November 4, 2021

Finished the revision of The Frankenstein Rubrics by the gray light of dawn. I sobbed when I finished. I suppose that’s a good sign. I can say that few pieces have been more thoroughly transformed by the revision process. 

All yesterday the poems of Marvell ran through my head. 

The crash in the dark last night was a bear finishing off the pottery bird feeder. Didn’t even bother to pick it up today. Maybe he’ll come and cart it away. It would be the polite thing to do. 

Read in an article about Stephen Crane that he was the sort of artist who caused controversy without intending to, without noticing he was doing so, and, when confronted with the brouhaha he caused, stood genuinely astonished. This is also a perfect description of me. 

Today is the birthday of J-- my first buddy who didn’t live exactly next door–a date which I remember for the last sixty years. When I learned about election day, I assumed it and J’s birthday had something to do with each other. We were inseparable until Little League came along. I remember standing at the edge of the woods saying, “I think you like baseball better than me.” He answered, “Yes, I do.” I never again put anyone to the test. Some lessons are learned quite early. 

Maud’s eccentricity deepens. She now hides in the bathtub, drinks out of the toilet. When I tried to cuddle her this morning, she ran and hid behind the bathtub. One eats the same dish forever.