Chuck has given Orrick his letter of resignation. "What did you write?" I asked. "I said that I needed time to study and reflect," he said.

Time to study and reflect, I thought. How beautiful. I wondered what Chuck would be studying and reflecting about. I thought his intentions showed great promise. I wondered if it meant that he would be studying something other than the TV listings. And reflecting on some other activity than what to program each day.

Better still, I noticed that there wasn't a single mention of strewing. I wondered if that meant that maybe Chuck wouldn't be strewing anymore.

Strewing has always been one of Chuck's slighter disorderly habits. But ever since he decided to retire, he's been strewing even more. He used to confine his strewing primarily to his own den area. But not now. Now Chuck strews everywhere. Anytime he feels like it, he just strews assorted piles of stuff all over the place. It may seem unfair to complain about Chuck's strewing, since I stack piles of paper on the sofa. But the piles on the sofa are neat and orderly. And each pile has a purpose. Those piles are a very different thing from random strewing.

I'd tried every thing I could think of to discourage this indiscriminate strewing. When complaints didn't work, I tried requests. When that didn't work either, I knew I had to come up with something completely different. And I finally did. Progress reports!

His brother John, who is retarded, gets progress reports all the time. If John could get progress reports, Chuck could, too. Chuck gets irritated when John's progress reports aren't so good. Reluctantly, I had to point out to Chuck that his progress reports might not be so good either. Especially on strewing.

So, "I think I'll give you progress reports," I announced one day. "I'll give you weekly reports. Your first progress report will be on strewing." Chuck didn't answer. I still don't know whether he liked the idea of progress reports or whether he just wasn't listening.

Anyway, either the progress reports have made a difference. Or else Chuck's fine new intentions are having an effect. Because the strewing is mostly in his own den area again. And he's also managing his time better, if a bit eccentrically. He recently set aside some time to label his sweaters. So who knows? This could be a sign that he intends to enlarge the scope of his study and reflection, too.

And there's even further reassurance. When Chuck discovered that the glass screen on his indispensable Palm Pilot had splintered, I unfairly assumed that this was another casualty of strewing. But I was wrong. I am pleased to report that Chuck didn't strew the Palm Pilot at all. He sat on it.

And I am even more pleased to report that a few days later, I was expecting a visitor in the afternoon and inquired hesitantly, "Do you think the place will be unstrewn?" "Yes," came the reply.

November 2000
BB