Solo

I can't remember a particular time when I decided that I was not going to find and mate and that I would be living my life on my own.

But at some point I stopped by pairs of things like coffee mugs and started purchasing just one.'

Book Lending

 

A friend who was over for dinner recently said, as he was leaving, "Next time I'm here I'm going to check out your books".  Now, this is a person who does a lot of reading but his words struck horror into my heart.

I don't like lending books, I have never liked lending books.  I have had bad experiences in the past with people borrowing books and not returning them, or returning them damaged.  Books have been an important and major part of my life since I first went to the library as a child.

I don't know why some people think that books on your shelf are somehow free to be borrowed at their whim.  People don't borrow pictures off your walls, or tchotchkes off your surfaces, or clothes from your closet or (generally) dishes from your kitchen.  Or, in the old days, LPs and CDs.  Why is that they think they have some right to grab your books?

Where does this attitude come from that you are somehow obligated to lend your books?

I estimate that I used to have well over two thousand books in my home.  When I embraced minimalism it was very hard but I gradually cut that down to around fifty books.  That kind of culling should  clearly indicate just how precious those books that I selected to keep are to me.

I know I can just refuse to lend them but I don't want to alienate my friend.   I don't have that many friends left.  I can't afford to lose one.

So I find myself reorganizing my shelves, picking out the books that mean the most to me and hiding them in drawers.  I have even gone down to the junk/exchange room in the basement of my building and picked out books that it would seem likely that I would own and put them on my shelves to replace the books I have removed.

I like seeing my special books on my shelf, just as I like seeing the few pictures and ornaments I have displayed.  Now I feel like I have to hide my books away to protect them.

Gone?

 

Back when there was still a "Next Blog" button on Blogger I found a lot of interesting blogs that I started following.  Since the loss of the button I haven't found a single new blog to follow.

Over time most of these blogs have stopped posting or just disappeared altogether.

I'm now down to one blog that still posts regularly.

There were two others that I have followed for years and which had regular postings which I enjoyed.

One was a poetry blog by an older man who wrote a lot about aging and the approach of death.  His last post was six months ago.

The other was a photography blog which included both general photography and photos of his family.  Over many years I got to feel that I knew, and liked,  these people.  His last post was eleven months ago.

I can't help but fear the worst, that both of them have died.  Not necessarily of course - they may be health or family or other reasons why they have stopped.

I miss them.

I'm also and older man and death will be coming.  No one I know has any idea that I have a blog.   I keep no notes.  The password is not written down anywhere.

There are times when I go fairly long periods without posting.    If it appears at some point that I am gone for good I'd like to say thanks to everyone who bothered reading.  

Travel Insurance

 

So, another story in the news this morning about a Canadian, travelling to the USA, believing the travel insurance they purchased will protect them.  Then a heart attacks happens while they're there and after submitting the $600K plus claim it is refused on a technicality.

This is not a one time happening.  I hear this sort of story often.

Even if the claim is accepted it can result in only partial payment.

I don't like travelling but I have been thinking I would like to visit some friends in the US - but I am old and have preexisting heath conditions and I'm now thinking it's not worth the risk.

It's perhaps time to just make a final decision that travel outside of Canada is something that I no longer do.