I've been on vacation for a week now, visiting my mom on the other side of the continent (washington state). The last several months have been full of stress and I was more than ready for a break. I had gotten to the point where everything felt like sandpaper against my psyche (with the exception of Mudcat). After a particularly rotten day at work, I went home and called the airline and booked my flight.

It has been a week full of peace and quiet. My mom and I have been having a lot of fun hanging out, talking, exploring back roads, playing scrabble and doing a whole lot of nothing. I've been enjoying just sitting on the porch watching the birds and also exploring the area around my mom's cabin. The tadpoles are hatching and the frogs are singing and at night we can hear the coyotes. I'm ready to go home to the city again, my ragged and frayed edges have knit themselves back together. And I know that when I go back, it will be to the loving arms of Jason and the ecstatic tail wagging of the Clancy Dog. Also, in six days I get to go back to doing what I love most, being a park ranger. Life is sooooooo good!