After a quick overnight in Saskatoon with Cathy last Thursday, I carried on to St. Albert and took the boys to their dad’s. There I was offered a supper of pizza and beer before driving out to Shelly’s, where I was met by barking dogs in the driveway and a smiling Shelly herself just inside the door.

The place is looking a bit different, what with the new garage up. Other than that, it was somewhat like going into a second home of my own. I’ve spent plenty of time there over the years, of course, but when we moved from Alberta Shelly lightened my load by hauling away several truckloads of my furniture and other belongings she and her family could make use of.

For instance, next to her driveway is the “destination” arbour I made (we took a willow workshop together one summer weekend; Shelly made an arbour too) and could not bring with me.

We spent part of the following day inside this mini-greenhouse, transplanting a tray of tomatoes. We wandered around her large yard, dug up half a dozen strawberry plants for me to relocate into my Saskatchewan berry patch, drank beer in the afternoon, walked down the road at dusk, watched TV in the evening while eating potato chips and dip, and generally talked our faces off. We talked about books, people, money, flowers, jobs, kids, scrapbooking, and vehicles. And that was just the first day.

I was due to arrive at Cathy’s on Sunday afternoon. She’d arranged a dinner party so that I’d have the opportunity to visit with several friends at once, and was in the kitchen when I got there. Her husband Darren gave me the tour of their new home. I told him I’d need a rope tied around my waist so that I wouldn’t get lost in it, and when we got back to the kitchen I apologized to Cathy for leaving her alone so long when I’d just gotten there!

By then Cathy had her part of the meal preparation done. The table was all set and Darren was left to make spanikopita for the Greek menu while Cathy and I went for a bike ride around the subdivisions with Janie as soon as she got there. A couple times it seemed a lung might burst, but I managed to almost keep up with the two athletes for the hour and a half before we wheeled back into the driveway. My legs just about collapsed when I dismounted, but those sweet young things hardly raised a sweat themselves.

It was a fine meal in good company, with pleasant conversation, wine, hugs all around, and happy chuckling. This was the first time I missed Scott intensely, because I would have liked him to be there to share the pleasure with me. By the time I left on Tuesday for a dentist appointment in Morinville (no cavities!), I had been spoiled by heartfelt discussion, long sleeps, great food, popcorn, a jacuzzi bath to take the kinks out, and dark chocolate. What’s not to love?

When I walked out of the dentist’s office and headed to my old home to visit with my favourite neighbour, it was snowing. We had a nice supper together with her husband, daughter, and two grandsons before I struck out cross-country to go back to Shelly’s for the night.

Edmonton and area got about six inches of the white stuff, and the roads were treacherous. I ended up staying at Shelly’s for two nights. Her husband Dale had surprised us all Easter morning by coming home from his camp job for the week, so I got to spend some time with him, too. He cooked my breakfast both mornings, which went some distance toward assuaging my concern that I might be overstaying my welcome. After all, when you wish someone would go away, you don’t treat her like a queen, do you? That’s what I told myself, anyway, whether it’s true or not.

Finally, a day later than planned, I toddled off toward Janie’s house in the city. She was recovering from a flu, and met me at the door looking pale as the overcast sky and wearing plaid pyjamas.

We started talking and didn’t stop till one in the morning after we both went to our separate beds. The only silences were short ones, when we had mouthfuls of sauerkraut and pork chop at suppertime. Our jaws got a wee bit of rest during the two-hour Apprentice finale on the tube, although Janie’s gums still had to do some flapping in order to apprise me of the backstory on all the contestants. She managed not to weep when her favourite did not win. Had there been money riding on the outcome, it might have been a different story.

The next day Gord brought the boys over and we all visited with Janie for a while before going our separate ways. The highway to Saskatoon was clear and dry, and Emil and Everett were, as usual, stellar travellers. They’d had a good time at their dad’s and were sorry to leave, as usual, but two minutes after we were in the van they were back to their usual high spirits and had lots to tell me about their holiday. They’d spent time with an aunt and uncles, made Easter cookies and decorated eggs with Gord’s girlfriend (I like her already), gone to a movie, and generally basked in the lives of little princes for seven days.

One last night in Saskatoon impinging on Cathy’s hospitality, and we were home.

It seems we have missed the major goose migration, although there are dozens more Vs flying over than there were when we left. I sat on the deck that first evening and listened to them settling in for the night at a slough just south of the farmyard. The frogs are aggressively vocal now, and Everett and I have spotted two new bird species outside the kitchen window: the pine siskin, and the magnolia warbler.

There are three or four newborn calves being babied in the barn, and in the pasture, fat cows look like their sides might explode at any moment. Yep, it’s good to be home.