Back in the Fall of 2019, I decided to embark on a quest to do something new every month in the year leading up to my 60th birthday. It was a great idea, and one that I’ve been committed to sticking with now that the birthday is five months behind me.

But in the midst of all the new, it just happened that not all the “new” experiences where what I’d planned. There was Covid, with all that entails. Who would have ever thought I would need a mask to leave my home? No, a global pandemic certainly wasn’t on my list. But thanks to the vaccine and time, things are getting better. This year I’ve been able to participate in a paint class, take a interior design seminar, and plant a little herb garden in a flexible planter.

I’ve also been diagnosed with breast cancer. Not what I had in mind when I said I wanted something new.

So let’s talk positives first: there is a 98% success rate with the treatment protocol we’ve chosen, so I’m positive all will be well in the end. Equally good, I get to keep my boobies! I’ve had them since I was nine years old, so I’m pretty attached to them at this point; very happy about that. The hair won’t stay with me, but luckily that’s a renewable resource. Hair grows back; boobies don’t. Ha!

For those who are curious, I have triple positive invasive ductile carcinoma. We caught it exceptionally early — only 6mm in size — despite the aggressive nature of the cancer. The mass was found during a routine mammogram, one I likely would have postponed until fall except my regular physician is also battling breast cancer, and it made me remember it had been almost two years since the last boob squishing. So very glad I got the exam when I did! This would have been a very different story if I’d waited another six months.

Oddly enough, while I’m not looking forward to the treatment, I’m very much at peace that this will all turn out well. A lumpectomy, chemo, radiation, and hormone therapy sounds daunting, but it’s a small price to pay to be around to enjoy my retirement. As much as I possibly can, I plan to continue my life as normal this next year, but travel will be limited for a while. Just another good reason to plan an epic journey when this is all behind me!

Over the next month I’ll get the lumpectomy and have a port inserted. I also plan to get a very short and sassy haircut so the hair loss won’t be such a mess. I may set up a raffle to guess what color and texture my hair will be when it returns! That could be fun. At my age, I’m betting the days of non-gray hair are over and that it will come back gray and — I hope — with a little more body. We’ll see. If I don’t like it, there’s a plethora of hair dye options. Not sure if I’m going to bother with scarves or hats or wigs during the bald stage; south Mississippi is brutally hot and humid in the summer, and I’m leaning toward investing in sunscreen for my head instead.

I’m also seriously considering a tattoo at the end of chemo to commemorate the event. Thinking of getting a Celtic heart in pink! The worst part is my doc tells me this particular type of chemo doesn’t usually make you lose weight. That is so unfair! I mean, if I have to have cancer, I should at least get to lose some weight in the process. I was counting on that chemo 25 at least. Ha!

So, dear readers, I will update you all from time to time via this blog, and would appreciate any and all recommendations of funny books to read or podcasts to listen to during my time in the chemo chair each week. We have a great library at work, and I’m currently reading the Sookie Stackhouse series. Very cute, but I read quickly so it won’t last long. No dysfunctional family stories, though! I don’t want to read anything that’s going to make me weepy or introspective. I just want to laugh.

Finally, if you are so inclined I would be most appreciative of any and all prayers, warm thoughts, and good wishes. Having been through a much, much more serious cancer diagnosis with my mom seven years ago, I have a pretty good idea of what to expect, and I’m ready for that. But I do also understand and believe in the power of prayer. We would not have Mom here today without it, and I want to harness all the power possible for a strong and full recovery.

The adventure goes one, and will continue for years to come. I have far too many “firsts” still ahead of me!

On the left, that’s Karen and I and our masterpieces at the paint studio. On the right, I’m enjoying a Strawberry Mule after a hard 30 minutes planting my herb garden.

