by Phyllis McCrossin
We made it to June.
The state is supposedly still on shutdown, though I don’t see much difference other than signs reminding us to remain six feet apart and stores requesting patrons wear masks. I won’t weigh in on that debate. Suffice it to say King and I wear masks. What others do is up to them.
We are waiting to see what happens. I know there are many who are desperately waiting to go back to work. Today we were reminded that there ARE those who are suffering during the shutdown as the line of cars at the Presbyterian Church food bank was almost out to the street. Between the lockdown, protests, voting by mail debate and the upcoming election, it is going to be an interesting summer.
Life, however, has remained pretty much the same for the King and I. He hates dining out, going out for coffee or congregating with people. He likes golf. We work within those parameters.
Every morning King gets up and starts a fire in the fire ring outside. One month in to our new domicile and we are on our second cord of wood. Even on the days when it reached 90 degrees, King has a fire going. I quit wondering about his penchant for bon fires and campfires about 30 years ago. It’s just the way he is.
Once the fire is going, he grabs a leash and takes Cindy for a walk. She waits patiently next to me in bed until she hears the door open and then jumps up and is ready to go. That gives me time to make the bed and start breakfast. I’m an oatmeal type of girl. King likes eggs and toast. We sit by the fire in companionable silence until I get bored and start a project… sewing seat cushions, writing a column, painting rocks… and within five minutes he is ready to go to the store. He thinks it annoys me.
Truthfully I start working so he will decide it’s time to go. (And in 44 years of marriage he has never once read anything I’ve written, so I can pretty much say whatever I want without fear of him learning my little secrets).
Our daily trips entail a drive through the South Beach in South Haven, a stop at a convenience store to buy his Mountain Dew (I think he is the only 65-year-old on the planet who drinks Mountain Dew), and an occasional trip to the lumber yard. He is building a portable privacy fence around our propane tanks on the front of the trailer.
We find little things to keep us busy.
The other day we drove to Allegan County West Side Park to pick up rocks. I like large smooth flat rocks I can paint. While we are traveling out west I leave painted rocks at various locations and refer those who find them to post photos on “Paw Paw Rocks” Facebook page. The front of the rock is painted with a design, the back has the information for the Facebook page.
Three of our grandchildren live in Paw Paw and like to see where the rocks end up. I also collect lightening stones (stone septarian) that can be found along the shores of Lake Michigan in Allegan County. With the high water this year more rocks are tossed up onto what is left of the beach. In the past I have made necklaces with the stones, but mostly I just keep them in jars around the trailer and cushion them in bedding whenever we move the trailer.
The other day there were turkeys visiting the campground — three big toms and a flock of hens. I’m not up on turkey habits but we watched them strut around for quite some time conversing with one another. Then the fan tails came down and the hens came out of the woods. Either the boys were checking things out and telling the girls it was safe to come out or the girls decided the boys were no longer interested and decided it was safe to venture out.
We raised turkeys one summer. The wild turkeys seem rather smart. Domestic turkeys have got to be the dumbest creatures anywhere. I really hated those birds. But I cried like a baby when we had to catch them and take them to be processed. I’ll have to agree with King, I am a walking oxymoron.
Most of the time King and I are here in the campground alone. Memorial Day weekend it was busy. People pretty much kept to themselves, which is fine with us. This past weekend there were probably five or six sites with campers. I prefer it empty, but I’m guessing the young couple who own the place (now in its fourth year) would be a little more comfortable with a few more people.
Our days are filled. Not with a lot, but enough to keep us married.
