Peace

It sure seems like I've been away a lot in the past month. I've gone on two overnight backpacking trips, one to Sproul State Forest and a second to the Hammersley Wild Area. I took a day trip to Philadelphia to visit two different sets of gardens.

My husband and I have been doing our best to get out and about as the foliage colors begin. We spent a day hiking in the Quehanna Wild Area. We stream-walked and swam in the cool waters in northern PA near Pine Creek.

We've also done as much swimming locally as possible. I had my last swim at Whipple Dam before the beach area closed there for the season. We swam in a pond in the hills above Tyrone. I even skinny-dipped in Bald Eagle Creek.

Most recently, I spent two nights in New Jersey for a work conference, at which I presented. Our little group returned home without incident on Friday afternoon, and I even had time for a quick visit to the Traveling Vietnam Wall.

Someone small and fur-faced - Dexter! - was VERY glad to see me when I finally made my way home on Friday afternoon. My husband (the taller fur-face) was in charge of cat duties while I was gone, and he did very well.

But I could tell That Tabbycat was delighted and relieved to finally have me home! He chop-slammed and purred me all up. He followed me around. We did all of our favorite rituals. We were happy to be together once again.

Saturday found me doing all of those catch-up things you do after several days away: sorting mail, paying bills, and doing laundry. On the drive home Friday afternoon after he picked me up at my office at work, my husband said those words no girl wants to hear: "There's a stinky smell in the shed. I think something died in there. Do you want to go and smell?"

I declined to do so at the time, but Saturday morning found me in the shed, tearing things apart once again. No, this isn't my first Dead Mouse Rodeo. A mouse died in there in July and I took the shed apart and reorganized it on one of the hottest, stickiest days of summer.

Because the shed was still in great shape after that reorg, it only took me an hour this time to find and remove the two small, fuzzy, gray, adorable, and thoroughly dead mice in a flower pot.

It is not how I wanted to be welcomed home, but there it is: when you have a house and property, you do whatever is required. (The dryer also started to make an ominous squeal on this day, which is Not Good; but we'll deal with that problem some other day. The next day, unfortunately, happened to be That Day.)

And after I'd done my morning of chores and was finally freshly showered and ready to sit down, That Tabbycat took his post in his box by the deck windows and gave me a wistful look: "This time, Mama, are you really here to stay?"

I told him that I was, and that at least for now, my travels were over. And he settled into his box, just like this, and curled up, and took a long, long nap. Peace, at last!

The soundtrack: George Winston, with Peace.