water's too cold—i'm getting old. i went to the library and finally got the new freaks! i tried 3 times to order it, and always got the old bogus truncated freaks. sometimes persistence works wonders. the hermit under spider bridge is still there, years later. the hermit by the limestone enclosure may be gone. the place looks sealed up and disintegrating. soon i will submerge this body i live in. i am grateful to the mulberry tree by the lake and by the living lake, a blessing to all of us in the corrupted city.