Patrick's bees were outside earlier. Now, with the rain, I dunno if they still forage.

I'll keep you posted, or maybe I will not.

Back to Netflix. I'm bundled up here on Red Couch.

Delicious Dinner

Now I know who Kerry Washington is.

Watch her here.

What is that dangling on her mirror?

Did I tell you what I had for dinner?

Chick pea pasta - vhat? - with Carlino's pasta sauce.

Yowza Yowza that sure was goooood!

A terrific singer is on Mountain Stage in West Virginia.

He said we should all come up close as he wanted to take our photos.

And autograph them.

Leon Redbone. Newly deceased in New Hope, PA from complications of dementia.

Hey that's where the Now and Then Shop, iconic head shop was.

The show is brought to us by

CharlestonWV.com

He sang Polly wolly doodle and asked if we forgot the words.

Just hum along, he suggested.

Scott will be coming over shortly to say goodbye.

W