Hope Springs Eternal

This post is dedicated to my family and friends who find themselves longing for "the shore" these days.  For over 10 years I have written at least five posts a year about the shore.  It is one of my favorite things to write about!   Last year, there were no posts about the shore and that makes me sad so I decided if I can't be there I will just write about it.  During the off season, "the shore" is either a fresh memory that gives our life perspective and energy, a sometimes forgotten memory because we are so busy in our "real" lives, or a highly anticipated summer event that gets us through the last month (or months, for those of you who live in the north) of winter and to the end of the school year.  This is often the time of year we look at our calendars and plan our summer migration.  Some of you are knee deep in snow and the thought of walking the warm, sunny, sandy beach is enough to get you through another freezing winter day.  Some of us are tired of looking out at the brown grass and the brown trees and are ready for some bright green grass, blue skies and salty breezes.  Most of us, this year especially, are tired of being in our own homes and would do anything to sit on the sandbars with the usual suspects and talk about everything and nothing all day long.

Blue skies, green grass and salty air
May 2019

Last year at this time we were just beginning life with Covid.  We were all going to stay home for 2 weeks and it was going to stop the spread.  We all know how that worked out.  We continued to have some hope through the spring that things would get under control by the summer and we would still be able to visit our beloved shore.  One year later, here I sit still wondering if we will be able to visit our beloved shore and I am not alone in this wondering.  The mental motivation that is provided every year by merely anticipating our summer migration is enough to keep me going and bring a smile to my face.  I must admit, this year my smile is guarded and a bit tense....not really a smile at all, more of a sigh hidden behind a mask.  

The last blog post I wrote about the shore was on September 19, 2019 after Hurricane Dorian blew through and left a mess in her wake.  It was also right before we left the shore for what we expected to be 8 or 9 months...not 2 years!  I think about this and wonder, "What condition did we leave our cottage and the farmhouse in under those extreme circumstances?".  We left with our yard full of giant fallen trees.  We left with roofs that needed patching.  We left after a week of dealing with my parents and expediting their departure after the storm.  We closed their cottage...did we do a good enough job to last 2 years?  Are there several families of rodents living comfortably in my basement or shed?  Will I need boots and a snow shovel to get through the dead fly corpses in my house?  What "non perishable" food items did I leave behind that have perished in scary ways over the last 2 years?  My hope is that we can find out the answers to these questions this summer.  Hope springs eternal.

The past year has been heavy.  First a pandemic began.  Then the pandemic got worse.  Then there was a summer without our beloved shore.  Then...the pandemic got worse.  There was a whole lot of hate flying around before, during and after the election and that hate is toxic for everyone regardless of your political affiliation. Then my Dad passed away.  The pandemic continued and we all continue to miss our friends, our neighbors, our families, our freedom to go out (choose your "out"...shopping, sporting events, the gym, work, school, dinner, movie, wedding, funeral, inside a friend's house...the list goes on!) without risk of getting sick or getting someone else sick. We kept going through life though, because that is what we do!  With the vaccine rollout there is a glimmer of hope.  

Reading about the last month at the shore in 2019 I found exactly what I needed today. I encourage you to read it, right here...right now, and come back after you read it.  It is that fresh breeze I wanted to store away for just the right time and that time is now.  I really miss the epic sunsets, the people, bonfires, the beach, fried clams and coconut cream pie, driving along the shore road and the inexplicable feelings stirred in my heart whenever I am there.

I read my Mixed Emotions post (just in case you didn't already read it) and got to the part about cutting my Dad's hair and it stopped me in my tracks.  I had cut his hair and beard a few more times over the past year and every time made me pause and feel the intimacy of the moment.  I would cut it again today if I could!  We all thought 2019 may have been his last summer at the shore.  He will make one final trip to the shore where he will rest forever in his favorite place on earth.  It might be this year...and then again...it might not.

It is very strange to have "going to the shore" a certainty for so many summers of my life to it being such an uncertainty.   My spring time longings for the shore have a caveat again this year.  Will the border open to us or won't it?  The million dollar question.  We have a bit of hope but unlike last year, we are under no delusions that our hopes will become reality. So...this spring I will make a solid Plan B and hope I need to cancel those National Park reservations!  One of us is fully vaccinated and the other is on every waiting list she can manage to get her name on!  One step closer to the end and the beginning.  

Two Weeks of Winter May be Enough This Year

I really like winter.  Many people think I am nuts but I have always enjoyed winter.  We even lived in a place that had real winter for a few years!  I like the clothes, I like the coziness of wearing sweaters and scarves and wrapping up in a coat.  I like going outside when the cold air hits me in the face and makes me feel so alive.  I like how unfrizzy my hair is in the winter.  I think sitting by a fire looking out at a beautiful blanket of snow after a day of skiing is just about one of the most enjoyable things ever.  Last week we went on our ski week and experienced all that we love about winter!  This week, all the we love about winter was put to the challenge back home in Houston.

