I spent the next few days happily imagining two weeks into the future, when we could gather for the first time indoors with other vaccinated friends. And hug them! I imagined traveling again, seeing family and friends whom we haven’t seen in more than a year. I imagined eating at a restaurant (outdoors) or visiting a museum (masked, but still!). I imagined anxiety-free grocery shopping for the first time in more than a year.
Crashing To Earth Again
And then, the disturbing news about the Johnson and Johnson vaccine broke. That’s the vaccine we chose, after much deliberation and research. I know that getting the vaccine is a far better alternative to getting Covid. Still, I sank into a couple of days of despair, wondering if I will ever again feel at ease in the world as it is now.
We’re teetering on the verge of regaining some semblance of normal, but still living with so many restrictions and so much uncertainty. And we’re grieving the immense collective and personal losses we’ve suffered, from the loss of family members and friends to the near-death experience of our democracy and critical thinking.
It has been a year now since my dad passed away, and four months since my mom passed. I think of them everyday, especially at sunset.
I’m still processing all that has happened this last year. I don’t know about you, but it’s going to take me some time to find my ‘new normal.’ Meanwhile, I hold to the hope that we will emerge from this crucible of social, political, and environmental catastrophes stronger, kinder, and wiser.
Baby Steps And Social Awkwardness
Two weeks after we got our vaccines, we started getting together with vaccinated friends, indoors and unmasked. We hugged! After more than a year of seeing friends only outdoors and socially distanced, it was thrilling.
Things are opening up in our social life, but the parameters are weirdly different than before. No more is it enough to just feel a spark of mutual interest when meeting someone new. Now a crucial question is, “Have you been vaccinated?” The answer establishes where and how and if we’ll socialize.
Click on photos for a larger image
The concerns about variants, questions about how long immunity lasts, and the official recommendations that change day-to-day are almost impossible to track. So we’ll just continue socializing in small groups with other vaccinated friends, avoiding large crowds, and masking up when we shop.
(Just as I was getting ready to publish this, I saw that the CDC did an abrupt about-face and said that if we’ve been vaccinated, we don’t need to wear masks indoors. Whaaat? My head is spinning. Thank you very much, but we’ll continue to wear masks indoors in public places and avoid crowded venues. This is crazy-making. I need time to adjust.)
Masking up at the local seafood shop…it’s a habit now
Looking Back, And Looking Forward
Occasionally I think, “I could have used my pandemic year so much more productively! I could have become a better painter, I could have become a more skillful guitarist, I could have learned Spanish, I could have caught up on our blog, I could have organized my photo library.”
Mostly, I got through the year, and I didn’t acquire any new bad habits. I went for a long walk every day. I meditated. I kept in close contact with friends and family. I didn’t spend the entire year in my kitty cat pajamas, although there were days that I was tempted. I’m calling my year a success.
There were days when I had to force myself to get dressed, at least to go for my daily walk
My morning art assistant is taking up more space and mostly snoozes while I’m drawing
Now that we’re vaccinated, I’m going to see if I can find a painting teacher and a guitar teacher. When things open up in our little town, I’m going to find ways to be engaged in the community (I’d love to volunteer with local environmental groups, and I’d love to be involved at the local library with literacy programs.) And I’m going to finish writing about our summer and fall travel adventures from 2019. (Yes, I am. Don’t laugh.) We’re not planning any big travels until spring of 2022, so I have time.
Meanwhile, Nature Continues Her Magic
As always, we find peace and solace in nature. Spring migration has been wonderful and Eric has been taking beautiful photos. All this, in our backyard, in Apalachicola, and on nearby St. George Island.
This is how I feel after this long, weird year
I hope you’re finding your way back to normal, dear friends. Be kind to yourselves and each other.
Great photos! and you’re a good artist too. Thx for the pleasant post and humor, we all need it!
Aw, thanks, Terri! I’m excited about finding a painting teacher so that I can really make some progress. And I don’t know how I would survive without humor. I hope you’re doing well. :-)
Nicely said Laurel. We’re following the same protocols. And, we’re gradually finding our way back to normal (or a new normal…) as much as possible. The real treat was visiting vaxxed family members and meeting our new granddaughter. Hope we can see you guys some time in the near future.
