Dear Cyndy,

Volume 3 of the novel which I have re-christened "Vier Freunde",
is ready for Amazon.com CreateSpace publication. However
the composition of a 4000 character, obligatory description 
of the contents of is giving me problems, which I may leave
until tomorrow. Anyway, a letter to you is much easier.

We came back from Readfield ME at 7:10 p.m. - the one-way distance 
not 150 miles, as I had mistakenly remembered, but 190 miles,
the round trip, 380 miles of Interstate driving. The outbound trip
was eady and pleasant. I napped for about 30 minutes in the Kennebunk
Service Area on the Maine Turnpike and had no problem staying awake.
The return trip was more difficult because of heavy traffic, but,
in the end, uneventful.

Margaret's sister-in-law Winnie has been very ill with an illness
from which she cannot recover; her husband, Margaret's brother and my
Harvard roommate Alex (two years older than I) is devoting the declining 
years of his own life taking care of her. From my perspective it's life 
lived as it should be. Stopping by to say hello to us were Alex and Winnie's
youngest son John, a biologist employed by the State of Maine whose 
concern is keeping Maine's many lakes free of invasive vegetation,
while at the same time protecting the non-invasive marine vegetation which
is necessary for fish and other wildlife. Also stopping by were their
oldest son who married a blind woman with whom he had four or five children,
all of whom are now adults, struggling to find places for themselves in
the lower echelons of what our politicians patronizingly refer to as
the "middle class". (But not me, - I insist on a "class" of my own which
spurns comparison with anybody else's class.)

Several of the eight hours of driving I spent listening to CD's of various
Bach Cantatas with which I was once intimately acquainted, but of which I
had forgotten all but one (No. 140, Wachet auf ruft uns die Stimme)  
Concurrently with listening to Bach's musical parodies of the devil:
(Der alte Drache (dragon) bellt vor Neid, etc),
I reflected with some compulsive tenacity about what I should tell the Court
at the Hearing on the Motion for Judgment on the Pleadings. I've stated
my points so forcefully in writing, that trying to rehash them in a five 
or ten minute argument might weaken my position - but I guess I mustn't
assume that the judge has read everything (or anything) I filed. In any case,
on Tuesday, I'll carry my motion and Mr Pucci's reply to the Clerk's Office.
The issues at the hearing are summarized in items 26 through 29 at
http://home.earthlink.net/~jochenmeyer/litigation/litig_index.html
The URL is for reference only. I don't ask (or expect) you to look at it.)

As for ecstasy vs sumblimity, I haven't taken the time to investigate,
but when I do, I'll let you know. My next steps are down to the kitchen
for some food. It's 10 p.m. and I haven't had supper. 

Best to you and Ned.

Jochen