jackiedoherty.org

If you’re wondering why I haven’t been posting…blame it on our vacation. Our family trip to Europe was a great adventure although somewhat stressful and definitely expensive (more on that later). Each moment of the 16 days abroad was totally consuming, whether it was driving through Ireland very fast on the left side of twisting tiny roads or figuring out when to get off the bus for Piazza Navona, I had little time or energy to write while I was there. (I barely slept. It was one of those “trips of a lifetime” that will never be forgotten and will take a lifetime to pay off!) That said, since returning to Lowell last week, I have been distracted and not transitioning as productively as I expected, but I have had my reasons:

First off, the last day in Venice I fell and sprained my ankle pretty bad. Both my son and my husband ended up with nasty colds. We literally hobbled home only to discover there had been two deaths while we were away. So, in addition to doctor’s appointments for myself (not broken but needs a brace) and my son, we had two wakes on Tuesday and a funeral yesterday. Not only that, the brand-new laptop we took with us—keeper of all the great photos from the trip—crashed a few days ago. Also, the car engine light is aglow with a special icon (something to do with emissions), and both cats need to visit the vet. My house is a dust bowl, my ankle throbs, and I’m exhausted. Thank God the heat wave ended. At least now I can imagine myself getting back to work at some point…  Consider this post my attempt at re-entry.