Moving Forward

Thanks for all your comments on my post yesterday. (And so many comments! I don't think I've written anything in weeks that has garnered that much attention!) Let me make clear that Dave and I aren't going anywhere immediately. I think for the next couple of years, at least, we're staying put. This is all big-picture pondering.

As some of you said, I think it's natural to think a little more deeply about the trajectory of life in the dark depths of winter, after the distraction of the holidays, especially amid medical uncertainty. I think planning a trip to visit the states may be enough for us for the time being, and that's what we're working on now.

Meanwhile, things have warmed up a bit here. Warm is relative, of course, but at the moment, in the pre-dawn darkness, it's 44º F (or 6.6º C). I actually uncovered the avocado last night to let the poor thing breathe and get some sun over the next couple of days. It's a little bent and battered by its fabric shroud, but otherwise it seems fine. Apparently that tree is tougher than I think it is. I'm happy to say no sub-freezing temperatures are in the forecast for the next ten days, though a few nights come close.

I made a little reinvestment in our garden yesterday when I sent the gardeners approval to come and do some cleanup for us in the next month or two. We've asked them to remove a bunch of ivy that has threatened to consume the north side of the garden. I hate pulling ivy. It is one of the least pleasant gardening experiences. But English ivy is only slightly less virulent than kudzu and it will swamp everything if left to run amok, so we need to get it in check. It's a job I'm happy to pay someone to do.

Also, the flat management company has asked to do a walk-through of the property on Jan. 22, so they can inspect the place and make sure we're not demolishing it or turning it into a grow house or meth den. I'm glad they're coming because I'd like to point out the several maintenance issues that I've reported that have been left completely unaddressed, like our missing kitchen cabinet door.

We still haven't heard any more about trimming the front garden, either. The Russians weren't happy with the quote I got from the gardener -- they thought it was too expensive -- so they went to get estimates of their own and last I heard they and our landlords were working out what to do. (Under the terms of our lease we aren't responsible for front garden upkeep.) I thought they'd settled on someone but I've heard nothing in weeks and meanwhile the garden still looks like the rain forests of Suriname. I wouldn't be surprised if there were monkeys living in there.

As I have occasionally mentioned here, I listen to a podcast called Q-Anon Anonymous that I absolutely love. (It's actually just called QAA now, because it has grown beyond Q-Anon to dissect conspiratorial thinking in general, in both historical and current events.) About a week ago I bought myself a Christmas present and became a paid subscriber, so that I can hear all their premium episodes and some of the special series they've done in the past. (Where else would I learn about the Tartarian Empire?) I'm psyched that I have that to listen to on my walks to and from work.