Ed McMahon, who just died at 86 (in case any of you missed it) and Johnny and the Tonight Show were a staple of American life 30 years ago. When you live in New York and work in midtown, you see celebrities. I was working for a literary agent in the late 70s. His office was in a residential building at 53rd Street and 7th Avenue and NBC maintained an apartment there for its out of town guests. I soon learned that Ed used it too when he was out too late to get home. So it was that one morning on my way in, he and I shared an elevator. He looked dour. “Rough night?” I sympathized. “You know it,” he said, with a rueful smile.

It’s been brutally hot on our little island. Stepping outside at 6 a.m. to get the paper, the heat overwhelms. It shouldn’t be that hot that early. By the time I was ready to walk this morning, rain had started. It rained most of the day. And there were bells and whistles – lots of lightning, thunder. It is my firm conviction that if you miss your exercises because of rain or anything else you can’t control, that you still lose weight. Just like if you are tasting dinner as you make it, there are no calories involved. The cats took turns hiding. Toots, our most recent addition, was on the pool deck and by the time I remembered he was out there, he was wet. He came running in (with chirps) when I opened the pool door. I wiped him down. Brunswick jumped onto Ed’s lap and settled himself. Chewy went under the bed.

Meanwhile, Ed’s right knee is bothering him and, it sounds like he has injured his meniscus and it isn’t healing (and in my experience, it won’t heal on its own). I have had two repaired knees so I prevailed on Ed to go to the doctor. I have a feeling he will need arthroscopy. It won’t be easy on him because he can’t sit still. He’ll have to use crutches, won’t be able to sit and drive (horrors) and must go to physical therapy and do exercises. He must also ice it and keep it elevated. All of these things are rocket science to Ed. Of all the people who can’t follow orders, Ed tops the list. I am not looking forward to this.

I gave him an elastic brace from my orthopedic kit (all dancers have these) and he has been wearing it, but he has also been repairing the seawall and has been on his knees cementing cracks. Anyway, he has an appointment for the knee. We’ll see.

The news is full of South Carolina Governor Sanford’s romantic/financial mishaps. It is excruciating to watch him explain himself. He was considered one of the Republican hopefuls. He has handled this episode so very badly that one shudders to think he might have reached a position of national decision making. His romantic, explicit E mails to his lover were read on TV. I wouldn’t have done this -- for his family’s sake, more than for his. Anyway, it isn’t so much that Republicans have affairs, just like Democrats, but that they take the moral high ground and blether on about family values. This story isn’t going away and there are calls for him to resign. This leaves me wondering if his girlfriend will stick around once he is no longer a promising politician. He appears to be “in love”. Remember when Prince Charles’s gooey and sexual remarks to the Rottweiler (as Princess Diana called her) were made public?

I close with these uncharitable remarks.

Xx, Teal