Riley & Karen, it helps knowing that friends feel the same as we do about the pandemic. How wonderful that you were able to finally see your family and your new granddaughter! We hope we’ll be seeing you guys sometime in the near future, too. Any chance you might make a trip to Florida?
Hi Laurel, it feels good to emerge from the cocoon, doesn’t it? I know what you mean about meeting new people and asking the question; “are you vaccinated?” The answer will cause us to linger a bit longer or bolt for the door! I am glad to see that you are thinking about getting involved with the local environmental protection group. The eco-system on the Forgotten Coast is fragile and complicated – balancing the protection of wildlife and the livelihood of locals isn’t easy. The opening photograph is a show-stopper!
Suzanne, it truly does feel like we’re emerging from a cocoon. I’m looking forward to all kinds of possibilities now that things are opening up. I have the Apalachicola Riverkeepers and the National Estuarine Reserve on my radar and am looking for ways to get involved.
You’re right about the need to balance the livelihood of locals with environmental protections. It seems there are many locals who are passionate about protecting this beautiful place…but I’m sure we will discover all kinds of opinions as we get more involved.
Wow – very eloquently written! You’ve captured many of my thoughts – from the political dance with neighbors & relatives to how to greet long-missed family. My brother is holding a fairly large retirement party for his wife Memorial Day weekend (outside). I’m still struggling with how we’ll greet family & friends ….
Thank you, Ron—it helps me, knowing that other people are experiencing similar uncertainties as we try to move back into some semblance of “normal” life. I would be hesitant about a large party, too, especially not knowing if people have been vaccinated. As far as the political dance—I worry about our future as our country becomes increasingly polarized. But I’m still hopeful that decency and the desire to work for the common good will prevail.
Laurel, Considering all of the family losses you went through since the arrival of COVID I’m surprised you didn’t live in your kitty pajamas 100% of the time. You have been more than successful and an inspiration to me in maintaining sanity through all of this. A big pat on the back is deserved.
I do think the CDC has added to our woes with their chronic about-faces. The vaccines may provide some protection for now. Until global numbers decrease by a huge amount, it seems like it’s better to be safe than sorry. Masks may be a regular accessory for awhile. Cheers to your wise choices!🤗 Thank you for sharing your beautiful words with us. It has made the year brighter.
Sheila, I agree completely with your thoughts about mask guidelines. It just seems crazy to me to stop masking when the pandemic is still blowing up in most of the world! It’s not that big of a deal to wear a mask, and if nothing else, it’s a visible sign of solidarity when we’re in public places.
Thank you for your kindness and support throughout this year. You’ve suffered greatly, too, with the loss of your dad, and I know you understand on the deepest level just how painful it was to lose a loved one during the pandemic. Writing this blog helps me immensely, and I’m grateful if it has brightened your year, as well. Love to you, my friend.
Laurel,
Your pictures are stunning, and your words are eloquently stated. It HAS been a weird year and it seems like somebody is always moving the goalpost. Thankfully we’re outdoors more than we are inside so, we have some degree of comfort…RVers are pretty good about social distancing.
Love the bird pictures! We’re in California and I keep finding birds that I can’t identify. Maybe I’ll send Eric a few pictures and ask him to help put a name on them.
Have a great weekend! Hang in there…I keep reminding myself that this, too, shall pass! Joe
Joe, I’m so glad you’re enjoying the bird photos! Eric says he will be happy to help you with mystery birds. We have several friends who send photos when they’re trying to ID a bird and Eric hasn’t been stumped yet, so see what you can do, okay?
I agree that RVing is a great way to travel, and it has unique benefits during pandemic times. Here’s hoping things open up more for you in your travels this summer! National parks are even better when the visitor centers are open.
Thanks Laurel….you’ve turned our feelings into beautiful words. You’ve given us beautiful pictures for inspiration (thanks Eric!) Most days I see the beauty in the world as it is, the good in our lives, the good we can all do.
Other days I’m mired in pessimism about the “new normal”. We’ve learned many things about ourselves as a society, some very good and positive things. I only hope that we take to heart, really take to heart, and learn from the real and ugly things that have also risen to the surface.
