Road Trips and the Lockdown

It’s been over a year since I have written. I’m not sure why. Much has happened in the year, and I have just not been able to adequately put it all into words.

October 2019. My one-year scan came back clean and, for the first time in 4 years I was not scheduled to do the infamous tube ride for a whole year. That is amazing. No questionable dye going through my system, a whole year to recover. 

I look back at that year and wonder what I did. As time often does, it went by simultaneously quickly and slowly. 

My dear friend and I spent a wonderful time in NYC. We decided to take a bus trip, organized by the Maryland Retired Teachers Association, to explore some of the sights of the city. It was all arranged. From the hotel to a marathon meal, to wonderful tours and much free time. What a treat for retired teachers! Nothing to plan. We explored Central Park and lunched at The Plaza. We walked the streets of midtown and discovered fabulous pubs and cafes. We toured the financial district and visited the pier. We ate at the iconic Carmine’s Italian Restaurant (so much delicious food!) and took in a Broadway show. We gazed at the Statue of Liberty and longed to know the stories it held. We will go back.I almost made it to the A-list on Southwest Airlines! So close! There were many trips to Florida to visit my girls and their families. I miss those trips. Back home, I spent time on road trips, exploring antique shops, restaurants, and the countryside with close friends. 

During this time, I looked for condos in Florida. Just makes sense to live close to my girls. I was ready to cut the ties and start a new path. Spent time with a wonderful friend and her husband in Vero Beach. My dream has always been to have a place by the ocean. Although I can’t smell the ocean air anymore, that environment is just so relaxing and fosters health and creativity. We talked to some relators, looked at condos, and I was treated to the best the area has to offer. Could I see myself volunteering at the nature center, shopping at the farmers market, writing and creating there? Yes! 

The girls drove and met me in Vero for a wonderful beach get-away. It was a little chilly, by Florida standards, but we enjoyed the warm sand, delicious ice cream, and sought out the best restaurants. It was good to spend time together. 

But Vero is still 2 hours away from each daughter. Should I move closer to one daughter and travel to visit the other?

I looked for places near each of my daughters. Should we go in together on a larger house and live together? A house with a pool, palm trees, a home office, an hour from the beach? Or should I get a small condo? 

All real questions that reflect a life of privilege, right? How fortunate am I that I can even entertain these thoughts? Even if some of my dreams are just that, dreams. A house with palm trees and a pool by the ocean? Okay, but why not? I can dream it into reality, maybe.

In late February the dishwasher leaked and ruined the floor. Not in my house, in my daughter’s south Florida house. They have wonderful insurance and were able to have the floors replaced. During that time, the family had to move everything out of the house into storage and they moved into a wonderful rental. A wonderful rental? Yes! Beautiful concrete floors, European style kitchen, without a freezer, wall-to-ceiling accordion doors that looked out on a Florida oasis. An oasis with a large koi filled pond complete with an animatronic alligator. An oasis with long iguanas basking in the sun, sauntering on the deck and perched on tree limbs. An oasis that had been the site of various tv commercials and weddings. So, I just had to go and help out the family during this difficult time. 

And there is always DI. A week after our March 2020 tournament everything started to close. Schools went virtual and the uncertainty of what Covid had in store for the world was on everyone’s mind. I pulled out my 1970’s era Singer sewing machine and started to make masks. 

I’ve lived in my house for over 30 years. Neighborhoods change over time, but mine still suited me fine. There are a few ‘original’ owners, and the ‘new’ neighbors are just wonderful.  However, I decided it was time and spoke to realtors about the best improvements to make before listing. For those of you who know me and my love of reusing or saving items that might be reused, you know that getting the house prepared would be a gigantic task. (And no, NOT a hoarder.) 

“Save it for DI. Teams might be able to use it. You never know.” These sentences have been uttered for over 30 years in my house. I managed teams, my daughters were on teams, my husband was even converted and managed a high school team. Those were great times. But I’ve moved on from the ‘we might need this for DI’ train of thought. I still have Instant Challenge materials stored in the garage but have given away all of the other items that teams might be able to use. 

