On Earth Day, we slipped up to the cabin to open it for the season and enjoy a few days' respite from coronavirus. Vermont requires anyone coming into the state to self-quarantine for 14 days. We figured the A-frame was well suited for seclusion so we packed everything we needed and hit the road.
Traffic was much lighter than normal; there were stretches of interstate where we couldn't see another vehicle. The rest areas were deserted, with buildings closed and portable toilets in the parking lots. We hit snow squalls at the higher elevations.
We arrived around 1:30 and spent the afternoon unpacking and settling in. A red fox ran up the road as we were preparing dinner. It was windy and cold, but the place warmed up more quickly than in November (yay, passive solar!). We played cribbage after dinner and headed to bed, with Sarah, Abby, and me in the downstairs bedroom and Don upstairs. We all stayed relatively warm with sleeping bags under comforters, even though the outside temperatures dipped into the 20s.
Abby insisted on bringing her tennis ball to bed with me. When I got up in the middle of the night, she put it on the foot of my sleeping bag, and, as I shoved my feet back in, the ball fell onto the floor. She was up like a shot. I got up, put it back on the bed beside the bag, and got back in. In the time it took me to slide in, she put the ball back at my feet, and it fell off again. I got up once more, was careful to hold onto the ball while I got back in, then gave it to her. This time she picked it up and threw it off the bed, hoping to keep the game going. I ended up holding the ball in my hand where she could see it, but not take it, as I tried to go back to sleep.
Thursday morning, a red fox ran across the front yard while I was eating breakfast. Abby and I went for a walk. On the way back down our road, I saw a man and two kids walking toward us with two pit bull mixes. I picked up Abby, so as not to take any chances. When we met up, the little girl came running toward me, asking me if she could pet the puppy. Trying to maintain a six-foot space between us, I put Abby down so she could go to the girl. One of the pit bulls came over, circled Abby a couple of times, then lunged at her. I scooped her up and got out of there. Fortunately, she was unhurt. Later, I reflected on how sad it was that I was afraid of a little girl because of the virus.
Since we don't have Internet at the cabin, I set up my phone as a wifi hotspot so that Sarah could join her school Zoom meeting and I could work. This was a test run as far as data usage went. I've learned a lot since about how to reduce data demands while tethering, so I think we'll be able to carry on our commitments without breaking the bank.
In the afternoon, Don and Sarah installed a new ceiling fan in the main part of the cabin, while I worked. After dinner, we went for a walk to the end of the road. Yahtzee was the evening game-of-choice, after which Don and Sarah watched/listened to the NFL draft, using a mix of old and new technology.
Friday morning, I was ready with my camera when the fox ran by. Abby and I had an uneventful walk, and she seemed to have forgotten about the pit bulls. Sarah did schoolwork, which included drawing a picture to illustrate Jack Johnson's song "My Own Two Hands." I worked, with an office view to rival any. Don and Sarah fished from shore for a bit after lunch. Later, I cleaned, and Don tinkered.
Saturday morning, I waited for the fox but was disappointed. Abby and I set out on our walk but turned around right away when I saw the pitties loose up the road. I hope this won't be a continuing problem. It was a beautiful day in the 60s with little wind, and we spent the afternoon outside. I cleaned out the storage shed; Don set up the badminton net and grill and burned brush; and Sarah built an American Ninja Warrior-style obstacle course. Later, she put together a fort in the bedroom. It was a gorgeous evening sky, with first a sunset, then Venus above the crescent moon. Since it was our last night, we played Yahtzee and cribbage, and I won both, scoring two Yahtzees.
Sunday morning, we packed up and headed home, back to the reality of COVID-19. A few days away, with little Internet and no TV, was a gift. We are blessed.
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