October 29, 2017

Dream at morning. I’m involved in a vast battle in semi-darkness. I’m moving from one place to another on the battlefield, when I encounter a soldier with pale skin and dark hair. He seems stunned and frightened. I ask him what’s wrong, and he says his head hurts so much he can’t move. I begun to rub his scalp and temples, and he relaxes. The battle is far away, so when he falls asleep in my arms, I let him. At some point, though, I get up and rejoin the action.  Later on, a group of officers approaches me and asks me to come with them. As we go, I learn that the soldier I comforted was the emperor, and my job from now on is to massage and comfort him when his headaches come upon him. The dream ends before I have decided what I think of that.

One more crate of bulbs arrived, and got into the ground before yesterday’s hard and bitter deluge.

Lunch after church with student M, who is off to Durham, UNCA’s education department having failed him. Very bright young man, very good company. He had some disturbing criticisms about one of my colleagues–not totally unexpected, but rather worse than expected. What to do? I will not “tattle,” and direct confrontation NEVER works in the elliptical South.

Movie after lunch with DJ and Russell. Snow flew in the air as I drove.