We have an out-of-state friend who lives on government assistance and barely scrapes by, so every month we put some money ($40) in an account he can access. After doing that at the bank, Mark went to the grocery store for milk, half and half, grapefruit juice, artichoke hearts, breakfast cereal, more amazing Rainier cherries, blueberries, Galia melon, a mango, and some lettuce, plus a $0.25 bag because we keep forgetting to put that dang canvas tote in the car ($49.00).
My wiper blades arrived; I haven't worked out how to put them on my car yet. I'm almost certain it'll be easy-peasy, and I won't regret trying to do it myself. Almost …
We walked back down to West Beach to enjoy another sunset over a dinner of hot dogs, a glass of wine, and a Lopez Ice Cream milkshake ($24.05), and called my dad and stepmom to wish her a happy birthday. Then we walked back home, 30 minutes up the hill, and excellent exercise!
We love our island life. Its high cost of living and sparse amenities are a small price to pay for such inspiring peace and beauty every day. Our home is a serene oasis (even accounting for wasps, rats, ravenous deer, raccoons herons, owls, and river otters … ) in which to create and live. We will figure out how to get our finances on a more stable basis; we have several layers of plans. Mark's serial is building an audience, and my writing — both fiction and nonfiction — is gaining traction as well. In addition, my editing business is booming, and my biggest client just decided to raise their freelancer rates by 25% — without my even asking for it!
The world might be scary and so many things are uncertain, but I think we're going to be all right.
At least we're where we most want to be. And we have each other.
Shannon Page is an author and editor on Orcas Island who has published dozens of short stories. Novels include "Our Lady of the Islands" (with Jay Lake), a Publishers Weekly Best Book of 2014; "Eel River"; "The Queen and The Tower," and (with Karen Berry) "Orcas Intrigue" and "Orcas Intruder."