Home at Last!

7/9/2012

Home at Last!

I'm home and happy to be here.  Please understand that I like an "away" vacation as much as the next person.  However, there is something wonderful about coming home, even if your home, like mine, has a few "warts" here and there!  We didn't get into town until 1:00 am, which is way past bedtime.  Even though it was late, neither of us could resist flipping through the accumulated mail to see if anyone was suing us (the family business actually and nobody was), if anyone had sent us a million dollars (they did not) and a quick preview of magazines and catalogs (that would be me, for I love that stuff - Jeff not so much).  We went to sleep in our own bed with a near arctic temperature in the room which is undoubtedly much quieter than any hotel unit and more effective!

This morning I pop up at 6:00 and try to be veeeeery quiet leaving the bedroom for my pilot friend is fast asleep and needs the rest.  So as I sit in my favorite reading chair, drinking my favorite flavor of coffee from my favorite cup, I had time to reflect on some of the things that I love and miss when I'm away.

Obviously, first off since I already mentioned it, my reading chair that is stuck in a corner with two 7 million watt lamps to help me see better.  My reading glasses are stuck in a crock that holds an odd assortment of pens, scissors, nail files and the odd bottle of nail polish - anything a gal might need while reading at 6:00 in the morning.  My coffee is dark roast and my cup (not Jeff's) isl clear glass and all light.  I hate a large heavy cup, so before my day officially begins, I'm in near heaven.

And there's my computer.  Oh how I've missed her.  Laptops get the job done but there is something about typing on a flat surface that puts me off and the space bar never seems to keep up so I don't just have run on words, I have run on sentences!  So here I am this morning blabbing away with my ever present and almost cold coffee cup by my side.

While I haven't sat down in the den I have missed both my television set and of course more importantly the TIVO. During our trip I watched very little television for two reasons - I didn't have much free time and it has been so long since I watched regular television with those nasty little commercials stuck in all the time.  I am confident that once I do sit down, I will have hours and hours of blissful cheesy television to watch!

I also love that my washer and dryer do not require money to run and I don't have to wait for somebody else to finish with their laundry  before I can begin mine.  I have never been sure of washroom etiquette with regards to what you do when the washer is done but the person doesn't return immediately.  I am not comfortable with taking their things out of the washer and dumping them on top of a dryer for them to deal with later but seriously you can't look at your watch at the beginning of the cycle and calculate 45 minutes later on your watch?  I can but that may have something to do with one of my "traits" that require punctuality!

Once I am free to move around the house, I will begin the chore of unpacking the suitcases, starting the laundry and putting away the contents of our carry-on bags which seems to accumulate quite a bit of trash toward the end of a trip.  I have the week off so I have plenty of time to do this unpacking and organizing stuff; but, I know with 100% certainty that I will get all of that accomplished today.

Jeff will pick up the dogs - Sam (terrier) will be hoarse from barking for a week and both he and Maggie (the lab) will just be glad to be home and likely will head for our bed to settle in and watch the world go by.  Emma (parrot) is happy to see us and as always will bite Jeff today (not me of course) as his penance for being away and leaving her.  It's a ritual and one that Jeff is quite used to by now since we have had Emma for the past 15 years.

The trip was a lot of fun and I was way out of my comfort zone for much of the time - yet I feel I tried harder to meet and mingle with strangers than has been possible for me in the past (must be the meds!).  I am already looking forward to next year's migration!  Who would have thought that possible.

My pilot, by the way, got me home safe and sound as he always does.  I have very few, if any, concerns about being up in the air with Jeff.  He always makes sure we fly safe and wants me to be comfortable (mentally and physically) from the beginning to the end of a flight.  So thank you Jeff and 874T for another amazing trip and more air miles under my belt!

Have a great day and I'll talk to you when the wash is done.

P