Sue, you said exactly what I’m feeling—I also look for the good in every day, and am grateful and nourished by the beauty that surrounds us. And I’m also at times devastated by the continuing escalation of craziness that has surfaced in recent times. I hope somehow we will all realize that we need to work together to make our world a better place. Meanwhile, I just keep focusing on each person I meet, each bird I see, every step I take…
Such a lovely post, Laurel. It seems to me you’ve had plenty on your Pandemic Plate and if you had added more, you might not have enjoyed it as much as you would under normal circumstances. I loved your list, though. It is a noble list. :) Now that things seem to be calming down (fingers crossed!) you will have plenty to keep you busy until you hit the road next year!
Linda, that is a really interesting point of view! I think you’re right, that I will enjoy much more pursuing my music and art desires now that things seem to be calming down a bit. I was in survival mode, not creative mode, most of last year.
I just found a guitar teacher, and I’m looking for a painting teacher. As far as our blog, I have to set myself some goals and stick to them (not one of my finer qualities), LOL!
Such a rollercoaster of emotions getting the vaccine(s)! We’ve been fully vaccinated for a month now and it feels marvelous. We’ve actually eating INSIDE a restaurant twice (25% capacity) and felt pretty comfortable. I’ve gotten together with friends inside (without masks) to play Mah Jong. What a wonderful day that was! What still makes me nervous is hugging people. Even those who are fully vaccinated, too. We’ve talked about the same concerns as you: How long will these vaccinations last? Are we truly safe from the variants? I still plan to mask-up when shopping, but it feels great to take it off while outside walking in the neighborhood. I got my hair highlighted for the first time in almost two years! Hooray! The “new normal” may take a while for me to feel comfortable, but I’m happy to be heading down that road. And, I think for most of us, we were in survival mode for the past year. Trying to use that time to “improve ourselves” just wasn’t in the cards. I did work out quite a bit once I got my Peloton and I never had to deal with losing the COVID “15” which was a relief. Mainly it was enough to not create added stress to my relationships with whom I share this house. ;)
As always, your photos are gorgeous!
This entire last year was a rollercoaster of emotions, Les. Although we were all in survival mode, it seems like you did well with your reading, puzzles, walks, exercise—and as you said, not adding stress to relationships in your household. That sounds successful to me!
And it sounds like you’re easing back into ‘normal’ life in much the same ways that we are. I feel comfortable hugging friends who have been vaccinated, but I’m really uncomfortable being indoors with people who have not been vaccinated, so we just don’t do it (except when it’s unavoidable, like grocery shopping). I think I’ll be wearing a mask for a long time to come.
Dude. I cannot believe you have not finished your damned blog. Jesus H. How long is this gonna take?
HAHAHAHAHAHA!
I’m kidding. Of course. But seriously….
:)
You’re doing great and you’ve done great! You could have stayed in your pajamas the whole time and no one would judge you for it. It’s been a crazy year and you’ve accomplished so much and, as far as I’m concerned, your decisions right now are completely reasonable. We, too, are very relieved to be vaccinated, but we will also be slow to change things. We’re perfectly comfortable with wearing our masks in stores and it’s really no skin off our backs to eat outside rather than in. However, we are very much looking forward to hanging out with friends and family again and getting all the hugs!
Speaking of which, hugs to you. Now go write some travel posts. :)
Hahaha, seriously, Laura. I cannot believe that I am STILL writing about our travels from fall of 2019. But hey! I got sidetracked. Maybe writing about our travels will help motivate me to actually make some travel plans, because I am out of practice.
Friends, including you, have helped me keep moving forward during this difficult year of loss. I appreciate that you thought it was totally fine for me to be in my pajamas at 3:00 in the afternoon, LOL. We are greatly relieved to be vaccinated, and one of the very best things has been to hug our friends and to not be afraid to hang out together! We can’t wait to see you guys this winter. There will be LOTS of hugs!
We’ve decided to ignore the CDC and do what we think is best–wear a mask indoors and socialize with people we know who are either as careful as we are or who are vaccinated. We’ve dined inside lately and were comfortable–it’s a restaurant we frequent often in Billings and the head waitress and bartender know us, know where we live. We had a great discussion about how hard it was for this particular restaurant during the shutdowns. Many new faces in the waitressing staff–makes me wonder if some had to leave to seek employment elsewhere.
