My plane arrived back at home on time (1:59 PM) amidst a steady rain and 74* temperature. Mike picked me up and by 2:30, I was being showered with puppy love from Gus and Jay-Jay, even though they detected the scents of 3 strange dogs on their "unfaithful" mama. Still, they were glad to see me.

My house wasn't quite like I left it, but I really didn't expect it to be. Mike fell twice while I was gone, but only told me about one incident. I got the other story from my neighbor who helped him get up on Saturday when he came in drunk and knocked the hand rail on the back porch down. Mike told me the rail "came loose" so he got our handyman to fix it. Uh huh . . . The carpet I shampooed before I left caught a whole glass of red wine, so I have to re-do that. And there was a week's worth of dirty dishes in the sink which he couldn't put in the dishwasher because he hurt his back when he fell - that would be the Sunday night incident when at 2 AM he had a sinking spell on the way back to his bed from the bathroom. He said he got himself up with no help. He doesn't know I know about the other time, so I won't confront him with it yet.

My friend Jean has been home from the hospital for a week, so I'm going to visit with her in a little while. I was hoping to go to the pool, but it's too cool and another rain cloud is headed our way. When I looked at the weather map, there appeared to be a storm system covering the entire coastal region. I wonder if Mary Ann and the boys and dogs got much time to play on the beach today. They were headed back out to Honeymoon Island when they dropped me off at the airport. One section of the beach was designated as a pet area, so that's where they were going. (About 30 minutes after I typed the previous paragraph, I received pictures from Mary Ann . . . all of which indicate they had a good time at the beach. She also sent some of our camp-out, so I'll go back and post those, too. Thanks, M.A.)

I need to unpack my suitcase, which has made its last trip with me. I'm getting too old to have to lug that heavy thing around. It's past time for me to get one with the wheels and handle like every other smart traveler has. I've used this one for over 20 years and it wasn't new when I bought it in a garage sale before moving from Tupelo, but that's what happens when you live on a shoestring like I do. Past time, indeed.