As a school librarian, I get a week off work in April. Usually, in my district, the Friday before Patriot’s Day is also a no-school day. But this year, we had a half-day of school because we had so many snow days to make up from the winter.
Not the end of the world, of course. Just not the perfect start to vacation. Whenever there’s a change to the school calendar, there are staff and students who can’t make it in because of pre-existing plans, so it makes for a crazy day for those who are left behind.
Still, I would have been ready to just move on and enjoy my time off if it hadn’t been for Annie. She’s a small, very furry, gray cat, and she had been acting somewhat under the weather for a couple of days. When I got home from school on that Friday, though, I thought she looked especially peaked. And she wasn’t hungry.
I decided to take her to the vet’s. As I drove, with her sitting on the seat beside me, wailing, I thought, “Adults don’t really get to have vacations.”
In other words, it’s always something. I can fantasize about escaping the real world for a week, or even just a weekend, but I don’t seem to be able to achieve it. The real world always intervenes. This seems to be true whether I go away or just try to have a “staycation.”
Maybe other people can truly escape. Facebook friends have gone to the Caribbean for days in April, seemingly without incident, seemingly “living the dream.” But that’s Facebook. Who knows for sure?
One time years ago, Paul and I had planned a trip to Mystic, Conn. We were going to eat at the famed Mystic Pizza and visit Mystic Seaport and the nearby Mashantucket Pequot Museum. Then we would drive to Rhode Island to visit my mother, and bring her back to Maine to stay for a bit.
Before we left the house, Annie—yes, the same cat—developed a urinary tract infection. She was responding to treatment, but, because she had to take medication, we needed to board her. We dropped her off and hit the road. En route, we got a call from Paul’s brother, who lived near their mother in Massachusetts. Rita had also fallen ill and was in the emergency room at the hospital.
I’m not sure at what point we got the call, but it’s a four-hour drive to central Massachusetts, and Rita was still in the emergency room when we got there. So we waited and waited. It didn’t seem like it was anything too serious, but she was in her late 80s at the time, so precautions had to be taken.
Finally, the doctor decided to admit her for further testing. We visited her in her room, and decided we could go on our way. We wouldn’t be too far away if we needed to return.
We had a pleasant time in Mystic that afternoon and evening. But the next day was very stormy. Here in Maine, it was the destructive Patriot’s Day storm of 2007. It wasn’t quite as bad in Connecticut, but bad enough that the tower at the Pequot Museum was closed to visitors due to high winds. The next day, there were branches down all over a small park we walked through.
We traveled along back roads to my mother’s home. Over the radio came news of a tragic mass shooting at Virginia Polytechnic Institute. A gunman had killed 32 people and wounded 17. That’s another thing that’s hard to escape on vacation; the news never stops.
My mother was glad to see us, but was not feeling up to par, either. She would not be returning to Maine with us after all. I was disappointed, as I always looked forward to spending this time with my mom.
My husband, Paul, and I have rented the same cottage on Penobscot Bay for 17 years, spending a week there each summer. The first year, both of our mothers came along with us. The week went well, although the news of the great northeast blackout was disconcerting. Then, on the last day, Paul’s mother fell ill. It possibly was something she ate, and it did not turn out to be anything serious, but it was upsetting to see her sick.
This past April, I did some “catastrophizing” as Annie and I waited to see the vet. Her symptoms were so vague. Suppose the vet couldn’t make a diagnosis? I wasn’t expecting too much from this vacation. I just wanted some down time. After the spring break, the school year becomes frenetic. I needed some time to recharge.
Blood tests soon revealed that Annie had a thyroid condition. I was sorry to hear this, but relieved at the same time. This problem is easily treatable. Plus, one of our other cats, Clara, has the same issue and I already was used to taking care of her.
Annie started improving almost immediately after she began taking medication, but she actually wasn’t completely back to normal until we also addressed some dental problems she was having.
As for me, I was able to enjoy my much-needed vacation after all. And that was a very pleasant surprise.
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