Quote du jour

“I am sick and tired of being sick and tired.”

- Fannie Lou Hamer

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.

Still Sheltering in Place

Judy. And how’s your boat doing? We are still sailing along, by now in the Athens house we told you about. It’s in a lovely neighborhood, not far from our daughter Leslie’s home. On one of our walks, we head her way and detour around another neighborhood to get in three miles—and wave to them as we pass. It’s so hard not to go hug them, but we hang on. Grandson Caed constantly reminds us, “Six feet, guys!” as we stand in the yard and chat at a distance. I don’t think he knows how far six feet is, as we’re much farther apart than that.

Our welcome sign!

 

Our Home Away

We still see son Stefan’s kids through video calls—where would we all be without those? I take a Bible study through Skype, yoga class through Zoom, talk to Leslie and family through Face Time, and Stefan and family through Hang Outs. And on Friday I’ll be on a panel of actors to talk to a middle school drama class through Google Meeting. Can’t we all agree on one? Still, I’m glad to have connection. On Easter the whole family “gathered” and talked for a couple of hours.

I don’t have to tell you about the huge changes happening. Our grandson Parker would have graduated on May 23. “School” will end on May 1, and he’ll get his diploma, but without proms or walking across the stage. It bothers him much less than other students; still, it hurts me to see them miss this. His band, Fishbug, released their first album “Inchworm”, and had planned a release party. Instead, they announced it on Facebook.

Our flights to London on May 24 were cancelled, not surprisingly, so our Europe trip with Leslie and her boys is off. We don’t know beyond that, or even where we’ll be in six weeks when our rental here is up. By the way, kudos to British Air for handling our refund so quickly and easily, and raspberries to United for charging us to put our “miles” back into our account.

My dental surgery had to be postponed because they can’t get a supply of gloves and masks, or feel wrong ordering them when so many hospitals need them more. Fortunately, it’s not an emergency.

 

Puzzle King!

Friends, as always, have been wonderful, lending us their car, giving us paper products, or donating jigsaw puzzles. Our brother-in-love Leo is using his 3-D printer to make face masks, so we're covered when we are around people. While a lot of social media makes me crazy, I love the “View from my Window” on Facebook—photos sent in from folks all around the world, often adding, “When this is over, I hope you’ll visit me!” You know I’ll take them up on that.

A serious face mask!

It’s odd to find myself stir-crazy when this is pretty much the lifestyle we’re used to. Maybe it’s the underlying fear that Covid-19 will be around longer and peak in the fall. I find myself periodically having nightmares or difficulty sleeping, despite the fact that I’m not normally aware of the stress.

 

A good place for yoga or study--our sunroom

I still study Spanish, and, having finished the Intro to TESOL course, have begun Yale’s Science of Well-Being course, which is fascinating. A couple of times a week I check up on friends, and am delighted to tell you that my two friends who were ill with Covid-19 are recovering nicely, though very slowly. I’m finding knitting projects to do with the stash and leftover yarn I have. I’m grateful for all of these things, and for Ted, who’s the best quarantine mate I could have.

We are blessed.

Covid-19, part 3

Judy. Well, here we all are—in the same boat—or at least I hope you’re all at home on lockdown. I honestly don’t have much patience with the folks playing together in parks or pouring into stores in groups. It means it’ll be that much longer before the rest of us can safely get out and be with those we love. Or  to travel.

But enough of that soapbox! Ted shared with you the odd journey home a week ago. Thanks to dear friends Carolyn and Doug, we have isolated ourselves in their beautiful new house in Atlanta while they are wintering in Florida. In another week they need to return, but the two weeks we have here have given us a chance to take a deep breath and regroup. While we still can’t see our kids, there is comfort in knowing they’re not that far away, and we’ve been able to locate an airbnb in Athens where we can walk to grocery and drugstores (for curbside pickup), and be close to a major hospital once we leave here.

Meanwhile, this lovely home in a 55+ community has given us a beautiful view of a pond from the back porch, an opportunity to walk the deserted sidewalks and subdivisions, and space to practice yoga or work out. We are truly blessed.

View from the back porch

Yes, we get antsy, but there’s plenty to do. I continue to study Spanish and am taking an online course in teaching English as a second language. We’ve got plenty of books in our devices, theatres are offering live streaming of plays (we just watched ONE MAN, TWO GOVN’RS, from National Theatre at Home’s You Tube channel), and plenty of movies on tv. We check up on friends. I've Zoomed yoga classes and Skyped Bible study, and FaceTimed with our families. Technology is a huge help.

And you all, are you ok? If you’ve not heard from us, let us know how you’re doing. Two former students of mine have tested positive and are struggling. We can keep you in our prayers if we know. Stay safe. You are important to us.