===>Just finished reading The Strange Files of Fremont Jones by Dianne Day. Turn of the previous century, what my English teacher used to call a "period piece". Quite enjoyable. You could finish it in a couple of evenings (if you weren't working full time, keeping house, running errands, working overtime, and so forth).

The book was the right length, not padded out to reach the customary 500+ pages. There were the appropriate number of characters, easy to track, not the cast of thousands (as it seems) of current novels, forcing this reader to make a list of the cast of characters to keep track of them.

It was not just a cozy mystery, but had a whole story thread much like Edgar Allen Poe and another Sherlock Holmesian thread. I rather liked it, for light reading; all I wanted was diversion and entertainment.

===>I visited N yesterday, Friday, so that I have today all to myself. It was nice to be able to visit him without watching the clock and dealing with an awareness hovering overhead of all the other errands and tasks to be done. It was more like a real visit, not like an errand to check off on my To Do list.

I think when I retire I'll plan on visiting him midweek, rather than on the weekends.

===>The work on playground across the street is proceeding apace, with diesel fumes, metallic banging and growling noises and much coming and going of machines and workmen. It looks as though the view from my front door and kitchen window will be greatly improved. Wouldn't be hard to do; most anything would be an improvement over bare black pavement, tetherball posts, and rusty chain link fence.

===>My housemate and I are going to shop for fruits and veggies at the Farmer's Market near my home this morning, so all I bought at Trader Joe's was the other stuff: coffee, chocolate covered espresso beans, yogurt, and so on. Looking forward to the fresh stuff out in the open air. Have to stay away from the homemade tamales, though--too many carbs.

===>Lovely cool weather. Enjoying it for now. Wondrous Weather Website predicts much warmer later in the week.

Later, gator.