Home To The HEARTland – Our Epic Journey

Home.

That word conjures up different emotions for everyone. And in this time of illness and uncertainty that word took on a feeling of desperation for me last month.

Our snowbird home is located within walking distance to the beach. And we watched with growing  horror as the number of spring break students continued to flood Fort Lauderdale and the beaches nearby.

These kids seemed oblivious to the killer virus that was lurking and spreading within their midst.

We were also shocked at how many snowbirds and “locals” seemed to think the threat of the Covid-19 virus was “ridiculous and overblown.” Some folks continued to gather in close knit groups.  And some continued to head to bars and restaurants even after the suggestion had been made to stay home and to curtail unnecessary gatherings.

We were also beginning to see the hoarding of paper products in nearby stores.

The spelling on the sign left a little to be desired but the sentiment was clear.

As our concerns mounted we made a careful trip to our nearby Aldi grocery store to stock up for what we planned to be at least a month of self quarantine in our condo. Our plan was to stay home and protect ourselves before heading back to Iowa in late April.

We spent our self-inforced quarantined evenings enjoying the privacy of the tiny patio outside our condo.

And we congratulated ourselves on having such a warm and beautiful spot to be housebound.

I even put on a necklace and made myself a green beer to celebrate St. Paddy’s Day…at home!

One Saturday evening in March we enjoyed our weekly “date night”… at home. Everything felt fine.

We spent the evening enjoying our food and drinks.

Isolation was becoming our “norm” instead of a novelty.

After a good night of sleep I got up the next morning feeling fine. All was well. We even ordered our usual Sunday morning breakfast from our favorite spot…  Bayview Diner. But for the first time ever we called in our order to go. (The polite young man who answered the phone already knew our weekly orders as soon as he heard my voice!) Peepaw picked up our food and brought it back home for us to enjoy.

And that’s when it happened.

As I ate that take-out breakfast I had what I would call a mini panic attack. I felt overwhelmingly claustrophobic and afraid. Suddenly I knew where we needed to be. I looked Peepaw straight in the eye and I said, “I want to go HOME.”

Thank GOD Peepaw took that “for better or for worse” vow seriously almost 50 years ago. He took one look at me and said, “OK. Let’s go.”

He quickly finished up a handyman project he had promised for one of our neighbors. And I began to THROW things into bags and boxes. Literally.

I looked at our almost full refrigerator and freezer, and I began to give items to nearby neighbors. I tested the space in our small travel cooler to see how much meat would fit to bring with us. And I called a dear friend to stop by later and to pick up everything else we were leaving behind in our freezer. Absolutely nothing mattered to me except getting home to Iowa.

I thawed out a steak to split for our last Fort Lauderdale dinner that evening. And when dinnertime rolled around I headed out to the grill.

As I grilled the steak I soaked in the views around me. The scene across the water was serene and peaceful.

It was hard to believe how much turmoil was swirling in my head and my heart, but I just knew we were making the right decision.

It turned out that our dinner that night was the last real meal we would eat for several days.

After dinner I kept packing, and Peepaw headed out front to put up our hurricane shutters.

And I savored one last sunset at our winter home…

We finished our packing and cleaning late that Sunday evening. After sleeping fitfully we were up long before sunrise.

We packed the cooler full of meat and Peepaw found a way to finish stuffing EVERYTHING into our car. I will admit it was the WORST packing job I’ve ever done. (But 30 years of delivering UPS packages makes Peepaw the best car loader ever!)

We took a final look at our cute little condo and we locked the door. It was 6:30 a.m. as we drove away.

We watched the sun rise out over the ocean as we headed North.

As the morning unfolded we began to discuss what our overnight plan might be. I contacted a doctor friend to get his opinion, but before he had time to reply we made our decision. We would sleep in the car to avoid the risk of checking into a hotel room. My compromised lungs were the deciding factor. And our doctor friend reinforced our decision with his reply.

When lunchtime rolled around we pulled off the freeway and went through a fast food drive through. I found it very difficult to eat ANYTHING that had been touched by others on that trip. We did have anti bacterial wipes and hand sanitizer. And thanks to our DEAR friend Ruth we had this HUGE can of Lysol!

We stopped near the fast food restaurant at a small gas station to get gas and to use the restroom. But that’s when a new fear arose. The gas station door was locked to customers and no bathroom use was allowed! 

