Scarcely a day passes when Tim and I don’t comment about how vacation-like our daily lives are. Maybe this is the normal state-of-mind for most retirees. Maybe it’s Portugal. Whatever the reason, we feel perpetual gratitude and joy for waking up each day to this life.
So, exactly what do we do with our days? Below are a few snapshots of how we fill our time.
Laundry. We do quite a lot of laundry, in part because our washing machine is rather diminutive compared to the industrial-size machine we had in Dayton. Also because one of us drips some kind of food onto our clothing at least once a day. When a load comes out of the washer, we hang it on a rack on one of our balconies. Although we have a clothesline attached to our building outside the kitchen window, we rarely use it. First, I get a little squeamish when I have to lean way out of the window to reach the full length of the line. Second, I dread the thought of some item of intimate clothing flapping itself off the line, requiring one of us to go down nine flights to retrieve it from the sidewalk. And third, pigeons.
Our folding laundry racks can hold a full load of wet clothes. When they’re placed to take advantage of the sunny side of the apartment, and if there’s a slight breeze, the clothes usually dry in a half hour or so. Protected from pigeons by the overhang of the balcony, they don’t need to be washed again after drying. Today, I’ve done three loads, moving with the sun from the eastern balcony to the western one. I feel like some sort of pioneer woman as I fold the fresh-smelling garments, knowing my carbon footprint for clean clothes is pretty small.
A favorite pastime has become lingering on the east balcony after the laundry is done to watch the progress on the park construction a couple of blocks from our place. I think I’ve mentioned that Setubal is creating what will be one of the largest urban parks in the country, right here in our neighborhood. It’s surprising how fascinating it is to watch the heavy equipment moving dirt, carving trenches, and piling up rocks. We are enthralled by the intricate bulldozer ballet we witness every day. This week, the crew began lining long and winding trenches with the ubiquitous white stone that also paves every sidewalk in Portugal. We think we’re watching the creation of the network of ponds and streams that will eventually lace their way through the park. We posit lots of theories about the layout of the park as we sit in the shade, sipping our cool beverages. Will the remnant of that aqueduct be preserved as an architectural feature, or will it be submerged in the lake? Where are the amphitheater and the observation tower going to be? Will the exquisite purple-bloomed jacaranda trees be preserved? We are in awe of the incredible skills demonstrated by the equipment operators, and the intense physical labor that goes into creating this amazing park. We imagine the generations of people who will still be enjoying it 100 years from now. Can you see how contented we are to pass a lazy afternoon overseeing the construction?
This week, we learned about Setubal’s summer culture programs at the municipal auditorium. From May through August, they feature dozens of arts events that are free or nearly free; offerings vary from children’s theater to opera, jazz, contemporary dance, and classic film series. We took advantage of the latter when we joined Ken and Jo for the free Monday night screening of Absence of Malice with Paul Newman and Sally Field. It was part of what they call “Masterclass in the History of Cinema.” This year, the theme is world-class actors. We’ve marked our calendars for the upcoming screenings of films like The Shawshank Redemption, The Name of the Rose, Dead Poets Society, Witness, and others. These evenings will not only help quench our thirst for good English-language cinema, but will provide the opportunity for pre-film dinners and post-film drinks and discussions with friends. How perfect to combine three of my favorite things in one evening! Dinner, movie, and conversation with friends.
Our latest of what we’ve come to think of as “administrative” tasks is to traverse the gauntlet of registering for the public health system. Through our medical insurance, we’ve had access to the private system since the day we arrived, but by the end of this week, we hope to also be included in the excellent public system. We’re also ready to open a savings account here where we can put the surplus we seem to run at the end of each month.
Speaking of surplus, we have found a way to ensure it won’t ever get too big. We’ve booked another travel adventure! For those keeping score at home, we currently have scheduled: a week in Switzerland in August, a visit to the US in September/October, and a tour of Morocco in November. This week, at the invitation of my college roommate and her husband, we added 10 days in Spain for next March! I’m not sure which delights me more -seeing the beautiful cities of Spain, or traveling with such dear friends Joyce and Mark after a forty-year drought. Raising families and building careers sure takes a chunk of time in our lives, doesn’t it! How thankful I am that through the decades of separation, our friendship has remained strong enough to assure an easy companionship throughout the trip.
The remainder of our day-to-day life is filled with managing our social engagements, keeping tabs on personal and political developments at home, video-chatting with friends and family, reading, and grinning at each other as we realize we’ve just logged another day in paradise.