AND THE MOON LOOKS ON AFTER THE DEATH OF A NOTORIOUS CHARACTER IN THE NEIGHBORHOOD

 Waxing Crescent: The Waxing Crescent is the second phase in the cycle of phases. This Moon phase occurs once a month, rising around 9 AM, and setting around 9 PM, sticking around for approximately 7.38 days before going into the First Quarter phase.

After I ate my second bowl of BABY LETTUCE, I looked up the phase of the moon.

I was friends with the father, Luke. Would walk or drive over with a pot of hot chili in my car. Afterward we would sit at his kitchen table and he would pour me a hot cup of Folger's Coffee from the coffeemaker.

Ah, that was nice.

Once he hugged me and I said, If you ever do that again, I'm not coming over.

I took a tour around his enormous house. He was the one who told me that the nun responsible for all those gorgeous figurines was really a man. Forget his name. YOU look it up.

Luke was getting a paunch so I made him walk for two houses, two whole houses. Then his caretaker called me up - was her name Valerie? - and told me Pops is dead.

NOW his second son is gone. First came Bill whose liver exploded. Today twas thother one, Bob. Or Bobby.

Once I was walking down the street and Bob called me, Ruthie, Baby. 

My name is Ruth, not Ruthie Baby.

Settled, mostly.

Remember the song, Hang down your head Tom Dooley, hang down your head and cry.

I met Toothless Pam while walking down the street. First tho I came across LEE, she of the two huge Grand Pyranees Dogs who told me BOB was dead. 

My head spun. Notorious or not, he was part of the neighborhood. You would see him walking with Lulu, the dog he found at the pound. He was a hard worker. First at Produce Junction and then at a brewery, where he could drink his fill.

I would often stop and ask him foolish questions. He would listen and offer an opinion. 

First there was Luke, his dad. Then his brother Bill whose liver exploded. I watched one day when the cops cuffed him after he passed out across the street and took him to jail.

Drama on our street but not like the original drama where a young teen was done away with. 

Bob died sitting up in his driveway, moaning, moaning, moaning. 

Cornbread filled with berries - new backless slippers - Horrible heat - shall we quote Dante's Inferno - Sister Amy's Birthday

Luscious cornbread mix. It's filled with berries. And since there is only me, I ate the whole thing in three days. If you refrigerate it, it gets tough. Same with when I used to bake bread. 

Since I didn't have milk I used bone broth. My measurements were wrong. I keep em in my tiny knickknack paddywack drawer, along with rubber bands and twisties. 

Took about an hour to scrub the glass pan clean. Then I dry it in my oven. By pilot light.

Slippers from ZAPPOs. Tried everywhere else and then - bingo - the ZAPPOs image showed up. 

Exquisite blue hydrangeas. At my kitchen sink. Darn, they are wilting already. Kalie is barking across the street. It sounds like she's saying RUTH RUTH RUTH. Her mistress Nancy has colitis but I don't know where she is. Colitis. Good lord, that woman gets everything that comes down the pike. 

 Was up very late. Listened to the radio in my room while I wept. I mean, while I read a book that is due today. A Distant Sun, A Novel of Africa. Erotic parts. About Henry who goes to Africa to set up missionaries. His wife is Emma.

Early this morning I set out walking around the block. The temp felt like, oh, 70. No one was about. I noticed my gait was straighter than usual.

And as I turned the corner, the same woman was backing out of her drive in a red car and nearly ran me over.

...

Wrote a very good poem for Amy who is 65, the youngest one. Donna mentioned she can get Medicare now. 

Bought her gifts from KREMP. Spoke to Augustina. Quelle nom !  675 6500, is that correct? 

Gonna make a salad lunch and then read the Africa book. 

The author.

AUTHOR AUTHOR AUTHOR ARTHUR