Loved the photographs–especially that last one!
Janna, although we’ve pretty much followed the recommendations of the CDC, we have also decided to ignore this most recent recommendation. It’s just too much, too soon. Fortunately, we’re not hurting anyone by wearing masks indoors! And we’ve been comfortable for many months outdoors without masks. I guess we all just need to move at our own pace, and hopefully, someday, this will all be behind us.
I’m glad you enjoyed the photos. The last one makes me laugh, and is exactly how I feel coming out of the pandemic—a bit disheveled, LOL.
We are very much the same place you are (including finding ourselves still in our jammies mid-day every once in a while). We have met with a few double dosed friends inside (hugs even!) but remain cautious for the most part (I would have asked that guy in the fish store to cover his nose with his mask :) ). I know exactly how you feel about “not doing enough” during the downtime, but – as I tell myself – go easy on yourself. Your art is beautiful and that photo from the pier is a stunner. I’m thinking that you are doing plenty.
Hi guys,
We are feeling the same. Lovely sentiments and photos. Eric is getting into this birdwatching, it appears! We are looking on down the road again, finally. “Looking” is the operative word here. Ha. Spring will be a jolly good time for your travels to continue if so choose. One day at a time. Be well. Onward and Upward.
Saludos,
R & C
Thank you, Robert. I’m curious about where you and Colleen are thinking of traveling now? As you said, we’re looking down the road to the future…we’re hoping for more long distance road trips in spring 2022. Hopefully we’ll take some shorter trips before then! I miss our travels.
I trust that spring is lovely as always in Ashland. We miss our neighborhood and our chats with you two. Take good care!
Janis, it makes me feel like I’m in very good company if you also have had some pajama days! You seem to have accomplished a great deal during the pandemic with all of the short stories you’ve written. Thank you for your kind words about my artistic endeavors. I’m feeling inspired to do a lot more.
I thought about asking the guy in the fish store to cover his nose…I was just glad he was wearing a mask at all! Like you, we’re going to remain cautious and see how things unfold.
Hello friends,
I always enjoy your lovely writing and fine pictures. You put words to my thoughts. It has been good and even a little strange to begin to hug my closest friends and even my sister and brother-in-law who retired nearby, as planned, but just after the pandemic hit.
We have done a lot on our home and garden when we planned to travel. It feels great here, even as we are dying to get away, and will, to Lake Michigan to help family build a lake house this summer.
I aspire to be a birder like you two, and try to enjoy wherever life finds us.
Many blessings to you! Have fun reconnecting!
Joanne
Joanne, thank you for your kind words and good wishes. What a relief it is to be returning to some semblance of normal…hugging friends is the best part! How wonderful that your sister and brother-in-law are now nearby. But it must have been really hard to keep your distance all this time.
Knowing how artistic you are, I’m sure your home and gardens are gorgeous. You certainly used your pandemic pause well. And now, a summer on Lake Michigan…that sounds fabulous. Love and hugs to you!
It does feel like we’re finally heading in the right direction. And the relief of having been vaccinated without much hassle (for us). We’re enjoying having my brother here with us … something we would not have been able to do if he too had not been vaccinated. I am still concerned that we might be opening up too quickly, but I can’t control that so I can only continue to do what I think is right to protect myself and others.
I know I’ve accomplished quite a bit during the pandemic. But there are times when I look at what else I wanted to do and wonder if I made the best use of this time. Certainly, being busy busy was something to be grateful for as it kept us occupied and gave us something positive to wrap our minds around.
Erin, it does feel as though we’re heading in the right direction. But like you, I’m concerned that we’re opening up too quickly. And like you, we’re focusing on what we need to do to feel safe and to protect other people.
You and Mui are among the most focused people I know. I am grateful for the enormous project of remodeling my parents’ home because that kept me focused. Still, it has been a long haul. I’m ready to resume normal life, with friends and travel and pursuits that aren’t defined by the pandemic.
Beautiful photography. This post gave me pause to reflect on what a great writing, photo, travel planning, and exploring team you are. And from my perch here in Ashland to think of you “going deep” in your neighborhood all the way across the country seems something that all those forces you mentioned combined to make happen that you would not have expected.
