back from the deep

    I have returned from my Thanksgiving hideaway. I left on Wednesday after a full day's work. After the usual pleasantries and hanging out with the immediate fam, The Cat and I had an awesome talk until after 2:AM. It meant that Thursday came very early, but it was totally worth it. We talked; shared much that's fallen between the cracks of email, IM, and blog commentary; we came pretty damned close to crying; and we laughed until my stomach ached and her face was sore, mostly because of the phrase "a t-shirt and socks."
    Thursday was a pretty relaxed day, even for the cook. The rest of us mostly lounged around (I think?) while she puttered in the kitchen, at least loosely following her schedule. Midday we were joined by three members of her extended family. It was lovely and revealing to spend time with people who know The Cat in such a different way than I do.
    My departure date and time were left open, and it turned out to be a good thing. My host was under the weather a few days prior to the holiday, and the illness seems to have returned. He was miserable, though he did a remarkable job of acting as if little was amiss. I decided to return home today rather than staying another day and adding to the stress he was already under. He's better off being able to sleep, or whatever he needs to do, without anyone else around to bug him. And I had a very good time, regardless of the length of time that I was there.
    This morning, I packed up my stuff and followed The Cat to work. Once there, she put me to various tasks that she usually handles. It was a lot of fun - honestly! - to do somebody else's dirty work, rather than mine, especially while hanging out and talking (and writing covert notes) with one of my best friends. We went to lunch (crazy good) and then hung out at work for a bit, putting off the leaving part as long as we could stretch it out. It's hard to say goodbye to good friends.
    I took a weird route home, but arrived in one piece after an hour driving in warm sunshine and listening to the iPod. I brought my stuff in, checked my email & blogs, took a shower, and lay down for a nap. Three hours later, I woke up - confused! - and had something to eat.
    And here we are.
    Hope everyone else had as good a Thanksgiving as I did.