What is not to love about this!?
A ski run all to ourselves!

We love winter!
And skiing.

A lot of water has passed under the bridge over the year since our last ski trip.  Last February we skied with my sister and her husband and our nephew.  We had tons of snow and tons of fun.  This year it was just the two of us...as it has been for much of the year.  Yes, I had some reservations about the trip but we went with guarded expectations.  It was the same but different.  I need to give Park City Mountain Resort a shout out for doing a very good job of enforcing Covid protocols on the mountain. There were ambassadors at the lift lines making sure people kept their masks on properly and kept their distance.  Reservations were limited and required to ski and to dine at any restaurants on the mountain.  We skied six days in a row...my legs are tired!  We ate lunch on the mountain twice... outside and very far away from any other people.  TJ likes to throw around his "elder" status when making reservations. "We are all over 65 (speak for yourself!) and would like to be far from any other people."  It worked.  The rest of the time we were very boring/safe and stayed in the condo.  

In past years, after skiing, we would head straight to the hot tub with a beverage.  The hot tub is where you meet other guests and talk/brag about your day on the mountain.  After soaking and relaxing in the hot tub we would get ready for dinner.  We would take the shuttle into town and eat out at least twice during our week.  After dinner we usually strolled the streets and popped in and out of bars for a drink here or there.  We would browse the many art galleries along Main St. and finally at the end of the night we would take the shuttle back to the condo.  On occasion the shuttle became a karaoke bus.  Those were the days!  It is no wonder I like winter!  This year there was no bar hopping or strolling along Main St. or chatting up other guests in the hot tub.  The skiing was still great.

We made it home just in time to start prepping our house for the winter storm of the decade...or three! TJ went into full Boy Scout Engineer mode when we got home.  If you live in the south, you know that when it goes below freezing for more than a few hours there is a risk of pipes freezing and plants dying.  We have many winters when the temperature never goes below freezing for more than a few hours for the season down here.  We rarely spend day after day below freezing.  We recorded the coldest temperature 10F (-12c) in a day since 1989.  Thirty-two years ago!  We also just had the coldest 5 day stretch since 1983.  Unlike Salt Lake City or anywhere else that gets "real" winter, we do not "do" winter!  Our houses are build for cooling, not heating.  We do not have basements.  Many people's winter coats are nothing more than a heavy hoodie and usually it works just fine.  Snow boots?  Only if you have them for those ski vacations.  We do all have at least 5 pairs of flip flops though! 

We wrapped our pipes, we covered our tender plants who thought it was spring last week and decided to push out their buds.  We brought in all of our potted plants and made sure we had flashlights, batteries and candles.  TJ checked to see which pipes were on exterior walls and left those faucets at a slow drip.  We spent the first day cozy inside our house with power and water.  Many of our friends and family lost power on Sunday or Monday.  We lost it on Tuesday morning.  The temperature in the house went down to 50F (10C) over the next 26 hours.  We have a gas log fireplace that warmed the air within 6 feet of it up to tolerable.  We huddled around it for most of the day.  We cooked on our gas grill outside.  "We" is a loose term...TJ cooked!  It was a bit like a very cold camping trip.  We had running water and a flush toilet so we were good.

The birds were very hungry during the freeze!

Pansies survive a freeze...right?

We were lucky....we only lost power for 26 hours.  It was a cold and dark 26 hours but we were fine.  So many more people lost power for much longer, and did not have a fireplace or water or double paned windows or as many blankets and winter clothing as we do.  They are the ones that we felt for.  We were fine.  The state power grid was the problem and I am sure heads will roll when this is all over.  I do not assume to know the answer but I do know that a better job can and should be done for the future, even if the future only happens every 30 years.  

oops, forgot to turn the fountain off....

Recovering from this storm will take a while for most of the state.  Things like gas and groceries are in short supply.  Having no power and snowy, icy roads shut everything down!  Everything.  Grocery stores are scrambling to restock and reopen but are first having to clean out all that went bad due to days without power.  With the roads closed, the supply chain for so much has been compromised.  It will take a while to get back to "normal" but soon enough we will be back to complaining about the small things again.  One good thing is that our 5 day freeze-out kept an unprecedented number of us at home, which should inevitably slow the spread of Covid for a few days.

I still like winter.  I found myself wondering if this was better or worse than losing power during a hurricane.  It sure felt very similar.  Hurricane season is hot and humid...would I rather try to sleep in a house that is hot and humid or one that is cold and dry?  I slept like a baby under my 4 blankets, I don't think I would have slept as well in the heat, worrying about flooding or the roof blowing off or a tree falling on my house. We spent the past week reading, doing a puzzle, making soup (once the power came back), talking to family and friends on the phone, eating or trying not to eat, taking bundled up walks outside, and trying to stay warm.  I am ready for spring and warmer temperatures and I am sure everyone else in Texas is too!  We did our week of winter...bring on patio season!