Settling in

The night we got home, the temperature was -19 as we came up our drive. This is a more typical Montana winter night, I am told. Nebraska feels frigid to me at far warmer temperatures, I suppose due to the more moist air there. But here, it's hard to believe the temps are so low, unless you happen to be out in them for a length of time. The still air is deceptive to the skin, so you have to be careful about bundling up.

After so much time in Nebraska, and then on the road, it felt surreal to be home. Our cat remembered me quickly, but took a little longer to warm up to BiL. Josh had the house wonderfully clear and clean, but I undid that as I unloaded the car. Pretty soon, the living room was blooming with boxes and suitcases, clothing and books from BiL's temporary digs in Nebraska. The boxes we had shipped would be picked up in town later, so we could focus on going through each box we'd brought with us anytime we were ready. For this night, though, we just enjoyed visiting with Josh, catching up news of his stay since coming back several days earlier.

I was really surprised to see BiL traversing the stairs so readily. He wanted to see the colors of the walls that had been painted since his last visit home in October. He loved them. :) He also decided to sleep upstairs for the night!

In the morning we went into town, taking BiL to his pt appointment, and taking Josh home. BiL got the good news from his therapist that his knee is coming along very well, and Josh got a pleasant surprise of his car starting even in the subzero temps. While BiL was in therapy, I made arrangements to have his snowtires put on his car next week. After the treatment, we both enjoyed cruising around Bozeman, getting our roots back down in the town.

It is always wrenching to leave all the folks we love back in Nebraska. Their faces, the sounds of their voices, the feel of their hugs remain very tangible to me all the way home and after. When I get home, it is like waking from one dream into another. This time, I found that I had to relearn some of the cupboard space in my kitchen to find certain cookware or dishes. My mind has been occupied first with BiL's pt appointments, then with the 'coming home' tasks like emptying suitcases, putting things away, getting the mail picked up and delivery started for that and for the paper, and stocking up on perishables. All these little chores serve to help bring me home in body and mind.