There so much going on here today, that I am starting to feel like my brain is humming along, a model of efficiency, making lists without my knowledge. This morning we finally agreed to abandon all attempts at removing the fallen tree limb until after our return and possibly until after the bees die. So far, no tree guys will touch it because of the bees and no exterminators will touch it because the nest is 30 feet in the air.

Yesterday was so filled with conversation that it took me a while to unwind all the data from my brain before sleep. Lying in bed last night, I found myself captivated by the idea of the Penseive (from the Harry Potter books, the most recent of which I�ve just finished) and wishing I could remove some of the tangled threads of thought to a bottle for safekeeping, and later examination. After our morning playgroup, we spent the afternoon with assorted relatives who came to say goodbye to AJ before our vacation. We went to the pool and out to dinner and then had a hard time putting AJ to bed. When he was finally asleep and quiet had finally descended upon the household, our soon-to-be-ex-neighbor came over for a beer and ended up regaling us with neighborhood lore (everything from militant conservationists to 1970s era key parties) for several hours. By the time I�d started the laundry, it was nearly midnight.

This morning we have shifted the productivity into high level, completing the laundry, begun the cleaning and packing, taken Mrs. Stein to the �cat house,� as we tend to call it around her. The new cat house is so much nicer than the old place that we�re feeling much better about leaving Mrs. Stein behind, although I am worried about how she�ll fair without Mr. Stein who always looked after her when we were away. Driving home, AJ looked thoughtful and said �I miss Mrs. Stein.� I hope she has a nice holiday herself. I also had time for a final swim before our departure. 50 laps and a bike ride ought to hold me for a couple of days.

The weather for our drive is looking to be scorching, so we are likely to leave at the crack of dawn in order to be off the road before we all overheat. While we�re all looking forward to the trip, I�m worried it might not be very relaxing. My grandmother is not doing well and we are moving her out of her current residence on the Left Coast to a place with more care near my mother. She�ll be moving just days after we leave for home. I�m sorry I won�t be down there to help, but I�m glad it�s happening so quickly. It also means I�ll get to see her again very soon, as I�ll definitely be down there again in November.

I will be offline for a couple of days and posting irregularly for the next couple of weeks while we�re on the road. I�ll be back the second week in August, by which time I will be another year older and probably deeper in debt.

0 people said it like they meant it