it’s such a lovely morning, and I have finished, during the night, in moments of sleeplessness, Tess of the D’Urbervilles (again). Stunning novel, a wonderful listen of over twenty hours total. So, that brings me recently through Return of the Native (first read) and Far From the Madding Crowd (2nd read) and Tess,. On to Jude the Obsure––a 2nd read. Today I also listened to a BBC recording of a discussion of the Tess, because I don’t know anyone else who is reading it at the moment. And mostly it was a very stimulating discussion but I wanted to talk back the speakers at only one point they got wrong. Alec D’Urberville, the antagonist predator who ruins Tess’ life, does not attempt to do the right thing, ever. He is a classic narcissist predator, and when he offers to marry Tess and when he offers to take care of her family when they are desolate, these offers are only of interest to himself. He wants: (1) to be expiated from his guilt; and (2) to continue sexually preying on Tess. She refuses his offers repeatedly. He stalks and harasses her against her will and repeated protestations. So, anyway, I’m rambling, but I can do that here. I had a busy morning with my Charles River Writers craft, then my Israeli group, and then a half hour meeting with my poetry pal. I walked early to the beaches and took a quick, refreshing jump in. Frank and I had time alone to go to the beach for an almost sunset swim in the froth. Dinner, all of us, here, easy and fun.

So do flux and reflux--the rhythm of change--alternate and persist in everything under the sky.

~ Thomas Hardy, Tess of the D’Urbervilles