Day One.

When BN goes out of town, no matter how long the stay, the first day is always hard for me. The boys are wound a little tighter, the house suddenly has a void and I can't stand to be in my home the first day he is gone. I can live there on day 2, day 3, etc, but Day One is no good. I have to leave.

My Mom is the lucky one who gets to entertain us on Day One. I dropped BN off at the airport, tidied up the house, packed a small bag, loaded the kids and hit the road. My Mom is the perfect diversion for me. I love the way she smells. I love the food she cooks. I love the chaos that is her home. No matter where I've lived or how long I've been gone, her home is always the same. It grounds me.

My Mom has two mutts. Buddy and Ellie Mae. They've replaced me and my sister and helped my Mom get over the empty nest thing. Like all little brothers and sisters, they drive me nuts. My Mom does things for those dogs that I just have to shake my head at.

For instance, when she leaves for work, she leaves the t.v. on for Ellie. Apparently, Ellie Mae likes Dora the Explorer and Diego. Okaaay.

She's also the smart one. When Buddy is on Mom's lap, she'll run to the front door and start to bark, which makes Buddy think someone is coming so he gets up and runs to the front door. Ellie slinks away and runs back to Mom and climbs in her lap. She also hides Buddie's toys, especially the ones that squeak.
And neither dog will go through the door when it is open. Nope. They wait for it to close and then they use their doggie doors. So as the big sister, I like to hold the doors open longer than necessary just to see them sit and wait.

Thanks to Mom and the mutts for getting me through Day One and most of day two. Now I can't go to sleep because BN always checks the doors and even though I looked at all the locks and verified they are indeed locked, I can't go to sleep. Sheesh.

~R