THANKFUL FOR 2020

 

I am personally very thankful for this year.  2020.  Seriously.  Genuinely thankful.

It was a miserable year for humankind and armed with a magic wand I would have changed it in an instant.  I can’t change the virus, politics, unrest, lockdowns, racism, or oh so many other things.

What we could control was our response to the virus and the other things.  It was, and is, a massive curveball nobody asked for.  Along with hundreds of thousands,  I was furloughed with virtually no notice.   I had made my wishes known in advance should tough choices need to be made and my wishes were followed (be careful what you ask for).

Virus and furlough.  Learning new concepts and words.  Social distancing, PPE, flattening the curve, hospitilizations, ventilators.  Frightening, but I had four advantages. 

First was Leigh. Strong, smart, medical background, flexible, a great partner with whom to discuss and parse information. 

Second were the discussions I had in the eighties regarding the AIDS epidemic with my medical doctor father.  The viruses, methods of transmission, etc are totally different from each other, but there were parallels.   Overblown hype, uninformed news, uneven adoption of safe practices, and fear accompanied both pandemics.  Over reaction and under reaction were both problems.  Dad was able, with his sober medically trained mind, to break things down for me and we chatted about it. The virus was the enemy and there were ways to avoid it.  One can never reduce the risk to zero, as a Mayo Clinic professor acquaintance of mine said, crossing the street carries some inherent risk greater than zero.  Risk mitigation, not elimination, is the key, along with acceptance of the residual risk.  You do what you can, and accept the result.

The third advantage was a bio tech email shared with me by another buddy back in early April.  The note was from their CEO who succinctly described a 12 to 18 month event, which at this point (December of ’20) seems about right, if not a tad optimistic.  Wrapping my head around a long term event, not wasting any energy or thought about ‘getting back to normal’ were keys to charting a path forward.

The final advantage was the hobbies or pursuits Leigh and I like to do.  Backpacking, hiking, kayaking, boating, visiting the island.  All covid friendly pursuits where minor tweaking, not drastic change, resulted a safe and rewarding experience. We didn’t make a habit of hitting bars, or revolve our life around eating out or attending concerns or sports arenas.  Occasionally yes, but not central pursuits.  The outdoors has always had an organic gravitational pull for both of us and that remained ‘in scope’ even with the pandemic.

So when the virus really hit, we were, unexpectedly and without real forethought, prepared.   Our experiences, pursuits, and relative financial health put us in good position.  The thing that probably tipped the balance was ready access to unemployment and the additional $600/week of unemployment.  I’ve never, in nearly 50 years of working, have ever taken unemployment.  It was, for 3 months, the difference between a little financial discomfort and no discomfort. It deferred the worrying should furlough turn into lay off.  Fortunately we returned to our jobs prior to the cessation of the extra $600.  Did we deserve it?  No.  Are we grateful?  A resounding yes.

Leigh was out of work for 2 months and I was out of work for 3.   After applying for the unemployment and realizing that we were in a fortunate position, the value of time shifted dramatically.  From a precious, carefully managed resource to a thing of abundance needing to be thoughtfully filled.  With no time to plan, we just started making decisions.  The greenhouse took shape.  A 9 by 5 underutilized patch of the yard was designated as the ‘site’ and we started digging.  And digging.  And digging.  A retaining wall needed to be built, the site leveled, water and electricity plumbed in, walls framed, roof joists made and custom glass installed.  None of which I had ever done before.  Early on I realized I was not ready for retirement and I needed something to ‘do’.  And by ‘do’, I mean plan, worry about and execute.  I worried a lot about the greenhouse.  There are seemingly an infinite number of ways to do certain things and the choices need to be first understood, then evaluated, with one path selected.  Over and over again.  It was both agonizing and fun and we are both happy with the final result.  A Leigh designed, Mark built, she/he shed serving as intimate wine bar and dining room. An office during the day. And a greenhouse.

We also continued our January/February plan of camping each month.  Somewhere, somehow. Each month.  The goal of camping each month locked us into a better planning cycle.  Which weekend was the camping weekend.  We got out on the kayaks more, camping on Blake Island and both Hope Islands, one in each end of Puget Sound.  We backpacked up on Mount Adams, camping at 7000 feet during the summer and went back near Mount Adams late in the Fall to spend a rugged night with 35 mph winds and 15 degree cold (without windchill).  We car camped near lake Cushman and near Port Townsend, slept a night on the beach in front of the cabin and during the middle of the lockdown spend a night in the backyard.  We spent two very social outings with Becky, pitching a tent near her trailer, one near Mount Rainier, and once on Whidbey island.  Hikes and trail runs accompanied both outings.

We also redecorated the little cabin.  Framing pictures, arranging and rearranging them, and planned a kitchen remodel (this winter, but in 2021).  We spend more time on the island and had great meals up there with mom.  While most were foregoing holiday meals, we time shifted, having two thanksgiving feasts and two Christmas feasts. 

We started using zoom, staying better in touch with friends that we’ve done in a long time. 

All this in a year where the general perception was staying home and lying low – which we did as well.  Our personal ‘bubble’ was very small.  Family only and even then being careful. 

Given all that has gone on, we are thankful for 2020.  A pivotal year, but one for which we are thankful.  For us, it was that age old lesson of being handed lemons and making lemonade.  There’s much truth to that adage.  What we couldn’t do filled volumes.  Figure out what you can do and do it. 

We are thankful. 

And now some pics that capture the year.  The green house had humble beginnings.  The only logical site was a sloped bit of land between the raised beds and the deck.  So excavation was done by hand and took some time.

Leigh did a ton of work.  Neither one of us had played with mortar much and it was a fun learning experience.

We had many 'builder / architect' discussions.  For the most part we communicated pretty well -- Leigh had the design in her head and here we're trying to get the roof height, angle, and overhang right.  

We had bought a vintage window from Earthwise Salvage -- they had salvaged a 1908 capital hill house

The window had some 15 coats of paint on it and Leigh stripped it down to wood, glazed the panes and finished the trim.  Paint on the outside and varnish on the inside.

Getting there

Pretty much the finished product with only that upper window left to complete.  It's an opening window with an automatic opener for hot days.

The inside -- a she/he shed that serves as an office, wine bar, intimate dining room and, oh ya, a green house.

Some other shots

This was the view from the tent in June when we camped at the beach.

We got a lot of use out of the back yard during the summer.  

After the lock down had eased a bit we cruised the south sound.  And wrote an article about it.

Given the separate living quarters on the island, visits became more frequent.

I also rebuilt Dad's gate to the house. The original had rotted and was falling apart.

Way down towards the bottom of this pic is Leigh and I.   A photographer caught us peering up at Mount Adams.

Another backyard fire...

 A marmot on Mt Adams poised with Rainier in the background,

Leigh watching the sunset from 7000 feet up on Mount Adams.

Backpacking

Leigh and Vera kayaking