The annual month of depression

Ken feels more and more sad about his beloved Spain. Now there are deadly floods in Valencia. All summer it was a deadly heat and drought. The people of Spain have been demonstrating against the tourists in several parts of the country - including Fuerteventura, where Ken used to love to travel to during the winter time. 

Nowadays it’s just bad news after another. 

- We really have to forget our dream of moving to Spain when we are old. Spain can’t handle the climate change and us tourists.
(The photo above is from @lauranegrinx who makes lovely photos of the traditional and modern life in the Canary Islands.)

The first snowflakes fall down and Ken starts to feel the Christmas spirit. But it’s only the 2nd of November. This snow will melt away and the dark and wet time of the year will kill all the goodness.

Hector has a new pet and he has invited Ken to meet the little creature.
- His name is Touko. Could you be his godfather?

- Well I’m honored! Hello, little Touko. Aren’t you cute?!
- Listen, could you help me with something? This plastic cage is just horrible and I have a plan…

Hector has found an antique showcase cabinet from the second hand shop. 

Ken clears the table to make some space for crafting and together they create a lovely little palace for Touko.

Sulo seems to approve the new baby in the house and is already interested in other stuff.

Ken walks home through the sleeping forest. Everything is brown and gray and dead, but when he reaches Melukylä he feels happiness. 

This village is always pretty, even in November. 

It’s wonderful to be able to live in the middle of 100-year-old colorful houses.

- Brrrr, it’s chilly out there, Kaarna shivers when she arrives at Mari’s. She takes off her coat and immediately the coldness changes into a heat.

- Jesus, how hot is it here?
- 24 degrees, a normal room’s temperature.

- That’s not normal. 

- You’re not normal. Your cold old home is not normal. What do you want to watch tonight?

- Sigh… nothing. Could we even once turn the telly off?

Mari isn’t comfortable without the light and noise of the TV, so she asks annoyed:
- What then? 
- I don’t know… whatever we used to do before we got stucked in front of that box for imbecils. Have sex? Or even cuddle? Or talk?

- I don’t feel like having sex. There’s nothing to talk about, since we have no mutual interests. So we cuddle?

- What happened to us? Kaarna asks.
- Huh?
- You hardly even touch me anymore. Do I disgust you? I need physical intimacy. I’m afraid of what I might do, if I don’t get that from you.

- What are you trying to say?
- I’ve cheated once. I’m scared that I will do it again.

- So you’re threatening me now with cheating?
- No!!! What the fuck?! I just want us to be the way we used to!

Ken hears sobbing in Kaarna’s bedroom, although she was supposed to spend the night at Mari’s. He turns on the light and goes to see what’s wrong.
- I think we broke up, Kaarna sighs.
- You think?

- The conversation turned so weird that I don’t know.
- Let’s find out tomorrow. Should I bring you a sleeping pill?
- Yes please.

Ken makes a great find in the store of the recycling center and rushes home to show it to Kaarna. 

Unfortunately Kaarna is lying on the kitchen sofa and doesn’t get at all excited about the little log cabin. 

Kaarna mumbles, when Ken goes to her:
- Apparently we’re on a break to find out if it’s better to break up or stay together.

- Okay…Please don’t get depressed again. She’s not worth it, nobody is.

- Good morning and welcome to Ken’s institute of mental health. I have prepared you a daily schedule. 
- What the hell, Ken…
- Every morning you will get out of bed and eat porridge. Until lunch hour you will work…

- I don’t have anything at the moment…

- Then you will do advertising or make up something. But anyway you will work.
- After the lunch it’s time for outdooring and at three o’clock we will have tea. Then it’s the fun time: crafting or seeing friends or doing something else that we love!
- What fucking friends?

- And after dinner we will calm down and relax. We’ll watch a movie, just to escape from the reality, and enjoy our evening cocoa and then after nine we go to sleep reading a book.

Kaarna hates Ken’s energy and asks:
- And how long does this mental health treatment last?
- As long as it needs to. November is horrible enough in itself and you getting a depression right now would be a disaster. I refuse to watch how you bury yourself into the bed. If I keep you busy, your brain won’t have time to sink into darkness.

Kaarna is not in the mood for work since her calendar isn’t selling as expected. Ken tries to encourage her:
- Just put more ads on social media and send mail to the ones who made an order last year.

- Ok ok… I just feel so ashamed trying to sell this crap. By the way it’s raining outside and you have scheduled outdooring after lunch.
- We do indoor exercise instead! I have it all planned already!

Ken asks Kaarna to clear some floor space, while he searches an aerobics video by the legendary Anne Lällylä and her collague Janica Sisterus.

Anne and Janica are from Sössöx, and they are professional gym instructors.
(Photos of the athletic girls by @nukkekoto)

The workout by turns out to be surprisingly hard, but Ken and Kaarna do their best to follow the instructions! 

Ken gasps for breath but manages to say:
- Obviously we need more practice!

Kaarna disagrees:
- I hope the weather will be better for the rest of the month and we can just go for a daily walk!

After the workout it’s time for the fun part of the day: hobby time! Ken asks what Kaarna would like to do that would keep her brain from thinking too much and Kaarna chooses a board game.

It’s also important to eat something delicious with the afternoon cup of tea. 

Luckily they find a ”viipurinrinkeli” in the freezer.

Playing the game makes Kaarna laugh. Ken’s treatment is working already.

Keeping blood sugar level stable is the foundation of Ken’s therapy. That’s why they eat every three hours.

While Kaarna is choosing the movie for the evening, Ken is learning the new BlueSky app.
- This has all the good features Instagram used to have before Meta ruined it! Here I don’t get attacked by the video pollution at all! There are no ads or suggested posts that I’d be forced to watch. It’s so peaceful and calming! I only see the posts of the accounts I’m following and even in a chronological order! Artistic nudity is ok here and the captions must be kept short. 

 - Any downsides?

- The layout is messy and ugly. And you can’t edit the posts later. The chat is pretty hopeless too. And the 300 character limit on the captions is killing @nukkekoto’s creativity.
- Sounds bad.
- I wonder if it’ll be a social media suicide to leave Instagram…
- Propably yes. People are very addicted to it. Just like you.

 A week goes by and they both get fed up with the indoor workout. So, when one morning they wake up in a Winter Wonderland, they both are happy of the opportunity to shovel the snow!