We're home

This morning, we got up before dawn, said adiós to my parents shortly thereafter, turned in the rental car, and later boarded the first of two planes that would bring us back home to Ohio.

I'm always surprised when I fly over Ohio at the huge expanses of cleared, flat land, mostly farms, perfect for capturing the shadow of our plane as it approached for landing.

We traded the nightly serenade of the coquies and the reinitas for 40-degree weather, a grayish sky and denuded trees. But my husband keeps insisting that spring is around the corner.

It was very hard leaving my parents behind but my plan is to wrap up this demanding semester and fly back to Puerto Rico as soon as possible thereafter so I can spend most of the summer with my papi and my mami without having to worry about my work here.

Dr. S and Geni's favorite titi D (of the doggy bed fame) came over to welcome us back, and then Dr. S drove me to the grocery store so I could replenish a nearly empty refrigerator and pantry. She even helped me find things and placed the groceries in an orderly fashion on the check-out belt, like my mami would do (and so much better than I usually do it!). It's such a gift to have such good friends!

The cats, of course, are ecstatic that we're back and tomorrow Geni will join us and the pack will be whole once again. Classes resume Monday and I have lots to do before then, not the least of which is getting organized around here so I can, at the very least, attain some semblance of normalcy after 19 days away in my greener, bluer, warmer, sunnier and beloved native home.