I am back at home and relieved to be so. The drive was longer than usual, and more tiresome, because somebody made a bad mistake on the 401 about half-way between Napanee and Belleville and probably paid with his or her life. The traffic was backed up for miles and miles, and everyone in the westbound lanes was stuck in first and second gear for more than an hour. Ya gotta hand it to Canadians, though; nobody honked, hopped lanes or ran the shoulder of the road to skirt the blockage.

Delighted with my return, the cats greeted me with song and upright, quivering tails. The state of the house indicated that young Georgia did a good job minding them for a week.

On the other hand, Revenue Canada sent me a form letter that says I never paid Edmund's Harmonized Sales Tax (GST plus provincial for a total of 13% of fees) for 2020. I did so, but now I have to prove it. Sigh.

And of course I now must read the stampede of email about the last week in the life of the choir. That will be an hour of my life I never get back.

My next big task is preparing a presentation to the Annual General Meeting about the outcomes of our strategic planning session. For the first time since I left government (in 2013!), I would like to use PowerPoint, but I'm fairly sure the locus in quo (hotel dining room) won't run to a 21st-century slide projector. Also, I don't possess a laptop computer any more, either ... I guess I'll have to do it the old-fashioned way, depending on the power of my personality and the magic of a flip chart.

The next decluttering task is the linen closet. I bought three sets of brand-new sheets for my aged "double/full"-sized bed in Ottawa, where the selection is much more generous than it is here. The so-called Queen bed is now the most popular size in Ontario, but queen-sized sheets trail on the floor when I put them on my Victorian bed. The new stuff should last the rest of my independent life, so I intend to render unto Goodwill all the sheets, pillowcases and towels that are now excess to requirements, which should free up about two closet shelves.

It will be hot and steamy today, but Perth County Particular thunderstorms are in the forecast for tonight and the rest of the week is supposed to be cool and damp. Just right for dusting and vacuuming. Whee.