Forgive me – my apology for endless repetition – but I am compelled as a matter of duty to relate today’s encore brilliance. A simple matter, yes, perhaps; but one which nonetheless warrants unqualified attention for its splendour. It has been another glorious late autumn day in our tiny town – beaming yellow sunshine through the towering cumulonimbi, a fresh breeze, dry roads and cooperative traffic.

Luck was everywhere evident! After my early morning tricycle ride about the neighbourhood – and having next stimulated myself with a healthful breakfast of steel cut oats and fruit, I took the time to sit on the balcony, soaking in the manifest heat and radiation from the glittering sunlight. I was instantly gripped by contentment. Mine was an indulgent preoccupation. As I listened to the squawking of the Canada geese upon the river, my eyes judiciously closed while facing directly into the sun, I allowed my attention to wander. I lingered upon the warmth of the sunshine; then I contemplated echoes from the past. Suddenly my chin had fallen to my chest; and, I discovered I had drifted into a deep and meditative sleep. My groggy revival was ephemeral. Once again my head bobbed from the persuasive dreaminess.

You’d hardly guess from this cheerful chronicle how mercurial has been my disposition in the past hour as I adjust then readjust an appointment to have my front tooth removed by a periodontist. We appear however (after many reversals) to have reached the point of critical decision. We’re back to where we began. I have concluded the missteps by sending an email to the office of the surgeon as confirmation of our conclusion.  I recognize it is a touch self-serving to have done so without having received their written confirmation; but I am confident the confusion has been fully exhausted. What a great deal of fuss! And I didn’t bother to mention the related communications with the chauffeur! Once again, mainly self-serving corrections; nevertheless I am hopeful of the outcome (which I shall probably hear tomorrow).

All this is to say – serendipitously, as having been unwittingly remarked already this morning in a number of cartoons from Marilyn in British Columbia – in old age, everything is annoying! The recovery of stability in this problematic skirmish has naturally been welcome. But I am very thankful it corrected itself without unpleasant repercussions.

One final note. As in every Shakespearean play, there is in this casual performance of mine a subplot reflecting the confusion and anxiety of the main plot. Unrelated to the periodontal issue, I unravelled a mix-up regarding a delivery to me from Trieste, Italy. Once again – in the end – the details hardly matter. There was in each of the two cases a failure of intelligence (by which I mean both the formulation and the communication of significant knowledge). It is fortunate that the details do not matter because it clarifies that solutions have been worked out. Were it otherwise I am inclined to suspect I’d be having a bad time of it. My so-called “coping mechanism” has not improved with age. It has calcified. But I am for the moment at least spared the disturbance – of what, I shall not speculate for it is mal à propos to do so.  Instead I am satisfied with the result. To my thinking it marks another day’s victory over fractious details. Best just to carry on.