Hanging Our Hats

We arrived home around 2:30 p.m. yesterday afternoon. We weren't supposed to be home for another week, and so Matthew hadn't had time to put things back where they belonged. He's been living at the house while we've been gone, and he'd made it his own...as he should have. He knew we were coming, but with working full time, he needed the weekend to get things back in order. And all of that to say that things are kind of a shambles. It's going to take a few days to get reorganized.

The drive home was uneventful. We drove 800 miles the first two days, leaving just 256 miles for the final day. I didn't take any pictures until we arrived in northern California where the scenery is stunning. I finally grabbed my camera to catch this scene through the window and over my right shoulder.

Around the next bend...

Where California makes its bend on the eastern side, the road passes into Nevada just briefly, and we spent our first night just south of Carson City in Minden, Nevada.

That park just happens to be the right distance for one day's drive, and so we've stayed there many times. The next day we drove the Volcanic Legacy Scenic Byway on our way to connect with Interstate 5 northbound. Along the way, we saw some of the peaks of the Ring of Fire, which is a ring of volcanic peaks extending from South America all the way around North America, Japan and into the Pacific Ocean east of Australia. Here's an image:

It's responsible for the formation of Crater Lake, which was Mt. Mazama before it blew its stack and of course, more recently, Mt. St. Helens. On our drive, we saw Mt. Lassen.

And then, Mt. Shasta.

As we headed north on Interstate 5 we saw this excellent example of a cinder cone. This one is called Black Butte.

Farther north, we saw a different view of Mt. Shasta.

And shortly thereafter...home sweet home! What a sight for sore eyes after so many months away.

Speaking of sights for sore eyes...it's my sewing room! I'm so happy to see you!

It was pretty much business as usual. Since it was late in the day, we didn't let Smitty out until this morning.

We're keeping Miss Busy Britches in for a few days, but we'll probably let her out on Tuesday.

They've already been up in their Clubhouse, and Matthew informs us that a mouse has moved in while the kitties have been gone. I'm pretty sure Sadie has it cornered behind a bookcase downstairs.

It's good to be home, huh, Sadie?

Okay, let's find us some nip.

As you might guess, my priorities were in order. I unpacked all the boxes I sent to myself while we were away. Among them, this gift from my dear friend Robin. You might recall we spent a day together in Intercourse, Pennsylvania. Click on that link for some quilt shop orgiastic ecstasy. While we were there, Robin introduced me to the Solmate Socks, which I'd never heard of before. It was love at first sight for me, and so I purchased a pair. When they went on sale back in January, Robin purchased four more pairs for me. Aren't these great?

I totally love them. Thank you, Robin. Great color choices!

Also, remember this little lady I picked up on the Blue Ridge Parkway?

And All. This. Fabric.

I'm embarrassed to say this isn't even all of it. There's still some in the trailer. Looks like I have my work cut out for me.

But first things first. Himself ventured outside unleashed this morning for the first time in months.

He was out for about 50 minutes before deciding to come back in. Now, I think he's napping in the Clubhouse. If you're new to this blog, I'll explain that the Clubhouse is the space between the main floor and the basement of our home. The kitties can get into the space by jumping up on our water softener tank, and then up into the rafters. Smitty claimed it long ago as his He Man Woman Hater's Clubhouse. Since then, the girls have moved in too.

Gotta keep those mousies under control. We had an ongoing problem with mice getting in somehow, but since the kitties discovered it and claimed it as their secret lair, we've had nary a mouse.

He stuck pretty close to the house this morning, spending most of his time gazing upon his vast territory and grazing on delicious green grass. Not another cat nor a woofie in sight. Ahhhhhhhh...now that's the life!

The next few days will be spent unpacking the trailer, catching up on laundry, cleaning up, and reorganizing to make space for Matthew. The decision for him to live here while we were gone was last minute, and so we didn't really have time to organize for him. He'll be staying with us for a while until he finds a new place where he can be comfortable. He's really hoping for something near public transportation, and of course, those places aren't as easy to find. He's been searching for weeks, and so far nothing. That's okay by me. It'll be good to have my all-grown-up little boy home for a while.

So with that, I'll get to it. I can't say what my blogging schedule will be over the next few days. I might blog daily, or I might skip a day here and there. Daily blogging is my preference, and so I'll be back at it soon enough.