I flew from Paris to Wilmington, NC, on the 2nd of September, where I spent 10 days in my ‘private guest room’ as my good friends, Janet and Bob, call it whenever I descend upon them for a lengthy stay.
While there, Janet got to play with an adorable dog while I got my hair cut. I got to enjoy time with my youngest son, his beautiful wife, and my adorable 8-year-old grandson. We celebrated her birthday in style and had lots of ‘beach time.’
From Wilmington, I flew south to Dunedin, FL, which is where I now have my US residence. Thanks to besties, Don and Karen, who so graciously let me camp out in the beautiful guest house while I do my annual doctor rounds.
I know I have mentioned it before, but I will reiterate the fact that Karen is the most amazing cook I know, and to sit at her table every night and feast upon her culinary creations is a pleasure I wish everyone could experience.
My treat to them is to take Karen out of the kitchen and enjoy the bountiful, fresh seafood that is available where they reside.
After two weeks of delicious food and being poked, prodded, and tested by numerous medical professionals, it was time to return to beautiful San Miguel de Allende and begin the first of 5 house and pet sits over the next 3 1/2 months.
My first ‘sit’ is for my friend Lois, who, with her two loveable kitties, lives high on a hill, in a glorious art-filled home with a view of the entire city from her living room windows!
But to backtrack just a bit….When in the south of France, between heat waves and wildfires, I had the pleasure of meeting a lovely woman, Janice MacDonald, whose writings I had enjoyed reading on Substack, entitled “Old Age is a Foreign Country.” We were close and agreed to meet for a tour of the huge food halls in Narborne before enjoying a long, meandering conversation over lunch.
It was a total surprise to open my email today to find she had written a very nice piece – about me! – and even had included photos I hadn’t known she had snapped! She certainly makes me seem more interesting and adventurous than I see myself. But maybe I can show others of a certain age, that you don’t have to grow old and stagnate, or perhaps this will give my children a glimpse of why I chose to live this wandering lifestyle and not be the typical grandmother.
Here is the link to the piece she wrote. I hope you enjoy reading it – and hopefully you will want to follow Janice’s writings, as well. https://jmacdonald.substack.com/p/shes-been-homeless-for-15-years-and
Last night was truly special as I got to have dinner with my long-time, traveling buddy, Joyce, who is in town for a week with her friend Tracy, plus good SMA friends, Nora and Paula. It’s really lovely to return after 3 years, to a place I used to call ‘home,’ and feel so welcomed back.
I’m moving to another house and pet sit across town on Monday. The house is one of the oldest in San Miguel, and the kitty is a lovely ‘senior’ named Kosmos. So more fun and photos will follow as I once again enjoy the colorful, slower-paced, festivity-filled (Day of the Dead is upcoming!) life of a Mexican resident.
Until next time….
My Home on the Roam 