We are having the same discussions and basically following the same guidelines. I took my 14 yr old granddaughter to receive her first Pfizer injection yesterday. Hooray for that generation! They seem to be more open to vaccine than some of their older sibs. I’m holding out hope for a surge in vaccination to bring us to the goal of 70% vaccinated here in Jackson County–but we’ve still got a long way to go.(We’re currently at 38%.)
Thanks again for the gift of your blog.
I appreciate so much your loving comment, Nancy. I’m grateful for friends who have stayed with us throughout the pandemic (and the long journey of caring for my parents). Our blog has definitely evolved from being simply a travel blog to a journey-of-life blog. As you said, we certainly didn’t expect to end up in Florida. Who knows for how long? But it’s all part of the journey.
How inspiring that your 14-year old granddaughter got the vaccine! I’m hoping that you’re enjoying spring in Ashland and feeling some return to normalcy (different as it may be). Hugs to you.
Another great post, Laurel, and WOW! Your artwork is impressive! I think it will take a while for us all to feel comfortable not wearing a mask in public. We haven’t had so much as a sniffle this past year, so maybe we’ll stick with it as so many did in Asia pre-pandemic. Looking forward to your continued 2019 posts :)
Thank you, Janie. For you to say that my artwork is impressive means a lot. You are such a talented and wonderful artist…if only I could paint like you do!
I’ve also thought about how wearing masks has helped us all avoid the flu and colds…I think we’re going to continue wearing masks, too! And I appreciate you sticking around for our 2019 posts, LOL. I’m looking forward to seeing where this year takes you! (Florida again, I hope??)
Beautifully shown and stated as always. And you certainly speak for us with your concerns and commitments. I could lose myself in that sunset photo, so I know the real thing draws you in and reaches your soul.
You remodeled a house! Not like you were sitting around watching soaps and eating bon-bons (although that sounds “not so bad” given the year). But I do get that looking back we probably missed some opportunities. Alas, most years are that way :-)
I’ve trusted the CDC from the beginning so I’m not sure why I’m not jumping into their latest mask-free recommendations. Perhaps I trust them and not the people who surround us. We too will continue to mask and distance and gather only with those we know well.
Hugs to you both.
Jodee, we feel exactly the same—we’ve trusted the CDC from the beginning of the pandemic, but now we’re not so quick to join in on the latest recommendations. I think your assessment is exactly right—we trust the CDC, but not the people who surround us. I think it’s going to be a free-for-all. :-(
Thanks for your acknowledgment that my year wasn’t a complete fail, LOL. You’re right, we did remodel my folks’ house and deal with their estate, which was daunting. Maybe that’s why I’ve had the desire since winter to sit around eating bon-bons and watching soaps, haha!! Hugs to you guys, too, and happy travels!
Hey, you ARE almost caught up on the blog. Once you get to the end of 2019, we all pretty much know what happened next. Boo. Anyway, we are likewise so glad to be getting back to normal including seeing you guys in normal settings. At a brewery! In a restaurant! What a strange and wonderful concept. I think it will take all of us a while to reestablish confidence in normal activities, and there’s no shame in selecting your own pace of returning to the old ways. Luckily for us in Florida, gathering outdoors is actually pretty nice and will be for a while yet, I hope.
Haha, I like the way you think, Shannon! Maybe I’m closer than I realize to catching up on our blog. Although we did have a LOT of adventures wending our way from the Maritimes to Florida.
Spending time with you guys this year has saved us from going feral. And now that we’re able to explore town together it adds a whole new dimension to our socializing. As you said, we’ve been so fortunate in Florida to have good weather for gathering outdoors—and when it gets too hot (or too cold, next winter) we can visit indoors. So many good options!
Laurel and Eric-A Bewick’s Wren has been singing outside our house in Portland. Don’t usually see them that often, but it made us think of you two.
Lurching forward yes, masks still in hand for indoors. The world wide numbers still concerning. But this coming weekend our two kids (grown adults!) will be coming over for dinner for the first time in a year! So happy to have this bit of progress! “Baby steps, Bob!”
Love, Tom & Georgina
Tom, that’s a line from one of our favorite movies! Now I want to see “What About Bob” again. We watched Groundhog Day early in the pandemic, so it seems fitting that we follow up with another Bill Murray movie now.
