Christmas Letter

 

December 2020

Merry Christmas and Happy New Year

Well, that decision was easy. As we dithered whether to spend another year on Key Biscayne, our   landlord told us he would not be renewing our lease. He would be moving into our, actually his,   apartment in May. Grant had decided to retire at the end of January, and we had committed to spending   February and March in Okinawa, helping Mary with new baby Remi and toddler Bella, while Ryan  continued his Navy doctor stint with a Marine battalion. We planned to visit Japan for a few weeks while we were so close. After that, who knew.

Suddenly staying on Key Biscayne was no longer an option. Now we are grateful; then it seemed impossible to find a house before we traveled. With the perseverance of our wonderful Realtor Jodi, and many trips to central Florida, I found a darling, 1950’s house in Windermere, about 15 minutes from Stephanie and Clara. While the rooms are tiny, the screened-in porch/pool area is huge, so I’m back to outdoor living. We can’t wait for this horrible    pandemic to be over, so you can come visit.

I assumed no one but us would be moving this year. I was wrong. Through dumb luck, while we were in Okinawa, I emailed the company that moved us to Key Biscayne last year and asked about moving us to Central  Florida. They had one opening in May, the day our lease was up. Would I like it? Yes, please.

Now we are hunkered down in our little home. Grant rides his bike most mornings, I work in the yard, determined to have all the grass replaced with native plants or my vegetable garden by the end of next year. Not traveling as we expected helps me concentrate on this project.

Our family has been so fortunate during this horrible year. Since July,   Stephanie has worked from home, and Clara has used Launch Education to finish 4th grade, then start 5th grade this fall. Mary and Ryan moved back to San Diego, where he has a 5 year surgery residency, and Mary engages plumbers, electricians, etc, to get their new-to-them house up to code. Patten continues with the marine plumbing contractor, still  having to travel, taking many Covid tests. Spaulding and Molly moved to Melbourne, since they both work there and were tired of the commute.

Grant and I are adjusting to his retirement, occasionally thinking it’s the weekend because he’s home when it is really Wednesday. Because we stay home, we haven’t met our neighbors or learned much about our new area. However, with video technology, we can see our grandchildren, visit with friends, and attend services at our south Florida congregation. We are content.

 

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