This Side of Paradise

 If there’s anything in life I can count on, it is my Star Trek reruns in syndication. Just proving that you can always teach an old dog new tricks, I never realized until recently that they replay them in the same order the original series episodes were aired on TV. But of course, with reruns playing six nights a week it’s much quicker - a couple of weeks ago, I was watching the end of the third season - and here we are approaching the last few excellent episodes of the first season.

I realize none of this is of any importance to anyone except an old Star Trek nerd like me.

“This Side of Paradise” was last nights gem: the one in which mysterious spores infect colonists on a farm planet, turning them into complacent, happy zombies. Mr. Spock is infected & gets one of his few chances to have a romantic fling while letting his human half come to the surface. The entire crew is infected - Captain Kirk almost succumbs but is redeemed by his steadfast love of the Enterprise: “I…can’t…LEAVE!!!”

I suppose I have felt like Captain Kirk in my attachment to this farm: “Never lose you - never!” (Bonus points for naming that episode ;-) 

I have staggered through another weekend, just barely putting 1 foot in front of the other. I did ride Saturday morning but the heat was brutal, it about wrecked me for any useful labor for the rest of the day. We had a small block-party reception for our new neighbors - & while it was nice to go out and socialize a bit,  I mostly sat around with a zombified smile on my face. I drank no alcohol, just several glasses of water and then some lemonade and ate too many of the snacks.  Another neighbor is also suffering the effects of long Covid - I didn’t have the mental energy to get into a long discussion with her of what she herself has tried during her convalescence.

I have an appointment with a new doctor on the 23rd for which I have high hopes.

There was a great moment of levity - our nearest neighbor ("Curt the writer") brought artist-GF Linda to our little soiree, a nice age-appropriate lady** with whom Curt has had an on-again, off-again relationship. I like her, she's smart & funny! At one point, we were sitting around, in mild awe of our host's French Provencial architecture & decor - there were several taxidermied animals on the premises, for which I wanted to perform Last Rites (!!!) but as we stared at the moose head over the fireplace, Linda leaned over & whispered to me: "The Beverly Hillbillies!" & I laughed uproariously. Yes, it is EXACTLY as if a redneck had unlimited resources - of course that's very Mean Girls of me. I beg forgiveness - here the man is hosting me in his home. Granted, his wife is the one who made a snotty comment which I never forgave or forgot shortly after Ex & I built our farmhouse & moved into the neighborhood. They have a private tennis court - I made an offhand comment about picking up a tennis racket again, yet S cut me off at the knees: "There's a very nice racquet club IN ENNIS!"

Alrighty then, she probably just didn't want to have her butt handed to her if I could find my cutting serve again...

** Curt has displayed the distressing older-male habit of dating women who are FAR too young & inexperienced - I'm sure Linda doesn't put up with any of his nonsense!