How wonderful that you’re having dinner with your kids next weekend after this very long year. We miss you and Georgina and think of you often. I hope you have a wonderful summer in Portland—enjoy those sweet wrens!
More of your drawings, please! That one little glimpse shows me that you are giving those real birds a run for their money.
Sure hear ya on the CDC about-face thing. At our bakery, the poor folks at the front window are now having to deal with much more aggro than before. Sigh…
I appreciate your kind words about my drawings, Gretchen. Drawing and painting in the mornings has been a positive focus for me these many months. And I’m inspired to do a lot more!
I’m so sorry to hear that people are not always nice at your sweet bakery. I always think of Lopez as being a refuge of kindness. Here’s hoping our world will calm down soon.
The guitar and art teachers sound like a fun plan and joining up with some community groups would definitely keep you busy — probably busier than you want to be sometimes! The bird (and critter and flower and nature) pics are always my favorites. We’re pretty sure we saw a Baltimore Oriole up here already, as well as a Sandhill Crane, as near as we can tell. Only TBG saw it and described it as a big copper-colored heron-thing. The birding along the south shore of Superior is already shaping up to be just that — superior! I’m sure I’ll have more than one photo to share and need I.D. help with. I just know that one Piping Plover I saw will show up in Wisconsin LOL!!!
Joodie, I’ll bet you’re right that the “big copper-colored heron” is a Sandhill Crane—probably covered in mud, as they like to do! So glad you’re having good birding along Lake Superior. Wouldn’t that be cool to see your little Piping Plover friend, all the way from the Florida Panhandle? :-)
I’ll keep you posted on my many, many, many interests and activities. I need to be more engaged after this long, strange year.
I am so glad you and Eric were finally able to get vaccinated. Yes, the clotting news on the J&J was fightening for some. Our daughter got the J&J (as did all PA teachers). When the “scare” came out, she posted the chance of getting clot from the vaccine, as well as, other times. You stand a better chance of getting a clot from just being a live than you do the vaccine. And the birth control pill has a much higher rate of clots. So there was really a lot to do about nothing. But it is a wonderful feeling to know we now have some safe guards against serious illness. The new mask regulation is interesting. Yesterday, we were in Arizona at Baskin Robbins. I was so surprised to see that everyone who came in had on a mask. AZ hasn’t been real keen on the mask thing. We are still seeing everyone with a mask here. It’s been an interesting 14 months, for sure. Your final photo definitely depicts the feeling! Love it!
Pam, that photo of the Green Heron with the wild hairdo and crazy eyes looks exactly like I feel after this long 14 months! We are so relieved to have our vaccines. I did have a couple of days of feeling unsettled about the side effects of the vaccine (and I got really sick, which didn’t help).
As you said, I think the risks were greatly exaggerated, although it was tragic for the people who did have side effects. We’ll keep wearing our masks, but being vaccinated has definitely eased my anxiety about the virus. Baby steps back to normal life!
Our daughter got quite sick for one day, as well, after the J&J. Nevada has lifted the mask requirement, but we will continue for wearing ours for awhile. I was in Costco this afternoon and was pleasantly surprised that about 75% of the customers had masks on. The unmasked were definitely int he minority and really stuck out. Please keep us posted on your guitar lessons and do share more of your art work. Take care dear friend and tell Eric to keep posting his lovely photos.
Pam, I appreciate your encouragement in our many pursuits. It’s good for us to have other things to focus on now instead of just home projects and the pandemic!
I’m sorry to hear that Jessica got sick after her vaccine, too. It was miserable! But worth it. And like you guys, we’re going to continue wearing masks for a long time to come. Maybe forever! Love you guys.
Your magnificent sunset photo absolutely took my breath away, and the last photo made me laugh out loud. Your words are such a beautiful, thoughtful expression of what so many of us have felt and been unable to articulate as perfectly as you have. It is amazing to me that you two have found another family of beautiful, creative, kind friends much like the community you developed in Ashland. It shows just how special you two are as a couple. I so appreciate your writing and your art and photography. It is basically irrelevant how caught up you are with the travel part of your blog because as you said, you are now writing a blog about your life and travel is only a part of that. I read your posts repeatedly before I comment, and by the time I do the comments are pages and pages of well written, lovely, caring comments by your amazing friends. I remember being impressed by this back when you were leaving Ashland and traveling to Lopez, then even more as I followed you and actually had a chance to sit and laugh with you in person. So thankful that we met and that we can keep some form of contact.