Now that November is almost over, it’s time to end the “official” celebration and plan for the coming decade! But first, a review of the final few days of the vacation…

The last two stops on the trip were Florence, Alabama, and Franklin, Tennessee. In addition to visiting with friends in both locations, I wanted to spend some time looking around at both areas for possible retirement locations. If all goes according to plan, I should be able to join the retired in about five years am trying to figure out where I want park myself. While my current location — the Mississippi Gulf Coast — certainly has it’s charm, the heat, humidity, and hurricanes are more than I want to deal with in my golden years.

The Florence visit started with dinner, drinks, and conversation at the hotel with some college buddies. We were all in the same social club at The W — The Lancers — and have been friends for about 40 years. Saturday was spent riding around and looking at the area in and around Florence, making extremely politically incorrect jokes, and generally being silly. It was wonderful! Had a splendiferous brunch to start the day in the downtown area — so very cute! — and ended the day with a lovely Italian meal at a restaurant just a block or so away. Not sure how many miles we put on the car between those two meals, but I’m glad Regina was driving because I have no idea where all we went. Ha! I was happy to have such fun company and enjoyed catching up with my friends.

After breakfast at the hotel, I hit the road Sunday to drive the last leg of the Natchez Trace from Florence to Franklin. The trip started out well; it was cool and as usual very little traffic on the road. Was able to make one stop and got a few pictures before the rain set in, but that was it. There were several waterfall sites I was looking forward to seeing, but it was just raining too hard to be able to get out and explore. Guess that just means another trip up that way to do that exploration! But I made it to the very end of the Natchez Trace, so I accomplished the end-to-end drive!

Got to Franklin and spent the first night at a charming little guest house I found through VRBO. So cute! Met up with another college friend, Julie, and we had a very nice dinner in town then I went back to the guest house to watch a little football and relax.

Julie and I met up mid-morning Monday and first took a tour of nearby Murfreesboro. Franklin is an adorable little town, but all it took was a ride-through to realize it was out definitely out of my price range when it came to a retirement location. So we went to M-boro first, and it was adorable! We saw lots of houses near the University that we would have loved to buy and fix up. We planned renovations and new landscaping and all kinds of fun stuff. The downtown area is charming, lots of cute shops and very nice people. We had lunch at a barbeque restaurant and talked ourselves out of ice cream and pastries, though they all looked and smelled wonderful! We did make it back to Franklin and looked around there as well and made a stop for an afternoon coffee. Julie dropped me off at the hotel for the night and I spent the evening relaxing before the long drive home.

Decided to return along the conventional route, aka the Interstate system. As much as I enjoyed the drive on the Trace, I was ready to get home and sleep in my own bed and cook some food for myself. Yes, I miss my cooking when I’m away from home too long. Stopped at the Alabama Welcome Center to look at the rocket — I mean, how can you pass that up? — then just cruised on the rest of the way. Not a bad drive, got home before dark, and was able to unload and relax a little while before going to bed.

Total mileage for the trip: 1,362.7 miles on Mykos, not sure how many more on Regina and Julie’s vehicles.

I have so many more road trips in mind going forward, beginning with a Christmas visit to Joplin, Missouri to see Mom and the rest of the family there. May look around Fayetteville, Arkansas, while I’m in the area as a possible retirement locale. And, of course, once the Covid scare is over and life gets back to normal I want to get back to some of the other things I want to do, like skydiving!

I’ll put up another blog post soon with more details and pictures from along The Natchez Trace. I definitely plan to re-visit the upper end, from Florence to Franklin, and stop to see the sites I missed.

The commitment to do something “new” continues until, well, until I can’t find anything new to do. You’re never too old to try new things, go new places, and learn new things. Join me! No, seriously, join me! If you have something new you’d like to do with me, just let me know. I can’t promise to make every adventure happen, but I want to have as many as I can.

Going great, folks! Hit the Natchez Trace Tuesday morning and made several stops along the way to do a little hiking and see the sites. I’m going to have to do a post just on the trip driving the Trace later. So many pictures! So nice to tromp around in the woods again!

