To introduce Panacea III, here are further excerpts from the preface of my book, which was written prior to COVID-19:
"My third Panacea is another creation of mine and Mary’s. We recently [2015] bought a farm in middle Missouri, north of Gilliam, the small town in which our youngest son ... and his wife ... live. It’s a creation that’s still in its early days and what it will become is, of course, to be determined. But our intent couldn’t be clearer. This is our second stab at making a part-time retirement home. This time, it’s a more realistic plan. Time with our three sons, three daughters-in-law, and six grandkids is easy to make happen – not like a major, expensive ordeal to get to Ireland. Two grandsons ... live just three and a half miles down the country road from us. And our two other sons ... and their two wives ... and their four children ... all live in the St. Louis suburb of Webster Groves, about three hours away, so we routinely plan family weekends twice a year. We have a late Spring or early Summer weekend spent largely outdoors grilling, fishing in our pond, taking UTV rides around our 54 acres, and maybe taking a country walk. And we’re starting a new tradition in early December to base our annual Christmas tree cutting excursion, previously done close to St. Louis, to now be close to the Gilliam farm.
"We continue to maintain a rented condominium in a well-managed high-rise in the Central West End of St. Louis. We split our time roughly 50/50 between St. Louis and our farm. The best of urban living; the best of country living. Our St. Louis time is largely spent with family and friends based there. Mary’s entire family of six siblings continue to live in St. Louis, save one brother an hour and a half away in Rolla. And the entire Gregg family other than Colin (my three siblings, my mother, and the two other sons and their families) live in the St. Louis area. All of our friends are from our St. Louis connections.
"Spending half our time in St. Louis is necessary for a rational continuity of life. And although we live a fun and relaxing retirement in both places, the farm is the place where the “Panacea” part of retirement is planned and executed, while the city is the place that a more “regular” life is lived. We plan many weekends at the farm for our family members and city friends to visit. Spending two nights at the farm with one full day in the middle allows a lot of time to visit, laugh, take drives in the country, and even sing around a campfire – visits that provide a fuller satisfaction than an evening or a dinner visit in the city. And our new tradition for Christmas tree cutting with all our kids and grandkids will provide a new farm activity that we hope to become a favorite tradition – hayrides.
"When it dawned on me in October 2018 that we were now in the process of creating this third Panacea, two things became immediately clear to me. One, our farm had to be given the name of Panacea III. Up to that point, it was simply called Gregg Farm. And two, I had to write this book about our Ireland experience while it was still fresh in my memory, and it had to be called Panacea II.
"Reflecting on this situation, I realized that it was too late for anyone to write a book about Panacea I. Given the mystery about the origins of that original Panacea, I wished someone had done that years ago. This Preface is my attempt to at least capture my memory of it. And regarding Panacea III, it was much too early to write a book on that. And if Panacea III turns out to be the place that I hope it becomes, that book would be better written by another generation -- just as historians are loathe to write about any era until a generation or so has passed, allowing time for perspective to stabilize. But Panacea II – its perspective is as stable as it will get, so the time is right for that book, and I’m the one who needs to write it."
Post-COVID update: When COVID-19 changed the world in 2020, we gave up our condo in St. Louis. We began living at the farm full time, with monthly visits to keep up with all the family. The annual Christmas tree cutting is now alternated between the St. Louis area and the farm. And we have yet to start the hayride tradition.
And there is an interesting update on the future possibility of a book on Panacea III. I was recently on my computer showing my oldest grandson (9 years old at the time) the draft of my Panacea II book and my website, at his request. At that time, the website was just the Gallery and the Travel Blogs. He was quite an inspiration when he suggested I use the website to expand on my book by showing additional photographs of Ireland. Brilliant! I told him he was absolutely right! And I immediately extended his idea to Panacea III. Suddenly, the scope of this website doubled, all to the credit of my grandson. And as if that wasn't enough creativity from this young boy, he surprised me again when he said that HE would write the book on Panacea III. Brilliant again! I told him that was a GREAT idea for years down the road. Believe me, that just may not be a pipe dream. This boy is an avid writer and has aspirations to write books. And another thing -- I see a lot of parallels between my relationship to Panacea I as a young boy and my grandson's relationship to Panacea III. So look for that book 20, or 30, or 40, or even 50 years from now.