Should I go or should I stay(cation)?

 Pretend Paris

I have lots of annual leave, what to do with it? Should I go to Maine? No, Maine won’t have me. Should I fly to Tucson? No, we won't get on planes and Arizona isn’t an ideal destination right now.  

 

So I was forced into the proverbial stay-cation.

What did I do all week?

 

I immediately started a jigsaw puzzle, and I pretended I was in front of a bay window overlooking the sea. 

Like last summer:

                                                    Last summer in Maine

 

But in fact I am doing it in front of a window looking over the back yard:

                                                    This summer in Bethesda

 

Speaking of the back yard…COVID has afforded me the opportunity to look at my environs, and I discovered that I have some nice space back there that could be improved, so I got my favorite landscape designer and got a plan and got a mason, and Voila! I have a cool patio area now.

                                                                         New Patio

I bought Mary Trump’s book and spent a guilt free afternoon reading it.

 

I always save my New Yorkers for air travel. So I “hijacked” the couch, pretended to be flying and flew through three months of back issues of The New Yorker. That brings me up to June.

 

I saw at least one friend every day for coffee or breakfast or tennis. I even hosted four friends for a coffee, and we sat on the lovely patio and social distanced and discussed the Plague.

 

I did not work. I didn’t even look at my email. Unusual for me.

 

I welcomed the return of baseball.

 

I took part in a virtual focus group wherein I was given money for my thoughts. Rare.

 

I did my own nails.

 

I would say I slept in but who among us is really sleeping well during COVID?  I did linger longer in bed with coffee and the New York Times.

 

My main activity was the same as it’s been right along, working hard not to get COVID.

 

And if that sounds boring, well, I think it’s better than the alternative.

                                         Planters from Mexico (at least the products get to travel).