Stopped off in Jackson for a visit with friends that included a trip to the Art Museum and a Friendsgiving celebration on Wednesday evening! Great couple of days relaxing.

Completely forgot to take pictures of the friends, but it was a small gang of people who worked together at MSDH years ago. Always fun to see them and catch up. Such wonderful folks!

The Mississippi Museum of Art currently has an exhibit that includes Van Gogh, Monet, and Degas, three of my favorite painters. Given that this is a small museum, the exhibit had none of their more famous works and was fleshed out with other artists of that time period. Still, it was quite lovely and I found an artist of whom I was previously unaware that I really liked and want to learn more about: Berthe Morisot. Lovely work!

Rolled out of bed Thursday morning, headed to Fulton to visit with family. A quick drive through Krispy Kreme was necessary to spur me on my way! The drive from Jackson to Tupelo was a little sad because of all the tornado damage along the way. When I got to Tupelo, I rolled off the trace in search of a signal for my phone to plug in the address to my counsin’s house. I drove all over Tupelo with the firm belief that the signal would magically appear. Alas, it did not. I finally pulled over and completely turned my phone off and back on. Then it did magically appear. Ha! Not sure what happened, but I did finally make it to the relatives’ lovely lake home outside of Fulton and we had a grand visit. Been quite some time since I’ve seen those family members; too long! Will definitely not wait that long again.

The drive today from Tupelo to Florence, Alabama, was very nice. Took a couple of short hikes along the way and saw some beautiful sites that I want to revisit in the spring. As I was leaving the last trail, another hiker — a lady about my age — was setting out to hike it herself. We talked briefly, and as we were parting she rapped a Happy Birthday song, just for me! It was hilarious, but I cannot remember it now to save my life. You meet fun people everywhere if you just take the time!

Now I’m at a nice hotel, waiting for my buddies to show up and for us to begin terrorizing the town and celebrating my birthday even more. Can’t wait!

Yesterday was the big day: I’m finally 60! Doesn’t seem possible that I’m now officially in the “60 and over” age bracket, but there it is. So far, so good.

The celebration actually started earlier than expected when my staff gifted me with an early present of chocolate, glasses, and peanut butter whiskey! Seriously, I don’t know which I’m most excited about. Okay, we all know it’s the whiskey. But then Friday brought a huge bunch of balloons, lunch with work friends and dinner with another group of friends! Had an especially lovely dinner: grilled oysters three ways and a nice, chewy dark beer. Yum!

Saturday was a rest day, but the actual birthday — on Sunday — featured the usual 9:30 a.m. call with my Mom. She always calls my brother and I at the time we were born. Lovely chat with her, then on to lunch with a lifelong friend. We had fried shrimp on the deck, overlooking the Gulf of Mexico in about 82 degree weather with a brisk breeze. Lovely! The staff sang happy birthday and gifted me with a large helping of bread pudding. Double yum! We did a little shopping at an antique store to walk off the meal, then home to prepare for the birthday road trip! Oh, and fielded a few more calls and kept up with Facebook posts. Birthdays are fun on Facebook!

Then this morning I packed and got my stuff together for a much anticipated road trip to kick off being 60! Earlier in the year, prior to Covid and the world losing it’s collective mind, I was planning a “big” trip somewhere, possibly out of the country. As it became clear that wouldn’t be a great idea, I scaled back and have embarked on a drive the length of the Natchez Trace with stops along the way to look at landmarks and take in the scenery as well as visit with friends and family.

Today’s stop: Natchez! Yes, I’ve been here before and got here a little later than I planned today. But I took a little walk along the river then made a foray for dinner. The plan was for tamales at Fat Mama’s, home of the Knock You Naked Margarita. Unfortunately, they were out of tamales! Seriously? How do you run out of tamales when that is your signature dish? So I punted, and came back to a little barbeque place and had pulled pork instead.

Now I’m hanging out in my hotel room watching Monday Night Football and pulling for the Vikings. If they win, I’m 9-5 with my picks this week and will keep my average this year to about 67.5%. Have not been able to get the hang of picking the spread yet, but I do pretty well with picking winners.

