Home is Where the Heart Is

Yes, my heart is at home here in the magnificently beautiful Shenandoah Valley of Virginia.  The views from our house are more gorgeous than I remembered.  Ed doesn't understand about "roots".  

He grew up in Montreal, where he went to boarding school.  (He spoke only French until he was 8 years, when he started boarding school).  His family went to Miami for the winters and he ended up going to the University of Miami.  He moved to California in his early 20's and has lived in Oklahoma, Texas, and Florida.  Also, men don't usually keep in contact with friends and family like women do.

Several people in Florida last year commented that if something happened to Ed that I would be coming back to Florida, right?  Noooooo!  I already have my deposit paid and am on the waiting list for VMRC, a lovely retirement village nearby.  Even if the weather's bad, all the buildings are connected so I can go to the bank, the hairdresser, the pool, the gym, the library, the grille, or to visit someone without going outside.

Ed points out that my family isn't here (Anita's in Ohio, Phil's in Texas and Mother's in a nursing home near him).  He says I only see my local cousins once or twice a year and the same goes for my school friends. It's hard to put into words......you can leave the Valley, but the Valley never leaves you.

The view from our deck is ever-changing.

p.s.  I was adamant about this until we got our house in Florida.  Maybe I'll continue my winter pilgrimage after all.....I never get tired of the cranes, storks, ducks, egrets, alligators and turtles in the lake in our backyard.   It appears that I now have the best of both worlds!