Written by For our prompt of “Vacation” today, I thought about the many places that I’ve traveled to in the past. There were lots of exciting vacations that involved rushing from one place to the next, trying get in all of the sights that I could. These tended to always happen when I was very young and first exploring Europe. Then, there were perfectly wonderful vacations that involved doing nothing much of anything all day while simply relaxing in the shade. This latter vacation is now one of my favorite kinds. While it’s fun to see new sights, the hustle and bustle of it all can get a bit exhausting. If I can just lay in a hammock on the beach under a pair of lovely palm trees for a few hours, I’m super happy and content. Indeed, I adore the term “getaway” to refer to these little trips. It adds that bit of escapism that makes vacations so refreshing. Most of the time, the thing I want to get away from is simply having to do something on a schedule. So, give me a few hours to be perfectly lazy with no regrets or deadlines? For me, that’s the perfect vacation indeed!
These days, travel has become something that’s often put on hold. Philippe and I have decided to simply stay home this season. But, that doesn’t mean we don’t have fun little breaks planned together for a popcorn night or game night. When the weather gets colder, and the holidays get closer, we’ll have a puzzle going on the table as well. These are things that we’ve always done, but they feel even more special this year. While I’d love to take that trip to California, visit friends and find that spot to relax in the shade, I’m happy being safe at home. Indeed, home has become the new getaway, as being out in public is always just a bit stressful. After walking around dodging people on a walk or in a store, I feel super excited when I can finally walk through my own front door and get a bit of peace and quiet. Indeed, I’ve always felt this a bit since I dislike crowds, but now it’s even more relaxing to come back home.
Though one would think our dog Phineas would love that we’re home all day with him now, he pretty much ignores us the entire time. Philippe goes upstairs to work, I get to work at my kitchen counter and Phineas goes to the couch to curl up in his awesome new dog bed. Philippe purchased it for him and the decided it should be called a Yeti Bed, which made me giggle when it arrived. It’s a wildly soft, shaggy, white fur bed that looks like someone actually skinned a yeti to make it. Phineas wasn’t too keen on it at first, but now it’s nearly impossible to get him out of it, particularly on a rainy day when he knows a long walk won’t be coming anytime soon. He normally joins us upstairs at bedtime, but didn’t want to leave his bed anymore, so Philippe bought a small throw in the same fabric so he’d have both an upstairs and downstairs yeti to curl up in. While this does make him seem incredibly spoiled, and he certainly is, I really do empathize with him. After all, I’m rather sure that everyone can appreciate that singular need to have a quiet place to rest.
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I’m in need of a new bed as mine as begun sagging as we all do eventually. Maybe I should get one of these yeti beds for myself – they sound so comfortable.
I know! I hate a sagging bed! Philippe and I just got a new bed this week! Not made of yeti, but so much more comfortable! It’s totally worth it! 😃💕
So cute Charlie! The rain has started finally. Our deck continues to make progress and will look like a deck again soon. Tomorrow I am hoping to have a quiet day, listening to the rain and playing in my studio. Hopefully you day isn’t too stressful!
Thanks so much, Karen! 😃💕 Hope you got a quiet day…. it sounds perfectly lovely!
Looks like the perfect “vacation’ to me, Charlie! Any kind of break in the normal routine would feel a bit like a vacation at this point. These kittens are adorable..I want to adopt them and the beagle pup but afraid our 3 cats would not be too happy with me.
Thanks so much, Mary! 😃💕 Yeah, I’m so ready for any break from this new routine! And yeah… I’m thinking your 3 cats wouldn’t want any siblings! hehe
Ohhhh, how sweet, look at those two lovebirds. It warms your heart.
