Dear Marion,

Thank you for your letters, especially the one for Margrit
who will arrive here this afternoon. She's made all sorts of
detours and delays to postone the anxious moment of her arrival.

I'm sorry about the pain and stiffness of your neck. From my
ophthalmological vantage, unless there is underlying disease
of which we have no inkling, it's not usually a serious problem.
There must be reflex arcs between the joints of the cervical
spine and the neck muscles, "causing" these muscles to contract
to protect the intervertebral joints, which then requite the
favor by ceasing to hurt. When this feedback goes awry, the
otherwise insignificant joint pathology instead of being
ameliorated by the muscle support is made worse by the tension:
positive feedback with very unpleasant results, which I hope
will subside as dramatically and suddenly as it came on.

At 1:02 a.m. this morning the Appeals Court updated its
web-site to show that at the last minute, on September 28,
Nantucket had filed an answer to my appeal. I also note that
the Appeals Court Clerk mistakenly accepted an opposition
filed 3 weeks after the due date, to one of my motions.
I'll let that pass.

Although I prepared for just this contingency, with
computer, printer and toner on hand to compose here in
Konnarock, my reply to their reply, a composition which
I relish because their legal skills are so limited, and
I like the opportunity to show mine off; I unexpectedly
find myself so jittery that Margaret has started to pack, -
and I will start to pack when I finish this letter,
planning to start back to Belmont tomorrow morning,
and arriving there Thursday night. I then have 14 days
to draft, print and file my reply.

Yesterday evening I finished and posted on my web site
the 37th chapter of my current novel "Die Freunde". It's
available, but I don't recommend it, unless you want to
practice psychoanalysis. Direct correspondence, I think
is better. I may have more to write this evening, but
most likely not until the end of the week, when we're
back in Belmont.

Get well.

Jochen