I will be giving a paper in Kentucky two weeks from today. Which, given that I’m currently in a New York house that shows little signs of packing, means that much has to happen between now and then. But I’m trying to be very relaxed about this whole thing, partly because I want to do some more cooking before we leave (which means we need lots of things I should be putting in boxes), and partly because I’d like to enjoy as much of Ithaca and my husband as possible before Katherine and I leave both of them.
The current situation also works as good motivation, pushing us to temper our natural inclinations. I would like to have packed a month ago, but I’ve held back, knowing that there will be plenty of living out of suitcases and eating road food in the near future. And the longer I wait the more likely it is that Sydney will be able to help. On the other hand, Sydney would like to wait until the last minute, but he knows that anything that’s not done by the time I leave will be left to him. So we’re meeting in the middle.
To further those ends, we went on two lengthy hikes on Wednesday and Thursday, covering ground we’ve never hiked before. Ithaca just has too much good hiking! We did close to ten miles over the two days, with lots of up and down. Katherine loved it, particularly the really rough parts. The two adults are quite tired by now, but very happy to have made time for those good walks when we’re so close to leaving.
Erin
Alan Schmierer