What now?

Early this morning, my son went out with the dog. Whenever he threw a stick, she dashed out to retreive it. 

Google says: "Fetch is a game where a dog retrieves an object (like a ball or toy) that has been thrown or tossed by its owner." 

Most dogs automatically know how to play "fetch".  You don't have to teach them or even say the word. How do they know what to do?  If you toss a ball or stick, your dog will always dash out to bring it back to you. If you threw a rock or a clod of earth, they probably wouldn't react. 

I like to post photos that tell a story without words. Some folks tuning into this blog don't bother to even read the words--they just scroll through the images. 

That doesn't work so well for readers who are blind. I do have some blind readers. I got closely involved with blind people during the 24 years that I was married to a man who was blind. I've lived so many different lives, including among the blind. I even learned to write the simplest form of braille. More recently, I spent years as a Peace Corps volunteer in Honduras, when I even dreamed in Spanish. Now in West Virginia, I spend many hours alone with our dog as my only companion. I have not had a chance to meet many people here, but those I've met have lived their whole life here and only speak English. None are blind or disabled. 

 A friend in DC sent his photos below of the National Guard and their encampments. Even West Virginia, where I'm living now, has sent some troops. This is totally ridiculous, one of Donald Trump's many efforts at political theater. As already mentioned, he is now operating solo, appearing without any family members, although Melania recently sent a letter to Putin asking that children be protected. 
 

National Guard numbers to increase in DC, may be armed https://thehill.com/policy/defense/5458527-national-guard-dc-troop-increase The roughly 800 D.C. National Guard troops already deployed in the capital will be joined by about 200 personnel from Mississippi, between 300 and 400 from West Virginia, 150 from Ohio and 200 from South Carolina, beefing up a presence that has largely stood idle around typically low-crime, tourist-heavy areas in the city.

“Crime is out of control there, and it’s clear something must be done to combat it,” Mississippi Gov. Tate Reeves said in a statement Monday, becoming the latest Republican governor to answer to a Trump administration request to send guard members to Washington.
West Virginia, Ohio, and South Carolina, meanwhile, pledged their state troops over the weekend.

Trump approval holds at 40%, lowest level of his term, Reuters/Ipsos poll finds

Politico reported that Trump cold-called Norwegian diplomats to pester them about nominating him for the Nobel prize. The summit with Russia reportedly played a large part in his campaign to promote himself for that award. However, that summit ended with no apparent breakthroughs or agreements. So how likely now is he to get the Nobel? Probably not very likely. 

The Nobel is actually awarded to individuals or organizations who have "done the most or the best work for fraternity between nations, for the abolition or reduction of standing armies and for the holding and promotion of peace congresses." Does that seem like an accurate description of what Mr. Trump has been up to lately? 

Trump has been vigorously campaigning for the Nobel for several months now. The prize is not usually awarded to somone so openly seeking it. Since it won't be feasible to add his visage to Mount Rushmore, another accolade that Trump had once considered, then how about getting the Nobel instead? Israeli Prime Minister Netanyahu is the most recent leader to have nominated Mr. Trump. 

Donald Trump seems to be a classic narcissist. 

According to Wikipedia: "The number one trait of a narcissist is a grandiose sense of self-importance. This involves an inflated sense of one's own achievements, talents, and abilities, often accompanied by a belief that they are superior to others. They also expect special treatment and constant admiration. Narcissists lack empathy and disregard others' feelings and needs." (All that seems to describe Donald Trump to a T.)

Wash. Post, Trump says he will ‘lead a movement’ to eliminate mail-in voting

Mr. Trump on Monday wrote in a post on his social media platform that he will lead a "movement" to get rid of mail-in ballots and voting machines, claiming, without offering any evidence, that they lead to voter fraud.

Israelis protest against Gaza occupation as Palestinians flee IDF attacks | BBC News

If Israelis are now out in force protesting, Netanyahu will hardly be able to ignore them, 

I've been getting more messages recently from blog readers.

To a blog reader in DC asking me if I'm a vegetarian, I replied: "In the Peace Corps, some fellow PC volunteers were vegetarian while others were vegan. I tried doing both while in Honduras myself. I had reacted strongly after a cow was killed right in my back yard there, with her head being chopped off with an ax. Witnessing that was traumatic. I am still mostly vegetarian to this day. I do drink milk and eat cheese, also occasionally eat shrimp and rarely chicken. That's as far as I will go up the food chain."

Another DC friend sent the item below from the Wall St. Journal. She is quite right that I could now undertake a late life career as a ghost-writer of memoirs, which might actually be rather interesting, and possibly also well-paid. I could also consider finally writing down a fiction book whirling around in my imagination for quite a while now. 

I've already authored 2 memoirs, one about my Honduras experiences, the other about my volunteer human rights efforts in Cuba. However now at age 87, I may actually prefer to remain retired. I just don't feel much like working any more.

Writing is not very hard work, but I've done quite a lot of it, so may be satisfied now with only writing this blog.  

For many years, I worked for the American Occupational Therapy Association, writing for a weekly magazine while also helping my late former blind husband in his career and raising 4 children. I had tried to teach my all kids Spanish. But even my son, with whom I live now, adopted from Colombia, resisted any efforts to teach him Spanish. The only one who spoke Spanish was a Cuban foster son who came to us later on, when I was already a single mother. (Unfortunately, he died of AIDS, one of several family tragedies.) Until the start of the pandemic, I'd been working as an on-call Spanish medical interpreter, traveling all around the DC area by public transportation. That was quite interesting work that I'd kept on doing until I was well past 80. But now I live in rural West Virginia, far away from most Spanish speakers, no such opportunities exist around here.

I have already been the unacknowledged ghost writer for several memoirs by former Cuban political prionsers. They told me their story in Spanish, while I wrote it in English. One Cuban's literary work had included a book of poetry, which was quite challenging to translate. I always refused payment for my efforts and did not allow my name to appear on any of their books. It was a labor based only on our enduring friendship.

If I could get $100,000 for ghostwriting a memoir, I might actually consider coming out of retirement to do that. Google says: "Ghostwriter fees vary widely, but you can generally expect to pay anywhere from $25,000 to $100,000 or more for a full-length book."

A new generation of wealthy retirees is commissioning their own memoirs. They’re not trying to reach the bestseller list. Many of them just want the kids to know how hard they had it.  https://on.wsj.com/45EJcpi Rudi Pauly, 92, paid $12,000 for a 185-page book about her life and family history from LifeBook Memoirs. The book, “From Menzingen to Lake Chelan,” starts off with her German immigrant grandparents living in a sod dugout on a Nebraska farm at the end of the 19th century. Five of the couple’s 14 children died, including two in a lightning strike. 

The ghostwritten memoirs can run hundreds of pages and cost up to $100,000. An entire ecosystem of writers and high-end self-publishers has emerged to meet the demand. Some reveal family secrets (Grandpa’s acid trip, anyone?). Most gloss over drama like divorces and alcohol issues and focus on uplifting narratives about their humble upbringings and the sweat and tears that enabled the comfortable lives of their intended audience: their children, grandchildren and great-grandchildren.

But is ghost-writing something I really want to do in the limited time left to me on earth? I'd have to think that over very carefully before pursuing it any further. 

I could also work again as a translator and interpreter. I still get regular offers like the following:

Professional Translators and Interpreters … Serving the world's largest community of translators and interpreters, ProZ.com Yes indeed, I could be a ghost-writer and could also work as a translator and interpreter, doing so from home remotely. But do I really want to work any more?  And what about continuing with this blog? One reader remarks: ‘to blog or not to blog [anymore]'--that is the question.