View from the room where I'm writing. You can't see it here but the window gives a full view of Los Angeles (which right now is smog-free!) *click photo to enlarge

I am so excited to be writing again. The interruption was also fun and necessary but it’s good to be back. I’m also back with the remarkable physical therapist I go to—Shannon Harris at Body Reform in Beverly Hills. It’s not so much for problems with my knee but related pain in my lower back which he has helped alleviate before. I hope he can do it again. I can’t remember ever being in L.A. under quite these same circumstances—usually I’m here for work, but to be here, in the summer, just because this is where my companero is —well, that’s new and it feels good. It actually makes L.A. an okay place to be. Who knew.

Troy and Simone are celebrating their 2nd anniversary by driving up the gorgeous California coast, through Big Sur, to San Francisco and back. I know that drive well and it is super romantic. They’ve invited me to have lunch at their house this coming Thursday and that’s another good reason to be in L.A. I am blessed.

See you next time.

Charlie Evans comes to my house 3 times a week to do physical therapy with me following my knee replacement surgery. She is knowledgable, skillful, even sensual in her approach. She has the ability to push me beyond my comfort zone.

Charlie is a black woman in her fifties who, for years, has worked at the Watts Clinic every morning with a severly underserved population..

She told me how lucky I am to have had a talented surgeon. She didn’t need to tell me, I already knew it. I am privileged. “The people I work with in Watts cannot afford such excellent surgery”, Charlie says. She told me she works with people who have far from adequate health care, who know very little about preventive health care or how to take care of themselves so as to avoid catastrophic situations like obesity and diabetes.

So here I am, living the discrepancy between haves and have nots when it comes to health care; talking and working with a woman, Charlie, who daily bridges the divide. She moves my knee, exhorts me to push through the pain, watches my rapid progress, the results of my top notch surgery and thinks about the people she has just left in Watts whose situation makes it less likely that they will see these kinds of results.

And yesterday I watched President Obama explaining and defending his health care reform effort and I pray he will get everything he is seeking. This have/have not divide MUST be done away with. I was so happy to hear on the news that the majority of Americans are willing to pay higher taxes so that everyone can get health insurance. So I ask those of you who follow my blog to do what you can to support the president in this effort. Write, call, email, fax your elected official asking them to get with the program. It is unconscionable that in a country like ours so many cannot get adequate health care.

See you next time.

Tulea with Carole on plane en route to
Los Angeles awaiting our reunion.

My knee was replaced Tuesday morning and it’s now Thursday morning and it’s been pretty smooth going. I started physical therapy yesterday and there was a lot of pain after that but they shot some morphine into the IV and that took care of it. The worst part of it all is how the pain meds make me itch. They give me something for this but it doesn’t seem to work. Guess I’m unusually sensitive to narcotics. I’d make a lousy druggy.

The nurse took the wrappings off just now and I saw the knee with the long line of staples. Oh well. It’ll be fine. The staples will come out and the scar will fade some and the swelling will subside and I’ll be stronger than ever. As you can imagine, I will be a regular soldier about doing the rehab. Everyone says that you must follow the procedures faithfully so the knee doesn’t get stiff. I have too much I have to still do to allow myself to get stiff. Fortunately I went into this quite strong and flexible and that makes it easier.

Another fortunate thing is that I had a spinal rather than general anesthetic. What a difference that makes. I was clear-headed almost from the get-go except for the pain meds. I was given a cocktail of pain pills and relaxants before they did the spinal injection and I don’t even remember them doing it. It didn’t hurt that the anesthesiologist was a pretty woman with a great wit. Always try to go out laughing.

Here’s the best part of it though: All my friends sending me good wishes and prayers. My new blogger and twitter friends as well. Feeling surrounded by love is such a blessing it makes me cry with happiness. I feel so lucky to have such loving, generous friends. As I’ve said before, when you get older you realize more than ever the value of friendship and you learn to be intentional about acknowledging and protecting it.

Another good thing is that, for the first time in quite a while, I am motivated to start writing my book again. This is the book about aging that Random House asked me to do. I’m calling it “The Third Act: Entering Prime Time,” Performing the play eight times a week absorbed all my creative juices and then, when that ended 3 weeks ago, there’s been so much pain (and so little time). I like the feeling of being drawn back into it. I have nine chapters already done and about 9 more to go, although who knows, the book, much more than my memoirs, seems to have a life of its own and chapters appear that I didn’t initially think of. I honestly don’t know if that’s good or bad but it’s interesting to me. I’d gotten blocked with the chapter about sex but help is on the way. Or maybe that’s just the meds kicking in.

My last night in hospital, reunited with Tulea.

See you next time.