Lighthouses, Duck, and the Ocean

We drove to see the Cape Hatteras lighthouse, the tallest and most recognized one in America. From a distance it didn’t look right. Its distinctive black and white stripes were missing. Getting closer, we found it was covered in scaffolding. I didn’t even bother to take a photo.

We had better luck with the Currituck Beach Lighthouse. Magda climbed it for us, having young knees and lots of energy. Lise and I sat on a bench in the shade and waited for her to reach the top and wave to us.

Before we left on the trip, I overheard Lise and Magda discussing the things they wanted to see and do. I loved hearing them suggest things and rearrange them verbally. They travel together often, having similar tastes and style, as well as more time off than most of their friends. I was willing to go anywhere they wanted to go, which was a wise decision for me.

We went to the town of Duck. It was a beautiful small town where we wandered on a boardwalk and peeked in shops. Lise posed with the statue of a horse, one of many in the whole area.

I took Magda’s photo with a duck sign, since her last name translates to Duckling in English.

The sun was going down when we paid to go on a long pier near our motel.

The girls were willing to ride the statue of a turtle.

We all loved the sound of the surf, with its hissing sound of bubbles on the sand.

Wild Horses on the Outer Banks

We arrived at Nags Head well past dark and had our first glimpse of the ocean the next morning from our balcony. Had it been warmer, we would have left that back door open whenever we were in the room. I think Lise could hear the breakers with the door shut, but I couldn’t.

We took a tour looking for wild horses in a protected area. I was in the front seat, with the girls behind me. There was a steady stream of vehicles going up and down the beach. Magda caught sight of a dolphin, and she particularly enjoyed looking at all the shore birds.

Our driver spotted a group of horses and took us closer. We were warned not to try to call the horses closer and certainly not to get out of the vehicle. The animals paid no attention to us. We found one other lone horse, but because the vegetation was not plentiful, the horses were scarce. This zoomed-in shot was taken by Lise or Magda.

We looked at petrified tree stumps in the sand. People speculate that sand overtook the trees many, many years ago. It was an odd sight.

Lise and Magda Arrive

Daughter Lise and friend Magda did not push the first few days they were here, giving themselves time to adjust to this time zone. They live six hours ahead of me. They were eager to walk, though, and had a chance to chat with neighbor Joyce on their first full day.

To help me, they moved totes in the garage where seasonal things are stored.

The first tourist thing we did was go to Winchester Creek Farm. We saw alpacas, llamas, and other less exotic animals. Our guide knew all about the animals, including things about their breed, names, ages, quirks, and stories about them.

Our trip started the next day with a lavish brunch buffet at the Grove Park Inn just north of Asheville. I think most standard breakfast foods were available from eggs Benedict to shrimp and grits, scrambled eggs with bacon or sausage, pancakes, Wagyu beef, banana bread French toast, pastries, and desserts. Being people who love to eat, we three were in hog heaven.

After breakfast, we settled in to drive all the way across the state to the Outer Banks, an area new to all of us.

Miss Duckling

Daughter Lise and friend Magda got themselves from the airport to my house by renting a car. They are intrepid travelers, easily finding the best way to do things. They were still alert after being up for almost 24 hours. Amazing!!

Magda gave me a most precious gift – a rubber duck. It came from the company she works for, which is where she and Lise met. Also, her last name, translated into English, means duckling. I put the new duck beside the one toy I have on the bathtub, a small yellow duck. The next morning I looked at the two ducks and noticed the little one was looking adoringly up at Miss Duckling. They are now best friends, probably as close as Lise and Magda.

I had talked to Magda on the phone several times and felt I already knew her and loved her. What joy to have her here in person!

Chirping Smoke Detector

At least the chirps did not start in the middle of the night! The smoke detector in the entrance hall beeped once last night, but I thought I had dragged my sneaker on the wooden floor. When it happened again this morning, I knew I had to find which one was complaining. Soon it beeped regularly, and I called on neighbor Jeff to change it. He rescued me last fall, then Lise’s friend Toke took care of the other five when they came to visit. There is no way that battery should have failed this quickly.

Jeff responded to my text and was here within minutes. He is such a smart fixer, coming prepared with a voltage meter. Checking the battery, he found it did not have enough charge to function properly. We both assumed my new battery was fine, but it chirped just as he stepped down to the floor. What?? He flipped it out, checked its voltage, and put it in again. This time it stayed blessedly quiet.

What do people do who don’t have wonderful neighbors to call on??? If I were 50 years younger and bought a house, I think I’d look for a course that would teach me how to do basic repairs myself. These days, perhaps there are videos to watch.

“Hush, Anne! You have no business climbing on a ladder. You’d do better falling over yourself thanking your rescuer.”

And Anne lived happily ever after, knowing she should call for help instead of trying to be independent.

Guessed Right!

I don’t consider myself watchful, but I drew the right conclusion about neighbor Cindy. Days ago I didn’t realize she was going to see her grandchildren until we were texting. She mentioned she had to go because her flight was boarding. Fast forward a while. I’m not time-aware, but it seemed she had been gone long enough. Her house appeared normal as I passed. Jim’s truck was gone early, as usual, and that’s when I wondered if it was time for Cindy to be home. Turning around, I passed the house and got my answer. The dogs were let out in the fenced yard. They wouldn’t have let themselves out!

