home

Whoever knew that Florida could be so beautiful in mid-August, with its billowy clouds stacked high in the sky, delivering little rain squalls here and there? Whoever knew that my home could be feel like such a sanctuary and paradise, with overgrown weeds and pine needles clumped all over the patio, or that I would gulp the sweet, moist air coming in off the Atlantic Ocean.

Jubilee can’t stop smiling.

The lighting is different here. Sunglasses are not an option, they are a necessity. Florida is that much brighter than the rest of the country. And whereas I chugged to get over the mountains of PA and WV, my old car could glide down the Florida peninsula, keeping up and even passing everyone else. ( I WAS in a hurry to get home.)

I especially like the looks of West Virginia. Always I’m intrigued with and drawn toward the low country of South Carolina and Georgia. There are so many trees most everywhere on the Eastern side of the USA! From afar, each individual tree must look like a blade grass.

I don’t know where to start. John is still in Illinois, and I may want to express some impressions I got from living there for 2 1/2 months. There are some things to tell about the trip home, though, in no particular order ...

Ninety-five year old Aunt Louise showed up at the pig roast in the middle of PA (near Wellsboro) where we were celebrating Jon and Heather’s wedding. One morning at breakfast she told us the story of her visit to the doctor last year when she fell and hurt her wrist. They couldn’t find any medical records for her and asked when was the last time she had seen a doctor. Well, Dr. Harry Spalding used to be my doctor. He retired 15 years ago, they said. Well, I have 2 son-in-laws who are doctors. Do they treat you, they asked. Well, no. So what kind of medication are you on? Well, I eat an egg every morning and I take an aspirin every night, and I just don’t see any sense to going to the doctor when I feel ok.

What a healthy attitude she has toward aging, death, and doctors!

There was the funky little collection of cottages on Lake Erie, where we had ice cream and yellow Lake Erie perch.


We stayed in an “eco-house” in western NY State where we walked a labyrinth. I want to remember the eco house because it was so simple yet complete, feeling like everything that I could ever want or need in terms of a living place.
There was a deeper sense of the meaning of hospitality - that our lives really are home for the souls of each other.

I’m tired, but it feels good to be home.