Nomad Life - Day 22

My sleep was interrupted when Eileen got an EMT call during the night - I didn't realize she'd left, initially, but later noticed lights on outside my room.  I tried to go back to sleep but then she returned (0400) and I heard her moving around upstairs.  Even though she was able to get back to sleep, I never really could.  As a result, my day began just after that - I tried to read to get sleepy (unsuccessful) and then did some puzzles and games to pass the time before I started working (0600).  Eileen ended up sleeping until almost 0730 and we ate breakfast (fruit) before heading to Lehman Park for a walk with Mika (0800).  The weather was marvelous again (high 60s, sunny, no wind). Unlike other times I've visited this place, we were there only for a short time because Eileen still needed to get ready before departing for work.  In this phase, I moved the wet laundry out on to her deck and clothesline and tried to position everything under the warming/drying sun.  After Eileen left, I teleworked through the rest of the morning and then ate lunch (leftover Indian food).  I also checked on the laundry (it dried quickly) and ensured (like I had the day before) that the curtains, windows and doors were closed as the sun angle led to the potential for increased interior heat.  It felt a bit strange (but good), after a few weeks on the road under by belt, to be focused on domestic tasks during my work day.  Eileen had suggested we meet to do some blueberry picking at a farm in Pierrepont and planned to text/call when she was ready to leave her office so I could meet her there.  At about 1315, she alerted me that she was ready and I departed Potsdam.  Unfortunately, in my haste to get there on time, I forgot to bring her blueberry picking equipment...  My drive was about 12 miles and took about 15 minutes but I did locate the farm at the end of a gravel road.  Eileen arrived about five minutes later and I explained my mistake - in the end, we made do with bowls and other plastic containers (and bags) that I had in my car for the Nomad Life.  When we walked to the blueberry picking area, we met up with Mike, the caretaker of the land, who told us where to get the best berries.  I think he was also checking on the people accessing the blueberry patch, since this was a "by-invitation only" farm. For the next two hours, we picked 4.5 quarts of berries and had some good conversations.  Meanwhile, Mika sat patiently outside the gate (no dogs allowed).  By this point, the sun had warmed everything up tremendously (my car's temperature gauge showed 82 F) but there was shade under and near the bushes.  It was an unexpected, special event, much like many other things I've done with Eileen over the years.  Afterwards, Eileen paid (honor system for measurement and amount) and we drove back towards her house.  I passed Mike, who was walking along the road, and he asked how we'd fared - when I told him, he seemed pleased we'd been so successful this late in the season.  He asked why I was in the North Country (because of my New Hampshire license plate) and, when I told him about the Nomad Life, he suggested that I had an open invitation to return for blueberries the next time I was in the area.  What a nice offer!  Back at Eileen's house (1545), I resumed teleworking and waited until she was ready to make plans for the dinner we hoped to cook together.  Before we could get going with that project, though, we first had to stow the canoe (which Eileen had put in her garage while she was at work) in the storage shed.  This wasn't nearly as difficult as getting it out of the shed had been but still required a lot of finesse and care.  With that task completed, we next got an invitation to meet Eileen's friend (Sharon) for an early dog walk in Lehman Park (arrived there at 1615).  Actually, this didn't end up being a walk because Eileen met many other friends and I spent the time playing with Mika, watching birds in the middle of the Raquette River and skipping rocks.  Before long, Eileen asked that we return to her house so she could make a lasagna she needed to bring with her to Saranac Lake the following day.  Eileen went into the kitchen and I closed out my telework week. Realizing that Eileen had gotten very engrossed with her project (and a phone call), I decided to go outside to enjoy her fire pit patio.  I read there for a while and, since it didn't appear that the situation inside had changed, went walking around her extensive property.  The sun was starting to set by then so the temps weren't too bad, although I did work up a sweat while logging the rest of my 10K steps.  Eileen came looking for me at one point and seemed confused about why I wasn't inside the house (or kitchen) while she was working.  For my part, I was confused about why she was wondering where I was.  So, when I came back inside, we ended up in an intense conversation.  Sadly, all thoughts of making dinner together went out the window and Eileen instead started a major peach canning project after the two lasagnas were in the oven.  Eventually (1930), she asked if I could get some food and wine for us and I departed on that errand.  I stopped first at Potsdam Little Italy (for some big pizza slices) and then walked across the street to Royal Liquors to get the wine.  Finished with these errands, I arrived back at Eileen's at 2000.  We then had a nice talk and dinner, accompanied by the wine, while I assisted her with the canning.  It had probably been about 40 years since I observed or participated in something like that but my mom loved the canning process.  At various times throughout the evening, I kept thinking that Eileen would wrap things up and go to bed - we were both exhausted due to lack of sleep.  Instead, though, we stayed up as late as we had during the visit.  It seemed like we both knew that my Nomad Life was going to limit face-to-face interactions for an indefinite period and were hoping to prolong our connections.  Whatever the reason, though, I was very ready for bed by the time I went downstairs (1130) and it didn't take long for me to fall asleep.  Very happy I got to see Eileen during my Nomad Life and I hope it isn't too long before we can get together again.