Nobody is Promised Tomorrow. . .
Here it is 1723 hours and there are still things on my todo list. Going to a birthday party at 1830 hours. So, I’d best let the blog slide and get on the stick. Leaving at 0615 tomorrow for Charleston.
I just checked in on line and they offered me $250 to switch my flight. But there is only one flight a day and I noted that tomorrow the train fully booked as is the only flight of the day on Friday. SO. No deal. I’ll be on board. I hope.
Tuesday is the busiest day of my week. And today was no exception. Fortunately, work went very smoothly. That always worries me.
We continue creeping back to “normal” here at The Asylum. March 22, the day that I get back from Charleston, is supposed to be the first day of more “normal” food service. Meaning we will go through a cafeteria line and get a green box of food to eat in our apartments. We will be assigned a 15-minute window when we are supposed to go down to get our food.
I plan to feed myself. I can do that. The transition to “normal dining” will be total chaos. I don’t do chaos anymore.
But, today I filled out my last order for “room service”. Hopefully, this chapter will be closed forever.
We really need to get back to “normal”. For the first time since early December, people are able to visit their family members in assisted living and nursing care. If they have a covid test. 80 people called to arrange for a visit. I have seen people coming in from the grocery store looking like little kids at Xmas. We old people lost a year. Just like the rest of you. But these years are really important when you can see the end of the road. I figure that at this time last year I had 4 years left. Well, I lost ¼ of my remaining life to Covid. Now, I figure I have 3 years. It’s not bad. It just is. And, I didn’t lose my life to Covid. YET.
People die here. And, nobody wants the stuff that we leave behind. (Our money is a whole different story.) Over the past year, lamps seem to have piled up – so – there was a lamp sale this afternoon. I went to see if there were any outrageous lamps. There weren’t. Or maybe the naked lady lamps had already been scooped up.
Spent entirely too much time thinking about what to take on my little 11 day trip. Since I have to take my computer – I might take my little rollaboard. Will decide soon.
Work tomorrow. Also two exercise classes. Don’t know if I’ll manage a walk. I only made 18 miles last week. Maybe 100 miles a month is too much? It wasn’t 5 years ago. But, 77 is not 72.
On a happy note – I think that winter is over enough so I can declare that Ray The Rosemary survived nicely.
Yes, this is from two years ago. No fancy dinners in this the 2nd Covid year. BUT, and for this, I am truly grateful, all of these friends made it through the 1st Covid year. That is the greatest possible gift. Mālama Pono
About this trip to Charleston. The hotel called me this morning. Wanted to know if I had any special requests or questions. I have stayed in a lot of hotels. And, except for “my” hotel in Kona, none have ever called me to see if I had any special requests. All I want is good wifi. Anything else is lagniappe.
I checked the flight again this morning – it was on time. Oh, but I did tell the hotel that I would be arriving 6 hours before check-in. We’ll see if that gets me into my room sooner. I don’t really expect that to happen. It is a 56 room hotel that seems to be pretty full. You get better service if you pretend to be a sweet little old lady. When it really matters, then and only then unleash the inner witch.
You all know, I had no intention of making it to 77. As Mickey Mantle said: If I knew I was going to live this long, I’d have taken better care of myself.
Still cold and windy. But, I sent myself outside anyhow. Then I awarded myself hot coffee and a nap.
Took a couple more flower pictures around the Asylum this afternoon. Nothing special. But very special because they signal spring. also, the garden is especially lovely because the captive residents had nothing to do last summer except weed and water.
Thinking about my trip. Haven’t a clue what I am going to do in Charleston. I would normally go to Sunday services at Mother Emmanual, but not now. And, they aren’t even having in-person services. It’s too early in the spring for the ferry/water taxies to be operating. And, I don’t think that there will be all that many flowers out and blooming. In years past all the “garden activities” seem to have been in April. Fort Moultrie and Fort Sumter are more or less closed. But, it will be an “adventure”.
Prepping for the trip I checked on “my” flight today to see what terminal it leaves from etc.
And what should I find? The flight was almost 8 hours late! The actual plane comes in from Burlington VT and it was seriously late. Not bad weather in Vermont. So, I guess the plane wasn’t feeling good this morning.
SO, I am tamping down my trip expectations. Work. Walk. Eat. Read. Nap. Repeat. One good thing about me: I am very easily entertained.
Mālama Pono
It was cold and windy today. Sunny. But still cold and windy. My work schedule is Tuesday and Friday. Maybe generate a report or two on the other days. Today’s work ran late. So, I am ready for The Weekend.
Had avocado and crab salad for dinner and there is espresso gelato waiting for me in the freezer. That and a cup of coffee should set me up for a wired evening. Have a nice book to read. So, everything is good.
You know, when you stop worrying about shit that you can’t fix, life is smoother. But, it is very hard to stop trying to fix the universe.
Enough already – onward to espresso gelato and coffee.
The first daffodil showed up out in the Asylum garden. For years I lived next door to Mrs. Smith. She went to Florida every winter and would call me once a week and ask “Are my daffodils blooming?” When I said yes, then she would put her car on the AutoTrain and come back home. So, by Mrs. Smith’s logic, it is now spring.
Had a nice little walk this afternoon. Debating about taking a real camera on my trip. So, I took a couple of flower pictures and pictures of “Arlington Duplexes”. I love them. And wonder about the people who live in them. They must have a very interesting relationship with their “other half”. These were built in the early ’50s and sell for $600,000 and up. That’s for “half a house”.
