While not exactly homeless, almost as soon as I was heartily welcomed in the new place, I was, putting it kindly, asked, to leave. What to do…? When the power goes out… The nights grow long and there is neither heat nor light as November’s evening chill descends, be grateful for… Three layers of sweaters and warm leggings. A friend who loans you a twin-size air mattress when you come home to find no mattress on the bed. So you and your friend make the air mattress bed, wrapping it, top and bottom, in queen-size mattress pads, top it with a couple of heavy fake fur blankets. At bedtime, tadd wo cats and when it gets really cold around 4 a.m., bring up the dog. When you’re cold, practice Tai Chi very fast and repeat many times. Wear toe socks to keep your feet warm. When your kitchen appliances don’t work because the electricity is turned off and you can’t heat soup or toast bread and slather it with PB&J, rediscover the gustatory joy of bread & butter. Before everything in the fridge goes bad, eat the Caesar Salad & Bacon salad kit for breakfast… …with bread & butter. When your cell phone dies… Short term: Walk the nearby neighborhood and knock on neighbors’ doors until someone opens one. Ask if they’ll charge your phone. The neighbors behind the door that opened asked if I’d had breakfast, sat me down in the kitchen with tea and an English muffin and plugged in the phone. An hour later I returned and left with a phone that would last another day. A week later, the power is still off and I sheepishly repeat the visit. They are busy but plug in the phone. I ask if I can move in. Well, no, I didn’t but I wanted to.I did ask if they had a corner for me to work and plug in my computer. Shameless me. Long term: A friend drops off his mother-of-all charging batteries that will hold a charge of 99 hours. Also good for doing curls to build biceps that didn’t get enough exercise packing and stacking boxes. When you have a newspaper to produce, you lug your computer and all the accoutrements to a friend’s house, finish it and send it to the printer on time. I want to move in there, too. When you don’t have a car… Such as it is, be grateful you have a roof over your head and big blue tarps to cover stuff like books waiting to go to the library or an eager bookseller. When friends offer food, always say yes. Ask friends for a ride that fits in with their shopping schedule. It’s a great way to catch up with the folks who live just down the street or on the other side of the canyon that you rarely see. This ought to be a practice whether or not you have a car. Be grateful Medicare covers rides to doctors’ appointments. The shed is stacked to the gills with furniture, shelving, books waiting for a ride to a library, ironing board and iron, the ever-hopeful Cassio keyboard waiting for its master’s touch, and the beloved chest of drawers that holds much more than socks and underwear; queen-size sheets for instance waiting to be reunited with their beloved four-poster bed. Be glad you bought that shed several years ago and it got to move with you thanks to Roberto and crew. When you finally have a car… Move the books to donate, bags of Good Will offerings, and laundry waiting for an extended visit to the laundromat out of the shed into the car. The rest of the time… When you think you’ve lost your sense of humor don’t stop searching until you find it. Then hold it close and laugh yourself silly. Never let it go again. When your family think you’ve lost your existential marbles, play marbles with the ones you found packed in the yard-sale-that hasn’t-happened-yet box. The kids still love you. When your plans don’t pan out the way you expected, ─in this case, finding a rental to call home (thankfully, not with bombs dropping on your head) ─and you can no longer see the way forward, love the friends and strangers who charged your phone, gave you a ride, brought or bought you food, made you laugh, said they love you and will say a prayer for you. Take those prayers and multiply them exponentially and pray for anything, anywhere, any time. Prayers work really well. No exceptions. Wondering what’s in this issue? A spate of perspectives and opinions about the Israel/Hamas war and happier things. Turn the page…