Avoiding the Dark Place

On Sunday, I mentioned that I was terrified of the idea of driving the 75 miles from Olympia to South Bend in the dark yesterday evening. The more I thought about it, the more I realized the issue wasn't simply that it made me anxious; I needed to think about the safety of others. When put into THAT context, I realized this was not a good plan at all.

So, as this entry is being posted this morning, I'm still in Olympia (hint: I wrote this post the day before)! My wife and I probably are having breakfast before heading back home. I ended up getting a motel room near the sleep center. My guess is that I probably didn't sleep much, but at least I wasn't out on the road making other drivers nervous. :-)

This still was a difficult decision because of our animals. They have never spent a night alone without either Della or I here. We ended up leaving the back door open -- not an uncommon occurrence -- so they could let themselves out and descended the steps from the deck to relieve themselves. Copious amounts of food and water were made available.

Still, I'm certain we will be mobbed when we arrive back home. Each of them will most likely follow us around the house all day determined not to let one or both or us out of their sight ever again.