A long way from home ----

A

. . . . . . . will not be winging its way back across the pond for the time being.

Thatcher Rock and Tor Bay, Torquay, England ~ my home.

For the third time since COVID-19 arrived and shut down the world to international travelers, we are cancelling our long overdue trip home to the UK. We were due to leave in a few weeks and planned to stay for 3 weeks. Now, after much thought and discussion, listing the pros and cons of travel overseas, and checking with my family and friends in England, we have decided not to risk a trip which still has so many cons, especially with new variants rearing their ugly heads, and no way to get a third vaccination before leaving the USA. 

I so miss England. 

I miss not seeing my remaining family and friends across the pond. 

We are all aging and time is precious. It's now well over two years since

 I last visited due to COVID . . . . . the longest period of time I've ever

 spent away from my real home since emigrating almost 59 years ago! 

I am homesick - really homesick! 

Thankfully my home never actually fades from my memory as I've been

 fortunate to go back such a lot. . . . . . and now we will plan to go next

 year, perhaps in late spring.

Vintage Torquay guide book - a much cherished item from home.

I often spend time looking through this book and remembering how

 things were when I lived there in the 'good old days.'  

There really is "no place like home" no matter how long one has been

 gone and made a new life elsewhere. 

Do I have regrets about leaving? Yes, sometimes I do, but I mostly

feel I made the right move and am thankful for the good life I've

experienced in America all these years.

To live a full life includes having regrets. They are an unpleasant,

though unavoidable, part of the human condition. 

You may know people who staunchly declare that they have no

 regrets whatsoever. That is unhealthy because with regret we get to

 reassess our lives. Whether or not we chose our actions, 

we get to think about who we are, how we relate to the world

 and where we may have failed.

Regrets are necessary to being a complete human being. 

Meanwhile, as the saying goes, once again "I'll pick myself up, brush myself 

off, and start all over again" - and hope to go back home as soon as possible.

HANDWASHING ~~~~~~~

 

December 1-7 is National Handwashing 

Awareness Week

One of the best ways to stay healthy now is to suds up!

Research shows that 97 percent of people don't do it right.

The biggest mistake is not washing long enough. Use hot water.

Scrub for at least 20 seconds as we have been reminded during 

COVID~19, including the backs of your hands, between

 your fingers and under your nails.

A nail brush is always a good little tool to keep close. . . . . 

. . . . . . especially after kitchen chores such as kneading dough.

My favorite bath soap and hand soaps

Stay safe - wear a mask, distance, and wash your hands often.