When my daughter Chara gave her dad a science novel for Christmas, or maybe his birthday which are the same day, she probably thought of it as a filler gift. But within seventy two hours four people had curled up with it on the couch and turned every single page. The twins read simultaneously, which made it go faster.

 

I liked that the man stuck on Mars worked the problems one at a time. He realized that the food on board would not last until the next space ship arrived, so he found a way to grow some. Potato plants need lots of water, so he jimmied a hydration retrieval system. When he finagled a means to communicate with earth there was no audio, and no twenty foot paper with a ten foot pen, so he used rocks. Letters seemed tedious, so he used Morse code.  

 

In an effort to get healthier I decided to walk more. The annoying thing is, however, that there is a gap between deciding and finishing. I made a schedule, but conveniently found reasons to skip a day or two or three. Then I asked dear friends if they would walk with me, and their bright faces were enough to get me out the door. 

 

Relationships are rife with problems. What puzzles me is when people assume there are no solutions in the solar system.