Matey

My husband seems to be on the road to recovery and has even come out of our sleeping chamber, where he was holed up all day and night yesterday, to sit outside near the pool. He’s even getting the slightest bit of an appetite back so today my sister and I are going to swim and be some kind of company for him. Yesterday afternoon we were very naughty and caught up on some much-needed retail therapy at the nearby Macy’s. We were, as always, very successful and we came home with dinner but John would have none of it.
The pool man came the day before, but we didn’t go into the yard at all so I now see that the red roses that were still just buds three days ago, have opened and one’s almost finished blooming. Life moves on in so many ways and we’re now past the half way point of our trip. Hopefully soon John will be all healed and able to actually branch out and start to see the other family members we haven’t been able to visit yet. But if one had to be sequestered, it’s not exactly a punishment to be here in the lap of luxury and tranquility with everything at our fingertips a few minutes away.
There’s a duck that comes here every day from the lake a couple of blocks away. She used to be with her mate too but he’s been permanently missing from her life lately. So, no eggs were laid in her favorite spot in the back garden this year even though he was showing up with her every day…until he wasn’t. But she still comes every day to swim in the pool and dunk herself in the spa and then sit on the ledge preening whether we’re in or out of the pool and she often shows up twice a day. She too, finds this spot quite peaceful and private. Since we were outside on the nearby settee I had a perfect vantage point for photos, but even zooming in I really wasn’t close enough to her to get a spectacular shot. And of course, the drake had much brighter coloration. But even dull as her feathers may be, we are always thrilled to see her here. Many of the other ducks have either been relocated or culled. There have been coyotes sighted still, even in this gate guarded community that used to be the perfect wild habitat for all kinds of critters. Jack rabbits, in particular, thrived but so did so many different animals. We haven’t seen any for years and years. Ah, progress.
Life certainly seems to move on in so many ways whether we notice or not. But for now, I will just enjoy my time here in this delightful spot for the days are passing so quickly that luxuriating here will soon be a thing of the past…a handful of new memories to think about from New Zealand.