The Best is Yet to Be

Can you believe it’s been a year since Stewart and I said “I do” in front of God, family, and friends? Well it has. We managed to get our vows in before the country locked down for a year. We didn’t know then how fortunate we were to have planned our wedding when we did.

A lot has happened in this last year. I finally finished the novel I was writing, Stewart turned 84 and I turned 80, we got our Covid-19 vaccinations to help stem the tide of this most annoying year-long pandemic, and to top it off, we actually went away for our one-year anniversary!

Thanks to his new Inogen battery-operated oxygen system, we’re no longer tied to the house and his big oxygen generator. We’re free to go anywhere we want to overnight and we can go alone without needing family to come with us to lift the generator. Yahoo!

So, last weekend we drove down to Myrtle Beach for two days. We brought along a fully outfitted picnic basket that Cyndi and Bill had given us for our anniversary. By the time we got to the hotel Saturday night, we were too tired to get back in the truck and go out to eat, so we spread the checkered cloth on the table in our room, lit the candle from the basket, opened up the bottle of sparkling blush, laid out the plates and napkins, cheese, crackers, bread, jelly, cookies and nuts, and had ourselves the perfect little feast.

Our only requirements from the hotel were an ocean view, a balcony overlooking the ocean, and handrails in the bathroom. 😊 We got exactly that and spent a beautiful sunny Sunday morning on the balcony watching the waves and seeing people and dogs enjoying the beach. It was heaven on earth.

We thought about going bowling but didn’t know if they’d allow a walker on the alley! We’re both prone to falling and it wouldn’t be a pretty sight. Funny, but not very pretty. So in lieu of bowling, we opted to go to Outback for our anniversary lunch. And got way more than we planned!

I entered Outback and asked the girl at the reservation station if there was a table for two available. She said nothing, just pointed to her left. I turned to look where she was pointing and burst out laughing when I saw Cyndi and Bill waiting for us. They’d driven down all morning to be there to have lunch with us since having lunch together has become our Sunday tradition. Bill went out to the truck to let Stewart know that, yes, there was a table available, and Stewart was as surprised as I’d been. That wonderful impromptu visit was the highlight of our weekend.

We were happy to get home Monday night, tired but with pleasant memories that will last forever. Now, as soon as the cruise lines open up again, watch out!

Quote of the Day:  Grow old with me, the best is yet to be. Robert Browning

Life in the Cuckoo's Nest

You’ve probably read the book or seen the movie, One Flew Over the Cuckoo’s Nest. If you haven’t, have no fear. Come and visit us and you’ll feel like you’re IN the cuckoo’s nest!

Our parakeet Charlie used to make an airborne trip around the house a couple of times a day, then land on his playpen in the window to watch the outside birds, then sit in his cage for the remainder of the day. When he was almost four years old, we bought him a playmate, Chip. Chip is young, energetic, and full of life.

Now, Charlie is kept busy from morning til night as the two of them make fifty trips a day flying from the living room to the kitchen and back. You’d better duck if you’re in their flight pattern! It looks like they’re racing to see who can make the flight in the shortest time. Then they land on the playpen and plot their next round of mischief by leaning into each other and chatting a mile a minute.

Since he was raised in a pet store cage, it’s been a riot watching Chip at home learn to fly, and navigate, and land. For the first week or so, he reminded me of a terrorist that only learned to fly a plane, not land it. Chip would fly from the cage to the playpen, no problem, then crash land on the window blinds. Then he would go back to the cage and try again. Each time landing closer to the playpen until he finally set his feet on the playpen perch. Ah, success.

One minute the two of them are rubbing beaks in an oh so tender moment, the next they’re chasing each other around the cage while the chasee tells the chaser to “Bug off and leave me alone.” They’re never quiet except when it gets dark and they retreat to their cage for the night.

Stewart and I don’t need television with these two around. They provide us with a boat load of enjoyment that keeps us laughing. And I hear that laughing keeps us young!

I’m waiting for the bluebirds to come back next month, but for now there’s a beautiful goldfinch hanging around outside that puts a smile on my face and a song in my heart. For Christmas, Cyndi and Bill gave us a clock that sings a different bird song on each hour. As a sign in our kitchen says, THIS PLACE IS FOR THE BIRDS. No truer words were ever spoken.

 

Quote of the day: Birds are a miracle because they prove to us there is a finer, simpler state of being which we may strive to attain.  Douglas Coupland