This morning, I was up much earlier than I'd hoped to be (0430) and did NOT feel rested. I stayed in bed until about 0700 but never got any quality sleep. Instead, I did some reading, puzzles and Duolingo exercises before going to breakfast in the Lobby of the Quality Inn (Lebanon) at 0745. Strangely, I still didn't feel great - this was probably due to the lack of sleep but maybe also from that one kind of beer I tried at Jesse's the night before... At 0800, I went outside for the first time - the temps were initially 11 F (brrrr)! From the hotel, I started my rounds of visits and socializing for the day by driving to Sacred Heart Catholic Church, where I joined the Men of St. Joseph Monthly Meeting. As usual, this fellowship group was very helpful and I saw several friends from our church (and even met new guys). I stayed with them from just after 0800 until about 0945 and then said goodbye. At around this time, I started to hear back from my family in Massachusetts (Dad and Katie). I'll admit that I was surprised and disappointed about how they were bailing on getting together during the upcoming weekend. Yes, they were legitimate reasons but I hadn't expected not to see them while I was in the Northeast... Oh well - maybe I'll have better luck when I return in the Summer. Next, I drove to my old Condo neighborhood and visited my next door neighbor, Monte (arrived at 1000). He'd graciously offered to host me for a mid day meal and, while I was there, I got to see Beth and Ann too (they stopped by for a short talk). For the next few hours, we visited, had lunch and caught up on news. Monte has been helping me with some mail and has been a wonderful friend - it was great to be able to stay at his place for so long. While at Monte's, I did some birding in support of the NH Audubon Annual Backyard Winter Bird Survey (started at 1200). From his balcony, I recorded about one of observations and saw several species. Out side, the temps rose to about 30 F. Finishing up my visit to Gile Hill at 1300, I tried to visit another neighbor (Sarah H.) but she wasn't home. After that, I headed back to the hotel (arrived at 1315) and caught up on some admin. Another reason I was there was to wait to hear back from Jim F., who had said he wanted to meet for a meal. When he finally called (1430), we tried getting together at The Fort (local diner) but we discovered that it was closed (no explanation). Instead, we reconvened at Pellegrino's Italian Market, a new place (for me) with a great reputation. The food (sandwiches) was excellent! While there, Jim and I had a great conversation and he shared a lot of life/health recommendations (both in a Physician and friend role). As usual, Jim was very gracious and seemed genuinely happy that I was back in town. Just before 1600, I suddenly realized what time it was and remembered I'd planned to attend Mass at Sacred Heart. Quickly saying goodbye to Jim, I drove to the nearby Parish, barely making it in time. During the service, it felt a but strange to be back "home" after more than six months. Along the way, I got drafted into helping with the offering - that made me glad because I definitely wanted to support the church while I was in town. After the service was over (1700), I went down into the Parish Hall and again got drafted to help with the Mardi Gras night. At first, I sold tickets, a job that brought back memories of my recently departed friend, Herman. During this time, I met a lot of Father Charles' friends and saw many of my old acquaintances from church. Like the others earlier in the day, everyone seemed very happy to see me. Feeling very humble but very loved... Later, I helped Wyktor in the kitchen with dishes, cleanup, etc. and was reminded of all the evenings I'd previously supported our Knights of Columbus Parish and Father Charles. All told, I spent nearly four hours helping and it felt like old times. Because "they needed me", I ended up skipping another local skiing event (this one at the Hartland Winter Trails) that I'd tentatively added to my calendar. But, like last night, I considered this a good trade. At 2115, I departed Sacred Heart and drove a short distance to my hotel (arrived at 2130). By then, the temps were in the low 20s but I didn't feel too cold. I should probably have tried harder to get my 10K daily step count but, instead, decided to watch movies and take a "rest day." This didn't really improve things, though, because I didn't make a big effort to catch up on my sleep. I ended up online until almost 2300 and still felt tired from the morning. Turning out the lights, though, I definitely had a lot of happy thoughts about how great the Upper Valley had been while I lived there - returning today definitely felt like home!
