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| Catman reading, Biscuit pretending to listen |
April – besides being my birthday month, and this year, a
month when I’m going to have a 30-day vacation, want it or not – is also the
month of the 5 Colleges Booksale, to which the Sailor and I go with a surprisingly
small amount of money each and with a backpack or two and some large canvas
bags, which we then fill with dozens of used books that will keep us both
happily reading for the next year – or so. We then go eat Chinese food – which
neither of our spouses particulary cares for – and finally, we go to a lovely
small bookstore, in order to soak up atmosphere, remind ourselves what a
treasure trove the Booksale is, spend my birthday month discount that the store
gives out, stock up on several new books we can’t wait to read until they might
appear in the used book sale in some future year, and then we go home
completely sated, relaxed and recharged. We really, really look forward to it.
This year, however, the author of the months-long vacation
we’re all taking is also not allowing the Booksale. And the restaurants are
closed except for take-out. And the book stores are closed. And it looks and
feels like November outside. At this very moment, there’s a big wind,
rain/sleet pouring down, and it’s really cold. The woodstove isn’t quite
keeping up, and, no, still no working furnace at Deb’s house!
A month ago or so I was longing for time off. I’ve always
thought that we should be more like the Europeans, who regularly take a month
of vacation at a time because they understand that that’s really the minimal
time one needs to truly relax and recharge. I had a list in my head of a whole
bunch of things I wanted to do around the house – that weren’t chores – if I
could only take a whole month off. It sounded like a glorious , wondrous, never-will-happen
dream. Now many of us are getting that superb vacation whether we want it or
not, thank you, pandemic. Do you think I can remember what was on that glorious
mental list of things I really, really wanted to do? Not a bit of it.
The Booksale was supposed to happen on my birthday this
year, dammit!
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| A past birthday trip to Montreal; this is The Husband trying to look French |
They say they’re going to try to do an on-line 5 Colleges
Booksale this year. Maybe it’ll be great! It won’t be the same – no crowds or
lines or people to reach past, strangers to bump into, friends to wave at
across a packed gymnasium. No hauling heavy bags of books across the parking
lot to the car in the rain. No getting up at some ungodly hour to get there
early so we can get a chance at all the stuff we want but don’t know we do
until we see it. I won’t miss that part. But – but- but- Well, no way to know until it happens. Or it
doesn’t. Maybe an on-line Booksale will be great.
I have only five books left unread from the last two Booksales.
Two I’ve started to read; one of the remaining three is a compendium of three
books in a series, which I’m purposely
saving for a time I’m feeling down because they’re novels by Miss Read, in
which nothing really happens, but that always make me feel happy; and one I
haven’t started because – well, all the others I bought at the sales have
seemed more likely to be entertaining than that particular one; and the last is
still unread because it’s a kinda fancy book in a slip-sleeve box, so I’m
saving it for last.
Knowing I was down to my last five Booksale books and
guessing that the Sale wouldn’t happen this year, I started to panic a little bit. It’s too early to plant the
garden – what am I going to do with myself? The only thing on my mental list of
things I really wanted time to do, that I can actually remember, was to have
some days – several days – when I could do nothing but sit and read, the
ultimate in luxurious leisure time, because there’s always too much to do that really,
really needs doing, so rarely can take the time to do something I just want to
do that isn’t in some obvious way productive.
I started to panic because, even though I don’t usually have
time to read, I’m always reading. That’s what your other hand is for when
you’re brushing your teeth: to hold the book you’re reading. It’s what one does
while eating breakfast; while waiting in any kind of line; before turning the
lights out at night, before getting out of bed in the morning. I always have a
book in the car in case it breaks down and I need to wait to be rescued. I
always have a book in the clinic because some days I can read while my patients
rest. The only place I go without a book is out to the garden.
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| October Chinese Garden lights in the Botanical Garden a couple of years ago |
I currently have four books and three magazines in progress,
and one more audio book that’s read to me while I drive, which currently comes
via the magic of computer technology from the State Library – not a physical
object, but a digital download, so it doesn’t matter that the libraries are not
lending books at the moment. Digital downloaded books are available – you don’t
touch them, and can’t cough on them!
So because I was starting to panic, I decided to count the
books piled up next to the bed which aren’t Booksale books but are waiting to
be read. There are 28; I think I won’t starve for awhile. There are also a
handful of the Husband’s books I’m interested enough in that I could read them
if I get desperate; and as I also have, literally, hundreds of books in the
house, I could probably find a few I wouldn’t mind re-reading, and some more I
probably haven’t read. And I could borrow some from The Sailor, if need be.
Phew – I’ll probably make it through the stay-at-home orders
with sanity intact. Now, if I could only remember what else was on that mental
list of vacation stuff-to-do. I’m pretty sure it didn’t include washing the
floors, hemming the pants, or hoeing out the pantry.
For the blog, 2 April
2020: herondragonwrites.blogspot.com
Update for my
patients: my office will be closed until at least 5 May, possibly later, depending
on how effective our staying-at-home proves to be. I am making exceptions for
patients who are in pain who are also exhibiting no signs of pathogenic
symptoms. If you need a treatment, you can call me or send email to taichideb@tds.net and we’ll arrange a time on a Monday or
Wednesday in my White River Jct office, to avoid overlapping patients with the
chiropractic patients who are there other days.
I am also filling herb orders by mail, so call or email if you need
something.
Stay healthy and safe;
wash your hands ‘til the skin turns dry and falls off, stay home and don’t go
out to do anything fun unless it involves a picnic you made yourself and the
people you live with – or your dogs, who will always be willing to go - and you’re
going someplace where other people aren’t, or you can stay far enough away from
those who are there to avoid contaminating each other.
And if you get sick, don’t panic before you need to –
chances are you’ve only caught one of the other flus or upper respiratory
viruses that have been going around and still are going around, but be safe and
protect everyone around you just in case. Retreat to your mancave or womanden
and let your family toss food and liquids to you from a safe distance. And you
don’t get first dibs at the newspaper or books while you’re sick, everyone else
gets to read them first so they don’t pick up your germs.
If you don’t have a
dishwasher to sterilize germs on the sick person's silverware, glasses and dishes, isolate the
sick person’s dishes from everyone elses; hand-wash them last, then sterilize
the sponge or dishcloth immediately after (sponges can be nuked on high for 2
minutes so long as it’s a natural sponge; you can also pour boiling water on sponges
and dishcloths, and for that matter, on the sick person’s dishes.) And
stop hoarding toilet paper!
Don’t listen to the radio/tv news every day, do
find some fun stuff to watch – binge-watch Vicar of Dibley or AbFab or the
whole Hobbit etc series – you know, NOT APOCALYPSE MOVIES!
That’s my advice for
today: Stay safe and healthy!
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| Be a Dragon! |
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