My Mini-Vacation Ends

I didn't mean to go silent for so long with no warning. I knew that I was headed off to see my parents who were vacationing, but I try not to advertise too widely when the house will be empty--plus, I thought I'd only be gone for the week-end, so a 2 day silence wouldn't be too unusual. But 2 days stretched to 4, what with travel and all those tasks that take priority when one returns home.

My parents stayed at a resort, and they had an extra bedroom, so when they invited us to join them, we decided to go. I wish we could have stayed longer, like we did at Hilton Head last year. But the timing didn't work out. The nice thing about Orlando being so close is that we could stay until after dinner on Monday. Of course, I always forget that Orlando is not that close. That close to 4 hour drive left me worn out yesterday--the drive, and the 2 hour conference on faculty development files.

I could have gone online; the resort has Internet access. But I tried to limit my online time--it sucks away so much time and doesn't leave me relaxed. And I needed to feel relaxed! So, I read by the pool--ahhhhh. I read Salmon Rushdie's The Enchantress of Florence. What a wonderful book. I haven't read any Rushdie before.

I feel so fortunate to have parents who are still mobile and fairly healthy. I know it will not always be so, and thus, I try to enjoy their company as often as I can. I keep thinking that I should do more to take advantage of their healthy minds now. I keep wondering what questions I will wish I had asked. Of course, I've spent my life asking those questions. I should probably start writing everything down, now, while my memory is good.

So, back to my writer's life. I need to finish the short story that was keeping me up last week. I need to write a poem or two or three before September ends. I've been doing a good job at keeping up with submissions, but I need to keep plowing ahead.

It's hard to believe that September is half over. Our weather is still in full summer mode, so part of me feels that it's really early August. But summer is over. It really, really is. Before we know it, the Fall holidays will be upon us.