The Siberian Arctic blast is moving on. Kids are back in school. Chickens are feeling upbeat.
Cats are once again willing to stay out for more than two minutes at a stretch. The day would be almost normal, almost without anything pulling it in strange or novel directions, except, of course, this is the day I take off, with Snowdrop and her mom. (The girl goes to school in the morning and then we meet up at the airport in the early afternoon.)
The timing of this trip is good: Ed has recovered, I certainly have. No one is sick. There are no snow storms in sight. (Last year, we had to scramble because a storm hit Wisconsin just the day we were to leave.) I'm really ready for some mountain sunshine. My daughter is ready for some R&R with a good book, with maybe a sauna, or a walk in the mountains. My granddaughter is ready for any adventure.
These days I ask myself -- how long will I be able to do these trips, especially with a young one in tow? When my daughter asked to join us, my first thought was -- good, I have back up care in case I need it!
Snowdrop is a great traveler -- I would not take her if she weren't. At seven she was still fragile around the edges, but by eight, she'd gained a level of flexibility and adaptiveness that made it easier to stick with it. By ten she understands what the demands are and she can deal with the unexpected. And so for now, we keep going. Maybe next time she'll be pushing me in a wheelchair, but for now, we are partners in travel!
First, though, breakfast with my sweet stay at home guy.
Soon after -- flowers watered, dishes put away, cats petted, chickens fed, bathroom cleaned, suitcase packed, snow brushed off the walkway and the car and we are off!
Our schedule for today is to fly to Minneapolis, and from there to Amsterdam, and from there to Geneva. I'm posting this from the airport:
Tomorrow, I'll post from a small village in the French Alps.
with love...