Thanks so much, Iisa! 😃💕
Well, I’m trying not to feel a bit sad- we would be in Portugal or Spain right now if our plans were fulfilled for 2020 but I am grateful we’re all well and healthy, safe in our home too. I suppose we are hopeful for next year’s plans but I can say 2020 has made us nothing if not flexible. Really, I’d be perfectly happy with puppies. Maybe poochons and/or a yorkiepoos. I have been to some very exciting places (mostly because we seem to attract hurricanes-yeah, go figure🤷♀️) and I have a few more on the list, but just coming home to puppies, that would really be great! I sort of have a permanent vacation personality -we’re on adventure everywhere!💁♀️
Hi, Nellie! Thanks for your message the other day. 💜 You didn’t tell me what “mocos” means in Greek. I am Mexican-American so in Spanish “mocos” means boogers. 😂 My kitty always had boogers so it was a good name for him. 😀 Have a great day! Greetings from San Antonio, Texas. 💜
So true! 😃💕 Life is whatever adventure we chose to make it… even if that has to happen more at home right now. Though, yeah, I miss the fact that we were supposed to be with family in Paris at this moment.
My favorite vacations are trips to Lake Superior. Laze on the beach and in the water eat every meal out. Collect a bucket of pretty rocks, and maybe take a hike if we are feeling ambitious.
We’ve been to the Dakotas a couple of times, and that was fun, but still we had to look at stuff, so Superior still wins.
That sounds like the perfect vacation indeed! 😃💕 I’ve actually not been to those places and hope to one day!
Hola, Charlie! Man, Phineas’ bed looks so comfy. Too bad they don’t make beds like that for us. haha Yeah, 2020 was to be my “Welcome Back to Living” year. I had plans to go back to work, join a gym, get my own place, and LIVE AGAIN! After a catastrophic 7 years of nightmares, my heart was set on getting back to life. Of course, I am not the only one who got grounded, but after so much loss and pain and scary, I was super excited. Yeah, life is okay being at home. An actual positive to having been injured and unemployed, I can stay home. Safe. My mother had a hard time at first because she was very active and social, but she adjusted. We sit and talk and play loteria , which is Mexican bingo. I will be honest, my mother and I have never had a good relationship. Without getting too detailed, my mother’s cruelty and hostility have been extremely punishing all of my life. Very sad, Charlie. I worried there would be a murder/suicide, but it’s been quiet. It hasn’t been easy at times, but I sometimes wonder if the Lord didn’t bring us together and allow this time so that I could have some actual decent memories of her and for things to settle down between us. I still dream and pray about a better day ahead for me. I still want to get going. I want to work again, finish my education, get in wicked shape (big Texas butts), learn to swim, learn French, go to Paris, go to a tropical island, and finally have Mister Man show up. I have a lot of dreams and plans, Charlie. Like the Lord has always promised me and how I have always told you, the BEST is yet to come! Until then, we all wait safely at home…..fighting Miss Sassy Squirrel. haha haha 💜 Great painting. Cozy kitties.
Hello Marisela,
Thanks so much for checking in on me. 🙂 Yes, I did see your comment but when I tried responding, it kept failing. And to answer your question, yes I’ve gone back to feeling cheerful again. 🙂 Thanks so much again, stay blessed and smiling always.
Love,
Mugdha
Hehe! Oh I totally laid in Phineas’s bed and it was awesome…. but my whole body wouldn’t fit of course. I think you’re indeed living the very reason why you and your mother must come together at this moment. It’s a chance to not make up for lost time, but to simply make the time you maybe never did before. There’s much to DO and learn in life, but most of life’s most important lessons happen right at home. 😃💕
haha You have no idea how close I came to saying that when we bought Monster his big, giant bed, I SERIOUSLY wanted to lay in it. haha haha I wanted to give him a good scrubbing before he slept on it so I had it on the love seat and I totally snuggled into it. It was nice and, of course, we couldn’t get him out of bed for a week. 😀 Thank you for always being so sweet. We say in Spanish, la educacion comienza en la casa. Your education begins at home. Yeah, I am so ready to get going. I finally started to feel good and then covid. I told my doctor that I feel like National Lampoon’s Vacation, when the family finally makes it to WallyWorld and it’s closed. They just stand at the gate. haha haha All in God’s time.
Oh my… that is a bit like that movie. Yeah, it’s a very weird time, but that park will be open for business again soon! 😉
Great doodle,Charlie. When I have a week off we usually stay home, but go for days out.We like to visit old houses, gardens and the occasional cathedral.
Thanks so much, Gary! 😃💕 That sounds like the best way ever to spend a week off!
