A N I G HT AND A DAY AT 99

First of all, let me praise the Almighty that he has seen fit to enable me to write about my life
at this stage.

To be able to still think clearly and to put words on paper is indeed a miracle.
Let me start with the evening before the upcoming next day :
With the exception of my poker nights- two weekly and one every other week, I am in bed by
right after a nine o'clock program on TV which varies. There is no such entertainment watched
during the day, especially no news. I want to sleep peacefully ! Just Jepardy and the Wheel.
Promptly at 8 PM I hasten to the telephone to exchange good news with my dear kids in Santa Fe.
Now I am in my so comfortable bed which ,years ago, was the best purchase I ever have made.
The head position is electrically raised and an easy to read pocketbook about crimes committed
and the felons brought to justice, will usually fill the half hour before lights out. My nightly sleep is
often interrupted about four times a night-I have a bottle on hand for the necessary purpose of
dispensing liquid only. Blessedly I then fall asleep again and I have to report that dreams are
frequent but not frightening, a lot of them having to do- you guessed it,with footwear.

With peculiar regularity I wake about one hour before my rising at 7 AM. Time to put on some
heat-I get cold easily- and retrieve the daily paper from the front porch- always on time !
So, the day begins and the best meal of the day is being prepared by me . Who else ?
First things first : an aspirin pill and a vitamin pill. Ain't I lucky to have such a great doctor
who does not believe in a lot of medicine !
A dish of cornflakes joins my daily banana(except a piece saved for lunch) sliced into the
dish and enhanced by sliced fresh strawberries, a jolt of blueberries, a good dose of
regular milk-and there is just half of my best meal of the day. This to be followed religiously
by a cup of my so beloved Ovaltine with chocolate in it, for which I blame my longevity.
Then a roll heated, laced with cream cheese and jam: what more can a man ask for ?

To be continued


Night and Day at 99 Part II

Then, in my humble opinion, comes the best part of the new day. With the exception of Saturday
when I work in the "friends of the Library" in the morning,my good bed once again awaits my
presence.From 8- 10 AM it will keep me warm in winter and, with my back in an upright
position, I do the daily crossword puzzle from Sunday to Wednesday. For the next three days
the puzzles get too difficult,laced with people and things I never heard of. Therefore these
two hours are spent with reading and snoozing. At 10 AM the time has come to begin the day
for real ! After a nice warm shower and shave, the hair comes next and that is the only part
of my body that I can be proud of. The silvery top is treated with a so-called "Pomade" and
carefully parted to present a crowning cover to my head.The rest of the face is marred by ugly
growths under my eyes which I had removed once. But they came back and a doctor I consulted
about a repeat removal told me to leave it alone. Since I do not contemplate to enter any
beauty contests-so be it !
Now comes the time to get dressed for the day which,unfortunately, does not call for much
activity. yet I am blessed to look forward to my two half hour walks daily,either in the house
or outside and so far I have been able to follow this healthy regime pleasantly although
somewhat slower than before.
By then it is usually midday and time to contemplate lunch at 12:30 PM.My good neighbor,
for a reasonable fee, has gone shopping for me ever since I quit driving a few months ago.
She is presented with a shopping list about every three days and fills my orders perfectly.
Thus-and I want to mention this-I am happy to be able to report that i have not missed my
now 20 year old Swedish Volvo which snoozes in my garage awaiting use by my dear
kids on their visit.However, by request, it is fired up each Tuesday for seven minutes
to keep it running when needed. It gets a "swipe" once in a while to keep it presentable
and still looks good. It is the best car I have ever owned and is up to about one hundred
thousand miles now. Since I can walk to the clubhouse where I "gamble" or take lectures
I am happy to say that I do not miss my trusty steed. My good neighbor takes me to the
doctor appointments or haircuts, so all is well in Leisure World in that respect.

To be continued