Our HermitAGE (POW-AGE)

I unpacked the Cribbage game as Mary prepared lunch. I watched as she poured the beverages. It wouldn't be long before we were munching on bagels and cream cheese, summer sausage, and coleslaw made from a fresh head of cabbage from our garden. I scanned our newly acquired acreage complete with a picturesque carriage house and cottage, soon to be an art studio. We're living our dream.

We decided to play hooky and take advantage of the beautiful autumn weather. Neither of us wanted interruptions and chose to spend the day away from television, chores, and the barrage of phone calls we were sure to get. I watched a squirrel forage for nuts. He appeared discouraged and ran off to pillage his sibling's stash. I spied a cardinal, camouflaged in the magenta leaves of a maple tree. Courageously, a chipmunk scurried under the table hoping for even meager morsels dropped from our delectable lunch. I laughed as it got too close for comfort causing Mary to hightail it to the highest point of the table.

After lunch and Cribbage we strolled through the field now golden with ready to harvest wheat. The foliage and trees were like nature's collage or a patchwork quilt. I picked a small bouquet of wildflowers and handed them to Mary. "They will make a beautiful corsage," she graciously accepted then pecked me on the cheek.

"The real estate agent's ad was right about our hermitage. We're in another world here." Mary marveled. "By the way, I hired the teenager down the road to mow for us. The two of us trying to manage this yard and the house plus driving the extra mileage into the city is disheartening." "Besides, he has an agenda." She smiled. "He wants to buy his girlfriend a ring." "I told him we'd paid an above average wage and he eagerly accepted."

"Tell him he can use the tools in the garage." I added, actually relieved.

Later, Mary was finished her decoupage project as I cleaned off a vintage birdcage I found in storage in the attic. Mary couldn't bear to cage an animal so this would now house flowers on the porch.

"A package arrived from your mom, with postage due." Mary watched as I opened it.

The message read: I am sending footage from your childhood. Several film reels were damaged in the fire but we managed to salvage this. They upped dad's dosage but don't worry, he rarely goes into a rage, and yes, he's still chasing that underage babysitter with the cleavage. I got the courage to check out the Old Age Home. We'll be in by Christmas. The tornado didn't do much damage. But we were at a disadvantage with no basement. I was enraged at the looting and pilferage of anything salvageable. The insurance coverage won't cover that.