Dear Marion,

Thank you for your letter. I've spent the day helping my
friendly lumberjack, who finally put in an appearance at noon.
Together we cut down four very tall trees, two of them dead,
which if they fell, threatened to crush the roof of the house.
By tugging perpendicularly on a rope tied to the tree trunks,
14 ft. above ground and tied at the other end to the trailer
hitch of a truck, I was able to deflect the direction in which
the trees fell.  None of them hit the house, but one, as it 
came down, demolished the clothes line in the yard, - no great
loss which I can easily repair. I have been unable to start neither
my gasoline powered lawnmower nor my chain saw. Chain saws have
two-cycle engines which are notoriously fickle. I plan tentatively
to drive to town tomorrow to buy an electric chain saw, which so
long as the motor is intact should have no starting problems at
all.  I plan also to buy a more expensive FM radio than the one I
acquired from Walmart three months ago. That one drifts from the
frequencies to which it is set, a matter of importance, inasmuch
as I keep two radios operating during our absences, - on the
assumption that the sound of music, and especially of voices,
will discourage potential burglars. My parents consistently
required Margrit or myself to "house-sit" before they would
leave on one of their rare vacations. Subsequent to their deaths
the house has been vacant for 20 years without a burglary, but
I keep my fingers tightly crossed.

It's not surprising that chapter 41 should have given you problems,
and I don't think effort spent on it is worth your while. There's
better literature available for you to read. As for myself, I have
no choice but to continue to work on chapter 42 and beyond, with
no end in sight. The time and the energy available to me will set
limits on how much I accomplish, - and in the end, it will make
no difference at all.

Maybe in a day or two I can send you a more inspired letter.
Jochen