We plan to take off on a trip next week and I think we have our timing just right. Walking around our yard I see that the tomatoes are just starting to come on strong. We’ll get a few of the delicious fruit from the vines before we depart, but there are going to be a lot for our son and his family to harvest while we are gone. A similar thing is happening with our dahlias. There are some lovely blossoms right now, but it looks like the peak of the bloom will come when we are traveling.

Unlike our forebears, we don’t schedule our lives around the cycles of agriculture. The timing of our trip is influenced by the schedules of some of the people we are visiting, our schedule for camping trips with our grandchildren, visits from others, and other factors. We didn’t even consider what would be happening in the garden when making our plans.

The good news is that nothing will go to waste. Our son and his family will be looking after our house while we are gone and they will pick tomatoes and cut dahlias for their home. Likely, they will also have their tomatoes and dahlias to deal with, but it will all work out without problems.

It is pretty easy for us to leave our house. There aren’t that many chores that need to be done, and our son lives close. He will check on the place regularly while we are gone. We do the same for them when they travel. Their place is a bit harder for them to leave because they have chickens that need to be fed and have their eggs gathered. They also have a large dog that needs food and attention. The dog comes to our house to stay when they travel, but I take it back to the farm every day to run. Our yard is a bit small for the dog.

We are fortunate to have a multi-generational living situation. Many people our age live far from close relatives. While we were camping this weekend, we visited with a couple who are near our age and who live full-time in a large motorhome. They serve as campground hosts and volunteers, changing campgrounds each month. They were at Birch Bay State Park near our home during June. In July, they set up camp at Bayview State Park. Yesterday was the first of August, and they moved to a campground in Federal Way. September and October will find them in two places in Oregon before heading to Nevada in November. They enjoy their traveling lifestyle, but I wouldn’t trade places with them. From a brief conversation, I found that they get health and dental care in Idaho and have family in Oregon. Their nomadic lifestyle works for them, but it wouldn’t work for me.

I like eating tomatoes fresh-picked from the vine. I like cutting a bouquet of dahlias for the dinner table. I like having grandchildren over to our house. In the past few days, I’ve kayaked and ridden bikes with our grandchildren. I wouldn’t want to miss those experiences.

More importantly, I enjoy the security of knowing that others will come to my aid when I need them. Susan and I are not just on our own in the world. We love traveling together and will continue to do so as long as our health and resources permit, but we enjoy having a home base. We don’t have to pack up and move once a month. We have room to host guests.

We may not have gotten all of the timing right, but we’ve ended up with a lifestyle that works for us. And today, I have fresh tomatoes and flowers.