CHAPTER XVII

May was not very eventful. It was a cool spring. I worked on the computer a bit and upgraded the overall system. Richard has been around more often. We have not been going into Manhattan.

I chat with George once a week. Julie and the new baby are doing well. George hopes to move into his new house around the first of July.

Peggy and Peter are planning to get divorced. They seem to be having quite a standoff in Chicago.

I plan to go up to Kennebunkport in July.

There does not seem to be much interest in the Presidential election around here. Ross Perot plans to run against both parties. Once again I feel they will promise anything and then ignore every one after the election. I think it would be better to elect a prime minister every year from the senate and forget about the executive branch of government.

The computer show was in Manhattan during the end of June, but I did not go in. The summer seems to be going by fast. It has been cooler than usual. I have quit reading the New York Times on weekdays and instead am reading the Wall Street Journal on weekdays.

I helped the Cary's move in mid July and also helped them with some yard work.

I maintained my usual routine in the beginning of July and drove up to Kennebunkport in the middle of July. Peggy arrived the same day I did and two days later Peter and the kids. Jan arrived two days later. There was a lot of tension because Peter was there when he was not suppose to be there. Jan was her usual delightful self. Richard showed up a couple days later for the weekend. Jan and Richard and myself went out to dinner. Peter left the following week and things were a little bit more peaceful.

I felt less confined having my own car. I started smoking because of the stress. I would go to the beach in the afternoon. I drove down at the end of the second week. I caught up on my reading. The Websters drove up the Saturday after I left. I went into Manhattan a couple of times. I had to ask Chris Groom not to visit me any more. He is doing well in a half way house in White Plains. It rained for a week and I got a little depressed. I got a new social worker Monica Brunning and she seems pleasant.

I drove back up to Kennebunkport for the last week of August with the Websters. It was very relaxing. I had a good visit with mother also. The weekend I returned Richard and I went in for a tour of Manhattan. The first week of September I spent catching up on my reading. Mother and George are going to leave on September 6, to tour the Canadian Rockies and the Northwest. I am back to my usual budget. It has been a cool summer and hopefully a pleasant fall. Mother and George had a great trip and think it was more enjoyable than visiting the Alps.

I spent most of the fall working on my computer and reading about it. The Bush-Qualye campaign was underfinanced and there was not much enthusiasm for the ticket. They lost the election and we will have to put up with a democratic administration for the next four years.

I wander if Bill Clinton was in Bill Coffin's drop in center up at Yale when I went up there around 1965. Also I wander if Al Gore was at Lookout Mountain Camp when I was there.

I went into Manhattan a couple of times with Richard. his new Buick wagon is a great car. There was a bad storm in December that flooded the houses around Todd's Point.

I gave a ride to Stratford to a fellow from Sydney, Australia name of Terry Beasley. He reminded me of Prince Charles and was very smart. At that same time Windsor Castle had a fire in the banquet hall.

Jan and Ainslie have been spending more time around the house by the lake. I call her regularly to help her out on the computer.

Peggy seems to be adjusting to living on her own. She visited down in Florida over Christmas. She is thinking of taking her own place in Chicago. Mother and George sailed down around the islands around Aluthra over Christmas.

After New Years, I spent a couple of weeks cleaning my apartment and reorganizing my possessions. Hopefully 1993 will be a more profitable year, although I had a good year last year. I am down to 160 pounds and feel a lot better.

This winter was rather uneventful. I maintained my usual routines. I am not reading the New York papers. I am spending more time working on the computer. Mother bought me a used 386/33 computer in mid March which will permit me to keep abreast of new computer developments.

Richard and I went into Manhattan a couple of times. We did not do very much this winter. It snowed several times in the late winter. My car has been running fine. I have been trying to economize more on my expenses. I have been spending more time keeping my apartment orderly and clean. I am making food and freezing it to conserve time on cooking.

Terrorists blew up the World Trade center around the first of March which created a little panic in the area. I am doing well and fell much better having lost the weight and am down to 155 pounds. I have been chatting with Jan on computer matters to try and help her out on her computer.

Spring has arrived today and I am broke. Hopefully I will quit smoking some time soon and have a pleasurable spring. Mother is pleased with my progress on the computer. Jan and Peggy visited mother in Florida during the first of March. Peggy's marital situation and family situation still has not been resolved.

George and Julie have been redoing their house this winter. The baby is doing well. I look forward to visiting them this spring. I visited George and Julie in May. There house looks very nice. They have put a lot of work into it. I have been maintaining my usual schedule reading and working on the computer. Richard comes down on the weekends. I have been chatting with Jan every two weeks about computers.

I sold my old Compaq computer for $425 which paid off my new computer. The Websters are going out to Wyoming in July before they go to Kennebunkport.

Richard and I went into Manhattan on the fourth of July. We got mugged by a British fellow from Bermuda. Needless to say I don't plan to go into Manhattan for a while. It just goes to show one can not trust even the people who seem harmless.

I will be going to Kennebunkport on the 24th of July for a week. Jan will be there and Richard might be able to come up if he is not working. My air conditioner has been having problems keeping up with the heat. I had my physical and my health is all right.

I had a good time in Kennebunkport. Jan and I visited with Richard for the first week. The weather was very comfortable. Jan had bought a new baby poodle puppy Sheba that she was going to take back to Oklahoma. Kennebunkport seemed slower this summer now that Bush is no longer President.

The Websters arrived the following week with Peggy's children. I had a good two weeks in Kennebunkport.

During the fall I worked on the computer and read. I bought a number of items for my apartment. Jan sent me the latest computer programs. I have decided not to go into Manhattan for a while.

My dermatologist said I should not go out and sun bathe in the sun any more. In December, I have to have a small mole taken off my back.

Richard has been keeping busy working. Mother and George took a trip to Portugal and sailed back on the Royal Viking. Richard bought a house in Wilton he will move into in March. He got a good deal on the house. It has two rental units and he will live in the restored barn.

I redecorated my apartment and it looks much better. I also was able to get two very good used computer printers for my office setup. I will have a peaceful Christmas and look forward to a better New Years.

This winter was very cold we had eighteen snow falls. I felt like I was shoveling the snow off my car every other day. I kept busy through most of the winter reading as usual and working on the computer. I installed OS/2 for Windows on my computer which took a bit of time to install and learn.

I went into New York once or twice and Richard was not around very much since he was busy working on his house. I pursued a number of redecorating projects in the apartment this winter and spring and by summer the place looks quite presentable.

Richard finished his house in mid April and moved into it around the first of May. The house came out quite well and I suppose he will be quite happy with it. He has a lot of work this year and is not around as frequently.

Ainslie passed away toward the end of April. He had a heart attack from the Nicotine patches he was taking. Jan is quite grief stricken. He was only 52. I did not attend the funeral because I was under new medication. I also came down with Sominella poisoning two days after Ainslie passed away. I suppose it will take time for Jan to readjust to single life. She plans to continue living in Oklahoma where she has many friends.

Mother had minor surgery in early June, but is doing well. I now have a telephone which makes life easier. I still have to watch my bills, so as to afford the many small luxuries in my life.

The better part of June was spent inside reading avoiding the warm weather. We will have the house in Kennebunkport in August again this year.

Note: End of Biography to be continued as life goes on.

I have not updated biography as of September 19, 1997