Hallwalking and Other Pastimes

The possibility of snow on Thursday morning was exciting to anticipate, but it never materialized here.  I understand from talking to Martha’s aunt Lizette in Raleigh that it did snow there, however, and was quite lovely, especially for some of the residents in her retirement home who were Florida transplants.  Instead of snow, we braced for more wind, less in the “15 to 25 mph range” and more in the “gusts up to 35 mph” range.  It blew hard all day Thursday and Friday, and was still so strong on Saturday that I waited until that afternoon before completing my six-mile long run to Fort Macon and back.

When the wind blows from the north out here, it can be quite deceptive.  The south-facing balcony will often be sunny enough to persuade you that you could sit out in a chair for awhile, but stepping out into the stairwell dispels that notion immediately.  Sometimes when we dash from the stairwell and slide gratefully into our car parked under the building it is difficult to pull the door closed.  But by Saturday afternoon it had subsided to five mph or so and temperatures in the low 40s felt balmy. 

The subsiding wind and slightly warmer temperatures ushered in a day of rain on Sunday.  Another rainy day at the beach.  Fortunately, we can always find useful pastimes to while away the hours until we can get outside again.

That tall stack of books we brought with us has dwindled, but there is always something to read, and that is how we have been spending the evenings.  Is there a better pastime than reading?  We have unfortunately fallen into a routine of watching the news late every afternoon before replacing it with dinner music.  It is difficult not to be riveted to the continuing drama unfolding every day, mostly the progress of the ambitious Covid Relief Bill proposed by the Biden Administration.  It is nice to return to daily press briefings, and we are impressed with the competent and articulate Jen Psaki and all the other members of Team Biden. 

And then there is the Republican Party, that seems to be in the process of destroying itself and not doing much about it.  Ronald Reagan has been replaced with Marjorie Taylor Greene and her Jewish space lasers – it is unbelievable that she has not yet been expelled.  David Brooks said on PBS this weekend that the party was on fire, and it reminded me of the time years ago when we were in a grocery store in Clayton, Georgia, and heard an employee say over the public address system, “Will the owner of a white Chevrolet come to the front of the store?  Your car is on fire,” and then repeating it with increasing alarm until she finally said, in exasperation, “Please come to the front!  Your car is on fire!!  With flames!!!”  She pronounced it with a broad Georgia accent:  fl-eye-mes!  Republicans, your party is on fire!  With flames!!

Another pastime I have been enjoying is playing my keyboard, which I found providentially in our local thrift store Mountain Findings in Highlands this fall.  It is not at all the same as a piano, but it at least allows me to practice the handful of Bach pieces that I have committed to memory from time to time.  Last year I had gotten so rusty that I nearly forgot part of one of the minuets.

I knew this little minuet from memory, years ago –
Nothing much, only one sharp – but I owned it,
And played it often, marveling at Father Bach
And his lovely symmetries, like a butterfly’s wings

Spread out treble and clef on the page before me.
And then I forgot it, over time, from want of practice
And the business of days gone by, wasted hours.
Now it is coming back to me, bar by bar,

Fingers remembering the familiar harmonies,
The difficult little arpeggios.  In time, I will
Remember it all, and have no need of the page,
As I remember all the forgotten pieces of my life.

I am learning a new minuet on this Sabbatical – because we should not stop learning new things, should we? – picking out the notes slowly like a young child who is just learning to read and has to sound out the words.  I can read music just a little, and often regret that I never continued taking piano lessons from my piano teaching Dad when I was a teenager more inclined to ride my bicycle or read a book than “practice.”

My laptop has not had any sound all month - see post of January 2, wherein I describe my failed attempt to uninstall and reinstall its sound driver to improve the sound quality (the uninstalling worked fine, but the reinstalling did not).  But happily I have now managed to restore it and am enjoying listening to music again with the new earphones that Martha gave me for Christmas.  There are some wonderful recordings now on YouTube by the Netherlands Bach Society.  Is there a better pastime than playing and listening to music?

And when it continues to rain all day, as it did on Sunday, there is always hallwalking.  Martha has done a little of this too.  When the wind is from the south, the hallways of the condo building are sheltered.  I walked down to the first floor, and then the entire length of the hallway, turned the corner to the end, and back again, then climbed rapidly to the second floor and did the same, etc., up to the fifth floor.  Then I came back down again, floor by floor.  Although I had my facemask in my pocket, I did not pass a soul.  I noticed that every unit had a different kind of mat at the front door, most of them nautically themed.  But despite the dozen or so cars parked under the building on this rainy Sunday afternoon, I saw no signs of habitation inside any of the units, not even lights on.  I suppose these winter residents were napping, or in their living rooms watching sports on TV.  Or maybe listening to music or reading.  Or writing in their blogs!

Highlands Hallwalker, waiting for the rain to stop.