SRD16 Resuming this blog

Let's see, I think the topic was P.G. Wodehouse.

My husband started reading aloud to me many years ago, I don't remember exactly when. I do remember we were on vacation, we were in bed, and the book was The Heart of a Goof. I was laughing so hard I had to sit up and will myself to stop so I could catch a breath. It was several years before reading aloud at bedtime became a near-nightly ritual. I think it evolved after our son no longer required my husband to read to him at night. Over the years, we have tried other authors--the names of which I do not recall--but no one else works as well as Wodehouse.

The world occupied by Wodehouse characters is entirely free of serious hardship of any kind. Young people are temporarily thwarted in their efforts to marry the girl/boy of their dreams. Practical jokes go terribly wrong, threatening to cast nephews into ill favor with their aunts. Feuds between elderly country squires cause friends and relations to conspire for their reconciliation. Golf is a religion of sorts. In short, nothing that might lead to nightmares ever happens in a Wodehouse story. You can safely drift off in mid chapter without fear of introducing strife or conflict into your dreams.

And that is exactly what I do every single night. My husband reads from whatever book we are working on , stopping periodically to ask, "Shall I continue?" I follow the tale for anywhere from 30 seconds to 20 minutes. If I fail to answer his query, my husband repeats the question. If I fail to respond the third time, he places the bookmark in the book and puts it away for the night. If I answer, he continues reading for another few minutes before asking the question yet again.

I was recently informed, since breaking my shoulder two months ago, the rules have changed a bit. He quits the moment he hears me snore. If I answer, "Shall I continue?" in the affirmative, he is not above quizzing me to see if I'm really awake. I can often repeat the last word but have no idea what else he has just read. That gets me cut off too.

I know what you are thinking. Why does he put up with me falling asleep every night while he is trying to read to me? I can only answer that the ritual seems to work for him as well as it works for me. If it ain't broke you really don't need to fix it.

These days I need P. G. Wodehouse as much as I need my little 1/2 pill of Percoset every four hours. It is, fortunately, a much more benign addiction.

Hiatus: I'll be away for a week. Look for new posts starting around August 11