Free Time Is Over

 Free Time Is Over

In My Bloodstream: Lisinopril,  Amlodopine,  Omeprazole, Tamsulosin

On The Stereo: Abraham, Martin and John: Dion

"I talk to your mother every day. She is not helping me."

Our summer has been fantastic.  Every day has had sweltering heat and, until this week, we have had no rain.  No thunder bumpers in the afternoons to clear the humidity and cool the temperature.  Every day - hot.  We have been playing a lot of golf and spending evening hours fixing dinners together and watching recorded movies.   

Some of our dinners have been delivered from Hello Fresh, a service introduced to us by Kristin and Doug.  All the ingredients are delivered, and we prepare and cook the meal.  Most times, everything has gone well.  Once, in a vegetarian dish, chick peas were a major ingredient.  Kath dried them and we added them to a dash of oil on the stovetop.  The peas went crazy.  They spattered  and spit and leaped out of the pan.  Had the front door not been closed, Kath would have been in Mexico.  She took off, laughing and screaming.  It took her a few minutes to gather enough courage to return to the kitchen.  The dinner was really good, but I have been strongly advised that chickpeas will not ever be a part of any of our future meals.  After the laughter and the dinner, the mess was considerable.  Grease and pea remnants all over the stove and floor.  Oh well.

Even with that and a few other minor episodes, we have thoroughly enjoyed being together.  Covid has been an inconvenience, but not the end of our world.  We have followed expected protocols, and seldom have entertained.  In fact, our friends, the Boyles, came to see how we were managing our health issues.  They called in advance to let us know that they planned to stay in their golf cart, in our driveway.  After a very short time in the heat, we were all sweltering,  and we invited them in,  and we continued to talk, sitting far from each other, in our living room.  Our first encounter with other of the same species, in months.  It was, for all of us, a time of high anxiety.  We have been dutifully loyal to our separation orders.

Our air conditioner had given out in June.  We called our service, and a technician advised us that we had a leak.  He gave the machine a shot of coolant, meant to hold us over until we put in a new one.  If he had taken the time to find the exact spot of the leak, I would have used duct tape to fix the problem, and not worried. However, that was not the case.  We researched new equipment, and my bride held off finalizing the decision until mid-August.  Russian roulette with air conditioners.  Anything to keep life interesting.

So, one of the very few visitors inside our house was the sales person, followed shortly thereafter by two technicians who came in to do the installation.  Jerry and Jerry.  Really.  They did an excellent job, and were done and cleaned up inside of four hours.  We did learn that several other companies could not even get some of the needed equipment and some of the lead times were in months, not days.  And they could not even guarantee that.  The parts were made in China, and obviously, that was a problem.  Our equipment was all U.S. made.  

So, we were feeling pretty secure.  When every day was in the 90's, it was comforting to know we had a cool place to call home.  We discovered that the thermostat was so smart, that it knows if you are out of the house, and raises the temperature slightly, to conserve energy.  How does it know we are not in the house?  Worrisome.

We both had July dental visits planned, and we discussed the pros and cons of keeping those appointments.  Our thought was, that this virus could last for years.  Hope not, but we should manage our lives for the long run.  We decided that oral health was important, and we  both kept our commitments.

We had been maintaining communication with family and close friends on the phone and on FaceTime.  As reasonable as that was, it did not replace human contact.  On Thursday, August  13th, we were on video with the Tysons, and little Eli fell into a meltdown.  In tears, he told Grammy that he did not like Covid, and he couldn't stand it any more.  He wanted to see his Grammy.  The next morning I told my bride to get packed as we were going to Raleigh on Saturday morning.  We had not seen the Tysons since Christmas.  Covid or not, we were going to break out of our protocol.

There were several conditions.  If we were expected to be social distancing, and not able to hug, I was not going to make the drive.  Kristin was looking forward to a real family visit again.  Of course we would hug.  Then I cancelled my Tuesday surgery.  That was not problematic.  I had already been booked for my second set of surgeries, three weeks following the first, and we simple added another three more weeks out.

It would be an understatement to say that our time with our family was great.  It was needed.  It renewed us.  It energized us.  And it made us cry.  So much happiness.

We went to a ropes course with the kids, on our first full day.  Our two grandsons and one other boy, about Avet's age, were the only people allowed for their designated hour.  It was notable that Avet and the other boy spent about half their time, just talking.  Both needed social contact.  The topic was mostly gaming, as I understood.  They each enjoyed the company of another kid.  Whether or not we realize it, I guess we all crave socialization.

The next day, Kath received a call from the school she taught at last year.  They wanted her to go to work the following morning.  It was 3pm, and I told her I could get her back - probably around  2 or 3 in the morning.  And it would be dicey, given the time behind the wheel.  She told them that she would need another day, and they had no problem with that, whatsoever.

Kath went back to school.  She was brought in to prep her class for the onslaught.  Six year olds with masks.  Keeping distance from each other.  Not going to happen.  That's what I think.  This has the earmarks of a plan not ending well.

My girl loves to teach.  She believes fully that teachers are necessary.  When she returned to teaching, a few years ago, we had a talk.  Given the changed times and school shootings, I told her that I expected that she would be willing to stand in front of her class and take a bullet on their behalf.  Nothing less.  She had no compunctions.  

She now faces a different kind of "bullet", in the Covid virus.  She was looking forward to the first day, with her new class.  My girl knows how to "cowboy up".  She makes me proud.  If she were to have pandemic issues, whatever they may be and whenever they occurred, we were in it together.  Marriage vows still live.

On her second day at school, I was a little lost.  I did nothing of import for several hours, and then, in order to accomplish something, I took a nap.  That was excellent.  I felt much better.

I am finally getting back in the swing of things.  We are back to our old routines.  I fix the most excellent breakfasts. Kath heads off and I am back to household chores, reading, writing, exercise and the swing I love the most - golf.

The opening quote is from my child bride.  My tendency is to bull my way through life. Hell or high water.  Keep living large.  Lots of laughter and an abundance of emotion.  The odd rant for fun.  My bride has taken to rolling her eyes and shaking her head.  I think I am a perfect cohabitant.  Her life is magical.  

How many days have we been confined to barracks?

Kathy is off to school tomorrow morning and I am set to drive to Moffitt to begin the first of a series of surgeries.   

Had a nice break.  Glad to be back.  I need you and appreciate your time.

Thank you.