Glorious Gloria

Dear Alice,

Hope this finds you well. I woke very early (12:45AM) and decided to come to my office and write letters.

Yesterday at 4PM I was walking Lily down Main Street and I stopped by my friend Gloria's. She used to be my neighbor living in the pistachio, now green pea soup 'happy house' on the corner of Academy and Privilege St many years ago with her extended family. She's now in her seventies and is wonderfully eccentric. I adore her. A few weeks ago she moved into a historic house on Hudson Street, that overlooks the whole city. I got vertigo climbing the huge outer staircase up to the third floor but the place had real charm. Every window has a view. She introduced me to her landlord a wonderful florid man with a deep voice who came by to fix her window shades. Gloria has a little rescue terrier named George that jumps up on his masters bed but is afraid to jump down. Gloria loves to help him. They have a perfect relationship. Gloria shops for and cooks dinners for George each night. My adopted step mother does this too with her black cat Penelope. Is this where we're all headed with our pets? Don't answer that!

Yesterday Gloria and I decided wars should be fought with cat urine, not bullets and bombs.

I am already hooked into bakers hours: The Community Center is going to let me into their kitchen at 4AM to bake bread for fundraisers. I can't wait. Renee my former student is going to bake with me. She lives 2 blocks away and has been working in the booth at the Shell Station nights, while she puts herself through school. She got a Pell grant! She wants to become an English and History teacher. She will be a great one.

The Nuns are making chocolate and the Monks are baking bread. The LOAVES of LOVE and the MONKS of BREAD.

Something must be titled Bakers Hours.

Love Always,

Gert