Spring Equinox

John did something that upset me Friday. And since whenever I get upset with him he wants nothing to do with me, I got to read all day Saturday. (I did a little laundry too).

The book I’m reading, Cutting for Stone, was recommended by one of my adult students. It’s an exquisitely written novel that takes place in Ethiopia, at an international hospital. There’s a wonderful cast of characters. And because the author is also a doctor, the descriptions of medical procedures are fascinating.  I had to force myself to stop reading and get up and do laundry.

Sunday: Church.  Again, because we’re not speaking, I had more time to myself in the morning, so I could get my hair dry and makeup on before I left. I made some coleslaw (with pineapple and almonds like at Mountain House in Oakhurst) for the potluck.

One of my main worries about moving away was leaving the Positive Living Center in Oakhurst.  And, while I do remember my experiences there fondly, I must say, I love the Unity congregation. Today there was a newcomer, who said she moved her in October. Yay. Someone I had something in common with.

Just before the service started I slipped Reverend Patty a note about today’s big sale at the library (I’m publicity VP for Friends of the Library). She asked me if there was a poets' group here, because – she indicated with her head – a woman in the front row was a poet who had asked Patty about it.  I said I’d talk to the woman after the service.

So, at the potluck, I got myself a plate and saved a place at the table, then went looking for the newcomer and the poet.  The newcomer is an emergency room nurse at the hospital.  She has short red hair, with a cute tiny hairclip, glasses and perfectly shaped, lipstick-ed lips. She has the warm nature of a nurse. I liked her immediately.

The poet, it turns out, needed her rolling walker to get from the main room to the adjacent activity center. I carried the notebook of poems she wanted to show me.  At the table were three other women who introduced themselves. The poet said she could not remember our names, almost immediately after we told her. This made me dread reading her poems. Yet, as it turned out, the poems were delightful. Rhyming, yes, but they each told a story: about a homeless woman who has the only photo of her son stolen, and a little boy who jumps into a puddle. They showed real empathy.

The nurse was born in Santa Cruz. Her brother and sister-in-law lived in Carmel Valley and “got out” just in time. They must have a gorgeous place in Kerrville if they lived in CV!  Before she lived here, the nurse lived in Connecticut.

The woman who sat on the other side of me came from Arizona but was originally from Florida.  In my mind I see the map and how far we’ve each traveled to this “magical place” – really, that’s how people who live here feel about it!

I encouraged the poet to share some of her poems at the upcoming Talent Show on April 3. I’m going to read my long prose poem “A Far Different Vista” about the ocean, and maybe one or two others. It’ll be fun. Lots of singing. I gave “Bump in the Road” to Bill, who played the banjo today, and he said he’s working on music. I’m going to be a songwriter!

When I left, I stopped at the library before going home, to see if I was needed at the book sale. I wasn’t but I liked being there, seeing people browsing the shelves we’ve all worked so hard on keeping shelved and sorted. (There are about 30,000 books in that basement!)

When I left, a woman was in the parking lot. “How’s it going in there?” she asked me.

“Orderly, no mad rushing!” I said.

”No shoving, no chaos?” she replied and we started walking in the same direction. She had the disheveled, but ready, look of a reporter, with a fanny pack,  and rumpled gray shirt.  She said she was a writer for the West Kerr County Current,  a weekly newspaper I’ve never read. I told her I was a writer too, and we stopped walking and introduced ourselves.  She got me a copy of the newspaper from her car, and later, at home I see that she and two other reporters write all the articles; plus there are some syndicated pieces and articles submitted by various organizations.

When I told her I was writing for Kerr County Business Magazine, she said, “I wondered who that was,” and asked how I got the gig – she’d been trying to write for them for years.  This reinforced my gratitude for the serendipity of meeting Morgan at the Chamber mixer, four days after I moved here . . .

Plus, now I have another contact for PR – library news, my classes, etc.

There was one other person who made an impression on me this week. Yesterday afternoon, when I was walking Walter, we saw, far off, up the hill, a man.  My first worry was that he had a dog with him. But no. He was alone.  As he got closer I saw that he had a big Italian or Mediterranean nose, and a big straw hat with a down-sloping brim. He wore walking shorts. 

Walter completely ignored him, intent as he was to sniff something in the grass.  I had the radio on but slipped my hand in my pocket to turn down the volume. “Hello,” I said.

“Hello!” he said uplifting one arm and giving me a big open-hand greeting. I felt immediate simpatico for this solitary soul out walking on a beautiful, clear, windy afternoon.