1986-04 (April)

Monday, April 21st[1986] Began Parkman’s Half Century of Conflict, Volume VI of his seven-volume Trends of English in North America + our one of the remaining three I haven’t read. Great narrative work, though not up to any one of the four volumes I have read in the past two years.Super D; got soap, deodorant, ball=points. Foot better, but by no means up to use for any real walking—let alone the Ochsner treadmill.

Tuesday, April 22nd[1986] Continued Parkman. In afternoon, drove to Book Shelf; ordered 200 bill-paying envelopes. Wrote to Loomis thanking him for Deadwood. Gwyn + Jim had a conference with the director-physician of the Rehab Center about the pending discharge of Mrs. R., whoserehabilitation is apparently futile. She’ll have a minor operation, shifting the feeding-tube from her nose to her stomach directly, then be transferred to a nursing home for permanent residence with full-time medical care.Cold-weather records broken in some fifty eastern seaboard cities.Fletcher, alas, knocked down the backyard grill. Must fix or replace it.

April 23rd, 1986

Still with Parkman and still enjoying it thoroughly. In afternoon, sent Hugs $500 for next month's rent - a complicated business, involving a trip to the bank for cash, the post-office for the money order, back home to fill out form with glasses, and finally back to the p.o. to mail it to New York. He'll receive it Friday or Saturday, they said. Note from Hugs giving news that Gabriella's cat Tripp, which they brought from France, died of heart failure. They buried her in Central Park, adjoining the Metropolitan Museum. Gwyn and Jim went on an inspection trip to choose a nursing house for Mrs. R. They liked best one on Highland and named for Allen Morgan. News on heavy snowfall in New York - winter's last hurrah.

Thursday, April 24th[1986] Finished Parkman’s Half Century of Conflict. Enjoyed it, like all the rest; two titles still unread out of the seven.Drove out Park to Holiday grills; arranged for repair man to come fix grill on Saturday. Margaret called + came by here at 4:30; gave her $45 for medicine + food. Dinner at Ron Grisanti’s; not nearly up to previous meals—probably because he’s in process of moving to Beale St.Margaret called in from over inclusion of birth data from her baby book with bank statements sent here. A no-win situation.Poor midget—our picked-up stray cat, now barely grown—got himself badly clawed; tail all but severed. gwyn took him to the vet, but no medical report.

Friday, April 25th[1986] Began Parkman’s The Old Regime in Canada, vol. IV in his French + English in North America. Bank; cashed $250 check. Margaret came by with a long wail of woes + heavy accusations. Complaints of being raped, etc. I wound up flinging her papers down the back steps + threatening to do the same to her if she didn’t leave; which she finally did. Mary Ann Gorecalled about an hour later to say she’d been to her house asking to be taken in; M.A. drove her home.