Hitting the road tomorrow for more adventures…

This Year of Being 59 has not been what I’ve planned. But it has been memorable. While I’ve missed out on a few trips and a planned reunion with some public health friends, I’ve also had some wonderful experiences and tried a lot of new things. I mean, I flew a plane for heaven’s sake! Took a wonderful (though slightly curtailed) trip to Breckenridge, my first vacay in snow. But the last two months? Let’s see…

I had signed up to do a Habitat for Humanity Women Who Build which, of course, Covid ruined. The house is being built, though, and I was at least able to go write my name on the studs (boards, not the men putting the house up) and generally support the cause. That was a new effort for me and a worthwhile cause.

Took a much-needed trip to Destin in October with my life-long friend Karen. Not the first time I’ve been to Destin, but it was a place I’ve never stayed before and I haven’t been in quite some time. We also visited another friend, another Karen and her husband Tom. Never fear: though they are both Karens, neither is a stereotypical “Karen” that is often used as a pejorative these days. The trip was great, except the water wasn’t the usual beautiful aqua color it usually is because of all the hurricane activity. But it was still a great getaway and very relaxing.

Speaking of hurricanes, will this season PLEASE end? I’ve lost count of how many times we’ve closed down, battened the hatches, and prepared this year. We finally got our direct hit this past weekend with Hurricane Zeta. She made landfall at nearly a Category 3, so lots of damage out there and at this writing still have friends without power and some without water. I came through with barely a scratch, thank goodness. But I do not take that luck for granted. Now there’s another one out there making noise, Hurricane Eta. Right now, it looks to be scheduled to harangue Central America and Mexico, but it if holds together and gets back into the Gulf of Mexico, who knows?

Also had a lovely and quick visit with my friend Lynn in Jackson when I drove up for the day and my semi-annual hair tune-up the first week in October. Yes, twice a year I get my hairs cut and highlights put in; don’t hate me because I’m low maintenance! Ha! We ate a new place in the Fondren area and had a great time catching up. Also had a surprise visit with a couple of other college friends, Shelly and Molly, mid-month. I was introduced to peanut butter whiskey and I am going to start touring liquor stores in search of a bottle for the Birthday coming up in a couple of weeks. Seriously folks: nectar of the gods good! Oh, and the visit with the girls was awesome as well. Always good for my soul to spend time with college friends!

Which leads us to food, and there have been a couple of adventures there as well. Experimenting with a little gluten free cooking, just to see if I can make it work. Have several work friends who have gluten issues, and trying to figure out what I can cook for them. The first attempt was a recipe tweaking to make a lime cheesecake with a macadamia nut and coconut crust. Really, really good! Will definitely add that to my repertoire of cheesecakes! Then during this hurricane break I experimented with gluten free crispy sweet potato fries (moderately successful) and gluten free coconut fried shrimp (successful but still needs tweaking). I also finally took a stab at making a coconut dipping sauce, which was quite successful but still needs tweaking. There is a restaurant in Augusta — The Whiskey Bar — that has a heavenly coconut sauce and this was my attempt at making it. Used coconut milk and sour cream, but it needs more sour cream to get the consistency right. And I think I want to use Greek yogurt next time, to see if that makes it work better. Anyway, new adventures in the kitchen are always welcome!

Sadly, there was also a devastating loss this month. A dear college friend (who was always very private and shall remain nameless here out of respect) passed away after a more than four-year battle with cancer. We were Lancer pledges together at MUW in the Fall of 1978, and she’s been a dear friend since then. I was struck by the consistency in the tributes and comments regarding her life that I saw posted in various social media. Almost every one of them said she was one of the kindest, sweetest people they had every met. What a lovely legacy, and so fitting! She was so much more than that as well: strong, smart, brave, reliable, and constant. And we had a lot of fun together, and some very good times. Her memorial service is Saturday, and I’ll be there to pay my respects. Rest in Peace, dear friend. You are missed and you are loved!

