Reading RH Charles (aka Bob Hank Chuck!)

Jim's retirement project has been a wonderful one for him.  He is working on a biography of a pioneer in his field-an Irish scholar named Robert Henry Charles who lived at the turn of the 20th century.   Writing a biography is different enough from what Jim usually has written--textually oriented essays and commentaries--but it is about a man who did the kind of work Jim has done and whose work Jim has used for 50 years.

A friend of ours, Jonathan Riddle, pointed out that RH Charles has three first names so he called him Bob Hank Chuck!  That name has added an element of frivolity to a very serious project! 

In his manuscript, Jim has summarized Charles' work and reviews of his work, and evaluated his legacy.  Jim has been frustrated in finding out very much about his life.  Originally we had planned a research trip to the United Kingdom but Covid 19 and Jim's cancer treatments meant those plans were changed.

   Another friend who was teaching in England, Justin Strong, took photos of Charles' tomb in Westminster Abbey and his home at the Abbey,.   That provided us with a funny story because when a group of Asian tourists saw Justin photographing the tomb, they all gathered around--assuming it was of someone very famous.   Well, famous in Jim's world--maybe not in everyone's! 
Jim also hired an Oxford graduate student to scout out some Oxford University Press Archives and some of the College archives.  She has sent Jim some very interesting letters about publishing issues and, once the archives are opened again, will send him some information.

However, there are many unanswered questions about Charles' life.   It is possible that Jim will be able to contact a family historian but for now, that has been aborted due to his family's health issues.   How did Charles support himself when it appears he had no income for some of the Oxford years?   Why was his wife's monetary legacy more than his after their deaths?   What were Charles' health issues later in his life that meant he was on his back for 18 hours a day?   What was the automobile accident he seems to have had?   Was he really a golfer?  A woodworker? How did he happen to meet his wife while studying in Heidelberg?

Besides all the textual work Charles did on apocalyptic literature and pseudepigraphic works, he was important in the so called "modern church movement" which was influeced by the higher critical theories of Scripture coming out of Germany.   Charles' writing on divorce caused controversy in his day.  His primary work was in academia, but he was also honored by becoming a "canon" at Westminster Abbey, a position that provided him with lodging and an income.  One of our favorite comments on his work there was one on his preaching in which he was said to "empty the Abbey."   Jim could understand that comment as he labored through many of Charles' published sermons.

Jim has always admired Charles' scholarship.   However,  Jim found less to admire as he despaired of Charles' arrogance in attibuting anything that didn't fit into his theories as interpolations or emendations.  Charles as a man of his time could also be very blunt and even disparaging in his comments about Catholics or Judaism.

I have been reading through a few chapters each week and making comments about Jim's manuscript.   Sometimes I ask questions when there are words that are unfamiliar to me--"stemma" or "lemma" or "corrigenda."  Vary rarely do I find typos or grammatical errors--in fact, almost never.   I try to refrain from pointing out how I would word something differently--but sometimes, I can't resist!   I appreciate how Jim is not defensive about my suggestions but is even accepting of many of them.   And I appreciate all the work that has already gone into this manuscript.

What is next?  Maybe Jim will see if a publisher would consider it as a book.   Or maybe he will ask another friend, Todd Hanneken, to put it online.  It isn't as if Jim needs to add to his resume and an online publication would make it very accessible to anyone who wants to use it--or add to it later.

As I wrote, this has been a great retirement project for Jim.  It has also been a great retirement project for me--especially in this time of social isolation when it is hard to feel useful.  My work as an "editor" has made me feel useful too and given me a great glimpse into my husband's life and work.

A Grand-daughter comes for a Sleepover

It was our third summer sleepover!  We picked Ruth up around 1 pm on Saturday. This gave us a little time to chat at the Conways and to enjoy Henry's big smiles.

Ruth packed her softball and glove at my suggestion so she too could play catch with Grandpa.  She had her stuffed toy and her backpack with a few books--no Kindle because it seemed to be dead. She said that because she had no Kindle, could we talk on the trip to our house?  Of course!  And we did.

First on our agenda was making the bunny cake.  We were unable to get together for Easter thanks to Covid 19 but a bunny cake could still be fun in July.  And it was fun.   Ruth was very pleased to mix the cake and later to frost it and decorate its face with M and Ms. And she was pleased to eat it--it was  a treat for us too.  Part of the fun was taking a photo of Ruth and the cake and sending it to the Skylight so we could see it again and again.   I also sent it to Facebook where it got many "likes" and a few comments.

While the cake was cooling, we went for a walk down the towpath.  I said we could look for turtles, ducks, frogs and even deer.  But it was so incredibly hot that we saw no animals.   By the time we got home, we were all wet with sweat.

