“Those were the days, my friend – We thought they’d never end…”

This song from 1968 by Mary Hopkin has been rattling around my head for the past 2 days. Memorial Day Weekend, 2020. Let’s celebrate the glass half full: no traffic, little to no gas consumption, no packing or schlepping, a very reasonably priced weekend, no problems getting home. Now, the negatives..oh, why bother. You all know what they are.
I saw our friend Larry K. mention that he expected a vacation blog this weekend. I agree. We are currently sitting in our very pretty front yard, on our very flat driveway, next to our RV, and under our decorative awning. It is so so quiet outside, really peaceful. If we didn’t know better, we could be away, in a nice campground. Our neighbors must be using their firepits, because it even smells like camping. But, alas, it is not. It is literally making lemonade out of lemons.
Campgrounds all over the country are governed by different rules. (Sound familiar?) Many, many campgrounds have been closed during this pandemic. Some, however, remained open. It was literally state by state, hit or miss. New Jersey just received the all clear to open campgrounds to short term campers (that’s us). There are many rules and restrictions, closures within each camp to keep those camping as healthy as possible. We are discussing a trip to our favorite Jersey campground, Ocean View Resort, for later this summer. We just want to watch and see how successful these openings are.
Our original 2020 summer plans were to head north, to Upstate New York, and into Canada, to Quebec. On our return trip, we were going to visit the Thousand Islands. We had a great 3 week plan, with about 20 different tourist stops along the way – museums, parks, lakes, tourist attractions, national landmarks, historic cities….aaand, that plan has been shelved. In 2019, Rich drove every single mile out to Utah and back. It is not an easy drive. And so, we discussed a closer to home trip for this year. It would have been much less exhausting. Well, as it turns out, it WILL be much less exhausting! I do not think it is a great idea to be traveling at present. Even if (glass half full) all parks are open, all attractions are ready, the Canadian border opens to non essential travel, and the world is suddenly a happy, safe, healthy place once again – my intuition is telling me to stay close to home this year. Last summer, I had a medical emergency that landed me, quite unexpectedly, in a Moab Hospital. Rich stayed with me the entire time, and after I was discharged, I spent the next few days taking it easy. What would happen, G-d forbid, this summer? No one to be with me? A mandatory quarantine after the fact? Possible further exposure to illness? After much thought and discussion, we will postpone the plans we have for 2020, and stay local. There are many campgrounds in New Jersey…we might just take advantage this year.
So, how does this Memorial Day measure up to years’ past? Let’s see. Friday afternoon, we put the finishing touches on our yard and garden. It looks terrific. We set up the RV, and hung our decorative lights…and it started to pour. That is very similar to many of our MDW trips! We had a quiet Shabbat, in our house, while it rained, and came outside between downpours. Saturday night we planned an outdoor family movie, which was quickly moved indoors. We have a screen and a projector – and it’s gonna be really cool, sometime soon! We watched “Blockers”. It’s a filthy dirty stupid funny waste of time – I highly recommend it during a pandemic!
Sunday was not the weather I ordered, either. Rich and I ate breakfast outside, pretending we were camping. It was cloudy and cool – but we dragged the 21 year old out of the house and went to Roosevelt Park in Edison. It was a lovely place to just walk (with our masks and our social distancing). It was just nice to be out in a different space, and feel safe. Rich reminded me that about 25 years ago, we spent Memorial Day Weekend in Roosevelt Park! Rebekah and Judah were little, Mikaela was…well, she wasn’t!…and that year, the weather was fabulous. No masks, no worries – just celebrating the holiday. I wonder if we’ll ever get back to that point again.
Two friends stopped by in the afternoon, and we had a socially distant conversation in the yard. Contact with other people makes the world just feel normal again – ya know? Rich made a delicious barbeque, and we roasted marshmallows in our firepit for the first time this season. It was….cold! But, it was fun – and the fire was super toasty. I felt relaxed, and that felt good.
Today, I had a mission. Clean the kitchen, clean the bedroom, straighten the bathroom, put away my laundry (are you sensing a theme??!) But, because my real name is Marla the Procrastinator, what did I do FIRST? I finished the thousand piece puzzle in our dining room, of course!! This afternoon, we watched a Zoom Wedding of “family of family”. It was beautiful, but my heart hurt for what could’ve been.
Rich and I went bicycle riding in Donaldson Park – a mile away. We had a great ride. The park is super flat, and very pretty. Here’s a dilemma – we rode for an hour, and our Fitbits registered almost nothing. I should have hit the “Bicycle” exercise app before we started – I will know better for next time. One thing is for certain: my KNEES know I worked out! We went home, had another delicious bbq, and cleaned up. And then, I spent over an hour on Instacart, trying to construct a shopping list for this week’s grocery delivery. It’s SUCH a great service, it’s SUCH a safe alternative to shopping, and it’s SUCH a pain in the ass!
And now, we are ending the night outside, wearing fleece jackets, while on our devices. As it should be! We are winding down, gearing up for the next few weeks of this alternate world. I can hear some of you thinking aloud — ‘Marla, you retired JUST IN TIME’!! Yeah, no kidding. My incredible former colleagues and always friends are pulling their hair out. Rich is working harder than I have EVER seen him work. Mikaela, who has been a teaching assistant (happily!) for the past 5 months, works 6 days a week. Usually, the Tuesday after Memorial Day Weekend is a tough day to return to school, trying to convince the students to stay focused for a few more weeks. This year is obviously a completely different case. The exhaustion felt by all is palpable. I’m sending strength to everyone.
Okay, a trivia question is in order for today. This is an easy one – but I have no idea when I will be posting the answer! What is an alternative name for “Memorial Day” – and why? Answer…when we move the RV again!
We will be in touch soon. Hoping your Spring days are healthy, hoping you are strong, hoping you can find the silver lining, hoping we are “coming out of the dark” very, very soon.

A few pictures from our weekend to follow. And, as always, remembering those who made the ultimate sacrifice for our country, and giving thanks for their bravery.
Be safe.

Marla and Rich

Just like home.

Natural beauty.

Taking it one step at a time.

2 of a kind.

Happiness.

There’s a deer in there…

First of the season.

Bicycles built for 2.

Like Christmas lights, only not.

Captain Bradley Cuthbert. On my wrist and in my prayers since the early 70’s.