I lied. I am posting today because I’m writing it yesterday!
Oh, hello!
Our first groundhog sighting. He was right outside the living room window, chomping on some grass. Rather sizeable, this one. That made us happy.
As do these sweet grape hyacinths that pop up right next to the porch.
I want to get better for many reasons, not the least of which is it’s time to start cleaning up the garden beds. We’re heading toward temps in the 80s at the end of the week. Very unseasonable, of course, but spring fever, here we come.
I’m in NYC as you read this, but at the end of Wednesday, I will be through with commuting back and forth to the city for the time being. I’ll head to NJ next Tuesday for an overnight stay.
I want to make something clear about commuting and trains and buses, etc. When we realized we would have to move quite a bit north of the city in order to afford a house, we knew there would be a a trade-off. And that is the long distance from our house to Manhattan which means our commute is longer and quite a bit more expensive. We wanted a house, so we went into it with our eyes wide open. No not-for-profit theater can afford to pay for a hotel in the city for someone who lives within commuting distance. Reality check: they wouldn’t, nor should they, and do you have any idea how expensive hotels are in Manhattan??? As it is, they reimburse me for the cost of the train or bus. I have to pay for all those things up front, submit my receipts, and eventually a check will arrive in my mailbox.
Also, no Broadway show with a big budget will pay for hotel accommodations for yours truly. I’ve worked on Broadway twice and that just didn’t happen except for a couple of nights during tech week for Anastasia. I commuted back and forth to the city every day I had to be at rehearsal. There are a lot of people who do what I do in the NYC area, so if I’m offered the job, I count myself lucky, indeed. Also not-for-profit theaters were devastated by lockdown and many of them are having trouble surviving. They cut back on the amount of weeks in rehearsal, they do whatever they can to save money and build up their subscriber base to what it once was.
When we moved out east, I was 49. I’m now 70. It was somewhat difficult even at the age of 49, but for the first four years we lived in the East, we lived closer to NYC, so it was much more doable. We’ve lived here 17 years and I still do it, as does Don, but it takes a lot more out of us. It’s something I’m going to have to come to terms with. Usually, I have a short spurt of travel back and forth for a week or so. This time, I have more, and I am sick. What would be hard normally is extremely difficult when you’re sick.
Now, imagine Don doing that for years – traveling into the city, killing time, traveling on the subway to his audition, waiting to audition, spending about 60 seconds in the room auditioning, racing to get back to the bus station, then traveling back home. All for a minute of not-even-work. That’s much worse.
But it’s what we do, so when we get a chance to work, or a chance to audition for work, we take it.
This has been a tough one because I’ve been sick for 2 weeks of the 2½ weeks we’ve been in the rehearsal studio. Hopefully, that will never happen again.
Anyway, I wanted to add context because it isn’t like your normal 9-to-5 commute.
I’m looking forward to a few days of rest after this.
Stay safe.
Happy Wednesday.
Little groundhog is so cute! Any idea if it’s one you’ve seen before? Wish they had markings making it easy to tell.
I have no idea! If it is, he’s grown a bit!
Stay safe, Shanna.
What a great shot of the ground hog; looks like he posed! <3
My 6 year old grand daughter has the same thing as you and Don have, She was sick all last week and this school vacation week. It's just hanging on. Fingers crossed no one else in the house gets it.
I think when people do not live in the greater NYC area they have no idea about competition, costs, traffic, and time schedules. You are doing exactly what you are meant to be doing and are taking care of yourself.
Can't believe temps are going up to the 80s this week. First no winter, now no spring. If one more person tells me they are thrilled it will be almost 85+ degrees F, I will scream! :)
Hope you are having a great day!
Sorry your granddaughter is sick, Betsy. I wouldn’t wish this on anyone!
You’re right. I am absolutely sure those people who live away from the NYC area do not understand those things. It’s an entire world in itself, isn’t it?
It’s going to be 88 degrees here today!
I shall continue praying for both of you to start feeling like yourselves again. It must be so debilitating coupled with your long commute. I enjoy reading about your theatre work.
Once you’ve finished this latest bout you can hopefully relax and enjoy Springtime.
