Editor’s note: Karen Harris Tully is a writer who lives in Raymond and has agreed to keep a journal to share with Daily World readers during the odd and uncertain time we’re all navigating.
Dear Journal:
We went fishing at Case’s Pond. Spoiler – we didn’t catch anything. My son had been begging to go fishing. I don’t fish. My dad tried to teach me when I was younger, but it didn’t stick. So, we all went to the pond. It was a beautiful day and we got the last spot in the five or six spot parking lot. There was a group already on the dock, so we walked a short way down the right-hand trail and stopped to fish. There were two more groups farther down, a family, and a group of teen boys, and two more families on the other side of the pond. But there was a large amount of space between groups, we were outside in the sun and fresh air, and no one felt the need to wear masks. Though busier than I would have liked, it was nice and relaxing. Several different types of blackberries were in bloom where we were standing, each one so different, and one pink bloom that I thought might be salmonberry. If it hadn’t been for the other people, if we could have actually walked around the pond, it would have been idyllic. We should probably go back early in the morning, in the rain.
I find that being around other people annoys me more than usual now. Am I the only one? I find myself having to be extra vigilant in public, around people I don’t know. Will they sneeze right next to me, with no mask, when passing too close in the grocery store? Yes, that happened. I spent the whole rest of that trip playing ‘Is it Covid or allergies?’
Our beaches are opening back up, so that means out-of-towners will be flooding the area for some understandable space and fresh air. I hope they’re respectful. I hope they bring their own supplies. I really hope they wear masks better than what I’ve seen locally. I know some people don’t believe in wearing masks in public, because I don’t know, protecting others around them is not something they think important? But come on! Okay, rant over.
I too would love to be out on the beach in the sun this holiday weekend, but if I have to be around people, I’ll pass. I think I’m becoming a hermit.
Song of the day: Dueling banjos – Eric Weissberg and Steve Mandell
Karen Harris Tully is a novelist living in Raymond with her husband and two small children. She writes sci-fi/fantasy for teens and adults and can be found at www.karenharristully.com.
