3-14-2026

This tiny serving of orange Jell-O was the first food or liquid of any kind that I’ve had my mouth since Saturday night. It tasted wonderful, and I savored each spoonful. Then I moved on to a 4.23 ounce box of apple juice from concentrate. It also massaged my taste buds. And, finally, I got to sip on a small serving of vegetable broth. I’m hoping for chicken broth later in the day, but we’ll see.

I am restricted to a clear liquids-only diet for the time being as my system begins to power up again. It’s not so bad. At least, not as bad as I thought it would be. After not eating for so long, everything taste really good.

It’s been an interesting morning. Non-nursing staff throughout the University of California San Francisco system were scheduled to go on strike this morning. I think it’s something like 40,000 people. So as of early this morning, nursing staff were here, but there were no nursing assistants or other staff on duty.

I waved off Meda and other family members who wanted to visit ,thinking that they would have to cross a pick up line to come and visit. I just told them I’m doing fine and they don’t need to cross the line. But then I read the news and found they had reached a last-minute deal, and not long after that the nursing assistants and other staff started showing up for work.

Meda’s two sisters and their husbands live in the area here in and around San Francisco, and we have several friends who are here as well, so I’ve had a busy social calendar, holding Court here in my hospital room, dressed in my flimsy hospital gown and wrapped in a blanket to protect myself from the ravages of the freezing temperatures here in the hospital.

All in all, I can’t complain.