Finally, Birthday Week coming up in a couple of weeks and I have a plan! No, not going to an exotic locale because, let’s face it, travel out of the country is a little weird these days. Not sure yet what I’ll do on my actual “day,” which is a Sunday, but I’m taking the following week off from work and driving the Natchez Trace start to finish! I’ve always wanted to do that. Oh, I’ve been on most of it from Natchez to Tupelo many times. But never that last leg from Tupelo to Nashville, and there are lots of sights along the way I’ve never stopped to see because I was on a schedule. So, stay tuned for more updates during that week as I begin the Decade of Being (gulp!) 60!

The adventure continues…

The “thing” I’ve been hinting about happened this month! After 35 years in one house and almost 60 years in one town, Mom packed up, picked up, and moved to Missouri to be closer to my brother and his family. I’ve spent extra time with her this summer, helping her go through things and pack up, throw away, and organize for the move. While it took longer than we anticipated to get the house sale finalized, it did finally go through and we were ready to go when it did.

I enjoyed our extra time together this summer getting things ready for her to move. We found a lot of older pictures and were able to have conversations about family and earlier times that we may not have had otherwise. I’m thrilled to get her into a smaller place, something she can manage more easily and not have to worry about maintenance. She made sure to make me a lemon icebox pie (my favorite) and homemade “Momma” biscuits a few times, which should tide me over until I make a visit to see her. She’s already had requests for more biscuits and chicken and dumplings from the Missouri contingency, and I know that makes her happy.

Packing up your parents and moving them to a smaller, safer place is part of the normal life cycle. There comes a time when most people need a little more help or at least someone to be available to check on them more regularly. Mom and I talked every day, sometimes multiple times a day, but it wasn’t the same as being there. The isolation of the last few months due to Covid made her realize she needed “more” to her life, and she really wanted to be around more family and especially the great-granddaughters. So she’s gone to Missouri, and seems to be settling in beautifully. My brother and his family pulled out all the stops welcoming her and getting her set up in her new place.

So, as we go forward and get nearer to the “big” day, my plans for the year have taken some very unexpected turns, but it’s still been filled with lots of new experiences. Not sure what I’ll do in September, but at least things are opening back up again and there are opportunities. October and November are both travel-based adventures, and that ends the Year of Being 59. But I’ve decided the adventure doesn’t stop there, only the title. I’m exercising more, eating more healthfully, and doing what I can to keep healthy as I age. Hell, I even ordered some new contraption that is supposed to help me stretch and stay limber. Being flexible and keeping your balance is a very important part of aging well, and I intend to keep going as long as I can!

Which leads me to a closing thought: why don’t you join me? Leave a note in the blog below about your new adventures, and maybe we can share adventures as we go forward. What was it they called the 1920s? The Roaring Twenties! Let’s make the 20s Roar again!

June and July: Where did you go? When I made the pledge to spend the year having new experiences, I swear this wasn’t what I had in mind. The Days of Rona are not my fault. I promise!

I’ve been racking my brain the last couple of months to figure out something “new” I could do that was fun and interesting. Of course, it’s pretty darn near impossible to top flying a plane in May! But the summer months have been bereft of new adventures. Could be the heat, could be the fact that people are huddling up in their Hobbit Holes waiting for the Rona to pass. Or I could just be a little stressed. Regardless, when you look at it, so much of the last few months has been a new experience. So here are a few new experiences these last couple of months:

The whole mask thing. I won’t argue the merits for or against here, but I think we all can agree we’ll be glad when we don’t have to wear them anymore. Seriously, I never thought I would wear a face covering on a regular basis. I tried some of those flimsy blue ones for a while, but they were basically just trash; didn’t last very long. Then I made a couple of basic masks out of some scrap material. Still have those, but not wearing them much. Broke down and bought one with our school logo last week, and so far that’s working out fairly well. Then today we were given our “ration” of cotton masks, made from — well — tighty-whities by the looks of them. Everyone at work received a pack of five, and they are white cotton and look like the equivalent of underwear for your face. One person received her ration early and she’s already bedazzled hers. I may try a little tie-dye or embroidery to liven mine up. They’re washable, which is great. And may last through the duration of this plague. Maybe that’s my August newbie: decorating the masks!

