Hello, again, Dear Reader. It is now early evening on Thursday, October 15, 2020. Presently, the temperature outside is 83˚F (28˚C) under mostly sunny skies; sunset is just four minutes away, and I’m sure that the next celestial condition will read “mostly clear.” [1] With the wind blowing from the east at 6 MPH (9 KM/H), the feels-like temperature is 85˚F (30˚C). Tonight’s forecast calls for mostly clear skies and a low of 72˚F (22˚C)
I received my new walking shoes as I was wrapping up my Life in the Time of COVID-19 post. I waited to try them on until I published it, and they seem to fit well. They are a bit snug on my feet, especially the right shoe, but they have anti-slip technology on the soles and after I got used to them and got my right big toe to relax, I decided to go out for a brief walk some 45 minutes ago.
The Caregiver and her new boyfriend had gone to put some stuff in a public storage locker, so I couldn’t very well leave the front door unlocked. I remembered the instructions that the Caregiver gave me about how to lock the door correctly – to pull the door firmly but gently toward me while locking it with the house key – so that’s what I did.
I knew it was going to start getting dark soon, so I did not venture farther than the park where I sat on a bench for a while on Sunday. I had my wallet with my ID, my smartphone, and my key in my pockets, and I walked with confidence – as if I owned the place, in fact – so I would not arouse any suspicion from the neighbors. After all, even though I have been here almost half a decade – my fifth anniversary of being in The Caregiver’s home will be sometime in April of 2021 – I have not made any friends here.
Basically, my venture outside consisted of me walking around the corner of the block where I live, then strolled a few hundred yards to the park where “my” bench is. The only persons I saw were a blonde lady in her late fifties or early sixties doing a bit of gardening, and the driver and passenger in an SUV that politely waited till I crossed the road to get to the park. I did see a dark blue pickup truck (probably a Ford) on the adjoining street on my way back, but there weren’t many people out and about, so no worries about social distancing or wearing a mask.
I sat on “my” bench for a while, sent a few texts to my filmmaking friend Juan in New York, checked my blog stats on my WordPress app, approved a comment on a post, then snapped a couple of photos with my phone’s camera.
After that, I simply retraced my steps instead of going off on the same long meandering hike through this still unfamiliar – and sprawling – neighborhood. On the way back I noticed that the Caregiver and her new beau were back….her SUV was in the driveway and she was loading more stuff into the back. So at least I didn’t have to fiddle with the key to open the front door.
Anyway, that about wraps it up, not just for this post but for my day here on WordPress. I’ve written three posts today, and I am not about to write a fourth. I’m tired, a bit footsore, and still a bit on the melancholic side over missing my mom, wanting to have my own place (but knowing I can’t afford it), and dealing with a lot of weirdness and frustrations.
So, until next time, Dear Reader, stay safe, stay healthy, and I’ll catch you on the sunny side of things.
[1] Not that I will write a fourth post tonight, though….
A Certain Point of View, Too 
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