Sylvia's Journal

It is the first time in ages that my Google calendar is empty (with the exception of the recovery of my knee, ankle and shoulder surgeries). I had cleared the decks for this week, not knowing in what shape I would be after the surgery. I am in great shape. The day I came back from the hospital I baked bread, wrote 25 postcards to voters in Wisconsin to show up on April 7, and finished my combo Norwegian resistance/pussy hat.

Yesterday I added two more wine bottles to Axel’s (visibly) mended jeans and started tackling the several inches thick pile of solicitation letters that swamp our mailbox every single day. They come from all sorts of organizations I support and have given money to. The problem with the fundraising system is that the more (often) you give, the more letters and phone calls and text messages you get. It is maddening how much money is spent on sending all these letters (and hiring the phone bankers) when most of the time they land in the paper recycling bin. I had to start a spreadsheet to keep track of when I gave what to whom. It is not how I want to spend my precious free time but I know that with the removal of federal funding, many organizations have to do more with less to keep helping those who are in a really bad way. In sharp contrast, I am in a very good way (except for those darn cancer cells) and can afford to provide support. The fundraisers know this.