Saturday alone on the bench.

A very nice day was had by all, today; especially for me.

I got up early and did the usual shower, dress, descend for the paper. I started a load of whites and went outside with a cup of coffee. It was cool enough to wear a sweatshirt but I had on shorts and flip flops.

Coffee in the morning outside sitting on my bench is one of the things I enjoy. I live in a secluded place in the city. Sometimes I don't see anyone at all if I don't go out.

Saturday I spend the morning cruising the yard sales. I maintain an $8 limit on yard sale expenditures. Like today I often don't find a single thing I "need" and if I do it's unusual. Once I bought a blank page book that was beaded like what I imagine the Wizard of Oz Ruby Slippers were. I got it for $5 and sold it on Ebay for $10. Another time it was a silver heart shaped picture frame.

About 8:30 a.m. I went to the post office for the mail and by the bank to make a deposit. I got biscuits and gravy at the Dairy Queen. This week they are on sale for $2 with tax. A $1 big coffee from McDonalds with lots of cream and then back home for the beginning of my radio programs on NPR.

Reggie called on his way to the local Coffee Party meet up. He said he felt the whole thing was going to stop soon. I teased him by saying if he got arrested to let me know and I'd bring bail. That's a joke between us. We talked a few minutes about how either of us could possibly get arrested and need bail. He ended the conversation with, "I'll talk to you later."

Today Lenny came by, as he does several times a week and we got to spend time together talking about us and him and me. It's a blessing to have an old friend I can trust and make love to.

We went out to lunch. With Lenny I never run out of anything to say and it seems, neither does he. We are politically on opposite sides, but he doesn't preach to me and I don't preach to him.

He said today, "I love it that you have such strong opinions on things."

I said, "You have strong opinions yourself, but for some reason they're not mine."

I tell him some day I'm going to write all his stories in a book. He laughs and that pleases him. I do write stories he tells me and put them in my journal.

There was a time I worried about a lot of things with him and me. I don't worry any more. I'm content to live alone. Most people who get into living with one another are not as happy.

Lenny left in the late afternoon. He had to be back to take care of his granddaughter tonight. Her mom and the husband had plans to go out on a date night and the scheduled baby sitter had canceled. I told him this gave him a chance to let her know how wonderful her grandpa is. He said, "Oh yeah." He doesn't do much baby sitting and I could see he was happy to do it today.

After he left I listened to the radio again as I got a shower and changed for church.

I almost always go to Saturday mass. Being able to go to church on Saturday is one of the perks of Catholicism. By the way, don't get me going on this religion. I enjoy going to mass alone and sitting quietly during the time others are getting there late. Religion has a ritual and abiding by the rules and ritual, as well as going to church, calms me.

After church I was back in time to listen most of Garrison Keeler. Lenny texted me to remind me to listen!

I ate a bowl of beef stew and now I'm settling in to watch a DVD from Netflix.

The eventual result of living alone for almost two decades is the ability to handle it without insanity.