Dan hung in there and skied the Birkie again this year, but he was certainly disappointed with the conditions. Instead of skiing the hills and valleys of the Birkie course, the skiers were relegated to a 10K loop (on machine-made snow) that they repeated three times. Looking forward to 2025. When I was explaining to my taxi driver today that they had to make snow with a machine, he was incredulous. I wish I could have recorded his reaction. It was hilarious. He was also shocked when I told him that I spend four months here without my husband.
Wow! I started this entry over a week ago. Not much has been happening. I was feeling under the weather for a couple of days, so didn’t do much at all. I am also dealing with this crown replacement. I was in the chair for over two hours on Monday, and the dentist couldn’t complete the job because of inflammation and bleeding from all her digging around. So, she put on the temporary crown, which I later felt had two sharp points on it that commenced to tear up my tongue. I tried filing it down with a nail file and jabbed myself in the gum. I then tried covering it with chewing gum. Not great. I managed to file it down somewhat, and my tongue is now starting to get used to it, so it’s not so painful. I go back tomorrow to get the impression done. It’s a hassle, but a crown here is only $500, so I want to finish it while I’m here. Always something.
I’ve had a couple of lovely get-togethers. Saturday night Jerry and Linda made dinner for Betty and me. I even got Linda to smile a little for a photo.
Jerry loves entertaining…and baking. This is his banana cream pie. It was great!
Jerry and Linda leave tomorrow for Vietnam. Linda finally said she was going to try to enjoy it. Yay! She came down this afternoon to say goodbye and told me how much she enjoyed having me as a tenant. That was so sweet. We even shared a hug.
This afternoon, I was SO happy to have lunch with Adrianna, Charlie, Jon and Rosa. It’s the first and last time I will see them this year. I have rented from Jon in years past, and I met Adrianna and Charlie when they were Jon’s neighbors. I also rented from Adrianna and Charlie one year. They have a home in Charleston and spend more time there now because they have a young granddaughter they spend a lot of time watching. Rosa is Jon’s caretaker.
The lunch was wonderful. As well as numerous appetizers, Adrianna prepared a polenta and salad.
It was an interesting conversation. Both guys have transgender young adults in their families and were confused how to deal with it. When I suggested that they just love them, they were concerned that this attitude would encourage them to continue with a choice that might be a mistake. Tough times for these old guys.
Dan and I have been talking a lot recently, planning our upcoming Camino in May. I think we have most things booked. I’ve also been spending a lot of time on writing. I’m quite sure the second draft will be finished before I leave here. That’s the goal. Then it’s on to marketing.
Tomorrow…back to the dentist!