Stay and Go

I woke up in the middle of the night and thought “How did I ever get here? I’m in South Carolina, sleeping in a house with 11 Christmas trees.” I was dogsitting for my new friends Marilyn and Abbie, but sometimes I just have to stop and wonder at how I got where I am.

Stopping for winter has been good and bad. I love my snug little rental with the pond behind me. I look out the window at a pair of swans who have become MY swans, and a turtle who pops his head up and I swear looks for me every morning. I holler at the security guards when I come in – something inane about the weather or getting ready for Christmas or how busy it is or isn’t – and they holler back.

I go to church every Sunday and do the Facebook live videoing and take classes and pray holding hands with people who now know my name. I know which grocery checker wants my carrot tops for her bunnies. I joined the botanic garden and get a discount in the bookstore. And glory hallelujah, I found decent Mexican food!

All that good is also the bad, because now I kind of don’t want to leave. I know I would feel differently when the temperature hits 88 degrees with 97 percent humidity in July and the streets are crawling with drunk tourists, but right now, it’s cool and cozy and if I squint, I can ignore the Trump 2020 flags (to be fair, even upstate NY had Trump flags).

I’m either staying here in a different place (this place is rented starting Jan 1.), going to Charleston, or going to Savannah. No idea.

While I decide what to do next, enjoy some photos from Nights of 1000 Candles at Brookgreen Gardens. A nice man gave me a free ticket when we got into a deep discussion of local history and he took a shine to me. It’s a super extra light display in a sculpture garden. Behold.