Morning Musings

My pen is on the table next to a few cards and envelopes. My goal - no, not just a goal, but a New Year’s, New Life resolution - is to hand write letters to my friends and family in Colorado and elsewhere across the country from where we are now. The letters will be heartfelt, funny, informative, and mostly, interested in whatever is happening in the lives of each of these people who are so dear to me. The plan is to set aside an hour a day to write letters.

A month after we moved in, my pen is still on the table next to the cards and envelopes. I have hand written one short note and sent it. Reality check. Am I being lazy or was my expectation unrealistic?

The population of Colorado is estimated at 5.76 million. The area of Colorado is 104,194 sq miles. The population of Massachusetts is estimated at 6.93 million. The area of Massachusetts is 10,554 sq miles. With over a million more people in a tenth of the area, it would seem like we’d be on top of each other out here. Why does it feel less crowded?

We still haven’t unpacked all the boxes. I’m starting to collect things to give away… again.

Knitting is a pretty big deal out here. There’s a huge yarn shop just 15 minutes away and there are three knitting groups in our small town. This is one of the most exciting thing I’ve found so far!

Our little town is also big on recycling. Trash pickup is every other week and, if we need to, we can take the trash to the landfill in town. Our landfill in in town and has various sheds to collect things for recycling. How easy is it to just put the trash cans on the curb every week and see it disappear? We have the privilege of seeing exactly where the trash goes and how it piles up until it becomes “Mt. Trashmore”, according to the natives.

Our neighbor says to make sure our trash is not just sitting out in trash bags - ever. We not only have squirrels who would like nothing more than to feast on whatever odds and ends they find after chewing a hole in the bag, there are also opossums and ground hogs. Chris saw deer down the block twice this week. I’ve heard beautiful bird calls and songs.

We’re settling in, but we also miss Colorado. I knew I would miss my friends, family, and neighbors. I didn’t realize how much I’d miss all my favorite stores. It sounds silly. I’ve found a few really cool second hand shops and flea markets here. What am I missing?

The adrenaline rush which carried us through the move has worn off. My Parkinson’s and dystonia has gone into overdrive these days. I’m back to doing no more than one activity per day. Unless it’s a nap. I have plenty of stamina for several naps per day. It’s hitting all of us and we’re all … tired.

And I still feel scattered as if, in the move, all the pieces of our lives were thrown up in the air and scattered around our house, the garage, the sheds, the land. We haven’t gotten all of Humpty Dumpty together again. Letter writing will have to wait until I can focus a bit more.

Would you mind if I phone now and then?