My friends...

As you might imagine, we've been away from home-sweet-hotplate for a while. I've also been away from my computer. To tell you the truth, it has been rather pleasant not to feel obligated to keep up with every quiver and quaver of the ongoing battle against the cheatin' Cheeto.

Your incredibly kind help has literally brought tears to our eyes. After the money traveled from PayPal to the bank, we were able to purchase a new AC unit -- the installation of which proved quite a task. Lugging a thing like that up to the attic and somehow threading it into a small and awkward space reminded me of an unpleasant truth: You are no longer young.

If you still feel generous, I urge you find someone to help in the blazing west. It appears that California is having a thoroughly miserable time of it.

As soon as I find the password to my old Yahoo account -- for some reason, it's not stored on this browser -- I'll thank you all individually. For right now, George thanks you, my ladyfriend thanks you, and I feel truly grateful and truly humbled. You've once again taught a captious old curmudgeon that human beings are capable of incredible grace.

If you follow the news too carefully for too long, cynicism becomes your default mode. Cynicism has its uses, but it can also blind you to the fact that people can be pretty damned wonderful.

Thank you so much. I'll resume blogging when I feel I've gotten ahead of the news curve.

One last note: It was very pleasant to spend a couple of days reading books written years ago. We all need a reminder that there once was a pre-Trump age. We can find our way back.