I’m curious about groundhogs, they look really sweet. It’s a bit of daft question but do they climb or stay on the ground as their name would suggest? Do they do much damage like squirrels can or are they harmless ?
Happy Wednesday
I’ve never seen one climb, but I suspect they could if faced with a predator. They tunnel under the ground and construct elaborate residences there, so they can do damage to structures. They certainly tunnel under our shed, but we’re not real concerned about that. They’re gentle creatures, easily scared by the slightest sound. The one in the photo ran off after I took the picture because of the sound of our neighbor’s car coming down the driveway! They’re also vegetarians.
Stay safe, Dee Dee.
dear Claudia/Don — always so good to read of your ‘adventures’ don’t envy you all, haha!! sorry you are still dealing w/the crud — sure hope you have improvement soon. we have lovely weather this week — 70s w/sunshine, but allergies are already bad for me — very funny b/c never had this when younger LOL!! enjoy your country living. stay healthy/safe
It’s going to hit 88 degrees here today. Way too hot!
Stay safe, Linda.
Your schedule is grueling. I hope you feel better soon.
I love the groundhog and hyacinths; just wonderful; thanks for taking the time to post photos, Claudia.
You’re welcome, Vicki.
How is your husband doing?
Stay safe.
I think one of many reasons I didn’t pursue theatre in NYC after college (apart from not having the confidence or possibly the talent to think I could make it at all) was that I wanted to live in a house. A town. Not a city. I so get why you made the choices you did — and you did that with eyes wide open, knowing the challenges. I say, “hear, hear!” You created your boundaries and that’s so important.
I’m glad the show is almost over, the skies blue, the groundhog back and hopefully you will be fully back in gear very soon. You just hang in there.
Thank you for your kind words, Jeanie.
Today is a day of REST!
Stay safe.
I really appreciate your reasoning. We moved to a remote part of Tasmania, Australia, 12 months ago. It’s is 45 minutes to our closest supermarket, more than an hour to the closest doctor or hospital, no family in the same state. There is a helipad just a couple of kilometres down the road, so an air ambulance is an option if we really need it. We have had to work hard to meet locals, who it must be said are so welcoming and helpful. Being in the local volunteer fire brigade certainly helps.
You are right, we thought long and hard about this move. It’s something we have dreamed about for close to 30 years. We tossed up all the inconvenience versus wanting to live in the bush, surrounded by native animals.
We realise we probably can’t stay here forever (ages 67 and 63) but for the moment it is working. It is a bit of a “swings and roundabouts” situation; there are no right, perfect solutions! It all depends on what sacrifices you are prepared to make to achieve your dreams.
I really admire you for pursuing your dream, Denise. Bravo! Your new life in the bush sounds wonderful.
Stay safe.
Some decisions are easy, some decisions are hard but they all involve compromise. I think your commute to NYC was a good compromise so you could buy your wonderful home in the country. Hope your’re home now and can relax and get better before you have to travel to NJ. Take care of each other. I know you do. Hugs, Elaine
Thank you, Elaine.
Today, we’re resting and taking care of each other.
Stay safe.
glad you can rest for several days before an overnight trip to new jersey. hopefully that helps get rid of the crud for both you and don.
i agree about some people not understanding about commutes … how tiring they are, why they may be necessary and why someone might put up with them … because i’ve experienced it. i moved back here just over twenty-two years ago, after grad school in ohio, a return to minneapolis and then working several years in a small town. after a long search, i took a job in a slightly larger town north of here, but found a place to live here in des moines. meant an hour-long commute each way and i had people (outside of my family) questioning and criticizing me about that choice for the nearly two years i did it. to me, though, it was an easy choice … i would much rather commute to a job than to my family.
sweet photo of that cute groundhog. glad you saw him or her.
same with the hyacinth … beautiful!
agree about the high temperatures … too much, too soon! been using the air conditioner in my car and ceiling fan at home, when i’d rather not … it’s not yet mid-april!
thanks for taking time to post.
happy, safe thursday to everyone.
kathy
We’ve had to resort to fans, because it’s just too early to install our window A/C units. One more day of this and we should be back to normal.
Stay safe, Kathy.