Lately I have been pondering some of life’s mysteries.
If I had gone out on that blind date in March of ’68 with Billās twin brother Jim instead of Bill [which was the original plan], and married Jim instead of Bill, would I have experienced the same happiness and blessings in my life? Would I have had the long and loving relationship, the feeling of security I enjoy now? Would my spouse still have been my equal partner in every aspect of our marriage? Would I have conceived and given birth to the amazing children I raised who in turn have blessed me with incredible grandchildren? Would we be celebrating our 52nd wedding anniversary?
Or would I be a widow?
Two-and-a-half months ago, before my husbandās brother died, I never thought about such things. Strange how death can make us wonder about life.
scattering stardust unanswerable questions swirling round my brain
Here it is …. the so-called unofficial start of summer …. and we’re celebrating Memorial Day once again in my neck of the woods ā Southern Westchester County in New York. In case youāre not familiar with the area, Manhattan is about a 45-minute drive south ā far enough away for us to be in the suburbs but close enough to get into NYC for a show or dinner if we want to. Weāre approximately an hour from Jones Beach heading east out to Long Island and 2 hours from the Catskill Mountains up north.
Weāre in a nice spot and weāve loved living here for 45+ years but we often bring up the topic of making a move. And why would we do that if itās so nice here? Two big reasons: stupid-high property taxes and ever-increasing congestion.
Our little village was exactly that when we moved here; now the population has exploded and every family member old enough to drive has a car. We live on a very quiet cul de sac and never think about the congestion in town until we actually have to go to town. What used to be a 5 minute drive to the supermarket or post office is now triple that (or more) because of the number of cars, trucks and school buses on the move .ā¦ and letās not even start talking about road work! Thereās construction everywhere we look and some of it takes years to accomplish. By then, itās time to start repairs again! Move it!
So, if we did decide to leave New York, the big question is ā¦. where would we move to? I have no idea! It seems like everyone complains about the same problems of high taxes and too much congestion no matter where they live. Besides, the physical act of clearing out the house, packing up, moving and relocating at this stage of our lives is daunting; I can barely manage packing for vacation!
Things to think about, for sure. For now, I think Iāll move out onto the deck, sit in my lounge chair, drink my iced tea and listen to the birds. Bill will light the grill around 2PM; now that you know where I live, cāmon over!
It’s time to roll out some Nat King Cole and “Those Lazy Hazy Crazy Days of Summer”!
The Elephant's Trunk 