Just settled into the hotel room after soaking in the spa for a bit. Had a nice day with family and friends up here near the Canada border. I laughed when my phone texted me Welcome to Canada, because not actually there, just using a tower from there apparently.

Anyway, read all, but too tired to respond except to restful nights or productive days to all.

I hope the trip to see your sister is at least easy travel.

Wouldn't that be nice! I reflexively just did my usual 4 day LA trip and transcribed it to Georgia: Leave Thursday, return on Sunday.

Matilda is at her friend Norah's house. This is fairly momentous as Norah used to be one of her closest friends, and that got severed during the pandemic. (They have not spent time together since 2019, though they did have a reconciliation meeting when Norah came to see Jacqueline.)

Norah's mom, Hannah, was one of the Sacred Circle of Women (with Gin and Tonics) who dropped everything to take care of Jacqueline.

So, some things that I thought would never be repaired seem to be moving that way. Who knows.

The upshot of all this is that I have the house to myself for almost the first time in since December.

Atropa, is it wise for a woman who can set water on fire to have a fire pit? ijs. I’m glad you’re loving the new house. Do you still have a madwoman in the attic to bake for you?

David, safe travels. I hope Matilda is finding comfort with her reconciled friendship.

Congrats on the new house, Atropa!

Well, at the manager’s request I stayed at work and didn’t take a day off to go to the annual family Labor Day gathering, so I could help with the Big Thing at work. You know how much extra work I ended up putting in? About five minutes. And that includes the three minutes I spent reviewing the instructions to make sure my process was right. On one hand, our months of prep are paying off with a smooth transition. On the other hand, I missed out on time with the family for no good reason. Hmph. I nailed down a week or so of vacation time in October, at least. Now I get to decide what to do with it.

Aw man, Calli, that totally sucks.

David, I hope the time alone lets you breathe and do what your spirit needs.

Timelies. Blah. I mean yay! No, I mean blah.

First, let's celebrate the birth of flea! May you have a day filled with delight and a most wonderful year.

Good to hear that Matilda will have some friend time. It is also good for you, David, to have some alone time to regroup your flood of emotions before making this trip. Sending waves of love your way.

New house! So much unpacking! Congrats, Atropa, and whatever on the boxes, all will find a place in time.

Rotten deal, Calli. Grrr.

The breakfast bar has a much more extensive selection than anticipated. And they have a pancake making machine. I don't eat pancakes, but my son is going to enjoy that, and the French toast sticks. I am the early bird. Already ate much earlier and have been at work since 7:30 before heading to Alexandria Bay. DH is snoring.

Matilda and I both woke up early because it's her first day back. She's feeling anxious so she's already gobbled down some Tums.

Her first class back is Spanish 3 so she's been walking around saying, "I'm nervous and I'm tired" in Spanish.

My niece reports that they're bringing in a hospital bed and my sister is sleeping more and starting to get disordered thoughts ("I need to pay my bills!"). So I think I missed the window for longer cozy chats, but I will still get to see her and love on my niece, who I'm close with. (When she was 13 and 14 she flew out to stay with me and EM for week long stays in San Francisco.)

Today is TomW's birthday too, though he hasn't been around these parts for quite some time.

Covid is on the rise in Austin, and though I'm pretty sure my Covid-ish symptoms are the physical results from back to back to back show travels, I figure it's time for a PCR, just in case.

It's forecasted to hit 102 today, 104 tomorrow, and 106 on Friday. Actual temps, not heat index.

Texas does seem to be evolving into a hellscape both literally and metaphorically. At least my mortgage interest rate is low, lol.

Hi Nora! Please wish Tom a happy birthday from me.

Waves from hellscape next door. We finally have a bit of a break from the heat dome and have been getting some much needed rain, but I’m still not turning on the hot water in the shower. And there’s a burn ban statewide that includes outdoor cooking.

Yikes, peeps. Stay cool. And HBD to TomW.

Good first day to Matilda. All kinds of pulling for her.

Waiting for DH to get back so I can hit the library to work. Home is so distracting these days. Or, I am so distractible? Either way, the library is better.