Slouching to 93

Yesterday I saw my foot doctor. That’s primarily for a neuropathy problem. That is what he called an “age appropriate” phenomena. Yupp, thats how it going now stuff in this 93 year old body is just wearing out. Or age appropriate. What’s one to do? I find myself still thinking in terms of machines.

Remember I spent the first third of my working life as a machinist. I often tended to steam engines as old as me. My job was to find the parts that were worn out and replace them. That's what the doctors are trying to do with this old “engine.” No, not replacing parts just keeping the old ones well lubricated and running. Man! I have worked around lots of pumps but there is nothing out there in the mechanical world that can come any wheres near the human heart. My heart has been beating at a rate that indicates that it has passed the 3 billion mark. Believe me there is no mechanical pump out there that can come anywhere close to that. So, thank you old heart even though now and again you are indicating to me that your getting tired. All I ask of you is that you keep going as I still have some things I need to do. Like what?

Get the lawn mower overhauled for next years grass cutting. Write a blog about my interview with the Mafia for a job in New Jersey. Visit with old friends, I haven’t seen for a while in New York City. (We live 75 miles out on Long Island.) There are plans of woodworking projects for dear friends and loved ones that are still on the drawing boards. Pulling together writings, from early in my life that ended up on the “cutting room” floor. I cannot understand how the past that I remember so clearly is either forgotten or unknown to most people.

Talking of human organs, while I.m most thankful to my heart for keeping this whole body working I cannot neglect paying homage to this old “computer” in my head called the brain. Everyday it astonishes me as to how much stuff it has on file there. I can start playing the guitar and singing and up pops the lyrics to a song that was popular in 1926. Now how on earth can my file up there remember that? But it does even though I never asked it to. Go figure.

I am very excited about the Royal Shakespeare Company visit to New York next July and August. They are rebuilding the old Armory up on Park avenue and 72nd street into a replica of the old Globe Theatre in London. thrust stage and all. They will do five plays and I want to camp out in New York to see them all. I have had a life long love affair with Shakespeare and I have never understood why? One thing I know is I always come away from the play feeling smarter about the human condition. It’s important that I be in good health so as not to miss anything.

Just a word on the upcoming crazy, ridiculous political season. I have witnessed the dumbing down effect of our endless blah blah blah on television. A major quality required of candidates is to prove that they are not any smarter than you. “You” gets reduced to the lowest common denominator.

It’s okay, for no matter who gets elected the problems are going to be there. In my mind the most pressing is the planet. As I wrote to a young women activist in Maine, We can fix the socio-economic issues by rearranging income distribution strategies. We will not be able to fix some of the devastation being done to the planet by global warming. This is the most alarming issue our time and I wished I could be right in the middle of that fight. My campaign would be run on the issue of.”would you drive a car with brakes that you were told might fail?” Or would you say I’m not going to chance it and go have them fixed.” That’s the global warming problem. If we take a chance that its just a natural phenomena and it turns out we were wrong. Then we are in for a big smash up that will not be fixable.

I think most nonagenarian like me just hope we can make it to the end of the decade just in order to, “leave this old world with a satisfied mind.” Country Western Song.