I’m a planner. I always have one eye to the future. The next vacation, next time we see the girls, next holiday. Preparing, shopping, packing. This week time stopped and filled itself up with snow. At first, it was 32 inches – then a two-day breather followed by 16 more inches. The federal government is now closed for the fourth day. And the highway connecting our mountain road to the rest of the world is also closed. Here we are.
At first I felt restless and was glued to the local news channel waiting to hear what? That there was no school anywhere and even Starbucks was closed? Gradually, I began to use the time to relax and do some fun stuff.
The first thing was to cook. I had bought some eggplant and tried some Italian cooking, turning it into Eggplant Parmesan with tomatoes and some leftover mozzarella. Then I baked a batch of chocolate chip/peanut butter chip/walnut cookies and an oatmeal apple crisp. Having just seen Julie and Julia, I was inspired to order Mastering the Art of French Cooking which is sure to come in the mail as soon as we start having mail again. During our next record-breaking blizzard I will serve Boeuf Bourguignon. I asked Paul why I cooked so seldom in Arizona, and he suggested that my kitchen island has made the difference. It’s true. Cooking is like a dance from one spot to another and here the distances and resulting tempo are perfect.
In the afternoons, we have been watching TCM and discovered some treasures from the 1940s from Cover Girl to Kiss of Death. At odd times we can find Law and Order episodes, seen and unseen, and marvel as the channel guide goes by with promos for shows like Biggest Loser and Real Housewives of wherever. Who watches those?
Paul is reading two or three books about Italian sculpture and Abraham Lincoln…the usual suspects. I’m just starting The Given Day at Diana’s recommendation and actually getting through last week’s New Yorker.
I played a little piano on Sunday and Monday but am ready to really tackle something today – something I haven’t played before to get into learning mode. Maybe a jazz tune.
This must be what retirement feels like. Filling time with things you enjoy and having lots of time to relax and do nothing if that’s what you feel like.
For the record, I’m not ready. I need to be out there doing my sometimes challenging, sometimes maddening bureaucratic thing, connecting to healthcare systems and hoping to make things better. I need to do it at least a few days a week. Moving forward. Into the future.
Making something happen with all this time.
