INTERLUDE

Interlude Overlook

Now over four months into the pandemic, life has become for my husband and I, the "new normal".   We've settled into our much more constricted routines - gardening, walking the dog, working on our respective hobbies or volunteer efforts, exercising at home, shopping once a week, favorite tv shows, and, of course ZOOM everything.  It is now routine to put on a mask any time we leave the house, and scrub like surgeons when we return. For variety and relief from the routine, we occasionally have a socially distanced face to face with close friends on a patio, each with their own food from home or takeout. If not a fully satisfying "like it used to be", it is always a nourishing blessing to connect with others.  We've also taken several camping excursions --these have been soul-restoring.  

We have watched the virus curve flatten in New Mexico, thanks to our proactive governor, and then balloon like a malevolent pregnancy, as people relaxed their guard over the summer holidays.  Now the hospitals are stretched to capacity, even as New Mexico has continued to accept patients from overwhelmed not-so proactive neighboring states. We have come to accept that this is likely the cycle in which we'll be entangled until there is a vaccine.  It may get better for a while, then it will get worse. Schools will begin soon, at whatever level is finally decided, and we'll see what that brings.  What we know is that outdoors is safer than indoors for virtually any activity, and that our window for enjoying the freedom of socializing or camping will narrow as the weather gets colder. So, we assess the current risks, and get out as much as we feel is safe to do now.

With that in mind, we planned and implemented a  short, non-camping getaway for a special anniversary date. Our direction was north to escape the current heat wave. We found lovely small bed and breakfast in Taos, with lots of privacy from other guests.  It was a spectacular choice -- rooms with separate entrances and patios, and plenty of open space to wander outside.  Even some dog-friendly rooms, but we opted to leave Pilgrim at home and enjoy the most private space available -- a second floor perch with an expansive view of the grounds from a lovely deck.

Breakfast Served!

It was delicious to be in different environment, and luxurious to have     breakfast served to us outside by our very accommodating host.  Ed nicknamed him "Jeeves" for his habit of bringing a tray of coffee up before 7 am and leaving it on our deck.  We shared the second story with a bevy of beautiful birds, and we had a hawk's eye view of the small prairie dog town below.

Morning Magpies Across from our Deck

Our brief foray into the little town of Taos was...a bit surreal.  Taos is taking the virus seriously, and mask wearing was strictly enforced and observed (for which we were grateful)!   But to see the normally crowded- to -overflowing streets, if not empty, certainly sparse, was unsettling.  Tourism seemed largely to be families with their appropriately masked children finding their way to experience a brief outing before the school year.   Hiking was the most popular activity, and well-known trails were much too crowded for our taste.

To that end, we found a very steep but shady trail named the "Bull of the Woods". 

After a couple of hours of steady climb to about 11,000 feet, the trail opened up to a wet meadow that was nothing short of magical.  Wildflowers and butterflies -- oh my!  There must have been a dozen or more species of butterflies savoring the nector.   We savored our own lunch of homemade bread sandwiches and watched the show, transfixed.   We also got to share our meal with a flock of well-educated gray jays, (nicknamed "camp robbers" for their habit of begging, or stealing, from campers and hikers).   This group was no exception, willing even to come and perch on an outstretched hand for a grape. I know, I know, I shouldn't feed the wildlife - but hey -- right now one takes great pleasure from these small things, which in this case I believe was pretty harmless.   Wouldn't do this with a squirrel, or a bear!

What's the point of this particular, somewhat wandering and aimless, blog post?   It feels a little like a description of my mood and life right now. But, if there is a point, or a lesson, it's that what is nourishing for me is Nature -- ummasked nature.  The effort to climb a thousand feet or more may not be for everyone -- but everyone can look out their window and see Nature in some way, unmasked, unworried, going about her life.  A lesson I hope to  remember, when our lives return to what is "normal".  

Lincoln's Sparrow Unmasked!