Home.

Ohayougozaimasu! ("Good morning!") from Japan.

I arrived in Nikko where I live after a 10 hour flight, a three hour bus ride and a quick dinner of sushi with Tetsu. First of all I am happy to report that all animals are healthy and relatively happy. Tetsu did it! He survived the summer! And one of his first comments to me after a kiss hello was that he didn't want to see any cats for awhile (hardly possible with six of them in the house but you get the idea.)

The flight from LAX was very easy. It was the first time for me to try online check-in and that surely is the way to go. I hope I remember how to do it next year. No extra charges for baggage either (surprise!) and that may be because most of my gifted fabric I protectively carried in my carry on bag.

Tetsu was waiting for me at the bus stop with a big smile that let me know that the animals were fine and that I hadn't done anything dumb at the airport this year. One year he greeted me frowning and snapping at me because the airport had called to let me know I'd gone home with the wrong suitcase. Yes! That doesn't just happen in the movies. I'd picked up a red bag that I'd bought at Target and it turned out to be someone else's red bag from Target. When I got home and opened it I found not my gummy worms and t-shirts but lecture papers and books. The poor man visiting Japan had to wait two days until he got his things back...

The cats have been sleeping all over me every time I sit down. Chip especially is happy to see me but the other cats vie for places on my lap and near my shoulders. They haven't resolved any of their relationship problems so a lot of spitting and hissing. I will have to unpack my Feliway dispenser as soon as possible. Choco is as noisy as ever and I wish I'd gone ahead and bought a bark collar... The cats also tore up Tetsu's carpeting job in my sewing room... Poor Tetsu.

The house is covered in mold though Tetsu did his best to keep it at bay. I couldn't face it all yesterday and just napped claiming jet lag as my excuse. Wiping down the surfaces with bleach will be one of this weekend's jobs.

I had a good summer and will have to let Tetsu play around on the weekends now that I'm back. (He likes pachinko. Boo.) He deserves some carefree time off!

Today's first job is unpacking!