new roads

caption: The road down from my parents' vacation place. Explanation: The road is so steep that they named it "Virage." A virage, in French, is a sharp, U-bend in a road. Usually there are signs on mountains that warn of "virage" so you know to drive more slowly--those hairpin turns are the way you make it up a steep hill without going up an impossible grade.

When my parents built their vacation home, the electric company had to come up the hill and put down new poles and string wire to get them electricity. That's the kind of forging ahead that I feel as though I've been doing this week. Good progress, hard work, and somewhat uncharted....

Two dogs have now been bathed as a result of the compost adventure. I've also turned the stuff, watered it, and done everything possible to lessen its odor and keep it from being tempting. I've also dealt with a dead half-snake (a dog killed this, gosh knows where the other half was) and a variety of dog stomach ailments from their compost mistakes. The professor has apologized, long distance, several times, and I know it was a mistake. I promise, I'm not angry. Just tired of the grossness of this experience!

Other excitement has included two visits from my favorite air conditioning fix-it guys, who had to rewire the air conditioning connection and put in a new attic fan. Of course, since it is so hot here in the summer, they had to be in the attic by 8 AM...so I got up, to fight the compost battles with the dogs, by 6.

Now, I've been plenty busy with work and I haven't minded the time to myself. I really like being on my own sometimes. I'm not unhappy. That said, by yesterday evening I was rattling around. I'd spent the day inside since it was so hot. I felt the need for a walk. I hoped to, you know, see a person or two, have a conversation, and make sure I was still part of society. I'd walked about a mile or so with the dogs when I finally bumped into one of the professor's colleagues. We had a nice talk, during which I found out that there was a baby shower for somebody in their department happening at that moment, and no, I wasn't even invited. Never mind that baby showers are hard for me sometimes...what stung was not even being included.

I didn't meet anyone else on the walk, and by the time I got home, I was happy to retreat again with my knitting-perhaps the benefits of local society are overrated? The professor and I are off to visit Winnipeg in a few days, and I'm looking forward to it. (For the geographically challenged, Winnipeg is in Manitoba. Manitoba is in Canada. Think North Dakota, and drive north from there...) We're still exploring the options for where we might move. When, I don't know, if and where is still in limbo, too. I do know that 5 years is long enough to try hard someplace. If I'm still wandering around looking for a conversation after this long? It may be time to find a new road. I'm willing to handle some switchbacks and to take a long walk or two, honest, but I hope I find that new journey soon.

Now, back to my knitting...