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Time alone.

I had scheduled lunch with one of my farmer friends (she provides part of my CSA as well as some awesome granola) for Wednesday before the guys decided to leave for their camping a day late. This meant that I actually left the house before they did. I took Pook to pick up his glasses at Costco (and saw some Legal Seafood clam chowder which I had to buy for my dinner) and came back to turn him over to his dad (with exclamations of both "Wow, it isn't fuzzy" and "I don't want to wear them all the time"). Then I gave out kisses and I left.

When I came home, it was eerily quiet. And a mess with all the odds and ends they'd not packed and the toys the boys had played with while CD fit it all into the car. Remembering my mom's advice (my dad took me and Sister MD camping and she'd spent the first day cleaning so she could relax the second day, but it rained so badly my dad came home a day early), I promptly went to work reading outside in the sun. After two chapters I decided to drive to the elementary school to transplant the rose I'd dug up to give them a month ago. It was odd to be at the school right at dismissal time, with no dismissal. The rose will look better there than with it's color (violet) clashing in my yard (the remaining roses are redish pink).

I continued my task of relaxing back at home, and also found myself filing away photos I'd taken from summer to Christmas at the same time. Suddenly I was hungry and it was 6:30. I heated my chowder (One serving size was only one cup of soup. Ha!) and took the remote to the sofa. I watched a repeat of my Seattle based medical show, then popped in my movie, A Good Year with Russell Crowe. Yawning on cue at 10:30, I located a comforter that hadn't been packed (Pook's) and went to bed, fortunately too tired to feel lonely.

I slept until after 8am, and did some yoga before breakfast. The kids hadn't seen the strawberries in the fridge, so I topped some granola with vanilla yogurt and berries and finished the extra behind-the-scenes bits of the dvd.

It was almost 11am before I was ready to head out for shoe shopping. I bought two pairs, neither what I'd have bought if my criteria were style before comfort, but both acceptable and both returnable (REI will take them back w/in two weeks even if worn outside and The Walking Company will take them back within a month if worn indoors). I didn't do any additional shopping since my wallet was cringing at the price of the sandals already. Good shoes are expensive! I'm used to cheap, replaceable shoes in the $30 range.

I took my book, Wuthering Heights, (Heathcliff has just returned, an adult) outdoors for lunch. I'd bought some yummy cheeses and I ate Brie, Jarlsberg and Munster with crackers and grapes while I read. There was a lot of action to observe. Someone or something has disturbed our carrot seedlings, but the few left are showing carroty-looking leaves. I watched as a chipmunk climbed deftly into my squirrel-proof feeder to snack. Mr. Bird Brain saw me outside, but continued his brain bashing unabashedly. A chickadee has a nest in a hand painted birdhouse that the kids painted two years ago. I was going to take it down to repair it before the bottom fell out, but then saw that it was occupied. If she doesn't care, I don't either. Nests abound. We removed one from the new garage door motor box just Sunday. Maybe I'll sprinkle the coneflower, black eyed Susan and alyssum seeds around today too. I hope we've had the last of the cold.

I actually started to get hot outside, so it seemed time to come in and be productive, briefly. The fish tank was happy with my decision. I always think about cleaning it for a week before someone dies and only when they go floating do I get around to it. Today was no exception, and a fish is now fertilizing my thyme plant (and another has been nibbled on and will go soon). I watered with the fish-poop water outdoors and with less smelly water indoors.

I'm meeting L, the other non-camping mom, for dinner tonight at a restaurant neither of us has visited but which has a patio which called to her when she drove past it. It should be nice enough to sit outdoors at least for drinks. Tomorrow morning I'll go to Old Folks Yoga (I'm going to call it that in front of someone sometime and be sorry) and then I expect my guys home.

I've done well with this unproductive time.