Hard to believe I have gone from the quiet woods in FL to living near the border in NM with a fun bunch of elders. Likewise, difficult to imagine being too busy to blog! This fluctuation seems to be my future – moving between quiet, reflective settings and a community of like-minded social folks who stay busy. Last Friday, an evening of music at a local winery. Sunday, leading Easter service, then Easter Dinner. Yesterday and today: fun in Mexico. By the weekend, I am off to Montana and a primitive campsite among elk, moose, bison and grizzlies.  I like the balance. Tango gets left behind more than he likes; however, we will be together nonstop once we head north.

The California super bloom gets all the media attention, yet we have our share of wildflowers. A yellow daisy-type plant bloomed for nearly a month. This morning on our walk, I saw three or four more- white, yellow, purple. Morning temps are fabulous (high 40s, low 50s); however, the time for comfortable living in the desert is nearing the end. Temps climb to the 90s today, and rattlers/scorpions are coming out for the warm sun. Montana is snowy and cold — again, I like the balance and am blessed to move about with the sun, which is now tracking north.

The last year I lost my opaque veneer, becoming more transparent. I didn’t set out with this goal. Rather, travel, time alone in nature, time with other retirees, and a return to the Southwest have allowed me to regress quite a bit! Letting go, unwinding and retrogressing to our basic selves seems to be the outgrowth of retiring, intended or not. Still, I need to slow down, or I will be in diapers, babbling, and drooling too early.

I don’t know the exact day that I will head north, but I will have plenty of time to reflect and write again. 

Opaque