It’s raining.

But despite the downpour I am in sunny spirits, because:

1. We leave for the Porcupine Mountains tomorrow and I am eagerly anticipating hiking through the forest to a cabin on Lake Superior, cooking beans on the woodstove and inhaling the sweet scent of pine and cedar, or whatever.

2. The dreaded board meeting is over and yippee! We all get to keep our jobs for now. It is, of course, touch and go, with our funding still anticipated to last until EXACTLY the end of this year. But at least the board did not decide to lay off the entire staff to make the funds stretch further, which was one of the options on the table. Deep sigh of relief. I can pay the mortgage for a couple more months. As my Dad points out, maybe getting a degree in Nonprofit Management was not the best idea. But I am now adept at making no money, and can help you, too!

3. Ella is on the mend from Roseola, which makes life so much better for everyone. Word.

4. Tom Delay danced the cha-cha to "Wild Thing" on Dancing with the Stars last night. I don't know whether to be amused or sicked out, but I suppose I can be both. Go watch him make a spectacle of himself in all his booty shaking, stuffy conservative glory.

5. My dad reminded me that life goes on, and kids eventually stop vomiting in your ears. Kathy reminded me that dogs can get sick, too, and empty their insides all over your carpet, which she had the pleasure of waking up to this morning, and I did not. It is the simple things in life, like not waking up in a bed filled with a variety of canine fluids, that really make me happy, I suppose.

I’ll be out of range of the internet for the next several days, but will post when I get back on Tuesday. In the meantime, check out where I’ll be:

Days 1-3: Hiking to a cabin on Lake Superior in the Porcupine Mountains
Days 4-6: Paddling to our campsite in the Sylvania Wilderness

Look for pictures in a few days!