It’s early. I’m the only one up and I’m relishing these moments of quiet before the busy day ahead. Murphy is wrapped in a blanket and snoozing in my arms. I’m surrounded by boxes and things waiting to be loaded into the U-Haul parked in our daughter’s driveway.
I’m debating whether or not I should make a Starbucks run. I’ve been caffeine free for a couple of days and have a low grade headache. Coffee now and start the detox all over again? Or take some ibuprofen and brew some tea? Dealing with a headache today doesn’t thrill me, and I’m leaning in the direction of Starbucks. We’ll see.
It occurred to me a few minutes ago that, if we get the big things loaded today, we’ll have nowhere to sit or sleep later. I’m not sure how all that’s going to come together. This time, I’m just a worker bee. I’ll let Gerry and Laurinda figure that out.
On the drive up yesterday I enjoyed the changing fall scenery. We passed through different microclimates and, as a result, saw autumn in different forms. All beautiful. All whispering of winter.
I expect I’ll drive solo on the return trip (Gerry driving the truck, Laurinda and Makiya in her car) and look forward to podcasts peppered with times of silence. But first, there’s a truck to load. It’s time to get moving.

Hi Linda,
We just drove a cargo van to Baltimore last week to help our daughter move. Fourteen hundred miles from San Antonio to her apartment took us 3 days. But like you, we drove through beautiful countryside and changes in the weather…to even huge downpours in the Smokey Mountains. Nice to have a moment to gather your thoughts. (I don’t do Starbucks, to strong, but would definitely look for coffee somewhere.)