Perfect Social Distancing

kayaking on Mountain Island Lake

After much debate, we broke down and purchased two kayaks. Many of our neighbors have already been out on the water a bit with theirs, and we were getting eager to join them. While it is possible that at some point down the road our HOA will have community kayaks available, who knows when that will occur. With the pandemic, work on the amenities here has come to a screeching halt. And being out on the water in our own personal kayaks is the best way I can think of to maintain social distance.

We discussed the various options - sit in versus sit on being a big one. Size is an issue as well, not only for storage in our already pretty full garage but also so that I can get my kayak in the water by myself. A few of our neighbors had done extensive research, so we took their advice into consideration.

One thing that became clear to me right away is that the kayak purchase is only the beginning. Paddles, personal flotation devices (PFDs), dry bags, carts to move the kayaks, kayak racks for the car and the garage - oh my! This is becoming an expensive hobby, for sure.

The kayaks arrived last week, delivered to the door! It's amazing what can be delivered these days, and I suspect that people will continue to shop for more things this way even after the country opens up. The paddles and PFDs came this week, though we are still waiting on the racks and carts. We were able to go out last Friday and Saturday as friends had extra equipment they were willing to lend us. To finally get out on the water instead of just looking at it from our yard was quite a thrill.

Friday was just Jim and me, and we stayed in the nearby cove as the wind was creating large waves on the lake. The dozens of turtles in the area kept us entertained as we got used to the feel of the kayaks and the paddles. Kayaking was just the thing we needed to get our minds off the death of dad for a little bit.

Mountain Island Lake

Paddlers of Imagery

On Saturday about 10 of us went out, including 3 paddle boarders. The lake was calm and there were few boats out at 8 in the morning. It was a lot of fun, but I can see that I will need to find a different group of paddlers. I want to be on the water to explore the coves and wildlife as well as to get exercise. I am not in a race to see who can get to the end of the lake first. I already have a name for my group - The Piddler Paddlers.

Behold the Turtle

eastern river cooter turtle

Yesterday morning my husband looked out our bedroom window and told me there was something I needed to see. There in the side yard was a large turtle, and she was rocking front to back. Of course we grabbed our cameras and headed outside. Unlike many shy turtles who duck inside their shells when something approaches, she just kept going about her business. She was definitely on a mission.

When I finally walked around behind her, I could see that she was using her back feet to move the clay towards her stomach. We continued to watch her as she finished packing the earth and then tried to throw some grass on top of it. Lots of luck there, turtle, we have crappy bermuda grass here! When she was satisfied, she took off on a stroll across our backyard and patio, and then went up the slight rise to the back of our lot making her way back towards the lake.

We surmised that she had just laid her eggs, and after researching on the internet I am convinced that was indeed what she was doing. She is an eastern river cooter, I believe. We have several dozen of them in a nearby cove. Cooters grow to be 9-12" in length on average, but can get to be over 16" long.

As I read more about cooters, they normally lay 7-18 eggs! Female turtles can hold fertilized eggs for several months, so it will be hard to predict when the babies might hatch. The nest is right on the property line between us and our neighbors, so we quickly stuck some flags around the spot to mark it. I want to make sure that the mowing crew here doesn't disturb it too much. The mother will not return to the nest, so the babies will be on their own.

It will be fun to watch and see what happens over the next few months. At the very least it will be a distraction from the COVID-19 pandemic. As James Bryant Conant said, "Behold the turtle. He makes progress only when he sticks his neck out."

Cemetery Streaming

Jerry's casket

My father and mother-in-law purchased a family plot at St. Andrew's Cemetery in Fairfax, Minnesota decades ago. Many of their relatives are buried there as well. It was their wish to have a funeral in Charles City, Iowa and the burial four hours away in Fairfax. We always joked with them that they better not die in the winter as no one would be able to make that drive.

As it turns out, even though dad died during beautiful weather, we couldn't make the drive anyway. With COVID-19 keeping the country on lockdown, we decided to have a virtual graveside service. On Thursday a cousin who was able to attend because she lives in the area used her phone as the conduit for the rest of us to virtually attend through the internet program Zoom. Those of us who were remote were able to see the handful of relatives who were there in person, and listen to the funeral director say a prayer and sing a couple hymns.

I read a phrase recently that referred to the American way of death. All our past experiences included traditions that were followed. Planning the funeral, picking out clothes for the deceased, setting up the viewing, funeral and burial, and preparing for the post-funeral gathering. There was the viewing, then the funeral, a trip to the grave site and then a luncheon of some sort. The pandemic has disrupted all of that, and really robbed us of the opportunity to truly grieve and mourn the loss of an extremely important person in our lives.

But our virtual service brought us some relief. I suppose things finally seemed real. The best part was that those of us who were online together stayed on after the graveside service concluded. People were able to express their sympathy to my mother-in-law, and she in turn was able to interact with family that she hadn't seen for quite awhile. There were tears and reminiscing, laughter at old stories and jokes, and a sharing of the mutual love we all had for Jerry. It was the closure that we all needed. It might not have been the funeral that was well-planned by mom and dad, but we sure made use of the technology available to spread hugs, love and goodbyes. Even if it was all done virtually. RIP, beloved father.

family flowers