Saturday morning in the rain. Maria is spending the afternoon with her mother, who was 85 this week. She’s taking her to a four-hour telecast of the New York Metropolitan Opera in an Imax theater near Albany, I’m going to see Captain America this afternoon in Burlington, Vermont. A brief trial run in separation. In less than two weeks, Maria is heading to Alabama to spend four days with the Gee’s Bend quilters there, this will be a wonderful experience for her.

I’ve spent a lot of time alone in my life, but this will be the longest time Maria has gone away from in our time together, the first time I’ve been alone in our new home. I expect to cadge a few free meals from friends during that week, and I might just move a cot into the Round House Cafe. Loneliness is something I have no felt in awhile, but voluntary loneliness is different from the other kind, it can also be cleansing and spiritual to be alone, and I could not be happier that Maria is taking this trip. A triumph for her on many levels.

This morning, we went to Ace Hardware for sewage counseling, our sinks and toilets are burping, we probably need to get the septic pumped out. There has been so much rain that a lot of septic systems are filling up with water, I suspect that has happened here. Then we went to the Round House for breakfast, we had omelets and a wonderful rhubarb scone which we shared. Then we went to the Hubbard Hall Garden Sale – gamely held out in the rain – Bliss, one of the town’s wonderful gardeners sold us a bucket of Yellow Dahlia’s – we are expanding the Dahlia garden, now all red Dahlias. Maria got a bunch of other stuff as well, all for $32. I love our town, a sweet Saturday, even in the rain.

I’ll catch a matinee of Captain America, I can’t think of a better place to be on a rainy Saturday.