It has been a dull weary sort of day. For one thing, tt has rained all the livelong day except for intermittent bursts of bright blue skies and sunlight. The creeks are running high and the gutters are gurgling. FOr another I had little sleep in the night and have been compelled to compensate by being half-asleep for a third of the day (which adds up to one-sixth of a sleep.) All I have managed to do is study subatomic physics and build a database of literary sites and walk the dog a couple of times when the rain let up. I am exhausted.

I hope you are feeling all right, Rapparree. Your hernial interventions worry me some. I am going under the knife Wednesday and will be out of circulation for a couple of weeks. But not for sa hernia. For droopy eyelids! Can you believe that! Ten days from now I will be moaning "What have I DONE?". But three weeks from now I shall be grinning a hard-edged grin, I am sure.