Most people have heard of C.S. Lewis if only because of The Chronicles of Narnia. I think, over the years, I’ve probably read all his published material.  His writing is just so finely crafted, I even liked to read what he had to say when I didn’t share his point of view.  I loved teaching The Screwtape Letters to eighth graders at an Episcopal school around Halloween time.  Fun to examine devils and demons in that context.  (Personally, I think the most despicable demon in there is the mother who keeps insisting to her son that she doesn’t want to be any trouble at all and all she wants is a half piece of toast with only a tiny bit of butter and only a half cup of tea with half a sugar.  Impossible to get that right.)

Lewis also wrote a good number of essays.  One group was published as God in the Dock: Essays on Theology and Ethics.  I know it is wrong to quote a single line of scripture or of Shakespeare or of Lewis out of context.  When you do that, you can pretty much apply it to mean anything you want to.  Nevertheless, this week, I had reason to recall this: “It would be better to live under robber barons than under omnipotent busybodies who torment us without end for our own good.”  Lewis says pretty much everything better than I do.  I would have just said that listening to bossy, negative, pessimistic complainers is just exhausting.  So I don’t.

A dear old friend commented on Tuesday’s post that that day’s activities “just make me tired.  If I have more than one thing scheduled in a day I feel that I am overworked. LOL.  I guess busy is better than just sitting.”  I agree, my friend.  Tuesday did turn out to be a busy day.  I like to have things to do.  As you say, better than just sitting.

I love to sit, but not “just sit.”  I am always in my car or kayak, or at my desk on my laptop, or reading or writing or talking or all four.

Did a lot of sitting yesterday afternoon. There is one day every November when I “chat” with my medicare supplement company to be sure I have the best deal. (I got a better one.)  I have learned that I much prefer to have a written online chat than to talk to these people on the phone.  Then I got on a roll and decided to chat with AT&T to go over my iPhone plan. I stayed with the plan I have. And then, I continued by chatting with Comcast which provides my TV cable and my WiFi. Now saving  $30 a month there, and they gave me six months of free HBO for my trouble.  I’m not sure I’ll watch much HBO. (When is the next season of The Newsroom expected to air?)  However,  it turns out they have a “senior” deal and they don’t see a dichotomy that this senior wants really fast wireless.

First I said I couldn’t go to a theological discussion at Willamette University because I had already said I would help Barb carry Andrea’s artwork downtown for a show at First Wednesday tomorrow.  Actually, that wasn’t first.  What was first was that Barb split her lip open playing ball with one of her grand dogs.  Maybe second was that Andrea has a migraine.  Next, I think, Barb called back to say we couldn’t meet at noon because she just remembered that she has a meeting at St. P’s on first Tuesdays.  That jogged my memory that first Tuesdays are senior discount days at Fred Meyer’s, one of my favorite days of the month.  I had so many coupons on top of the discount that they practically had to give me change to get me out of the store.  Had the 99¢ senior cup of Starbucks there.  The Thanksgiving blend. By then I was on a money-saving roll and drove out to Packsaddle to buy forty pounds of wood pellets for $5.00.  It’s the best, cheapest cat litter and it is totally compostable.  Rosie prefers it.  This is good, because, as an economy measure, I do not have garbage collection.  I just do not produce much garbage to speak of.  I do have a gigantic recycling bin which costs practically nothing.  I usually put one small bag of garbage in a friend’s bin and bring his recycling home to mine.  Life is simple.  Life is good.  And it’s always good to be flexible.

I came over to Bolton Terrace this morning to keep Jack company while Roxanne is at St. P’s rehearsing for Noye’s Fludd.  Jack is two days post-op and I thought I might have some nursing duties here; however, we are just watching the Army/Air Force game.  You can see who is in charge of his health, both mental and physical.

Of course, Gibby was actually in charge, as all cats are.