I just came in from a jaunt with Ignatius in the yard. The cows have come around again after many long cold months huddled in the barns. The yard is a veritable sinkhole of mud and molden leaves. But it's a gray damp morning and the smell of earth is strong and inviting. Iggy jumping over branches and sticks with a big stupid dog grin unmatched by any other grin I can conjure. Today, I have plans of packing--taking artwork off the walls and placing my paints in wait into drawers and boxes. I will also head to he co-op to buy fiber supplements and glucosamine, hand soap and maybe a snack of yogurt covered raisins or pretzels. I also plan to read through Arthur Plotnik's Spunk & Bite which after flipping through at B & N I was happy to find on the new non-fiction shelf at my library. I finally finished The Red Tent this morning through a veil of tears. I am listening to Bela Fleck & Edgar Meyers, Palmyra, and it is the perfect soundtrack for this morning. Today, Alex went back to school and it is the first day I have had alone in over 10. Usually I am off and running to work hours before he wakes and home after he comes back from his office. And with spring break, I have been welcomed by him at every turn, a gift, to be sure, but it is also nice to spend some time alone, with the music and the rain, and my dog and my thoughts. I feel up for a road trip, someplace where I expect no one to greet me at the other end, but the over-arching reach of responsibility is telling me to stay home and pack. A dilemma. But nothing I can't handle.
