There's No Place Like Home

The journey home was fraught with excitement and abominable weather. On our final day, we hit freezing rain and snow. A twelve-hour drive turned into sixteen. We counted nine cars and trucks in the ditches or meridian, including one police cruiser. You know you shouldn’t be on the road when you see that. Yet, what to do when you are theoretically five hours from home and you crave a bed you haven’t lain in for over two months? You persevere. Besides, we’re Canadian. Neither snow nor rain nor heat nor gloom of night—wait, that’s the postal service. Well, we’re a damn hardy bunch, that’s just all there is to it.

Despite freezing temperatures, it feels terrific to be in our home. Now, don’t get me wrong, we relished our two months in warmer climes. In particular, the home in Austin, the city itself, and the friends who joined us entwined to create a thoroughly enjoyable and unforgettable month. We would do it again in a heartbeat. But there is something to be said about being surrounded by one’s own stuff, to be able to reach without hesitation for something because you know exactly where it is, to have more than a handful of outfits to wear.

As I catalogue and put away the new used books I discovered in Austin, I gently stroke my extensive research collection, thrilled to be back in its company. I glide Bird by Bird in with my writing books, slip Early American Inns and Taverns neatly in the American Colonies section and smile in pleasure as I add Bathing Houses and Plunge Pools to my Regency shelves. Oh, I have plans for that little gem in my next novel, a companion story to Love Denied.

Yes, it’s good to be home, safe and sound. It’s particularly delicious to once again be surrounded by the things that support and nurture my love of writing. Now, if we can just do something about these disgusting temperatures…