Actual human contact, even in the midst of The Rona. While my practically non-existent social life continues on life support, I have had a few unexpected surprises these last couple of months. Mom and I re-connected with a cousin’s daughter via Facebook a few months ago, but finally were able to get together for a visit in late June. I had not seen her since she was very small child; she’s now a mother to many and just delightful! Also an awesome baker, and she made us a heavenly chocolate cake! It’s not often someone bakes for me, so it was quite a treat. A friend from grad school was in town on business, and I met up with her and another friend of hers — a new person for me to meet — for dinner and adult beverages. We entertained the bartender and had a lovely evening all around. I also was able to get a visit in with a former college roommate and her husband over yet another dinner, also a lovely evening. In all cases, we discussed everything from the mundane to world events and decided everything would be much better if they’d just let us be in charge for a while.

Then there was the fireworks debacle. Went to the beach with yet another friend and some of her family to watch fireworks on July 4th. Some random rude dude set up behind us with quite the array of what we could only assume were military-grade fireworks and it was not a happy result. When asked politely to move, he responded by proving his IQ was slightly lower than his neck size. So we moved over a little to get out of the way, but before the night was over — you guessed it — one of those rocket towers misfired and shot a few flaming fireballs into our little group. Injuries were minor, but since small children were part of our group we were less than complimentary of his fireworks display and frankly his entire lineage. At one point he tried to claim he was a lawyer, but the t-shirt that didn’t quite meet the waistband of his somewhat stained and tattered jeans and stretched over what was an impressive beer belly was not what one would expect from an esteemed barrister hanging out on the beach. Accompanied as it was with a vocabulary that appeared to be learned primarily from watching episodes of Duck Dynasty and the Jerry Springer Show, I believe he was being less than truthful. Oh, I’ve been hit with fireworks before. There were the Great Bottle Rocket Wars staged in the pasture at the house where I grew up. And who among us has not held on to a sparkler just a little too long while running gleefully through the yard waving it proudly? But the surprise blazing ball of fire to the back of the thigh was definitely a new experience.

Mom’s incredible checkup. On June 18, five years to the day from her first “all clear” cancer check-up, we had our last visit with her oncologist! While we love him and his staff, we are simply thrilled to never go back. In May of 2014 she was diagnosed with squamous cell carcinoma; it was a grapefruit-sized tumor on her right lung and wrapped around her vena cava. The original diagnosis was six weeks to three months with treatment, and three to six months with treatment. We were told to get all her affairs in order and prepare. Well, obviously God had other plans and she’s still here and cancer-free for five years. Even the doc says she’s a miracle.

While there is another “new” thing going on right now, that will have to wait til the August report. It’s an ongoing project helping my Mom with something, and will report more soon. In the meantime, it’s been fun spending some extra time with her and trying to make her life a little easier. Of course, there are TONS of new issues at work revolving around Rona, but everyone is dealing with that so it doesn’t really count. I’m keeping busy trying to cook healthy meals and keep busy. Plans for my 60th Birthday trip remain fluid but considering driving the length of the Natchez Trace and stopping off along the way to visit with friends and family.

So, until next time stay tuned!

Y’all, I did a THING today! I flew a damn airplane! Okay, so we weren’t really at 30,000 feet and it was a little Cessna, not a jet screaming through the sky. But still, it was a plane and I flew it! Count my new thing for May in the books and awesome!

