I feel like I'm under house arrest sitting here waiting for Lechmere to deliver the refrigerator. I dare not leave even for a minute. I'm also waiting for Fedex to bring my plane tickets and travel documents. Just stepping out to the convenience store for a minute could cause my Russia trip to tumble like a house of cards.
The pet sitter came by yesterday to meet Wilbur. He purred for her. She noticed right away that he is entirely unlike Max and Ada. I don't think she'll have to hunt for Wilbur under the bed or behind the books in the bookcases. The little bundle of neurosis acts as if all human beings were created to meet his every need - many and insatiable.
When I finally got ahold of Mom to wish her happy birthday in advance and explain that I couldn't come on the birthday whale watch trip, she told me Bobby is coming home briefly on his way to some conference of construction beings involved in the Bosnia rebuilding in Las Vegas on Sept. 1. She's having another one of those emergency family gatherings for a glimpse of Bob at her house. I will be just back from Russia and still in a vastly different time zone. At least I won't have to take the ritual "hi bob" photos at this gathering...
I am making slow progress on packing. I wish I could just get on the plane and go without worrying about what I need to bring with me. Socks, underwear, long pants for tick protection, sunscreen, snorkel gear... gee where did I put the snorkel gear I haven't used it at all this summer... oh, it's in the basement. Packing seems so fraught with chances for error. What if I don't bring any warm clothes and end up freezing? What if I forget the sunscreen? Will they have SPF 30 in Russia? And after my conversation with Suzanne the other day about her husband's trip to Novosibirsk I'm wondering if I should be bringing clean needles/syringes in case any should be needed. Her tales of the gypsy children jumping on his back trying to steal his laptop made me glad I decided not to buy a laptop for this trip. I may never buy one now. Of course Jock's trip was 3 years ago and things have changed a lot since then and Vladivostok is not Novosibirsk.