Supper was hot dogs--Ruth's choice over hamburgers.   Grandpa and Ruth played some catch.  Ruth and I continued reading Primrose Day, a book we have been reading over the past several months.   I had loved that book as a child and after doing some searching, managed to track it down.  Ruth has also enjoyed it and laughed a lot at the fishing chapter which she had noticed was pictured on the cover--I had not noticed that.

Ruth had a hard time settling into sleep.  I checked on her a few times, crawled in with her for a while, and finally I heard her steady rhythm of breathing as she fell asleep.  She told me the next day that the sounds were not the familiar ones of voices at home or white noise from Henry's machine.   She had been concerned about what time she could get up in the morning but she slept well all night and we all woke up around 7:30 or so.

We did our usual Nassau Church service on line and included the children's message this week.   Ruth and Grandpa did a few big puzzles on the bedroom floor.   Ruth amused herself by making a few more cork dolls--finding corks in the back of our silverware drawer.   She acted out a play with them--quite the imaginative young lady.    We read some poems and made up some more.

It was just too hot to go for another walk but we did walk briefly at Washington Crossing Park where we met the Conways who came to pick up Ruth.  She was overjoyed to see them again.   We had texted them to say she missed them--and she was eager to know if they missed her.   They did although it didn't take long to have territorial claims in the minivan for the trip home

And once again it was very quiet at our apartment without a young lady's chatter.   We were very glad we could host the third sleepover of the summer--and now are ready to start over.  Sam wondered if he could come next weekend but maybe we will wait a few more weeks.   We are blessed to have happy, healthy grandchildren.   In the midst of this pandemic, may it continue to be so! 

Jim scores 0.3!

Jim's PSA test was 0.3 and that score is a winner!  It is better than a winner--it is a burden lifted.

After 44 radiation sessions over eight weeks, Jim had to wait the prescribed two months to have blood drawn and another PSA test.  Dr. Ding, the radiologist, said we could hope for a score of 0 or 1.  Dr. Schwarzman, the urologist who drew the blood last week, said that there could be a "bump" in the results--an artificial raising of the score that would reach a "nadir" later in the process.  So we were warned not to panic if the score was higher than hoped.

The blood was drawn on Tuesday.  Jim was told to call for results on Thursday.  The results were not in and the office was closed on Friday.  He signed up for an online "portal" so he could get the results in that manner but even with the  code from the doctor's office, he was told that something was wrong.   Later he found the original  "activation letter"  back in his files and saw that he had heard the code incorrectly.  But there were still no results on Friday.

This morning (Monday), before I even got out of bed, Jim came into the bedroom saying that he had an email telling him there were new results on his portal.  He checked it out and the number was 0.3!   What a beautiful, wonderful number.  He doesn't have to call the doctor's office today; he doesn't have to ask how to follow up if the numbers were higher; we don't have to wait for the "nadir" of a score.   For now, he doesn't need any more radiation or hormone shots.  He doesn't need to consider any other procedures or even surgery.   In three months, he will see the urologist again.  He will need PSA tests every six months for the rest of his life and you can't consider yourself "cured" until you have 15 years of negative tests, not the often quoted five years for other cancers.  And that brings him to age 89 which seems like a pretty old age to us right now.

I had prayed so many times for healing.  But if not healing, then strength to deal with the cancer.  Jim has been very tough through the whole process although dealing with the protocol for radiation did give him daily stress.  I have not been as tough and tears have come too easily.   But today, my body feels like a big smile and I am so relieved for the success of the radiation and also not having to wait any longer for the test result.

I have emailed and texted our children and several friends who have asked about Jim this past week.  It is good to get their happy and loving responses.  I am so thankful for this respite  and so aware that others do not get such happy news when waiting for tests and biopsies and scans.  As I write this, we are thinking of two good friends in Michigan who are beginning treatment for breast cancer and a bile duct cancer.

We are thinking that we may celebrate tonight with an On the Border take-out meal including their take-out margaritas!   Maybe we'll do two nights in a row of BritBox TV.   Celebrations in a time of pandemic are low key but important! And this news is so worth celebrating!

The 4th of July in Ocean Grove

We arrived at 44 Ocean Pathway around 1 pm on Friday and headed to the beach soon after we arrived. Laura had spoken for one more beach tag at 5 pm the day before so she verified her purchase on her iphone and I was given a bracelet to wear. The beach was full but each group was probably six feet from others. No one was wearing masks. The house that the Conways rented was a historic one with three stories. Jim and I chose the spacious third floor bedroom which was up 31 steps--yes, I counted! With the windows open at night and the ceiling fan on, we were very comfortable. 

 As always, we were fed well. We had mussels the first night, burgers and brats the second, and just before we left we were treated to steak and lobster. It was a busy two days especially with a precious baby. Unfortunately we were not always able to make him happy in the way his mother could so we were not able to give her much of a break. Jim did play a territorial game with Alex with ever changing rules and Ruth and I enjoyed several more chapters of Primrose Day, a book from my childhood.  Jim and Jasper made an early morning bakery run for their sweets.

