Aaaand we're off!

Superman is on his way home with Sproing. The college kids are home for the holiday. Diva is here, of course out of school for the season (plus two days, but that's a different story). Isn't that lovely?

Yeah, it's lovely from a theoretical perspective, or a physical distance of 50 miles or more. I feel a bit overwhelmed, and Sproing isn't even here yet. He should be here within the hour, though.

As for Sproing's visit, I am not afraid of it/him now. I look forward to having him home, if not the experience of too many people around me. All the expectations I heap upon myself are nagging at me a bit, but not as much as last year. Yet.

We have two cats, Samhain and Scheherazade. My fluffy little girl Scheherazade hides under the bed or in the closet when she gets overwhelmed. Samhain, being too manly to cower under the bed (very much) has to assert his supremacy by marking territory. He's been active with the spraying this week. We are not amused. We are, however, sympathetic to the cause.

I am currently hiding in my office and on the blogs. I must soon emerge to face my responsibilities. Right now I am doing the one thing that I look forward to every year: listening to the public radio broadcast of A Festival of Nine Lessons and Carols from Kings College, Cambridge, England. I look forward all year to that first glorious note sung by the chosen boy, the carol "Once in Royal David's City."

You know I don't like this small southern town where I live. I want to live in an area that is metropolitan enough so that I can tune in my local public radio station and get a clear signal. We live far enough from the broadcast location that my reception is fuzzy. Also, there are too many locally produced programs on this station. It ain't so good.