A Little Hooky Never Killed Anyone

A week to go and my home really does look like I’m moving.  The walls are bare and the bookcases are empty.  Appointments have been scheduled and the money orders for the movers and new apartment are ready. And I’ve been playing hooky!

One of my favorite shows this season is Marvel’s Agents of Shield. I’ve never been a comic book reader and I don’t really know who all the super heroes are and their backgrounds but for some reason this show has drawn me in.  The twists and turns have been a bit confusing sometimes and I’m really lucky my next door neighbor is a Marvel junkie and has been around to fill in the blanks. So because of the direction the show has headed, last Tuesday morning I went to the movies by myself to see Captain America: The Winter Soldier. I’m now addicted.

To take little breaks from the physicality of moving and the achy body parts, I’ve now been watching Marvel movies.  My Amazon prime account has given me Captain America, Iron Man 1 and 2, Thor and The Avengers.  Iron Man 3 and Thor await.  I’m now much more invested in the characters than I was before and I’m thankful Jack’s been around to guide me.  Thank goodness for text messaging and Facebook so Jack and I can continue to share these adventures together. (And he can explain the parts I don’t understand!)

My other escape has been Diana Gabaldon’s Outlander series.  From Scotland (where I visited in 2012) to North Carolina (where I move to in a week) I’ve followed Jamie and Claire on their grand adventures. Four books read and four more to go.  I’m hoping to find Fraser’s Ridge once I settle in NC. It’s always fun to be able to see a location described in such detail in a book in person.  I understand they still have “gatherings” in NC. Maybe I will be fortunate enough to attend one. I can wear my Gunn clan tartan and pin!!

With not many days left before I say good bye to New England, I drove about two hours north this morning and spent the day at Old Sturbridge Village in Sturbridge, Massachusetts.  Old Sturbridge Village (OSV) is a living museum, which re-creates life in rural New England during the 1790s through 1830s. I met an old friend from high school and we had a wonderful day walking around the village and catching up on one another’s lives.  The weather was absolutely beautiful and it really was one of the best days I’ve had in a long time. Thanks Billy. You’re always in my heart!

Now reality is setting in. The time for movies and books and long walks is passing. Salvation Army will be here in two days to take away my mattresses and the computer needs to be packed away.  The cats need a visit to the vet and my freezer needs to be emptied. 

There isn’t much time left for playing hooky. My future is almost here…

One More Time...

Memory is a way of holding onto the things you love, the things you are, the things you never want to lose. ~From the television show The Wonder Years

The clock is ticking down and I’m about two weeks away from my move to Charlotte, NC. I still have lots of packing to do, things to sort and throw out or give away and the massive organization of paperwork. I’ve confirmed the auto and renter’s insurance, signed up with Duke Electric (yes, I know…) and received a great deal for moving my AT&T Uverse. But there are still some personal things I need to do.

Other than a couple of years here and there, I’ve lived in the same small town since 1965. I went to kindergarten with many of the same kids I graduated from high school with. My 20 year old daughter attended these same schools and even had some of the same teachers.  Even though I wasn’t born in Bethel, my roots are here. The memories are here. My childhood and that of my daughter’s has evolved around this small town. Now, it’s time to start saying goodbye.

I’ve taken my car to the dealership for an oil change and brakes and thanked the service techs for their care of my vehicles for the last 20 years. I’ve stopped in at the bank I’ve used since I was 16 years old and talked about my accounts with the women I’ve known forever. I’ve returned those library books to the building I’ve been going to since I was four.  I got my hair cut and said goodbye to the woman who has shared my journey of discovery these past few years.

I drive down a road and wonder if I will make it over here again before I leave. The apple orchard is closed for the season but I remember the Apple Blossom Festival, hay rides, apple picking and cider donuts. I drive by Parloa Park and think about the old double slide and swings. And I recall Meckauer Park where I learned to swim. I’m so lucky I have such great memories to take with me.

And then I wonder: Will the Creamery be open for ice cream before I head out? Do they have a Trader Joe’s in Charlotte or do I stock up on sesame sticks? Will chocolate lace travel well or maybe my mom can just ship me some.

 

Instead of using the words “last time”, I’ve decided to use the words “one more”. On Saturday, I had “one more” lunch with my mother at the old fashioned drive-in restaurant for a burger and chocolate malted before I move. On Thursday, I had “one more” dinner with my carpool and drinking buddy from high school. Last night, some of us from BHS had drinks together “one more” time. I have lunch plans for today and next week. Dinner with the women in my family will be next Saturday night.

And then there are those people who I see and we say to one another, “Let’s get drinks before you leave.”  I know it won’t happen and I may never see those people again. I’m the one changing my life and leaving this small town.  They are still here and going about their lives. And that’s okay. They are content and I wasn’t. They are comfortable and I want to mix things up. Their life journey has them staying in Bethel right now. My life journey has me hitting the road.

But first my daughter has to come home, one more time…