Home

Ahhh, it's trite, but so true.  There's no place quite like home.  Things at the farm were fine, which makes for a very good homecoming.  We got back in time to pick up Ivy and Carson from the kennel before closing and they were happy to be back home too!  I managed to wander through the garden (oh, the weeds!), take a few pictures in the setting sun and look in on all my animals.  They don't seem to have missed me much, except for maybe Ivy and Carson.  Ivy has stuck pretty close to my side and Carson has constantly been around my ankles and very "talkative".

(part of the welcome home committee)

We drove home from New Hampshire in a happy and reflective mood.  Every time we go away for this sort of adventure, we dream and conspire all the way home about ways to allow ourselves the pleasure of doing it more often.  It's so difficult to get away, but nearly always, once we do, we are able to relax and enjoy ourselves.  It's so easy to talk about simplifying , but much harder to actually implement.  I know that the time is coming when I need to cut back on the number of animals I care for each day.  The physical problems with my shoulder this past winter and spring have made me face that reality.   So, maybe it's time to start making some small start on a long-range plan.  We'll see.

Squam was wonderful .... again.  My only worry this year was that it might not live up to last year's experience.  I needn't have worried.  Though it was a different experience, it was just as wonderful and just what I needed.  I feel inspired and excited about doing some of the new things I learned.  I loved seeing the friends I made last year and feeling that connection to them again.  I made new friends that I will want to see next year (oh yes, it was good enough for me to hope to go again next year).

This was waiting for me on the cabin wall when I walked in.  I was the first to arrive and feeling my usual trepidation when placed in a situation where I am unsure who I'm going to be with and what will be expected of me.  My cabin-mates were six young women (all young enough to be my daughters) who were all close friends with each other.  Oh my!  My first thought was that I hoped they wouldn't feel as though I was going to be the wet blanket or their chaperone.  They were lovely, spirited women who welcomed me into their nightly fireside knitting sessions and made it all just fine.  They were all generous and giving, even to the point of including me in their Squam gift giving.  I now have my own special wine glass with a ball of yarn etched on it and a new knitting bag with stitch markers and stitch retriever attached to help me remember them all.  (And, quite possibly, Megan has inspired me to try paddle-boarding - no joke!)

I have more to say about my classes at Squam and the things Mike and I saw before Squam.  Once again, I've fallen in love with New England and can't wait for the next opportunity to return.

(So ...... where have you been?)