Charlie I see you have the same love for crowds and shopping as I do heheheh. I can’t stand it and go so far as to ask them when is their quietest time of the week (then I have to joke that it sounds like I’m casing the place). I don’t understand why people can’t decide at home what they want, phone around to see if the store has it, go in, pick it up, buy it, and leave the store. Instead of wandering around the land of limbo lost for an hour and a half.
Speaking of which I am off to my favourite thrift store this morning (wearing a mask and sanitizing my hands before I go in and when I leave. I slip sandwich bag over my hand to use when handling doors and crosswalk switches then I take it off inside out and throw it away). It is always sooo nice to come home!
Hello,
First off, I have always been drawn to your “web name” as I think of it – unless (and am sorry for being so ignorant about this), Writer is your last name. In which case, Im jealous. 🙂
Second, thanks so much for your comment day before yesterday. You made my year! Im so glad my story made you giggle. And Im gladder that you and I have this in common that we still end up in these situations. I still end up getting lost in my dreams and walking right into walls. And gladdest that you don’t like crowds either! It feels so wonderful to know that there are people like me everywhere in the world. 🙂
Love,
Mugdha
Mugdha! I only just saw this. I am no tecchie and could not get in here until I went to confirm subscription. Yes I am a writer, I have a writing book out: HowMaster: The Writer’s Guide to Beautiful Word Crafting, second ed (the first is out of print since I revised the book). My last name is Gigliotti and don’t be jealous, just get writing!!!! If I can, you can! Thanks for writing and again I am sorry for taking so long to find things. Yeesh.
Yeah, I don’t love crowds at all… it’s an introvert thing indeed. But also it’s too much to focus on and I love to see each little detail of a situation. Yay for venturing to your favorite thrift store… that’s sounds like a wonderful trip indeed! 😃💕
Hello Charlie,
I can’t decide what is cuter – the kittens or the hammock. It reminded me of a tiny hammock I’d crocheted for my sister’s doll many years ago. And it seems like Phillipe really loves to spoil Phineas. That is so cute! Lastly, I seem to have found a world famous recluse to idolize. Have you read Bill Bryson’s ‘Notes from a Small Island’? In it he speaks of the fifth Duke of Portland, W.J.C. Scott-Bentinck who took such hilarious measures to keep his solitude intact. Though the Duke was too solitude-loving, even by my standards, it felt great to know that there have always been others like us, who are like Charles M. Schulz says, “all for mankind but can’t stand people.”. 😉
Love,
Mugdha
Aww thanks, Mugdha! 😃💕 Actually… I haven’t read that, but I’ll have to look it up! Sounds wonderful! Yeah, solitude is a wonderful thing that I wish more people could appreciate. But whenever I find people appreciating it like I do, they always always turn out to be artists and writers! hehe
Their expressions seems to be very cute Charlie… really holding on to each other…Nice one..Cute rendering Charlie!!😊
Thanks so much, Jerson! 😃💕
Nice drawing, I really like your kittens.
Thanks so much, Shawn! 😃💕
Hi Marisela, I too had a bad several years of nightmares. Hopefully things will be a lot better now and stay that way. Those nightmares can take some to get over but this beautiful fall weather does help a lot and of course all this great artwork is a reason to smile. I hope you stay well. And to Charlie, that dessert looks just right about now.
Thanks, Iisa! 😃💕 I’m assuming you saw a related post and those are a bit random so I’m not sure of the desert you mean, but any dessert is amazing in my book!
That dessert was the stemmed dessert glass with a couple of mini cream puff looking things and a couple of raspberry puff looking things. Maybe we could add some whipped cream and chocolate syrup.
Sounds like a yummy idea to me! 😃👍🏻
Love it..I can see our kitties doing just that without a care in the world lol. Yep I missed my traveling this year..but I have also been content on staying in my own little bubble..I am not the social butterfly that I used to be..Love my own company and dont need much to keep me content…Peace and quiet in my own little space Thanks again!😊
Thanks so much, Priscilla! 😃💕 Yay for loving your own company! I have my whole life, but experienced moments when people thought it was weird. So I adapted, but then gave up and just love my own little space!