As a result of today’s walk, not taking a real camera. The phone and maybe the GoPro. I will not be able to take pictures of birds or bugs. I have to take my computer. Don’t plan on telling THE office that MY office has moved 700 miles south.
For the first time since forever, we have no known cases of COVID among the residents or staff.
Mālama Pono
When I was out walking this afternoon, for the first time in a year, I saw a school bus. Another sign of “light at the end of the tunnel.” Light at the end of the tunnel is usually at the train.
Busy today. But, I don’t believe I actually did anything. Does happy hour count for “doing something”? I used my debit card at the grocery today. It had been so long, that I forgot the pin. Good thing I got that one cleared up before my trip. For a little trip, this one is taking a lot of thinking. It’s been way over a year. Because going to and from Hawai’i did count as a trip. That is going to winter quarters.
Mālama Pono
Just a normal day. Sunny but cold.
Did a little work, a little visiting, an exercise class, went for a walk and took some pictures of the local crocus. Crocus? Croci?
And, that is about it. Nothing accomplished. But, I don’t think I destroyed anything either. That’s about all I can expect.
The Web Design Museum is not the WayBack Machine, but it does bring back memories of the good old days. Like 1995 when Amazon sold deadtree books and nothing else. Amazon – 1995
Well, about March 1, 2020 we lost a year. And 500,000 Americans. It’s time to reboot.
Project for March is to walk 100 miles. And sleep better. I think walking 100 miles will be easier than sleeping better. This is sleeping better without any alcohol, drugs or herbs. Just tired. Get in bed. Close eyes. Wake up 7 hours later. Yeah, right. That’s so not going to happen.
I was chatting with our dietitian while waiting for my umbrella drink this evening. I asked her if eating salmon at least 5 times a week for the last year was going to kill me. She said no. Then I wondered why was she in line at the saloon. Well, she was fetching a double shot of vodka for one of the residents on our nursing or assisted living floors. That made me really happy. When I end up there – someone will bring me booze.
Today is the first day that we were allowed “Off campus, essential non-medical visits (e.g. grocery, veterinarian, pharmacy, DMV, etc.)” Which I define as anything I want to do. Apparently our garage was emptied out by 10AM. I know I went to Trader Joe’s and I didn’t really need anything. I just wanted to go. Go anywhere. Besides. I have to walk at least 3 miles a day to have a chance at hitting 100 miles. And TJ’s is a 2 mile round trip.
Took some pictures last night of the “snow moon”. Don’t think that I’ll be seeing it tonight. Too rainy and cloudy. This photo is through the glass with Shamu the Phone. Hence the double moon. The one up top is handheld 600mm stuck out the window.
Took the plunge this morning. Booked a flight to Charleston, South Carolina, and 11 nights in a hotel. The hotel looks across a park at the dock area – but I am pretty sure that a big old tree will be blocking my view of the water. But that’s OK. It is in the middle of lots of places to walk to. Lots of restaurants touting takeout in the area. And, a fine grocery store is ½ mile away. The hotel delivers breakfast every morning to the room. NOW. As long as the wifi is good, I am good. Leaving early morning March 11. Should be back at The Asylum midafternoon March 22.
What am I going to do? Well, just exactly what I do here. Walk, zoom yoga, zoom with my friends, eat, nap, read, work. Just walking to different places, eating different food, napping on a different bed. Same friends, same zoom, and same work.
Grateful for a better night’s sleep last night which made for a much better today. Gotta work on my sleeping.
Mālama Pono
Tired today. For no real reason. Didn’t sleep too great last night. But, that’s not unusual for an old woman. Once again I fear that I am starting to slow down. One of my equally old yoga friends still walks 100 miles a month. I barely make 50 miles a month these days. I will try to sleep more (easier said than done) and walk more.
Well, enough about my journey into the final frontier.
I discovered that there is one non-stop flight to Charleston, SC every day from my airport. Savannah was looking a little crowded in mid-March. Savannah is a serious drinking town and there is St Paddie’s Day. Charleston is a bit soberer, also larger, so more last-minute lodging options. Lodging-wise all I really need is a walkable location and good wifi. Because I will still need to work on Tuesday and Friday. Sunside and warm would be great. And, yummy takeout food. Thinking about a week to 10 days. Then 5 days of quarantine when I get back to The Asylum. I guess that will be an OK trade. Or just ignore the quarantine. Let them kick me out. In theory, if I rent a car and drive myself to Charleston, that’s a scary idea, and if I don’t eat in any restaurants, which I don’t intend to do. Well, then there is no quarantine. (Or I could go by train CAR or take the “AUTO train” to Florida)
Halfway through that big old Robert Heinlein tome, Time Enough for Love. The proofreading on the Kindle version is pretty egregious, even by my standards. But, I have gotten into it and am enjoying it. Now that Covid is getting behind us, I hope, my next big old-time re-read is going to be The Stand by Steven King.
Back before Kindles, when Carlton and I traveled we both had to agree to all the books we took, and sometimes we would actually cut them in half so one of us could be starting on a book that the other was finishing. This sort of diminished the book’s “trade” value. Back in the day when scuffing around the world, you would always trade books any time you crossed paths with another English speaker.
Mālama Pono