Dear Diary,

Today is the first day of school. Well, technically YESTERDAY was the first day, but today is the first day that ALL the kids are at school. Except for the adult kid. The adult kid doesn’t start for another few weeks and isn’t technically a kid anymore, so I stand by my original assessment. First day of school. All kids gone. I’d say I’m reveling in the subsequent quietness, but they were on their electronic devices or holed away in their rooms all summer, so it really isn’t that different. Maybe it’s because I know they are out of the house, filling their studious brains with facts and figures? Even the spouse unexpectedly left to work outside the home today, complements of an internet outage, which would have guaranteed the house being MUCH louder if the kids HAD been home and unable to use their electronic devices. So yeah, I am 100% reveling in the quietness. As I sit here in the backyard, trying not to overthink and simply enjoy this peaceful bliss, the loudest yard machinery I’ve ever heard starts running. “Oh, it’s too quiet for you?” it rumbles in its gravelly roar, “I’m here to help!” Then it mysteriously stops, like its only job was to remind me to take advantage of the next few quiet hours.

Done! You don’t have to roar at ME twice!