Sunday morning the beaches are off limits in Ocean Grove--a holdover from the early years.  There was a service in the tabernacle but it was limited to 100 worshippers.  Others were sitting in lawn chairs outside where they could still hear the service.  I didn't hear any music from the renowned organ.  Jim and I  worshipped  with our South Bend Church which was livestreaming from the church parking lot.  Sponge Bob was on TV in the background as we sat on the sofa focussed on my iphone. 

We left early enough Sunday evening so that we could drive in the light.  It was great to be home in a little over an hour instead of a 12 hour drive.  And it seemed very quiet in our second floor apartment after two days with a family of seven!

A One Year Anniversary

One year ago, July 1, 2019, we arrived in Princeton, New Jersey, our new home.   We drove into a nearby Homewood Suites where we stayed for two weeks until we could move into our apartment down the road in Barclay Square.  What a year it has been!   We are going to celebrate tonight by picking up meals at Olive Garden and bringing them to Jeff and Susan's home where we hope the rain holds off and we can eat on the deck.

It is hard to summarize the year.  But I want to write about it because this blog is my record of life as it is--in 2020. And at the end of the year I will make another Blog2Print book.

I will start with recognizing the joys of apartment living.  Today the smoke alarm started beeping loudly and a disembodied voice loudly proclaimed, "Fire, fire."   There was no fire and there was no danger.   And instead of the annoyance of trying to figure out what was wrong with the smoke alarm and its potentially dead battery, Jim emailed maintenance.  Within 30 minutes, Adriano was at the door with his ladder and checked things out.  The battery was not dead.  He said it might just have been dust in the alarm.  In any case, all was well and it was not our responsibility.   The staff at Barclay Square is wonderful--capable and pleasant.

We really like our apartment and its location.   Our place is spacious and comfortable and quiet.   We can walk on the path next to the road and see open land across the way.   A little farther takes us to the towpath and the canal for a pleasant stroll.   We walk to get the mail daily.

We have been able to spend more time with our children and grandchildren although this time of social distancing has made that more difficult. 

However, it has been a hard year.  It was only a few months into our life here that we learned of Jim's diagnosis of prostate cancer.   Between procedures to prepare for treatment and then 44 daily radiation treatments and now a wait for follow up to see if the cancer is eliminated, cancer has been a major factor in our lives.   It will be hard to think of this first year without that dominating my thoughts.

Plus now we all have the social distancing mandated by Covid 19.   We can't encourage new friendships by having folks over or joining them for lunch or dinner or coffee.   So we have not gotten to know our neighbors or acquaintances from church in the way we might have under other circumstances.  One day as I walked outside, I chatted with a mother and admired her baby from the prescribed 6 feet of distance and I was amazed at how that little interchange lifted my spirits.   But it is a rare thing to  speak to anyone but Jim in a day. 

I need to accept what is and try to live in the present moment instead of wondering about the next week and its doctors' appointments or the next month and Jim's blood test or the next year and whether we will be able to go to libraries, museums, and even church again.  It does help me to process my thoughts by writing.  And today my pen pal Marilyn whom I've never met wrote to say she liked my blog and had a question about the church school class I mentioned.  That lifted my spirits!   Phone chats with Madge and Sue and Nancy yesterday were good for me too.  So now, it's off to do curbside pickup at Olive Garden and eating on Jeff's patio six feet apart. 

Worship During a Pandemic

For the last several months, we have gone to church in our pajamas.   At 9:15 we sit on the couch with our cups of coffee and click on the link sent to us.  We are directed to a series of videos prepared earlier in the week by the Nassau Presbyterian Church staff.  Sometimes we skip over some of them (like the children's message).  We always do the welcome, Scripture reading, sermon, prayers, and blessing.   We don't sing along.  

It has become a comfortable routine but it is not good.   I need music as a part of worship and I miss it.   I don't sing in the church choir and I may never do so again.  Church choir rehearsals are "super spreader events" and the decision has been made not to have choir in the fall.  We are not sure when we will be able to worship in the sanctuary again.

Some churches like our church in South Bend are beginning outdoor services in the parking lot but our Nassau Church has almost no parking lot.  When we did have worship, we parked along Nassau Street where the meters were turned off on Sunday mornings.  

We have also attended adult church school every week where two different Princeton Seminary professors gave 20 minute presentations on topics---one series on Acts and one on pivotal moments in American church history that spoke to our own right now.  Both series were excellent and gave us topics for discussion in our Tuesday small group--which met by Zoom meetings the last few months.

Again, as I did with grocery shopping, I want to record what life is like during this time of social distancing.   I hope that soon it will just be a memory and we can get back to life as it was.  I fear that we may be masked and wary for a long time however.