The pension letter had three different amounts on it and I nearly put it away after finding the biggest one. That would've been a nice way to do the math if I wanted a surprise later. Turns out one assumes years I haven't worked yet, and another is for stopping earlier. I read it twice, slow, with my finger under the lines like nobody was watching. Then my sister came up for coffee and I asked her to check that I'd got it right. We came to the same number, which was a relief. I'm not deciding anything this week. I just want the estimate on my fridge to be the one that belongs to my actual life, not the one I liked looking at. Still need to call about one bit in the small print.

My father called while I was getting dinner out and said he might come by Sunday. I said sure, call first. Nothing wrong with that conversation, so I don't know why I spent the next ten minutes snapping at everybody over where the serving spoon went. He's said might before. I'm forty-seven and still start arranging a visit in my head before the man has picked a time. My youngest asked if Grandpa was coming and I said maybe, which sounded exactly like something I heard as a kid. That part bothered me. I want to be glad he called without being a fool about it. Dinner was fine once I quit policing the kitchen. I apologized to my wife; the spoon had been right beside my plate.

Played half court with my youngest and a couple neighbors, figured I'd mostly pass and let them do the running. That lasted till the boy said I couldn't get around him. Apparently my knees weren't in that conversation. Nothing gave out, I actually moved pretty good once I warmed up, and getting a clean shot off felt better than sitting home talking about how I used to play. Now I'm on the porch with both legs stretched out because the stairs up here took some negotiating. Not sharp pain, more that warm packed feeling around the kneecaps. My wife asked who won. I said it was a friendly game. She knows what that means. Keeping my feet up a while before I go back downstairs.