October 8, 2020

My daughter flew into Portland, Maine, about a week ago. Time is just…time and I are not having a real conversation these days. I just flew over here. Anyway, she flew in and we drove back together in my CRV. We drove west to Kansas City, Missouri and that’s where I am now. And I’m staying in my daughter’s home until the movers bring my things on Monday, supposedly. And yeah, it’s been such a good feeling to have her support. It’s like, you know that phrase, “She’s the wind beneath my wings,” kind of just supporting me through. It’s taken two to three months of getting ready. You know packing, donating, throwing away things, and saying goodbye to friends, which was lovely. There were two or three gatherings to say farewell. I don’t like saying farewell but it was important that I do that. And I will stay in touch with people. At the same time, once I settle in a little bit in my house, I will go out and I’m sure I’ll make friends here with some nice people in Kansas City.

But going back to my daughter, we drove through some beautiful scenery in…, not Philadelphia, well Pennsylvania. I was just amazed at the hills and valleys, and of course, the color now is so beautiful. That part of the trip was really spectacular. And we had some really nice, important conversations along the way. And we arrived on … I think today’s Thursday. We arrived late Tuesday. And yesterday was my birthday, and so my daughter … she asked what I wanted to do. And I was just kind of yearning for those little cones that Trader Joe’s has. They’re real tiny waffle cones with chocolate on them. And there’s eight in a package, you know. And I have this…I imagine that “Oh, I’ll just have one.” It’s so easy to have more, but… so she drove me over to Trader Joe’s. There’s one in all of Kansas City. And we had fun over there. And then she drove around to just get to give me a feeling for the immediate area. And I’m so happy with all the trees, there are just a lot of groves of trees. And it just reminds me of Minnesota where I’m from originally. And so I’m closer to a family there, as well as being with my daughter here.

And then she took me over to my little house so I got to see that yesterday. And I love the layout. I’m imagining where to put my things. And the walls are a soft grey, soft light grey. I wasn’t sure if I’d like it, but it feels calming, so I’m going to be okay with it. And I don’t have any carpet. I don’t like carpets, so I’m happy about that. Lots of windows. And yeah, and then my daughter’s boyfriend, Mac McCloskey, fixed a lovely dinner for us.

And oh, by the way when it’s your birthday, go to Trader Joe’s because they’ll give you a beautiful bouquet of flowers. You know, I just happened to mention that it was my birthday, and … I rang a bell or something and he just went over and got the flowers. So and I’m upstairs in this lovely room in a king-sized bed with the most just comfortable mattress. So I’m getting some good rest. I just came back from the little house where I was just imagining where to put things. But I feel really welcome in my daughter’s home. And I also know that…I know she loves me deeply.

There are also two bulldogs in the house. One is very old and pretty much all he does is sleep. Portis is his name. They’re English bulldogs, and the young one is two years old, that’s Penny. And she is pretty active. And she’s 60 pounds. So when she likes you, she really likes you, she comes like a bulldog. And so she’s getting used to me. She pants heavily and I almost think, “Oh she’s going to pass out.” But I guess that’s what bulldogs do. So she’s getting used to me, I’m getting used to her. And the reason I mention them is because my daughter wants me to be very aware. You know, I guess just so I won’t be bowled over by them. I’m just grateful, grateful, grateful. I think it’s going to be quite wonderful here in Kansas City, Missouri, and living across the street from my darling daughter. Amen.