Vacation - Quiet Days in South Dakota

I am enjoying the quiet days here in South Dakota.  Today was a particularly easy going one, especially it involved a late afternoon two hour nap.  That was a nice treat. So, outside of napping it has been a series of easy days here at the ranch, visiting with Mom, Bill, and Tom. 

I was teasing them the other day that, between the three of them, they have the health of a whole person.  In the case of Mom and Bill, it is the effect of their age. In the case of Tom it is a result of his illness, which has him up and down and up and down.

Each day is easy though and I have been gradually making a dent in their junk.  I didn't do much today, but it is a slow and steady challenge. Tomorrow, I am going to hit the Bedroom Number 2 hard, and then from there pivot and attack the Den.  The Den is actually far more disorganized them it is junky. 

I think, because the den is easy access off the living room it is very convenient to just open the door and temporarily drop things in - consequently, it is more of a space occupying pile of stuff, as opposed the prepackaged density of Bedroom Number 2.

Tonight, I am currently sitting here writing this entry and watching Lawrence of Arabia on TMC.  That is one of my favorite movies.  I've seen it several times on the big screen and I try to catch it each time it comes out.  It is an amazing piece of film in so many ways, each time I see it, I see something in it that I haven't seen before.  Within the movie the desert itself is an astounding character.

I am of course concerned about the various health issues, but there is a bright spot in the midst of it all - with Mom and Bill, their principle challenge remains age and the effects of age, as well as their assorted chronic conditions. Tom is far more acutely ill and how he manages his illness, if he can, is going to effect his morbidity. The prognosis for him, absent some fierce discipline, is going to be very rough.

It has been very nice to be quiet, to move easily through the day without any special schedule, free of the mad calendar of the work day, and in a state that I would call about 95% off the grid. The world definitely moves at a different pace here and that is very enjoyable.  Given the hectic nature of this particular trip, I am glad I took the full two weeks, even though I suspect I am going to pay for it when I get back to work - it is always so nice just to step out of that world and into this one.

And, in lieu of that, I hope you're having a good day, whoever you are and wherever you are.