It’s definitely back to being winter
tonight, and while we aren’t getting any snow; it is going to be very cold
overnight – as in sub-zero wind chill whether you measure that in Fahrenheit or
Celsius.
Mandy and I are snuggling in our bed and
getting ready for a long winter’s nap, so the cold isn’t bothering us at all;
but it’ll still be out there in the morning waiting for us when it’s time to go
to church – or for Michael first thing in the morning when he comes over for
Tai Chi.
My day started out a bit hectic; and that
was mostly because Violet and Dillon headed back to school today and needed to
pack and load Violet’s car – while also dealing with the rest of our usual
Saturday morning work. Thinking about
Violet and Dillon reminds me that I’ve barely mentioned them in my updates
while they’ve been home for the holidays; and their last few days here after
getting home from Woodvale didn’t exactly end up including spending much time
with me. Ethan and Ehlana saw them at
the lab a few times, and at least one lunch that I heard about; but Violet and
Dillon were away from the house more than they were here – which is why I didn’t
even see them at bedtime or breakfast most of those days. They were out late every night, including
last night; and slept in a bit most mornings – except for today.
Though we didn’t get to do much together,
Violet and Dillon have had a nice holiday here.
They still have a week left before school starts again, but they’ll be
busy getting ready for their next semester next week – including getting the
books and supplies they’ll need; and hanging out with their friends to play and
work ahead. That’ll be more fun than my
exam-prep week will be here; but then I do have quite a few fun things to look
forward to this winter too – like that ski trip to Colorado on March Break.
While Violet and Dillon were with us for
breakfast and until they were ready to go, they then said their goodbyes with
us; and moved on to do a little stop and go trip around town to do the
farewells with the rest of their family and a few friends. There was an Olde Bakery stop too; but that’s
normal for most outbound college students – even if they’re flying back to
school. For all I know, Olde Bakery
treats make life easier getting through the airport line-ups and security,
though if that’s actually being done; nobody is admitting it.
Don’t worry, TSA agents – we’ll let you
know if there are suddenly dozens or hundreds of suspicious-looking visitors
coming to town to buy Olde Bakery treats to bribe you with for nefarious
purposes! ;^)
Once we’d seen Violet and Dillon on their
way to the next stop of their little farewell tour it was time to get serious
about the house work. For me, that
included cleaning the third floor, the sunroom, and dining room from top to
bottom. A little Magi-powered assistance
was an option; and we all had fun with that while I shielded the house for
us. That bonus help allowed us to finish
up by lunchtime; we went with soup and sandwiches; and then Dad went to work in
the office for the afternoon so that he could get ahead on his weekend homework
while Mom gave Ethan, Ehlana, and me a ride over to the lab so that we could
play there for the afternoon.
That meant not hanging out with Michael
during his afternoon break, but he was busy anyway; and put in extra time at
the Inn early so that he didn’t have to work until close tonight. Since Dillon was on his way back to school
and Uncle Adam was busy at home or elsewhere; Ethan and I stayed with Ehlana
and we played in her lab while Mom went back home and worked in the office with
Dad. Ehlana’s working on several
projects at the lab right now, and since she had Ethan and me there; we played
around with her study on how viruses are affected by our self-healing
talent. While I’m often happy with
knowing the how, she wants to know the why; and hopes to use that to develop
cures for every serious disease that works for everyone as easily as our bodies
heal from illness or injury. That’s a
fairly awesome goal, and it’s fun to play with Ehlana now and then in the lab;
but it’s probably for the best that my future doesn’t include a career cooped
up in a lab. For me, it’s a fun place to
visit; but I wouldn’t want to live there seventy or a hundred hours a week!
Dad came to collect us from the lab while
Mom cooked dinner. We knew from their
smiles that they hadn’t exclusively worked all afternoon; but let’s not go
there on a weekend where there hasn’t been very much Michael and me alone
time. Okay, let’s not go there any time
when it comes to my parents – no matter how glad I am that they’re happy
together.
We had dinner in the sunroom; I cleaned up;
and then Ethan, Ehlana, and I came up to the lounge to get ready to watch
another movie once Michael was done at the Inn and could join us. Since we still had the Return of the Jedi
movie to watch from the original trilogy, we cued that up and then had a bit of
music play time until Michael arrived – and then for a couple of bonus songs
that Michael and I sang and played together while we ended up with an audience
of five – including Mandy. Mom and Dad
decided to watch the movie and hang out with us too; so we got our drinks and
snacks ready and then settled onto the sectional sofa to enjoy a couple of
hours or so of cuddle and movie time.
Michael and I got Ehlana for our cuddle buddy while Ethan was with Mom
and Dad. Mandy switched sides several
times; but that was mostly for the bonus scratches and back rubs that went
along with the first few minutes with new cuddle buddies.
Mom and Dad took care of getting the twins
off to bed tonight, so Michael and I did get to have a bit of alone time that
included a very minor make-out session, but he was tired out after starting his
day so early; and I sent him home to get some sleep – no matter how much we
again would have preferred to spend the night together. There are limits to even our parents’
collective leniency and understanding, though; so we’re not going to push our
luck.
Mandy, by the way, thinks that’s silly, and
while I appreciate a cat’s perspective a lot; I seriously doubt that Mom and
Miranda will agree to Mandy’s recommendation that Michael just move in with me
and live here; since that’s what mates should do.
Sometimes I wish I was a cat too! ;^)
Mom hasn’t taught me anything like that,
but maybe I should search the archives and find out whether it’s possible for
me to do that! Then again, if I could
end up stuck in cat form forever like in the Harry Potter stories, that wouldn’t
be good; so maybe I shouldn’t seriously consider the idea anyway. I really don’t want to head into dreamland
with that thought in mind, since I’m already picturing Michael as the school
janitor with me as his trusty mouser cat; so let’s move along and wrap this up.
Michael only stayed until a bit after
eleven o’clock; I saw him out; and then came back up here and got ready for
bed. I’ve only done the basic computer
and email check tonight; which is why I’m also going to be sleeping before
midnight. I’m not going to work at the
Inn tomorrow, but we are going to have an afternoon study session here to get
our weekend homework done during Michael’s break; and I’m planning on doing my
family business work and studying early too so that I can get to bed in good
time tomorrow night.
That thought might be an even worse
starting point for my dreams tonight than being Janitor Mike’s cat, but I don’t
have anything else to write about for today, and I really do want to get the
extra sleep; so, until next time...
...May the Magi Force be with you!
