Sunday, October 27, 2019

One Of The Best Anniversaries Ever


That's a rather jumbled-up picture but the message is that the tea olive is blooming and the scent of that is what we were greeted with when we got home.
And that was a very nice thing.

So yes. We made it. It was hard to leave this morning. We got everything packed up and tidied up and I tried to leave the little Cabana House in as good a condition as possible. I walked around and gave the river my love and the bamboo and the palms and the mangos and I patted one of the lions' heads and told him that he was still doing a good job and I teared up and choked up. We drove to the breakfast restaurant we love and after we ate we hit the road and drove the interstates, mostly, just to get on home. We passed a horrible wreck. A car had driven off the interstate, down the embankment and into a tree. The car was wrapped and twisted and blackened. A fire truck was spraying the area down and an ambulance headed East with all sirens and lights so I guess that somehow, some way, someone survived.
I don't know how.
We were both silent for a few minutes, thinking about how quickly life can change, can end, can go so very dreadfully wrong.

But now we are here in Lloyd, and Hank and Rachel left the house in such good shape and that darling Rachel left enough food AND beer in the refrigerator that we could have a dang party now. I've got laundry going and have unpacked the kitchen stuff but haven't touched my clothes or jewelry or make-up or toiletries and I vow and declare never to pack so much again.
I didn't wear any of the jewelry I packed, mostly because I couldn't find my silver-polishing rag until I packed up to come home so I wore the same jewelry I left home in. A necklace and a pair of earrings.
I didn't wear a third of the clothes I took.
I used a little bit of make-up twice.
I didn't read all my New Yorkers although I did read an entire David Sedaris book (which takes about two hours, maybe) and started a book of short stories only to realize I'd already read them.
I took a pair of shoes that I never wore.
I took jackets that it never got cool enough to wear.
I forgot my hairbrush and had to buy a new one.
Let's face it- I suck at packing.

Whatever. I got everything there and back and all is well.

And it was a very good trip, honestly, in a lot of ways.
Despite anxiety and the uncertainty of the whole Mayo situation and my general state of stressed-outed-ness when we travel, we managed to have some very sweet time together, that man and me. Sixty-five year old people can be pretty loving.
Who knew?
And we laughed a lot. And god knows we ate a lot of crabs.

I did have a terrible nightmare last night. It was unlike anything I've dreamed in a very long time and it was so terrifying that I yelled out loud, waking myself and my husband up. It was so real that it makes me wonder how much about my childhood I may have blocked.
Ah well.

Like I said, it was hard to leave Roseland. It is remains absolutely unbelievable to me that it's still right there. And yet it is.
What a lovely glory that is to my heart. That place, that river, that sky and those trees and houses and the people who lived in them helped shape me into who I am when I was a child and they continue to mean so much to me now. When I think back on who I was then I imagine a little chubby grown-up woman with wary eyes behind blue cat's eye glasses, already worried about everything in the whole damn world. Or her world, which was the same thing at that age. And yes, many really awful things happened to me in Roseland but the fact is that there was so much to sustain and comfort me in the natural world that I not only survived but ended up feeling almost nothing but sheer love for the place. Roseland was never cruel to me. She only offered the sweetest fruits of life when I needed them most.

I better get back to unpacking and laundry and so forth.
Life flows on, doesn't it? Within you and without you.

Time to put the chickens up.

Love...Ms. Moon

19 comments:

  1. A beautiful love letter to a special place. Welcome home!
    Xoxo
    Barbara

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  2. sounds as if your cup is full and I am happy it was so wonderful. it runs deep in your soul, Roseland. Welcome home!
    susan m

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    1. I do feel as if a good part of my soul is cupped in the heart of that tiny village.

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  3. I had to google Roseland again, and look at images/maps. A nice little place , vulnerable to weather. So glad you go there every now and then, it would be nice to spend at least two weeks there or until you had had your fill. Is that even possible?

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    1. Well, the place I always stay is a little pricey so I dib and dab it out. As long as I get to go back fairly regularly, it's okay. I have spent as long as a week there by myself before. That was heavenly.

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  4. "I vow and declare"
    There is little language more lovely than local language, and hooray for the people who use it.
    It is so good to have bits of life to love.

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    1. It IS good to have bits of life to love, isn't it?

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  5. Your soul connection to Roseland is powerful. I felt it in your words. I'm glad you had such a wonderful time.

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    1. That connection is deeper than the river. I swear.

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  6. Glad to hear that you made it home safe. This was more than a mere journey. It had a spiritual element to it too, taking you back to times of innocence. Perhaps you should write a story...or maybe a semi-autobioraphical novel - perhaps titled "Roseland". The well is deep.

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    1. You're right, Mr. P. It is always a spiritual journey for me to go back there. Sometimes I am reminded of very hard times, times when my innocence was shattered. But there it is to comfort me all over again. It's hard to explain but it's very true.

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  7. Welcome home!

    No matter how little I pack, I always have things left over that I never wore. Just once I'd like to pack exactly the right amount of clothing.

    I always love reading your posts about Roseland. Your affinity for the place is so clear that you help us all to love it too.

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    1. I think that when Lis and I went to Cuba I took just about the right amount of stuff. That was the only time in my life!
      You'd love Roseland, Steve. I know you would.

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  8. So glad you enjoyed your trip and made it home safe and sound. I know the grandkids will be thrilled to see you. I hope your starter is okay.

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    1. Re-entry is always hard, isn't it?
      So far I've only seen August and he was mostly interested to see if I had any gum in my purse.

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  9. I would probably feel the same way about the home and area I grew up in if it was still there. neither the home nor the area. well, the area is still there but completely transformed into something unrecognizable. when I lived there it was piney woods now it's just another office park.

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    1. I know how absolutely unique Roseland is in that regard. Everything around it has grown and changed so much but right there, in that one little place, it's the same.

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  10. I’m glad your anniversary was so very sweet and under the sky of your special corner of the world. Your nightmare—we humans live around our scars, like that tree you wrote about that was struck by lightening. It kept on growing. Sometimes there is simply no other way than to keep on. Welcome home you two travelers. It is a gift to travel well with your love.

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Tell me, sweeties. Tell me what you think.