Z and Banjo were gone 3 weeks in November. They traveled in a rental car to visit family and friends, to spend long hours holding her almost one-year-old nephew and the weeks-old baby of her friends in Raleigh, and hours hiking the hills of NC with her friends and their dogs. I got play date reports about how Banjo played with the other dogs, packs of dogs that were up to 5 at a time, and how he behaved with, and baffled the babies. They had a splendid time, a much needed vacation that was planned as they wanted, day-by-day.
So just before they left was the last time that I posted anything, probably because their absence somehow “released me” from the structured routine of life. Instead, I spent 3 marathon weeks at work, never taking a day off, and cumulating a few crazy 15+ hour days. I needed this somehow, a fix for a workaholic, and while I’m tired, I don’t regret my time spent one bit. I found that the longer days, spent focusing on just my own needs, enabled me to think more clearly and complete some large experiments that I’ve been putting off for months. Our time apart was also time to remind me of who I am as an individual, to interact with friends and other couples as an individual, and to remind myself of the crafts and projects that I too often push aside or don’t make a priority, for any multitude of reasons.
I also played hard: went hiking with Travis and Omer to an icy mountain peak in NH, only to turn back 200 ft from the summit because there was sheer ice forming around us. I also hosted a birthday party for my fellow scorpio friend Omer, and attended soup night every Sunday night. The snow flying around us on this hike (you can barely see it) was the first and ONLY snow I've seen this fall!
We were and are thankful for so much, especially our abundance of local, organic food that went into this and every meal we make.
We also squeezed in time on Thanksgiving day to pick up our new-to-us couch and rearrange our living space accordingly. We sure love this bold addition to our space (I mean, we can now sit next to each other and watch a movie, how novel is that?) and so do our friends:
So just before they left was the last time that I posted anything, probably because their absence somehow “released me” from the structured routine of life. Instead, I spent 3 marathon weeks at work, never taking a day off, and cumulating a few crazy 15+ hour days. I needed this somehow, a fix for a workaholic, and while I’m tired, I don’t regret my time spent one bit. I found that the longer days, spent focusing on just my own needs, enabled me to think more clearly and complete some large experiments that I’ve been putting off for months. Our time apart was also time to remind me of who I am as an individual, to interact with friends and other couples as an individual, and to remind myself of the crafts and projects that I too often push aside or don’t make a priority, for any multitude of reasons.
I also played hard: went hiking with Travis and Omer to an icy mountain peak in NH, only to turn back 200 ft from the summit because there was sheer ice forming around us. I also hosted a birthday party for my fellow scorpio friend Omer, and attended soup night every Sunday night. The snow flying around us on this hike (you can barely see it) was the first and ONLY snow I've seen this fall!Z and Banjo returned the day before Thanksgiving and we've had a wonderful reunion with lots of storytelling. Thanksgiving started at 6 am with two homemade, from scratch pies: pumpkin and apple. I had to get them in and out of the oven in time for Z to get the 16 lb turkey in and then finish the other sides of bread and squash. After a full day of cooking we drove over to our friends' Tam and Tracy's house for a true feast. Banjo was thankful for turkey droppings (can you see him licking his chops in that photo?).
We were and are thankful for so much, especially our abundance of local, organic food that went into this and every meal we make.
We also squeezed in time on Thanksgiving day to pick up our new-to-us couch and rearrange our living space accordingly. We sure love this bold addition to our space (I mean, we can now sit next to each other and watch a movie, how novel is that?) and so do our friends:
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