Oh, Dorothy, I remember that feeling so well -- surely, surely, I will wear nice shoes again some day! And I did, MUCH later than I expected, but then I went and busted the other ankle and it started all over again. And here I am, nearly thirty years down the road, pleased to be wearing sneakers with orthotic insoles rather than surgical boots for crippled people. Sigh.

Yesterday, I unpacked some stemware, the cassoulet pot, and a whole lot of cooking tackle, including the stock pot, the bread pans and the waffle iron. Proper cooking resumes immediately: I'm tired of not having ingredients!

I also sold (for a pittance) our official Baby Boomer kit: the stereo transceiver and all its associated equipment -- speakers, turntable, DVD/CD player and cabinet. In its place, we have a sleek new gadget: a Bose Soundtouch system that not only taps the iTunes library on our computer (wirelessly!), but also accesses the Internet to play radio stations from around the world. Right now, it's on BBC Radio 3, a reliable source of classical music, where I imagine it will stay for much of the time. Himself has found stations specializing in French and Welsh folk music, and it even pulls in the CBC from Toronto, which is no prize compared with BBC 3. Unlike the stereo, the Bose system is rather smaller than a breadbox, requiring only a small occasional table to sit on. Its sound is glorious.

Now, if only I could find someone who wants a VCR and a Hewlett-Packard printer that doesn't like Windows 10 and requires ink cartridges that cost sixty dollars.