I know it's late in the day to start a "day" thread, but whatever.
It's been a combination of all sorts of weather in the Sandhills of Nebraska today, but mostly sun mixed with heavy clouds that threaten rain, but don't deliver it. During the night, there had been extremely high winds coming out of nowhere, sometimes getting up past 60 mph. I dunno what's up with that.
I had thought there was supposed to be a high-school graduation party on these premises today, and so planned nothing else. When I awoke this morning, I learned I had the day wrong; the party is next Saturday, not this Saturday.
Oh well. Excresence happens. I suppose whenever I'm uncertain about the day and hour of something, I should check the newspapers, but on the other hand, I'm struck by that the most interesting times of my life, the most fortuitous things of my life, occurred simply because I missed the bus somewhere, and so had to veer a direction different from the planned direction.
That's how I ended up in the socialist paradises of the workers and peasants with free medical care for all, simply because I happened to notice a spare postage stamp on the desk.
And then because of an erroneously transposed telephone number, upon my arrival there, I was immediately lost, remaining on the dark side of the moon my first six days there; it wasn't so much fun for the nephews and friends, or for U.S. Senators J. James Exon (D-Nebraska) and J. Robert ("Bob") Kerrey (D-Nebraska), and U.S. Congressman Douglas Bereuter (R-Nebraska), various members of the Nebraska state legislature, some newspaper reporters, and the U.S. Department of State, but I didn't know that, and had no way of getting in touch.
One accepts, adapts, and moves on.
So as long as there's nothing urgent, I just let life go on, and hang on its coat-tails.
I went out with the soil scientist and her best friend, who lives in town here (the soil scientist, now of Lincoln, is from Maryland, and remotely related to Clare Booth Luce); it was just supposed to be one of those "lunch" things, but then they got involved in shopping.
Tired of hanging around perfume and lingerie counters, I spent most of the time outside the mall, sitting on a bench smoking cigarettes, carrying on idle chit-chat with passers-by who recognized me, or I them.
But because I can't hear, I learned nothing new; I'm sure I was told a great many things, but grasped none of it.
