Walk With Me Wednesday

October 21, 2020 By Carole

Several years ago my friend Judy, owner of Ball and Skein, started blogging about walks every Wednesday. I always enjoyed her photos and stories about being outside, often in the woods, and now I’m jumping on this bandwagon.

Dale and I have gotten in the habit of taking a Sunday afternoon drive and finding someplace outside to walk. It’s been a great way to get out of the house and see some beautiful foliage and get some movement into our day, too.

I took this photo two weeks ago. Our walk was along some powerlines in the woods and the colors were gorgeous. Dale can’t quite keep up with me entirely just yet but we’re managing. I sometimes get ahead of him and wait for him to catch up. And when he’s gone as far as his leg will tolerate, I head on without him and then circle back. The irony of me finally wanting to walk in the woods with him after he’s asked me to do this for years and him not being in an ideal condition to do this now that I’m interested is not lost on either of us.

Last Sunday we wound up at a conservation area in a nearby town. We had originally tried two other places which are well known and therefore were very crowded. As in, I looked out the window and said no way am I getting out of the car here. But these woods we found, rather by chance, were gorgeous. Perhaps, for me anyway, even magical as I stopped and paused and just . . . listened . . . to the falling leaves and subtle sounds of the woods that you can only hear when you are quiet.

A few weeks ago I was telling a friend that I hate walking. What I’ve discovered lately is that I hate walking on roads, sidewalks, and pavement. Turns out I love walking when I’m in the woods.

Birthday Rebuttal

September 22, 2020 By Carole

Thank you all so much for the birthday love and wishes yesterday, it was truly fabulous to read all of your comments! Dale is all puffed up with pride at your kind words about his post, too.

I have to admit that the things he wrote took me a little by surprise. Not the stuff about what we did over the weekend, that was a mere recap. But that stuff at the end . . . about how he appreciates me and recognizes how hard I worked . . . that got me pretty verklempt. And it’s true that I worked pretty hard after his accident. He was fairly helpless for a while and he was in pretty rough shape when he came home from the hospital. Frankly, it was exhausting to be his only caregiver during that time. I also know it was a privilege and I’m so glad to have done it and been able to show up for him in that way. I think we learned a lot about each other and, while it sure wasn’t always pretty, it deepened the level of respect we have for one another in a very meaningful way.

I do take exception to something he wrote though. It was that part about me being the one who holds our family together. He’s got that all wrong because he, my beloved husband, is our glue. He is the center of everything we do together. He’s the one who makes us all laugh, he’s the one who works to hard to take care of us, he’s the one to run an errand or pick up a kid or a loaf of bread. He never says no, he rarely complains, and he (unlike me) does it all with a cheerful heart and a smile on his face.

I suppose the bottom line is that we are well matched and we know it. Maybe it’s because we’d both been hurt before. Maybe it’s because we came to this relationship with open hearts and clear expectations. Or maybe it’s simply the hand of fate.

I’m not even sure it matters.

I’m just grateful for all of it.

It’s Monday. And I’m Ready.

August 31, 2020 By Carole

I had a great two weeks off from responsibility. I eschewed work. Routines. Habits. Even blogging! Now, though, it’s time (as Kym would say) to start my engines and embrace the good things about daily life around here.

First, though, how about a quick look back at our time on Cape Cod.

It was pretty great! And fast, although not as fast as that video makes it seem.

So. Monday. Time for re-entry. Let’s do this!

Maine Vacation, 2020

July 29, 2020 By Carole

Our vacation in Maine this year (the 4th in a row since we went back to celebrate our 20th wedding anniversary in 2017, this is the house where we spent our honeymoon) was very very different from previous years. For one thing, there is the pandemic. And, while Maine has very low case numbers, we were still quite cautious about doing the things we usually do like going out to eat and shopping. And for two, Dale’s mobility is limited. This house, which I adore, is on a gravel road, with somewhat uneven steps and a significant slope down to the front door. Those things do not make it easy for a guy with a broken leg to get in and out.

I knew all of this going in, of course. Dale and I discussed several times whether we should go, knowing that we wouldn’t be able to do some of the things we have always done . . . taking walks together every day, both on the beach and through the neighborhood was off the table, in addition to the other things I’ve already mentioned. I figured I’d be okay with the restrictions. I figured sitting on the porch and enjoying the beautiful view with books and Dale would be just fine.

I was both right and wrong about that.

I really really missed walking on the beach and walking in the neighborhood. I know I could have gone by myself, Dale even encouraged me to do it, but it just felt . . . wrong. I had no desire to do that without him by my side to talk with about all the little things that come up on a walk, to show pieces of beach glass to, to exclaim over unique rocks and admire pretty gardens, and dream about the house we would buy if we won the lottery.

I’ll be perfectly honest and say it took a few days to adjust to the changes and hit my stride. By Tuesday, though, I was good with it. I resigned myself to being the one who would run out alone for supplies as needed. I, somewhat grudgingly, accepted that the extra cooking was okay because we got to dine al fresco with a wonderful view every night. And I recognized that while shopping can be fun, there wasn’t anything new under the sun I was likely to find, even if my cocktail napkin supply is in desperate need of replenishing and gift shops are the perfect place to find them.

But enough of this. Want to see some pictures? Because it really was a lovely week.

The night we arrived was cool and we retreated inside for Friday Night Snacks.

And a fire!

After that, though, the days were warm and the nights were comfortable. We usually go in June and July was much different as far as the weather.

We did have a wonderful visit with Kim and Ken, we visited the Farmer’s Market together and had a great afternoon on our porch and an early dinner together before they headed home.

Other than that, though, it was lots of reading and porch sitting.

Dale remarked at one point, there’s not much going on but there sure is a lot to see. That made me laugh because it’s just so true when it comes to gazing out at the bay in front of this house. There’s lots to see: sailboats and speed boats, loons and sea gulls and even a black duck and duckling, fish swirling, people watching, and more.

We ate just fine, I grilled a few times. (Please note, my hair hasn’t been this long since . . . I can’t even remember. I really need to get over my apprehension and get a haircut.)

And we had lobster, of course. First, hot with butter. And then also lobster rolls.

Pretty much each afternoon looked like this.

And each evening looked like this.

It was different. And ultimately good for us. The distractions at home, the news, the mail, the television, were all stripped away and it was just us. And once I accepted the changes as positive it turned out to be a pretty great week.

23 And Counting

June 15, 2020 By Carole

Yesterday Dale and I celebrated our 23rd wedding anniversary and we had a wonderful, leisurely day. We had pancakes and sausage for breakfast, we hung out together, and we took a ride in the afternoon to get lobsters to cook for dinner. We even managed a dance to Moon River, our wedding song.

I shared two pictures on Facebook when I posted about our anniversary.

Our first family portrait.

And our most recent family portrait.

Those kids turned into very fine adults and I am so proud of each of them.

Today is the start of our 24th year of marriage and I’m so grateful, really extra extra grateful in particular this year, for the life I share with Dale.