Sue, thank you for your loving comment. We feel incredibly fortunate to have such a wonderful group of friends in Ashland, on Lopez, and now in Florida—and of course, all of the friends we’ve made through our blog and in our travels, including you and Mo! We’re blessed in that these are true friendships, where we share a lot in common. Including humor. :-)
I was thinking of you and Mo and Mattie yesterday as we strolled the streets in Apalachicola. I’m grateful we met, too, and happy that we can keep in touch through our blogs until we meet up again.
Thank you for visiting our blog as much as you do. :) Glad to see you’re holding it together given all the craziness last year brought us. I don’t think we would have come through the last year any less demented if we didn’t live in a place where it was OK to go outside whenever we wanted. I am, however, jealous of your kitty cat pajamas! Having a pair of those would have made all those Zoom calls just that much more endurable!
Bruce, I enjoy so much following along on your hiking and outdoor adventures, especially because so much of what you do is in Oregon (and a lot in the Rogue Valley!). Your photography is beautiful, too. My kitty cat pajamas always make me smile, and now having a real kitty cat makes me even happier!
I sighed when I read your title after reading Gayle’s post on our not so safe vaccines. I too was feeling relief and gratitude and excitement to maybe be able to do things I hadn’t done in a year. Like hugs! I am SOOOO tired of masks.
The picture of the view from your dock is just beyond gorgeous. I am just filled with happiness that you bought this place and are there enjoying it. One good thing from the pandemic I suspect. Would you have been less likely to have kept it had there been life as usual and you hadn’t needed a place to anchor during the chaos?
Your bird pictures alone are so magnificent and to think that all this is right in your own backyard so to speak.
Sherry, we feel so fortunate to have landed here during the pandemic! There is so much beauty in our backyard, as you say. And you’re absolutely right—I don’t think there is any way we would have considered staying here were it not for the pandemic. We’ve discovered that the weather is MUCH nicer than we thought (beautiful most of the year, hell in July/August). And we’re finding so many great people, and fun things to do. We’re happy here. :-)
Laurel have a way of words to calm us down, your faithful readers.
So jealous with your Seafood shop, and that place looks familiar.
Beautiful shots of the birds, Eric. Oh how I wished I have seen some of those here in AZ. Although we did have some spring visitors passing through.
Would love to see your drawings, and hear you play the guitar. Maybe you should have a jam session with Steve when you come and visit us, whenever that would be.
Im sure your Dad and Mom are smiling and happy watching you enjoying the sunsets.
MonaLiza, thank you for your loving comment. I often think of my mom and dad and how delighted they would be that we decided to make this our home. As you know, we certainly never expected to land here! But we’re loving the natural beauty, the birds, the sunsets, the friends we’re making, and the opportunities for pursuing some interests in-depth that we didn’t have time for when we were traveling full-time. We’re still planning to travel, and visiting you guys is high on our list!
Thank you for sharing your pandemic journey and finding the hidden joys that were there all along. As I meditated recently on the past year and few months, I was tempted to focus on many of the negatives my family endured. Many of which had absolutely nothing to do with the pandemic or the chaos it created. But I chose to focus on the blessings. The fact that my faith this past year has grown leaps and bounds. My relationships with friends and family grew stronger. I was able to slow down and recognize what truly is important. I was able to ‘reset’. I made a promise to myself that I will not be going back to normal. I like my new normal. I am thankful for my new normal. Looking forward to all of your upcoming adventures and posts!!!
Vivian
aka “MemoryBlogger”
Vivian, I appreciate your thoughtful comment. I like that you took the pandemic year as an opportunity for a ‘reset.’ And how inspiring that you like your new normal! There are aspects of my ‘new normal’ that I appreciate, too…especially the deepened connections with friends and family and my commitment to pursuing my artistic desires. And our new kitty! I’m grateful that she came into our lives just when we needed her most. As you said, focusing on our blessings makes all the difference. (By the way, I loved your story on your website about your red shoes. :-))