Author: Easin' Along

Easin’ Along took slightly more than a month off.  I missed posting, but some unforeseen events were standing in the way of time at the computer.  Helen’s brother suffered a tragic fall in November and died from the injury. In December, my Mom (age 94) fell and broke three ribs.  She is much improved but needed a lot of help during her recovery. During the busy holiday season, those two events required time to sort things out and did little to inspire creative juices.  But, more than the events mentioned above, the simple truth is that there was not much going on in January to report about.

Two very accomplished bloggers, Donna (Retirement Reflections) and Suzanne (Picture Retirement) have similar methods for keeping readers up to date. Donna posts a feature titled “What’s Been On Your Calendar?” where she lets us in on her very busy life and invites readers to do the same in the comments.  It is a fun read, and many of her readers are just as busy as Donna with very interesting activities. 

Suzanne posts a monthly summary of her activities and outings in her home state of Florida.  I especially enjoy her viewing her skill with the camera and learning about the equipment she uses to hone her craft. Suzanne and her husband, Malcolm, moved into a lovely new home recently and brought us in to view her skills as a decorator.

I will borrow their idea and post a summary of what Helen and I have been up to lately and add a twist—we’ll look at what’s up in the days ahead as well.  Thus the title, “A Glance In Two Directions.”

In early January, Helen and I did something unusual for us—we dressed formally and went out for an evening.  Our niece, Olivia, was presented as a Debutant and invited us to the presentation.  We enjoyed a delightful evening and, if I may say so, we cleaned up very well.

Our Granddaughters in Charleston are also busy young ladies.  They both play soccer at a high level.  The oldest plays basketball as a sixth-grader on the seventh and eighth-grade team and is the starting point guard. Our youngest attends acting classes and loves them.  Helen and I wanted to witness some of this activity and visited Charleston to take in as much as possible.  While there, we met some of their friends, including two lovely girls who spent the night with us.  Helen and I tied up one of the bedrooms, which made for very cozy sleeping arrangements for the girls. We decided to leave a day early (after the final soccer game) and return the bedroom to the rightful occupant (oldest granddaughter).

In December, I finally got fed up with my clothes not fitting and decided to do something about it. The only disadvantage to living an RV lifestyle is that gaining weight is easy.  Travel, to me, is all about sampling food and drink in the places we visit across the country, and I tend to take extensive samples. In addition, I find it difficult to exercise after spending a day driving 200 miles or more, and the weight creeps up unchecked. After trying in vain to fit into the tuxedo pants for the Debutante Presentation, I threw in the towel, ordered two months’ worth of meals from Nutrisystem, and gave up alcohol cold turkey.

My weight had ballooned to 254 pounds—a record for me, and I refused to buy more oversized clothes. I set a goal of getting down to 225 pounds. After two months, I can report some success.  My weight is now 230 pounds with, hopefully, more to follow, although I seem to have hit a plateau at present. Nevertheless, I feel better and can tell the difference in my foot comfort.

I had a lot of help from my exercise class with shedding the pounds.  We meet three days a week, and I love it so much; I will not miss it if I am in town. Our classes are a great workout, a lot of fun, and quite a social outlet.  My classmates line up early before the start of class to spend time chatting with other class members.  I’ve made many new friends there. One class member made video recordings of about five different classes, and I have them on my computer to use when I’m away—no more excuses.

Now, the glance ahead. Helen and I finally returned to the road less traveled. We left Knoxville on February 5^th for a two-month trip to California to visit our family and spend about two weeks in San Diego. As I write this, we are camping in Gulfport, MS, for three days before heading further west. We left Knoxville in cold, gloomy weather and arrived to find temperatures in the 70s. I plan to keep everyone up to date as we travel, so please travel with us.

After all, now that we’re a little lighter and a little warmer, it’s an excellent time for Easin’ Along the sunny roads less traveled.  

Throughout the day on Monday, the weather people on television said that we could expect nothing more than a dusting or a trace of snow on Monday night. Helen and I had a dinner party for 15 family members in the works that evening and gave little thought to the weather. I ran a few errands to pick up some things for party prep and noticed a flake or two falling on the Walmart parking lot…no big deal.

East Tennesseans used to pay attention to snowfall forecasts when we had snow, but over the last decade or so, accumulating snow was only a memory of snow-soaked boys, sled runs, and snow forts. Now that I no longer work for a living, I love snow. If I had a full pantry, a big fireplace, a good book, and a little music, I would trade places with the folks in Buffalo in a New York minute.

Around four in the afternoon, the tiny flakes picked up some intensity, and by five, we had our “dusting.” The flakes continued to fall. At five-thirty, the first of our guests arrived. They were somewhat concerned. Driving the hills of East Tennessee can be treacherous, with even the smallest amount of snow on the roads. At six, Helen’s sister called to say they were turning around for home—things were getting worse. The remainder of our guests also decided it was time for them to leave. Then, it was just Helen and me with enough seafood gumbo to feed a small Army.

So, after two bowls of hot gumbo over rice, a good glass of wine, a fire in the fireplace, and one movie, we had enough snow on the ground to say we had a “snow event.” Even the forecasters were surprised and hastily noted that temperatures would rise into the 60s by week’s end. So what, I say.  Let’s live in the moment. By morning, the roads were covered, and everything looked so pretty, dressed in white. 

Did I mention that I love snow?

For more years than I can remember, members of our church have collected and delivered Christmas gifts to families in the Appalachian community of Rose’s Creek. The community once enjoyed better times but has struggled mightily since the coal industry’s demise decades earlier. This year we adopted 21 very deserving families—most with children, although Helen and I adopted a childless couple this year.

Each family completes a wish list with help and guidance from the director of the Rose’s Creek Community Center. The lists are sent to the chairman of a committee in our church and distributed to volunteer shoppers. Our family wanted clothing and books. We also donated food items for the Giving Pantry at the center.   

Last Saturday, the volunteers gathered at our church to load the gifts for the drive northward into the Appalachians.  The drive takes us up and over two mountaintops along a narrow, winding road; thankfully, we would begin the journey on a beautiful day. Once all the vehicles were filled, one of our ministers led us in prayer, and off we went. Jennifer, the committee chairman, asked if I would lead the convoy. I eagerly accepted (if I worked on a garbage truck, I would want to be the driver).

Once on the road, the trip takes about two hours, with one stop to re-organize before the trip’s final leg. One of our volunteers missed the exit off I-75 and had to drive 10 miles into Kentucky for the next exit. Soon, however, we were together again, and the convoy arrived at the center to begin unloading the gifts.

Within thirty minutes or so, we filled the meeting room with pretty packages offering cheerful joy wrapped in ribbons, bows, and fancy paper. We’re told that the families will come to the center later in the week for a Christmas party and gift distribution. I would love to see the smiles all around.  The Community Center staff offered us freshly baked cookies, hot chocolate, and coffee. The coffee was delicious—the cookies are not on Nutrisystem, so I passed, but I heard they were delightful.

As we gathered for a group picture, a Mama dog welcomed us to the neighborhood.  She appeared to be searching out food for the family, and I wished I had a gift for her and her pups.  I didn’t, but I gave her a pack of peanut butter crackers I had in my truck.  They disappeared quickly.

With the mission complete, we made our way back over the mountain. An old saying is so true….” it’s more blessed to give.” We’re blessed, and we’re Easin’ Along.