I love the sensation of flying. Heck, when I was little I was convinced I COULD fly, and somehow have memories of floating along the ceiling in the hallway of our house. Out of body experience? Maybe. But being high above the rest of the world is just awesome. My Uncle Wade was a crop duster at one time, and I remember him taking me up in the plane and buzzing my grandmother’s house; I loved it! During college days, my pilot friend Steve took me and his girlfriend (later his wife) to the Air Force base and let us take a ride in a T-37 simulator.

But today — I flew the plane! Yay! Okay, so the flight instructor was with me the whole time and taking care of all the little buttons and knobs and radio stuff. But he let me taxi, take off, fly, and land. I didn’t park the plan when we got back because it was a tight squeeze to get in and while I think I did pretty well I wasn’t quite ready for that.

We flew from Gulfport (at the lovely Million Air facility) down to the beach and along the shore to Deer Island. If you were driving a boat back to shore near the Ocean Springs Bridge around 4 p.m. on May 31, that was me in the plane above you, the one that was likely a little more unsteady than usual. If you were on the beach wondering if that little plane was going to stay up, that was me. It might not have been pretty, but I was still up in the air! I don’t think I stopped grinning from the time we got in the plane until, well, I haven’t stopped yet.

A HUGE, enormous thank you and sloppy wet kisses to Tina and Mike who so graciously gifted me this experience! I can’t thank you enough. I owe you mountains of baked goods when next we see each other! Troy with Apollo Flight Training was a great instructor, and amazingly calm throughout the experience. He said I did great, then said he sensed no fear at all. Hmmm… you pilot types will have to tell me if that’s a compliment or simply relief on his part that he was firmly back on the ground. Ha!

A few pictures from the adventure are below. I probably should have taken more, but I was having so much fun I didn’t want to lose a minute of the experience. Came home and made a celebratory meal, Creamy Tuscan Chicken Thighs (also pictured) and am having a hard seltzer to wash it down. Definitely a banner day in the quest to make the Year of Being 59 a memorable one.

As we close, let me just say this has been a crazy few months. We’re back at work, but without students on campus, which is so weird. It seems our country and indeed the world is in a huge upheaval these days, and I wish I knew how the situation would resolve itself. But through it all, let’s all please remember the good days and the good people in our lives. Bad times will come, horrible things will happen, but life goes on and the best we can do is strive to do a little better each day. When I say my prayers at night, I always ask God to help me be a better person. I’m not where I want to be yet, but I’m trying. This year is turning out to be much more than I had anticipated when this quest began.

My pledge to have at least one new experience every month during this year did NOT originally include living through a pandemic. But you know what they say about plans.

Since returning from the trip to Colorado in mid-March I have been stuck at home, working remotely and hoping for a swift end to the scourge of COVID-19. This has truly been an unprecedented time. The number of people who have lost their lives or had their health permanently damaged through this is truly tragic. The number of people who have had their lives turned upside down and had all they’ve worked for put in jeopardy and perhaps lost due to the economic consequences is equally tragic. No political commentary here, beyond wishing that everyone would stop with the blame game and just work to find solutions, and that’s true for people on the right and the left. I see very few pure motives among any of our national leaders, only struggles for power in one way or another. Not surprising, but disheartening.

On a slightly lighter note, other than attending to work as best I can from home, I’ve been resting and trying to get a few things done. Potted my herbs and a few other plants for the summer, cooked some very good meals, cleaned my living space a little, and put in quite a few miles on the exercise bike. The weather in Mississippi is usually the best in April and May, so I’ve also been able to get out and take a few nice, long walks as well. Have noticed many more people doing the same, taking advantage of time at home to slow down and spend some time together as families. Perhaps that’s the hidden gem in the midst of this. People realize they actually can cook, and spend time together, perhaps even have conversations outside of what they can find on a computer program or video game. I’ve also had video chats with a few friends and had a great time! We’ve all vowed to do it more often, but we’ll see how quickly we get back into our routines when this is all over. I hope we all let ourselves relax a little on the back side.

