My sister died recently. She was six years older than me. I’m the last of our nuclear family; parents, brother, sister gone. Who’s next?

I remember when my mother died. “I’m an orphan!” I said, at age 63. Silly.

Guilty? Of course I’m guilty. Why didn’t I go to California when she was alive, before her Alzheimer’s? I used to fly to California a few times a year to visit our daughter, but that was before Margaret moved there to live with her daughter, Suzanne. Somehow it seems Sara moved East and Margaret moved West at the same time.

Margaret’s two sons pre-deceased her. Is anything sadder?

Well,yes. Lots of things.

Our parents both lived to be 96. That’s my goal.

Stiffen that spine, Elinor. It’s Thanksgiving week and family’s coming! Care for the family you have.

For a matter of months, Bernie and I lived in Beverley Hills, not the hills part but the low ground. We worked for a service that supplied short developmental reading  courses to private schools and colleges. It was fun, teaching 16 year-olds our helpful reading skills and increasing their reading speed.

We missed Gregory Peck when he came by to see the offices before signing one of his sons up for individual classes at our center. But I saw other movies stars: Natalie Wood and Robert Walker driving by in their open convertible looking unhappy, for instance. One day I was in a nice stationery store when Norma Shearer breezed in, making an entrance. “Hello, Miss Shearer,” .greeted the owner. I didn’t stare. In those days, people didn’t bother the stars if they came across them. I didn’t want to be seen staring.

One night when Bernie and I came out of a club where we’d gone to listen to Nino Tempo and his band, I saw a drunken Dan Dailey and a blonde come sweeping along and into the club as we left.

Who he? you ask. And you don’t know George Jessel, do you? A friend and I ran into him when we were crossing a hotel lobby. Why were we crossing the lobby? What hotel was it? The Bel Air? Don’t remember. I remember that he flirted with my friend.

Long ago (1958) and far away.

Yes! I’m about to change my life.  Any day now I will receive my order of a NutriBullet and I will make healthy shakes every day and become wonderfully healthful. It’s taken only about  5 months to make up my mind.

But where is it? They said this week and today’s Wednesday. And what day of the week is more “this week” than Wednesday? It’s smack in the middle of the week so therefore the quintessential representative of the week. I’ve already ordered some chia seeds and some goji berries. There were available  goji berries covered and not covered with chocolate. They were the same price so, of course, I bought the chocolate covered ones. A more direct route to my mouth with the same nutrients included. Plus the chocolate nutrients, which slip my mind just now.

I didn’t buy any spinach or kale on Saturday when I went shopping. I will wait till I am actually going to make a shake. Is that the proper word? I guess so. Green leafy vegetables are what I need.

I’ll get back to you about my successes with my new diet. Once I have any success. Yes! Think Success!