For the first time in decades, I find myself with no plans for New Year’s Eve. The party hosts are Covid-positive, but not ill. It would not have been hard to come up with an alternate plan, but hanging out with Sparky felt like the right move.
The photo isn’t great. I used the selfie camera and there isn’t much light. The living room lamp has been pulled out of rotation. I wouldn’t have bothered with the photo, but Sparky thought people would think I was a hermit or dead in a ditch, so should take a photo holding a beer while he flashed his winning grin.
During my teaching career, I maintained a nutty professor image. In retirement, some people think I’m a hermit. Sure, I don’t do social media, go to the mailbox or text reliably. I am good at answering the phone, so that’s something, and I do see people every other day or so. Covid about wrecked me, but even before that, I worked hard as a teacher, and taught summer camps. As an engineer, I was traveling probably six months per year and did that foreign service assignment for a year. I like to work.
Now that I’m retired, I love shambling around with my coffee for a few hours, doing what needs to be done to maintain the hound and working on whatever comes to mind here at my compound. Sparky and I have been working on some trails through the woods. I’m refinishing the computer table and reinventing the living room lamp.
So, in the new year, I hope you only see as many people as you want.