Now to cover the new gray

I got home Wednesday afternoon, and it's been great to get back into my routine. Very comforting, even if I'll be living alone on and off for the next couple months.

Good Stuff:
- Safe travel for both Eric and I. He came back downstate yesterday.
- I made it back in more than enough time to go to band practice. Singing praise songs for a couple hours was just what I needed.
- The traffic noise at the apartment became white noise faster than I anticipated.
- I found bedroom curtains on sale online. They're supposed to block both light and noise.
- Words! The morning routine has paid off this week. I might be getting close to the end, but it's hard to say for sure. Usually, I'm right up on top of 'the end' before I realize it.
- I'm heading to MN this week for another writing retreat. Hoping, hoping, hoping this one will have the plotting tools I'm missing. If not, I'll have to figure it out on my own because I won't be doing this next year. We have a savings account to build back up and frankly, I've had enough of hotels for a long while. 

Not So Good Stuff:
- While we're relieved that Eric has a firm start date for the job, we're not as happy that it's the 28th and not the 21st. I guess they need time to dig out from the furlough, but we'd like to get paid sometime. Thank goodness for our savings. The plus side of this is that Eric can stay here a few extra days instead of rushing back tomorrow.
- Would anyone be surprised to learn my house is a mess again? I didn't think so. The odd thing is, it seems more cluttered with the chairs from the living room gone. I might rearrange stuff a bit to make it more homey. Or better organized. Or to put off sorting and packing.
- Ryan seems stressed. It occurred to me this morning that the girls have moved twice, but his experience with moving was getting shoved in a cage and brought over here. The poor guy has no idea what's in store, but he knows something is up. It doesn't help that we've left them alone more this year than we ever have. I still have the Bach Flower Remedy for cats I bought when Jeli lived here. Maybe it will help.

So that's about it. I'll be gone all next weekend, so I'll see you when I get back.