My hand surgery scheduled for tomorrow has been postponed by a week. This was due to a mix-up over the Covid19 test. A mix-up over the timing and the location of the test – my fault or theirs? To be fair, probably a mixed bag. Anyhow we continue now at a more relaxed pace.

The protests in Minsk have been in the news but who is paying any attention what with the Corona virus, the Democratic convention, Trump’s antics, the heat wave, and other items are grabbing the headlines and dominating the news, in the U.S. at least. But Minsk captures my eye and my thoughts turn to my friend Florence in Dublin whose son married a girl from Minsk. My friend has visited Minsk, met the parents, etc. And I wonder how that young woman in Dublin feels about the news from Minsk. I say young woman – and I think again – she is probably in her 50’s – we are talking about my sons’ generation. And of course Florence must be in my generation – i.e. older.

I had to go (be taken) downtown today for an EKG prior to my upcoming hand surgery scheduled for Friday August 21st. I was the sole occupant of the Ida Culver van. Social distancing prevents more than one passenger at a time. Due to the reduction in traffic during these Corona Virus times, we arrived at our destination in about 15 minutes flat. By which time I had learned that the driver was renting a house within a stone’s throw of our house in Ballard. Ballard is a Small Community! The driver said to call him when I was finished and he would come back and pick me up. Well, I was finished in about half an hour. If we had had a crystal ball we could have foreseen how efficiently everything was handled and he could have waited nearby rather than driving back to Ida Culver.

Nevertheless we had very interesting conversations en route and now I have arranged for him to transport me again in 2 days time when I have to have yet another Covid-19 test prior to the day surgery the following day.

I see that the golfer Fred Couples is now in his 60’s. He has been playing in the Senior competitions for some 10 years now. My mother carried the on-course score board for him when he played in the PGA Tour Event at Kanapali Maui Hawaii back in the 1980’s. Long before the telecommunications and the technology of the game today. Friends kind of wondered if she was really able for this at her age then but she did it with her usual plucky spirit. She passed in the year 2000 at the age of 88 so she must have been in her late 60’s when she toted that scoreboard for a young Fred Couples.

I wish I had figured out the technology so that I could show you the beautiful sunrise this morning. Scattered pink clouds greeted me as I pulled back the curtains.

This is a New Hampshire cat who lived in the barn at my sister Ruth’s farm. My photo inspired me to do a painting. 30 years ago? I’ll try to figure it out. I think it was one of those summers when we visited from Bangladesh. That was in the early 1980’s. 40 years ago.