A Quick Update for Thursday, December 21, 2023

One piece of advice I received a lot before Patti picked me up in Florida on December 12 was to try and get some sunshine outside during the winter months to absorb Vitamin D and at least alleviate the psychological effects from the longer, darker nights of the season. (That, and to take Vitamin D supplements as well.)

Because I’m not working on Reunion: Coda yet (I’m still struggling to adapt to the colder climate, plus – yes, I’ll admit it – I’m homesick as hell), I have time to go outside and try to explore my new environment. Or, more correctly, the part of my new environment that’s relatively safe to explore. We’re in hilly terrain here, and even the driveway has a steep incline that can be potentially treacherous. (Plus, there’s wildlife in the woods, so….)

Anyway, today I decided to start going out for brief periods to get fresh air and sunlight. I’m doing the “layers” thing, and I acquired one of those fur lined hats that have flaps to cover your ears along with a longish winter jacket before leaving Florida. I also have new gloves, but I avoid wearing them because they make some tasks, like unlocking the front door or picking up delicate objects, difficult.

I went out twice. Once in the early afternoon just to see if I can negotiate the incline unassisted. I can, but if going uphill is easy – especially if I go slowly – coming back down requires patience and careful treading. So…I don’t foresee myself walking long distances by myself like I used to in Florida.

At the time, the temperature was 32°F/0°C, but the sun was still high up in the sky, so even though my hands got a bit chilly, I tramped outside for a bit. Perhaps not as long as I should have to get the benefits of the sun on my skin, but I also didn’t feel like staying out in the chilly afternoon or tempting fate with the terrain.

Shortly before sunset, which was at 4:09 PM, I went outside again. This time, though, it was just to step out onto the front porch to take this photo:

Because it was so close to sundown, the temperature was 28°F/-2°C at 3:45 PM, which is when I did my best to get the point of interest (the flag) in the middle of the frame. It wasn’t easy because my hands were a bit numb from the chilly winter air, and I’m no Bob Capa or Ansel Adams, but I think this is a good shot. Don’t you?

And finally, now that I live once again in a house with an electric stove, I can cook on my own just like I used to do in Miami. As nice as the house where I lived in Lithia was, it had a gas stove with the most fragile control knobs I’ve ever seen on an appliance. Plus, I have a phobia about appliances that emit fumes and open flame, so (other than using the oven) I rarely cooked from the spring of 2016 till I left Florida on December 12.

I am out of practice in the culinary arts, so I decided to start out by making something easy but nutritious: scrambled eggs. I had not, as noted above, cooked anything in over seven years, but it seems that my cooking skills are still up to the task of prepping a meal. So…yay.