July 18,19

“If the sun refused to shine, I would still be loving you.” The magical words of Led Zeppelin carried my wife and I to another time, a simpler place. Jon Bos sang with his heart and we felt the love emanating from our friend on the stage. We felt love and support from our friends surrounding us in our yard. Our party could not have been any better. Happy birthday to my amazing wife, happy covid birthday to me and happy day to all our friends.

What an amazing night of connection as we celebrated our combined birthdays. My wife keeps getting younger and I try to keep getting wiser. All the work and preparations were worth the rewards. Our musical friend and his awesome young lady were so helpful in celebrating with us. Our friends who came to help gave their love and participation and made it such a special occasion. A birthday in these days of separation has become a release that many of us craved. A release and a celebration, we managed to get together and stay apart. People respected each other and our awesome friends were so kind with their presents and their presence.

Jon Bos played his musical magic and our friends were able to share in live music. Live music that we have been missing, connecting in the music created an energy that is hard to match. An energy that everyone felt and took with them. A vibe that sustains us beyond the moments that we shared.

It continued on into the night and we enjoyed the wishes and the positive energy that emanated from our group. A gathering of about thirty people who came to share their time and love. Yet I could only give so much of myself to everyone who was there. I missed hugging my people, I missed the deep connection that only physical contact brings. But we accept this separation and adapt, until this ominous storm cloud of covid passes, we take what we can and rejoice in it. Every day will bring a new chapter and we make the most of every moment that we have.

The next morning I awoke far too early, glowing in the hazy aftermath of one to many wobbly pops. I snuggled in close to my darling wife and willed myself to return to a blissful sleep. A sleep that eluded me, yet I felt contentment holding on to Krista in connection and love. As daylight penetrated our room, nature called me to move, to rise from our slumber and face the day.

The aftermath of our party was not one to begrudge. People helped clean before they left and our kitchen was only partially destroyed. Too bad our dishwasher quit last week, it meant for a bit more work cleaning dishes. Work that felt very worth the effort. Work to be done until the call came from Rob.

Captain Rob was tired from a long day in the sun. He worked on the boat and missed our party. We missed his smiling face but I knew he needed to be working the boat for Luxury Lake Tours. Now he needed me to cover the tours for the afternoon, he was burnt and tired.

I reluctantly agreed. I would miss much of my wife’s actual birthday. I would not be able to go get her the card that I had failed to pick up. Procrastination struck again and I failed to do one thing that was unimportant, yet critical. Do we really care if we get a birthday card from those we love? I care if I get one for her and yet in my haste and busy times of the days leading up to the party I kept thinking I would get her a card tomorrow. Tomorrow never came. Suddenly it was her birthday. I had no gift to give except my love and I had no card for her except the one in my heart. I hope it is enough.

All I had to give was a dinner on the lake, a dinner floating in the afterglow of another beautiful Okanagan summer day. My tours completed I picked up my wife on the dock and set out to watch the setting sun on her day.

As we watched the golden disc drop below the mountain we held each other close. Our vast fortune apparent, we waited for the sky to turn colour. A natural paintbrush coated the sky, the clouds rippled overheard. The sky changed colour in front of our eyes, deep reds cascaded around us. The layers of cloud felt close enough to reach out and touch. The glow enveloped our world and time stood still. I saw faces looking down in the red and gold above; faces smiling at us, blessing us. In constant flux we breathed in the scene, absorbed in the natural art that reflected in our lake, reflected in our lives.

We slowly cruised home from the marina. Content and connected with each other. I steered my bike down the back way easing us home, willing the day not to end. We pulled into our driveway and parked my machine for the night.

Relieved and released we unpacked from our day and went into the kitchen. Our kitchen that was still suffering the after-effects of the night before. I turned on the light and much to my chagrine saw the countertop moving.

Ants!

Hundreds of crawling tiny ants covered the counter. They were feasting on the remnants of bread, fruit, and a veritable smorgasbord of snacks for the tiny intruders. We did not invite these small creatures to attend our party nor to help in the cleanup. Tired and burned out the last thing I wanted was to battle a tiny invasion.

Regardless of my trepidation and hesitation, I attacked. With spray bottle in one hand and a rag in another, I battled back the insidious foe.

Cleaned up and victorious we were finally able to rest, to soak in the afterglow of an amazing weekend. Despite having to fight back a tiny foe we can carry on. Grateful for our friends and our amazing home in the spectacular Okanagan Valley.