2020 Life Logs, Day 242: Day Trip to New Bedford
Date: Sunday, August 30, 2020
Weather: Mostly Sunny; High 79, Low 55 Degrees F
Location: At Home in The Cottage, Falmouth, MA
Today was spent driving to New Bedford to meet up with good friends, Detta and Tom Porat. I haven’t seen them since mid-December, so it was definitely time to find a way to see each other. Detta and Tom were in Connecticut for the weekend, so I drove north and west to New Bedford to meet them on their way home to New Hampshire. I picked up lobster rolls for lunch and had planned to meet them at Fort Rodman by the water. But when Shadow and I got there, we discovered that due to Covid-19, only New Bedford residents with a special sticker can park there. So I quickly sent them a text with a change in plans to meet in downtown New Bedford near the Whaling Museum. We didn’t have the ocean as a backdrop, but we were so busy talking that I don’t think any of us noticed. Detta teaches second grade in Bedford, New Hampshire, and has opted to do only online teaching. From her experience this spring, she knows it is much more demanding than teaching little ones in person, but for health reasons, she really doesn’t want to go back to the classroom until there is a successful vaccine. Her first day of school with students was this past Thursday and it was a riot just listening to her describe teaching on Zoom. There are barking dogs, parents doing the dishes in the background, kids screaming that they can’t find their scissors or glue, and not a thing Detta can do about that. Going to school virtually is just not easy for anyone, but it is something we have to make work for this year. I took Shadow with me and he was really a good little doggy. He loves to ride in the car, so on the way home, we took a detour and went to Costco. It was my first Costco visit since Covid. Shadow was in the car, so I went in quickly, got a few things that I can only afford when I get them at Costco, and headed home. Unfortunately, the main reason I went to was to get Shadow a good quality dog bed that I can afford, but the only ones they had were just too big. I can get one at LL Bean, but it costs four times as much. Guess I’ll just have to spring for that. I have to make an appointment for him to be neutered, thus the need for a bed on the floor. Right now he uses the sofas and my bed, but after the surgery, he will not be able to jump up. Or at least I am supposed to try and prevent it. I’m hoping a comfy bed on the floor will do the trick.
Rant. If I hear one more time that most of “Donald Trump’s America” is peaceful, I am going to have a screaming fit like those second graders who can’t find their scissors or glue sticks. Last time I checked, Donald Trump is the President of ALL OF THESE UNITED STATES. This divisiveness has to stop. He says he is asking for proper investigations. That’s a start, but that is not enough. Instead of just spouting rule of law and law and order, I’d like to hear some words of healing. It is true that we need law and order, but we need law and order for ALL. That means doing something tangible to stop police violence as well as doing something to stop violent protests. But we certainly don’t want to stop the peaceful protests until some action is taken. If we didn’t have racially targeted police violence, we wouldn’t have protests. The end.
On the positive side of life, I got a short text message from Heather saying they are really enjoying their time in Maine. Vacation is a wonderful thing!
