The pattern which I suspect won’t change when I retire is : get up ,walk the dog, make coffee, read facebook, make Laura coffee, talk about the neighbours, scan the weather. The big event is getting Gilbert to take his heart medications. We’re down to rolling it in roast beef slices and still he spits out the pill at times. When that’s done I’m exhausted and need more coffee, read more facebook and argue politics with some stranger whose likely retired and doing the same thing. I feel irrelevant. The world happens and I’m moved along by the glacier of elite world politics. Laura writes a list of things she wants. Today I get to fetch bread , milk, cheese and fresh roast beef for the dog.
Yesterday I rode the KTM motorcycle out to the woods with the new Chiappa Double Badger and the Ruger 30:06. Laura was glad to be rid of me. She does her crosswords, reads, scans facebooks, watches the neighbours and talks with her children and relatives. She’s content. I’m generally restless and was talking of climbing Kilimanjaro the other day. She doesn’t even think about such things. I shot a couple of dozen rounds with the 30:06 180 grain 50 yards getting nice groupings around the bullseye. Every shot would have killed the big game. Most of my shots over the years have been around 50 yards but I did shoot a deer at 600 yards, and couple of moose at 300 yards. I tried out the Chiappa and despite the red dot sites was all over the place at 50 yards, high, maybe the wind. I moved closer to the 25 yard range where I usually shoot grouse and had nice groupings. The 20 guage slugs hit in the black and if they were bird shot would have taken out the grouse or rabbit too but I’ve not figured out how to get bulleyes out of that barrel yet.
I had muskoil mosquito repellant so offended MLM, mosquitoes lives matter. It was a lovely sunny day. After feeling good about being a straight shooter and some out of season practice I packed up and rode the motorcycle up the logging roads. I spooked a deer and saw a rabbit I took a picture of. It was a great hard ride on gravel roads with spectacular vistas. I’m often here in the fall so it’s a treat to see it in spring. It takes a lot of upper body strength handling the deep logging truck grooves here and there. It also became really chilly in the high mountain country especially as the evening came on . I was just wearing a denim jacket and jeans, thankful for my leather gloves. I always wear a helmet despite the depreciation on what it protects.
I was glad to get home. Laura immediately told me the grey tank was full. We’d emptied the tanks in the morning, the camp having a central Sani dump. This time rather than taking the truck there I brought the honey pot here and unloaded 20 gallons of grey water before taking it back. I bought a bunch of wood too and started a fire. I put the potatoes on with chopped carrots to boil and after a bit of time took out the steaks and got them going on the barbecue. It’s always a matter of timing still decades of cheffing later. With sour cream and butter and Coca Cola for drinks it was a meal made in heaven for the outdoors. I’ve been enjoying peppermint chocolate bars for dessert and drinking mint tea after dinner. Laura’s enjoyed the Hagen Daz ice cream bars. Laura went back to reading her Michael Connelly while I returned to Facebook looking for a meaningful political argument with a computer generated political robotron.
On FB I loved watching Kayleigh make toast of some journalists who really seem to have difficulty holding spit in their mouths. Being an authority on world politics after driving around the backwoods on a motorcycle I commented on world affairs with aplomb. No doubt the people I talked to, most of us are now old, did even less than I did in their day. Some of my favourite political pundits are avid gardeners. I’ve at least been working till this 2 week decline. I understand how so many people who retire end up in drugs and alcohol, at gambling casinos and brothels with their bottles of viagra. I depend on Laura with her requests for bread and cheese to keep me sane with purpose.
I remember 2 month vacations in the summer from school and being thankful to return to school because generating ideas of what to do each day on your own can be wearying. If I wasn’t working I’d end up in a library somewhere or have chapters spread out all over the floor and write the great Canadian novel. I’ve several books in outline to do but they are major projects and not something I’ve even considered this 2 week vacation. It’s been literally years since I’ve had 2 weeks of free unscheduled time in a decade or so. Normally I go to a conference for a week and extend it for a week to sight see. Otherwise I’m on pilgrimage like Ethiopia, Israel, Rome or hunting with actual goals. Now I’m just relaxing. I once did this on a beach and an ex wife complained that I didn’t ‘get ‘ the idea of ‘sun bathing’. That’s when I learned to sail off the coast of Yucatan leaving her on the beach. So much for relaxing.
Fortunately today I’m not nearly as inadequate as I was when younger. I used to have these really steep learning curves like blue water navigation, white water canoeing, black diamond skiing, winter camping. Each of these skills was a whole focussed activity with lots of pressure. Like learning guitar and then playing in a blues band trying to stay sober while people kept handing me shooters. I’m resting on my laurels now. Last week I assembled the pontoon boat and fished without success but I did it all by the book. I could have hunted a bear last week but I’m finding myself lazier each year. I have actually been enjoying this doing nothing. Thankfully Laura has given my day meaning and focus with the request for bread and cheese and milk. I’ll walk the dog of course. Gilbert’s demands are always for ball throwing and walking and napping. He’s insatiable that way.
Meanwhile I’m praying and loving nature.
In a few days I’ll be back to being useful and I’ll have to admit this holiday has been recuperative. I don’t have a clue what time it is and I’m not even fretting about a myriad of things I’ve yet to do. I’m pretty sure I can handle riding the motorcycle into town and buying bread. I could go to backwoods on the motorcycle again or go flying fishing. I could go golfing. But I really like the idea of buying bread and cheese and milk for Laura. It’s deeply meaningful and purposeful. I have to buy more roast beef for my dog.
Thank you Lord for this wonderful blank slate of a day and the unscheduled time.
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