Never say never

Ted. Judy and I found it to be incredibly liberating to sell virtually all of our possessions back in 2016. I was especially happy to be rid of our vehicles. It seemed like we were always spending money on insurance, repairs or something. I remember telling Judy that we could now rely on Uber and public transportation and we would only rent a vehicle when there were no other options. We would NEVER buy a car again!

And then things changed. With the Covid-19 restrictions, it appeared that we would be pretty much stuck in the US for the foreseeable future. We were also reluctant to fly, use public transportation, or even Uber and renting a car long term seemed to be a waste of money.

A friend of mine here in Georgia recently announced that he was going to buy a new pickup truck. Knowing our situation, he said, “Why don’t you buy my old one?” My knee jerk reaction was, “Thanks, but no thanks.” After mentioning our chat to Judy though, she said, “Maybe this is the solution we have been looking for.” After giving the matter more thought, it was obvious that they were both right; this was a great solution! My friend had bought this truck when it was new, back in 2004 and taken excellent care of it. So, it was not only inexpensive, it would be very reliable. Our financial friends, Michael and Roberta thought it made sense since, once things open up and we can start traveling again, we should be able to sell the truck for about what we paid for it. My friend, Tom in New Zealand reminded me, “You and Judy are the most flexible people I know.”

So, that is how the guy who was never going to buy a vehicle again became the proud owner of a pickup truck. Judy has named it “Raymond,” because, after all, “Everybody Loves Raymond!"

Ted with Raymond, the 2004 Toyota Tundra

Shinrin-yoku

Judy. This morning I read an article about how our quarantine has moved into something called the “third quarter.” Evidently, scientists have studied astronauts and sailors in confined quarters, and have discovered that they ultimately move into a snippy, fussy period. That, supposedly, is where we are right now.

I can’t say I’m really aware of that between Ted and me—we’re used to being together all the time.  But I have found myself restless, ready to do something. The interrupted sleep is back, along with vivid dreams.

 

Amaryllis

Jasmine arbor behind the house

Outside has always been important to me, and here in this little house, we have chairs on the front porch and in the back, where we smell the jasmine vines, and see the feisty red amaryllis flowers. We watch robins and brown thrashers bathe in the backyard birdbath, and cardinals and mourning doves drink from the one in the front. The super moon has lifted my spirits immensely, and I love to step outside and see the moonshadows at night.

Supermoon rising

We’ve walked every day through our shaded neighborhood, and yesterday walked to Clarke Central High School to tape a birthday video for our friend José-Maria in the Canary Islands. He was an exchange student there and still talks about it.

But today we did something different. We went back to hiking. There’s a county park about 40 minutes away that has a beautiful leafy pathway that takes us about two hours to walk.  We’ve never seen many people on the trail, and today saw five people, four dogs, and three snakes, carefully keeping our six feet distance.  The birds sang, it was quiet, it was calming. For the first time, we saw no deer—maybe they were socially distancing. At lunch we sat in the middle of the trail and ate cheese, apples, and the chewy, tangy sourdough bread our friend Patrick left on our porch last night.

Happy to be in the woods!

Peaceful forest

The Japanese call this Shinrin-yoku, or “forest bathing.”  Simply letting the smells, sights, and sounds of nature wrap you in its arms. It did its job. We could hardly get over the glorious day, the green canopy, the sounds of birdsong and woodpecker tapping.  Even the black racers (not very racy today; it was a cool morning after a cold night) wore their shiny new skins.

He was here first!

Home again to Zoom cocktail parties, meetings, and online classes, we’re refreshed and ready. Thank God for Forest Bathing.