Caution: New Beings Emerging

It's been four weeks now since Bernie's job at NUMMI ended. Neither of us misses it a bit.

We are changing, though. With him being home (and not exhausted all the time), we've accomplished a lot of tasks that we've meant to do. Well, wait. He's accomplished a lot. I'm just tagging along with him, mostly, thrilled that I can hold his hand so many hours of the day.

There is a huge window right beside our bed; we don't have it shaded or curtained, because our house is situated such that no one can see in ... and because having it shaded and curtained is no longer necessary to allow Bernie to sleep until noon. Sooooo .... we're awakened by the lightening sky at 6 - 6:30 am, by crows calling to argue about whether or not a raccoon on the fence is a threat or just plain ugly, by a hawk venting his annoyance at the crows. Sometimes we wake at night to the sound of the wind, or the low distinctive hooting of a great horned owl. The treasure in this is that we can rejoice in the waking, run outside in our pajamas if we want to, and stay up or go back to sleep as we please.

It's like Heaven.

We've been getting up in plenty of time to go to morning Mass -- what a great way to start the day, with peaceful prayer and the chance to center ourselves with God.

Love, love, love

Two weeks into this Husband Has No Job proposition and it's just all good, all so good.

We had our 35th wedding anniversary last Monday, and both of us felt that the time had gone by incredibly fast -- except for the two weeks before his job ended.

Yesterday, we went out to the ranch to mess with the horse for a couple hours, and saw a pair of Bullock's Race orioles -- a sight that for the eyes is as good as the best food your tongue could register.

Today, we reclaimed our Piker Memorial Plaza out back from the weeds and ants, and found a new home for some pots and herbs. My great vat of cucumbers will also abide there, once the ants figure out that they can't take it over. Probably tomorrow I'll plant cuke seeds.

Oh, and yesterday I cooked a turkey that was right up there with one of the best, at only $.79/pound for a fresh turkey. It was very tender and juicy (with no injected crap) and flavorful. I overheard John telling Alex it was the best turkey we've ever had. Could be.

Thank you, Father Schmalhofer, the gravy was perfect, perfect, perfect, a tribute to your blessing upon my gravy, lo, at least 30 years ago. That blessing has held all these years, so you are probably a saint.

Life is glorious ... except for the walnut/locust/citrus bloom that wakes me at 4:30 AM and makes me cough my lungs out, sneeze rabidly, eyes pour tears, and sinuses throb. Why 4:30? Why not 10 AM when I'm not trying to dream for entertainment and have tissues at hand?

A New Season

Last Thursday I rode with Bernie as he made his last trip to NUMMI to do his exit paperwork.

And then he was free.

We took our time driving home the back way, away from the freeways. We looked at wildflowers, lupine and phlox and poppies and mustard blooming along side of the roads. We savored the green of the hills, still clad in their late winter color, rich with grasses. We pulled over when there were cars behind us, so that we could ride slowly, rejoicing in the varied landscape of the Altamont Range.

This is the beginning of a newer way of life, not ruled by Bernie's commute and NUMMI's insane overtime. This one has to do with life, and grasping again what is important and glorious in life.

Our first rewards: we spotted a golden eagle squatting on a fence post beside a pasture. No, really, a golden eagle -- a huge bird and unmistakable. As we drove on, we had to pull off, astounded, the better to observe two small copper-haired feral piglets grazing at the side of the road. Things we had never seen before so close up. We had time to slow, and look, and enjoy.

The weekend was busy, what with Good Friday observations in our home, and Holy Saturday spent preparing for Easter Vigil, but we got yet another reward, the sight of a nest of Kildeer eggs in the chips in the great expanse of landscaping beside the local bike trail.

Today, while I uploaded stories to the Piker Press, Bernie went for a walk with our granddaughter; later in the afternoon, to air me out after the day's work on the computer, he went on a bike ride with me; and in the evening, he joined Alex and Lillian for a walk and came back with a small bag of tadpoles.

This is living. Now is the season of reconnecting with the life of the world. So far, we like it.