After I got home, she replied to my text of discovery, saying she got home the night before!! She had had a wonderful time, but was also glad to be home. Most people can identify with that. I’m glad she is back, making my neighborhood complete again.

A People Day

A day filled with people is a red-letter day for me. Marilynne and Vaughn took me to the mid-week service last week and repeated the offer this week. They go within a mile of my house on the way to Asheville. Grandson Nathaniel and fiancée Sarah let me know they were heading to Asheville and would like to see me. Putting all these people in the same equation seemed to work out well.

I rode to church with Marilynne and Vaughn, greatly enjoying conversation on the way. Marilynne sat next to me in church, singing alto and lowered soprano with my higher notes. That is so much fun for me. On the verse closest to the bass clef, I switched to tenor because I could see notes and words together. I’m always glad if there are no people just ahead of me, because that could be annoying to them. I don’t need people to HEAR me, just let me sing. After the service, we chatted with the musicians, Heather and Lula, plus the tech guy Peter.

I sat under the roof of the entrance to wait for Sarah and Nathaniel to pick me up. They had been to the wedding venue to measure things for their upcoming wedding. We ate at a barbecue place, one they were checking out for recommending to guests. I chose sliders, never having had pork that way. There was one great advantage to having smaller sandwiches. The meat didn’t fall out as it would have from one huge sandwich.

The young couple kidnapped me on the way to my house, going to a favorite antique mall that Nate and I used to frequent. I kept my eye open for a small cast iron skillet and small plates. The skillets were too expensive, the earrings too dangly, and the plates too formal. I had a delightful time, though, wandering around and sharing comments with the others. They bought a birthday gift for a relative.

We went to my house and chatted for a long time. How satisfying! I enjoy their talk that includes so many things I’ve never been involved with. Their conversation is very active, whereas mine tends to be reflective and low key. My day with people was soul-satisfying.

The St. Patrick’s Day balloon photo-bombed this shot.

St. Patrick’s Day

When I was ready to begin the public part of my day, I took a selfie to show my new tee shirt. It says, “Not Lucky, Just Blessed.” Only one person saw it on me, because the day was not warm. I was wearing a sweater and a windbreaker over it.

This was errand day. Since there is no public garbage pickup out in the country, I took my week’s trash to the garbage center in town. It’s wonderful that it’s on the edge of town, so I didn’t have to share space with it while shopping. I had a notice that my library card was about to expire, and I had to go in person to renew it. The place hadn’t changed since the last time I was there, probably three or four years ago. I struggle to read large print books and use the card solely for checking out ebooks.

Next, I took the tax papers to the man who does my taxes. What a relief that was! There is always one form that is late, and I worry that he will have tons of people ahead of me that will push my returns beyond the deadline.

The last stop was my favorite supermarket, Ingles. One of the store employees was hurrying by, but she stopped in her tracks. She exclaimed, “I have to look at your earrings!” (Shamrocks) That gave me time to notice that she was wearing glittery green things over her store uniform. My holiday clothing was not visible, but she focused on the earrings. I celebrated by buying a green helium balloon that said, “Happy St. Patrick’s Day.”

Although the wind was chilly, neighbor Joyce and I sat in the sun on my front porch. I treasure times like that spent with my favorite locals. She brought me a bouquet of fragrant flowers from her garden that made my kitchen sparkle.

A Retirement Answer

I was out with friends, and we were laughing at ourselves. We had expected to do many things when we retired, but we found the days disappearing without many accomplishments. Thinking about it a bit more, I realized I had done a lot that day. I put the clothes in the washing machine before walking a mile, and the laundry was done when I had showered and eaten breakfast. Before getting in their car at 11:15, I had read the devotion for the day, worked five different puzzles on line, read and replied to email and blog posts, filled two humidifiers, and put the clean clothes away. Why was I not that productive all the time?

For me the answer includes deadlines and habits. The first deadline of the day was leaving for work on time. Habits made everything go smoothly. I knew how much time it took to drive to the village to walk. No thought was involved in showering and dressing. Breakfast was the cushion. I ate leisurely or quickly, depending on variations of habits. In those days I washed my hair every day, but I don’t need to now.

I still have many of the same habits, but I let my mind wander. I can look down at my soapy arm and wonder for a second what is next. Well, if it’s the right arm, the left is next. Sometimes I get lost while brushing my teeth. Noticing where the brush is, I know what is next, because I always do them in the same order. It’s outside upper right, lower right, without changing the handle, inside upper left, and lower left. Change direction of brush to outside upper right, lower right, then inside upper left and lower left. If I had to think through that every morning, I’d never get a thing done! Paying attention is the key to speed. I rarely need speed these days.

After getting to work, there were routines and habits that kept things going smoothly, for the most part. The same was true for the evening. Now, though, anything goes! I wander through my days at a leisurely pace. If I had flowers, I might stop to smell them, but I’m more likely to get involved in writing and chatting on line. If I haven’t dawdled, I play the piano and sing a little. That is a bit taxing though, because my mind has to make up the notes the eyes can’t see. Meal prep is easy – anything goes. I never whine and say, “I don’t like that.”

The choice is mine, whether to push through a chore or amble through it. I COULD be efficient if I chose to be, because I still have some deadlines and most of my habits.