Of course, I’ve also spent a fair amount of time binge-watching various programs and playing ridiculous games on Facebook, also working on a few craft projects. Finally had to succumb to buying a pair of reading glasses to help with the cross-stitch. They’re the weakest glasses available, but still a little too strong so I can’t wear them for long. But now that I have them I can get back to the project I had to put aside and get it finished. Cross-stitching is a great summer hobby when it’s 98 degrees outside and 85% humidity! You walk outside and literally start melting, so finding something to do inside is necessary. I’ve been reading a lot this past year, but am willing to cut back on that a little and spend more time making things. Perhaps I’ll start a quilt again; haven’t done that in a while. Had big plans earlier to do one, but in the end the material and the plan weren’t compatible and I haven’t been able to come up with another idea yet.

So, it’s back to the office tomorrow and while it’s only one small section of the world, it is at least a piece of the puzzle. We’ll see how soon the world returns to some semblance of normalcy. Beyond our presence, our campus is closed to the public, so I’ve ironed my bandanas and am prepared to mask up and do my part. Thought about getting some water pistols and filling them with jelly, since I’m going to look like I’m robbing a bank, but decided that probably wouldn’t be the wisest career choice.

I hope all who read this are healthy and safe and enjoying the time with your families. Hold the people you love closely in your heart if you are unable to be with them physically. Let’s pledge to come out on the other side as better people, and be a little more appreciative of our blessings.

When I said “new experiences” were the norm for this year, I really didn’t intend for one of those experiences to be a pandemic. So sorry, folks! Let’s take a break from that and think about a few more pleasant things.

A long-awaited trip to see my cousin in Breckenridge was the highlight of the month, and it did not disappoint! I’ve always been a beach baby when it comes to vacations, so intentionally traveling to snow and cold was a very new thing for me. It will not be my last. We cut our visit a couple of days short due to the aforementioned pandemic situation, but were still able to get in a couple of shopping trips through Breckenridge and Frisco, some excellent meals, a gondola ride up to the slopes, a morning trek on snowmobiles, and — of course — the requisite bottle of wine in the hot tub while looking out on snow clad mountains. Two main takeaways: the scenery is beautiful no matter where you look and 30 degree weather there is very different from 30 degree weather in Mississippi!

My cousin and I had a wonderful visit, and that was obviously the best part of the trip; family time is the best! The “foodie” side of me was happy with some of the new dishes we tried and have even worked on recreating some of them since I got home. Had not cooked with truffle oil or Thai chili sauce before, but invested in both as soon as I got back and have used them with great success. Funny, I didn’t have a hard time finding truffle oil when I got back to depleted grocery stores; guess it’s not a big hoarding item. Ha! Take a look below at some of the things we did and saw on the trip.

Pictures above: My cousin and I visit the local troll; he was nice but a bit wooden 🙂 Breckenridge at night, one of our views on the epic snowmobile ride and us on our trusty steeds, and a view of Swan River, frozen over for the winter.

Truly beautiful views every which way you looked! I really hated to leave, but we needed to get back to the real world with everything going on with the coronavirus issue. Yet another “new” thing: a pandemic. Not what I was wishing for, but it’s what we’ve got. Stopped at the grocery store on the way home to pick up some veggies, of which there were plenty, and was thrilled I had enough toilet paper to get through at least a couple of months. Will never understand the run on TP. I mean, what is that? I don’t know any one who admits to hoarding and yet there is no TP to be found on the shelves, so someone is doing it. No cure for stupidity, I guess.

Like many others I’m working at home for now, doing what I can to continue warping the minds of America’s youth but doing it digitally now. Well, that’s not quite true. I don’t actually teach classes anymore, but I do manage folks who do teach, so I have some peripheral influence, at least. I’ve lived alone for many years, so the time alone isn’t a problem, but I do miss the occasional get together with friends.

Stay safe, my friends, and keep those safe physical distances from each other and stay at home as much as you can. This too shall pass and we’ll all get back to new adventures soon!