Sylvia's Journal

Sita and Jim and Faro had come for a day and stayed the week. Such joy! I didn’t mind the total chaos in the house, the furniture blocking access by Faro to non-child proofed sections of the living room, the child gates, and the plastic containers and wooden spoons all over the kitchen floor, toys in the living room, and Faro dribbling like an ant hither and thither.

Contrary to what I was told, the ankle brace wasn’t in stock when I returned to the surgicare place in Waltham on Thursday to be fitted. The for-nothing-trip made for a very long commute, 2 hours in total, and by the time I arrived home I had to do a real effort to swallow my self-pity and take in the beauty of Lobster Cove on a glorious summer evening.

Sita and Axel had baited the lobster cages that had been sitting idle for 2 weeks. If there had been any lobsters they would have eaten each other and the winner escaped. One flounder didn’t make it out and became our breakfast the next morning.

Our series of 10+ days was interrupted on Friday by all day rains which relieved us of having to water the parched garden.

On Saturday I made good on my promise to myself to go to a yoga class rather than following a video. Axel discovered a therapeutic yoga class taught in town by a very young woman who is exceptionally skilled in coaxing a bunch of old people with all sorts of pains and aches into doing yoga that made us feel good. This is quite an accomplishment I think. My resolve is to go back any Saturday I am in the US.

Later we entertained friends from Holland, who were present in Lebanon all these years ago when Axel and I fell in love. When we have friends from afar we always have lobster. We spent the day on or by the frigid waters of Lobster Cove and checked the lobster traps for dinner. Axel had prudently bought lobsters just in case and that turned out to be a wise move. The traps were empty except for a few small lobsters which we released back into the ocean to grow a bit more.

Tessa and friends joined us on Sunday for a bloody steak dinner which I don’t care about (the bloody steak that is) but the company was great and so this was another busy social night, followed by another one on Monday night, more lobster, old friends from when the girls were small and we carpooled to the Waring School, eons ago.

I have joined an enthusiastic group of 70+ women at the Manchester Community Center who are doing their weekly (scientifically designed by Tufts) weight training to stave off osteoporosis and remain flexible. With all my joint problems this exercise regime seemed like a good idea. I was warmly welcomed as the new (and youngest) girl and everyone inquired at the end whether I liked it. I did, and I will be back. My muscles protested a bit the next morning but I take that as a good sign.

And now it is a week later from the last posting – maybe the first time in 6 years where a whole week went by without any writing. I think it is because I have a very full plate of work all with deadlines this week and coaching practice as garnish in the early morning and late evening. Time to write has fallen victim but hopefully not for long.