There were some realtors who thought the house should be sold for a flip, and others who offered more palatable suggestions. I packed boxes full of personal items. Drawers were emptied and excess furniture was moved into the garage. When it was impossible to fit any more in the garage, I rented a storage unit and made many trips in Steve’s indigo Toyota Tacoma. With the house decluttered and void of personal touches, the interior was painted white. I was making progress. 

We never know what the future holds, do we? My family has been so very fortunate that no one has contracted Covid, that everyone who wants to be employed is, that we all have a place to live and food on the table. My biggest struggle through this past year has been to find a way to help out while remaining safe and healthy. 

My youngest daughter has taught first grade in Florida for the past 14 years. Like most teachers she taught the spring 2020 semester virtually.  Like many teachers, she questioned the safety of going back in-person, the thoroughness of school cleaning, the transparency of what was actually taking place, and the support for educators in her system and state. But she is a dedicated professional and loved the art of teaching. So, she carried on. 

Since they lived in a second-floor apartment, which was not ideal for their active 4-year old son, they decided to look for the perfect house. A house where the family could spread out. A house where the boy could run and play. A house with a kitchen large enough to accommodate their needs. It was time for them to make a move. 

As they were in the house-hunting process, a series of events transpired. His job went completely remote, their son’s day care was temporarily closed due to Covid, all county schools were opening in person, and I was planning to move to Florida. What was the family to do? 

The answer was to move back to Maryland to the family home! It was not a hard decision for them. They were excited about the adventure and the opportunities it presented. The boys were looking forward to cold weather and change of seasons. And I was glad to offer the house and be of some help to them. After all, it was just painted and decluttered. 

They spent some vacation time here last summer and began to figure out how we could all fit happily into the house. This planning session was interrupted by the threat of a hurricane, so we all drove back to Florida to start the process of packing. After all, I had become quite proficient in the use of bubble wrap and brown paper. 

It is amazing how much stuff accumulates in four years of apartment life! Granted, it was a wonderful 3-bedroom place with an oversized 2-car garage. By the time the moving truck arrived, the garage was completely filled with boxes! Admittedly, a fourth of the boxes were school materials. It is well known that elementary school teachers spend their own money for supplies, books, containers, seating, and tables. Too much to leave behind when you know that you will be needing them in your next teaching assignment. 

Toys were packed, clothes packed, kitchen packed, and an active boy living among the boxes. I needed a break. I also wanted to visit my other daughter, so the girls planned to meet in Vero to make the ‘mom switch’. It was a great trip, a 2-hour drive for each girl and a 4-hour ride for me. After a week of play time with the grandkids, we were joined by my youngest daughter and her son. More playing, long walks, delicious food, and much laughter occurred before we headed back to the apartment. The cousins love each other so much, even if they only see each other a few times a year. 

Once back in central Florida, the movers packed the 28-foot trailer and set off for Maryland. We decided to take a few days to enjoy the beach before the long drive home. Airbnb’s are wonderful, but this one came with something extra. Large Florida roaches! Timing is everything. The house had its pest treatment the day before we arrived, which encouraged every roach to come out of hiding! But the house itself was wonderful. On a secluded beach, 4 bedrooms and precisely decorated.  It was the end of turtle nesting season and there were a few nests by the house that we hoped would hatch while we were there. Lights were out and nightly watches pursued, but, sadly, no turtles emerged.

I am now enjoying time at home keeping up with an amateur paleontologist who just celebrated his 5^th birthday. The newly painted white walls are scuffed and dinged. There was water damage in the kitchen, the floor needs to be replaced and basement ceiling patched. But there is room for everyone, room to go on a dinosaur hunt or plant seeds from the fruit we eat and room to have a little pre-K classroom. We are happy. It’s wonderful that we can be together during this time.

I do miss seeing my south Florida family. Like so many other families, they are figuring out how to do it all from home. Two working parents, two preschoolers and an elderly doggie. They are fortunate to have a wonderful group of friends and have formed a ‘quaranteam’. The kids get to play and learn together in a pod, and the parents get a chance to relax and help each other out. We are staying together, like many others, through the use of technology.  I hope to get down there soon to help out.

October 2020. Time for my brain scan. 

The news? All is still clean, and I am to come back in 2 years. Two years! 

Now, I rejoice in the days getting longer, even though the weather is not to my liking. But I know it’s coming. Those warm days, spring showers, trees greening and flowers blooming.