We headed back to the freeway and eventually found a rest stop. That’s when we realized the rest stops were really the only places we could count on for bathrooms and rest for the duration of our journey. Believe it or not…there WAS toilet paper available in every rest stop from Florida to Iowa! (But we carried our own, just to be safe.)

Our trip stalled to a stop once…in the rain and fog. But we just kept reminding ourselves we were exactly where we were meant to be. Heading HOME.

As night time approached we made another stop at a fast food drive through. (One chicken tender was all I could stomach.) Then we pulled into a gas station parking lot and made our first attempt at sleeping. Sitting straight up in the front seat made it very uncomfortable to put it mildly. But the pelting rain on the windows was actually a soothing sound.

We headed back onto that black ribbon of highway, and we made it through many major cities with no problem since it was the middle of the night. We made several short stops at rest stops for catnaps during the night. Sleeping while sitting up isn’t easy, and our back seat was more than packed full. So reclining our seats wasn’t an option either. But neither one of us complained one time. We were united in our belief that we were doing what was best for our health. And my sanity.

 

Somewhere in Tennessee we stopped for another attempt at sleep. 

I dozed for a short time, but Peepaw finally settled in and had what appeared to be a very restful hour or so of deep sleep. It was a wonderful feeling to watch him get the rest he needed!

It was fascinating to watch all of the semi trucks come and go. They use those rest stops to get the sleep they need during their long trips criss-crossing America.

I noticed a travel trailer attached to a pickup that was parked among those semi trucks. It wasn’t long before I saw a man in a uniform approach the trailer. He began to pound loudly on their door. It was probably 3 or 4 a.m. and those folks were obviously sound asleep. A woman finally appeared and it was clear from the officer’s body language that she was being told they were not allowed to park there overnight in that line of semi trucks.

It took about 15 minutes before she and her husband came stumbling out of their trailer. The husband got into the pickup and the wife directed his jockeying around to get out of the tight spot they were in. Then the wife joined her husband in the pickup and they drove away. Back onto the freeway. Into the darkness. I often wonder where they ended their journey. I hope and pray they made it safely…wherever it was.

When Peepaw woke up I told him there was one thing I needed to do before we got back on the road. I needed to brush my teeth!! He quickly agreed. So we got out our toothbrushes, loaded them with toothpaste, and carried them into the empty rest stop bathrooms. I don’t know when I have EVER enjoyed brushing my teeth as much as I did right then and there! Sometimes it’s the little things that can make us feel human again.

Back on the freeway. And a few more of those 23 hours of drive time slipped away in the darkness. Time for another catnap. No idea what state we were in by that time.

But as the sun came up we were ready to begin again.

More miles. Another border.

The landscape was changing before our eyes…

We snacked on the dried fruit and items I had shoved into a bag in Florida. And before long another landmark meant another state closer to home!

Forget the Long and Winding Road on this journey. This was a straight shot. Onward to the Hawkeye State!

The scenery wasn’t beautiful. There was no green grass. Or palm trees. Or blue ocean waters. But THIS scenery never looked more beautiful to me.

As the miles slipped past I felt as if we were crawling! And I scanned the road ahead for landmarks I would recognize. 

And finally…OUR EXIT!!!

We forced ourselves to stop at my favorite Aldi store before heading home. And even though our car was already loaded to the roof, I put on my mask and quickly loaded a cart with the fresh food items I knew we would need to stock our empty refrigerator. And since there was no other space in the car, I piled those grocery items under my feet and on my lap for the final mile drive to our house!

I have NEVER been so grateful to pull into our driveway. EVER. And on that Tuesday afternoon my eyes filled with tears of gratitude. To God for His protection on our journey. And to Peepaw for his unmatched driving skills and for his care and concern for his wife of almost 50 years.

Our trusty convertible never let us down. Another safe trip.

Now about that packing job…

(You should have seen the trunk!)

As exhausted as we were, we unpacked the entire car and put almost everything away that day. I even found a place to put my fresh herbs I had uprooted in Florida and brought with us. I’ll plant them in my Iowa herb bed as soon as the weather warms up.

And I was SO GRATEFUL to be HOME that I even cooked a REAL MEAL that night…to celebrate!

Yes, Dear Readers. Home IS where the heart is. And our hearts are here. In the Heartland. In Iowa.

No matter what happens, I know this is where we’re meant to be during these trying times.

Please…Stay Safe. And I hope you are where you are meant to be right now too.