Happy Anniversary

 It's an unreflective cultural practice to write "Happy Anniversary" when someone posts an announcement of their wedding anniversary on Facebook.  So I wasn't upset with my friends when they left that comment on my feed after I re-posted an old newspaper announcement celebrating Will's and my previous anniversary.  In my mind's ear I hear each anniversary in the voice of Paul Harvey:  "Karen and Wilbur Huck - 48 years together (pause) on the road to (pause) forever."

Monitor publicity shot of Bob and Ray with Tedi Thurman

I listened to Paul Harvey in my youth, even though I knew his right-wing political opinions didn't link with my Dad's leftish views.  Anytime I was doing a physical activity that didn't require mental concentration, I listened to talk rather than music AM radio. When traveling in the car on the weekend, the folks would play Monitor Radio (NBC) which offered a mix of talk and popular (non rock) music.  I remember sitting in the back seat behind Dad and hearing the weekend mix of news, celebrity interviews, and music.  (Sitting behind Dad was better in the winter when the car windows were closed.  If the windows were opened and he wanted to smoke a cigar, he bit and spit off the end and it would come in through the window beside me.)  The best thing about Monitor was that it introduced me to Bob and Ray.  These brilliant comics were also regularly featured on Comedy Time on KGO.

Memories of radio, the Hot Medium.

I've been marinating in the past as I get ready to go to my 50th high school reunion next week.  Fortunately, my younger sister is willing to stay here and oversee Will's care for the time I'm gone and our regular caregiver has shifted her other clients so that she can be with Will for 4 hours in the morning and 4 hours in the evening so my sister can go out or just hang out downstairs, should she so please.  Today I'm finishing building a twin bed for her (no, not Ikea -- Target) so she can inhabit the room next to Will's.  Winston is going to stay with his former carer.  I'll have to tell her that he now sings a lot.  Maybe that would be a good nick-name for him, Sir Singsalot!

This week I've been online with 27 other new students at my Canadian graduate school as we listened to several of our future teachers introduce themselves through zoom.  As an old, white person, I am in the minority of the new students.   I feel rather nervous and very excited to be taking two semesters of Hebrew Bible with a scholar who is also the new dean.   I think she looks like Bibi Andersson from the early Ingmar Berman Films.

That I have much to excite me doesn't alter my experience of everyday grief whenever I take full cognizance of what's going on in my life and all around me.

Life is so strange.