2020 Life Logs, Day 118: Something’s Gotta Give
Date: Monday, April 27, 2020
Weather: Overcast, Misty, Windy; High 45 degrees, Low 36 degrees F
Location: At Home in The Cottage, East Falmouth, MA
Today I kept hearing Frank Sinatra singing in my head, “Something’s gotta give, something’s gotta give, something’s gotta give.” The weather has been miserable and I see no end to this slow cooker environment we have all been living in for the past six weeks. I have had it easy as I have been able to see my family. But most people have not and I know that is so hard. Regardless, this is not the time to let up. For me, the thing that has to give is my vision of how things should be. Maybe that has already happened as I find it hard to even think beyond today . . . therefore, no vision of how things should be. I have lost any vision for the future. But I heard an interview with Al Gore tonight that gave me hope for the future. He painted a picture of the possibility of an almost immediate future that looks very different from the past. He talked about the connections between the coronavirus pandemic and climate change and thinks we must come out the other side of this pandemic with drastically different energy policies. He thinks it is perfect opportunity to go totally green and leave fossil fuels behind. He also expressed his hope that all Americans will come together in November to make a change in who is leading our country in these very difficult times. He basically said this is not a partisan hope; it is our only hope. I couldn’t agree more.
I was much relieved this morning to get a text from Sam on Windbird saying they had stayed in the Intracoastal Waterway instead of going off-shore around Cape Hatteras. They are going to slow down and spend time in the waterways in North Carolina before heading further north. Before the end of May, they need to get Windbird to New York City where they will live aboard for the next year or so. But as Sam pointed out in his message to me, he probably won’t be doing a lot of flying, so no big hurry. I also heard more from my daughter-in-law Jo. She found a way to send me the video of her garden via WhatsApp. When I was last there in March of 2017 after Hurricane Maria, Jo had just started gardening on the hillside beside their home and the garden was in the shape of a heart. She has expanded and expanded and now has a lush hillside garden. 
It is beautiful and will soon start providing them with lots of fresh veggies. This morning, I was able to get seeds that Jo needs to expand the garden. She was shocked that I could get seeds here as there are none in Puerto Rico. I reminded her that it has been so cold here that no one is thinking about planting anything quite yet. Once the weather warms up, I’m sure the seeds will quickly disappear, so this morning I bought what I think I need as well. I went to the local hardware store where I could see the seed rack while still standing outside. I knew the seed rack’s location and most of its content as I had gone there in early March just before the lockdown to buy seeds. I talked to the clerk on my phone telling him which seed packets I wanted. He then checked me out via phone and brought the bag of seeds to my car. I did have to go in the Post Office to send the seeds, but I was very careful. And it warmed my heart to think that I could contribute to the garden at Finca Maravilla that will feed Justin, Jo, Ziggy, and Coco.
Back to “something’s gotta give”—this weather is absolutely miserable, and it needs to give. It was misty most of the day and very windy. When I took Shadow out for a walk early this morning, I had on my winter coat and hat, but I had put my winter gloves away thinking they were no longer needed. Before my afternoon walk, those gloves came out and helped a bit. But Shadow got soaking wet on both walks and I’m sure he was freezing as well. Tomorrow looks a little sunnier but still windy. But Wednesday looks good before more rain on Thursday. So I’m going to plan a mid-week weather celebration.
