Sylvia's Journal

The end of my vacation is beginning to appear on the horizon. With that also comes the vague outline of a trip to Africa. The malaria pills have been purchased and a trip shopping list is taped to my computer.

But before that happens I have a few more days to enjoy living in this most beautiful place. It was another glorious day today, for flying, gardening, reading and doing nothing.  The last two evenings, before the sun went down, we took the boats out, Axel in his kayak and I in the Alden shell, to enjoy the end of the day. On Tuesday we went to Singing Beach, today to Manchester harbor.  It’s a short outing, not too strenuous but good exercise for Axel’s arm and getting our strength back, without it feeling like ‘have-to’ exercise.

Last night we had a cookout on the beach, the first of this summer, a bit late. By the time Joe joined us it was dark and the mosquitoes gone, the fresh tuna grilled and the (home grown) potato salad ready with cold ratatouille, one of our favorite summer dishes, hot or cold.

Both of us had therapies today. Axel made another visit to the vestibular therapist at MGH, a short therapy that uses up the entire morning because of the time it takes to get there (by train).  He is learning much about how the brain coordinates what comes in from the senses and when it can learn and when it cannot. The experience lends itself to countless organizational metaphors. He is making progress and I expect the therapies will all be ended in the next few months, after which he and his brain are on their own.

My (physical) therapy may have been the last for some time, as I am waiting for the doctor’s opinion about what is going on in the sacroiliac region. The therapist told me I am mechanically OK, everything is aligned as it should be. The problem remains with tendons and muscles, all the ones in my neck and upper back are still full of knots and tight as elastic bands.  May be it is time for a weekly massage again. The problem is that no one reimburses that and it gets a bit costly at $80 an hour.

So far I have managed to stay away from my computer to check emails. I know there will be a price to pay for this later but this is the first vacation in a long time that I have completely unhooked from work. It is working! I am as stress free as one can get.

Tomorrow we are going to visit Sita in her new home in Haydenville near Northampton where she used to live. I would have liked to fly there but no one in our family is ready for me to fly with Axel in the co-pilot seat. So, instead of a 40 minute flight, it will be a 3-hour drive each way, which will take up a sizeable part of the day. It is good that we like each other’s company so much.