05.12.15  We were gone for over one month.  We had a wonderful time in the high desert air of Santa Fe, but it was a long time to be away from home.  I wrote in my journal, on the first day of May, that I felt such loss in not being able to mark the start of a new month at home.  It was a disquieting feeling to have time rush by before I could get back into port. Yet, all was safe and sound upon our arrival on a stunningly gorgeous May day.  The kitties were deliriously affectionate and delighted and stayed close to my side for the remaining hours of sunshine down at the lake.  The air had never smelled more fresh and the water was quiet and still, and the woods were flush with Chartreuse Spring green leaves.  It looked like a brand new season from the one we had left, confirming that it was a long time to be gone from home. I’ve thought a lot about how our snowbird friends have second homes or cabins in the woods.  This time of year, I’m always somewhat envious of the families who return to their lakehouses, clearing them out, re-stocking supplies, and renewing a lifetime of memories by the water.  But, then I think of the empty home they’ve left behind and all that was missed there while they were gone.  I don’t know how I would feel about this divided allegiance; I guess that’s why some of us are just “homebodies”.