Fair and patient readers, I am finally back from my sojourn to Ontario. And oh what a glorious trip it was.

The time I spent with my parents in Windsor and Amherstburg was unbelievably restful.I did a little visiting and a little cooking, took a lot of long walks, wrote a little, and generally just recuperated from the past, oh, two years or so. It was a little strange visiting them this time. It didn't feel like going home at all -- it felt like someplace I was visiting. But I as visiting someplace that I had a great connection to. The place is changing, and it is exactly the same. Sometimes you forget how much living you've done in a place until you're back, and remembering, and recognizing a particular turn as the place where you'd veer off the bike path to go down by the water and hunt for crayfish, or the bar that used to be the restaurant where my dad took me for breakfast every single day when I was in the third grade. It was strange and peaceful.

After a little over a week of nesting, I hopped on a train and headed to the T-dot. It was an absolute joy to see my friends again. Em met me at the train station, and I spent the first few days with her in her beautiful apartment. We bought comic books. We went to a party with great baba ganoush, and I met her fabulous cat Kumari, and I got to reconnect with Tiffany, who is the bad-assest knitter I've ever met. With Gennie, we saw some short plays and art films at Lab Cab at the Factory Theatre, had amazing coffee at the Bulldog (espresso, I weep for thee!), and wandered into a Jesus Parade. We capped it off with wine and cake and pasta with meat sauce made with SHEER LOVE.

I stayed with Gennie for the rest of the trip. I don't know what it is about her and her apartment and her little dog, Merlin, but for the first time in a long time, THINGS MAKE SENSE. There is something in the walls. Spending time there made me feel more centered and confident about what I have to do (and don't have to do) that I've felt in months. Spending time with the other half of my heart, with my dearest friends, made me sane again.

I got to see Jessica and spend some time with her and her amazing little boy. Jess is possibly the loveliest pregnant woman in the world right now. It was so good to see Tom again, too, and all the awesome building projects he's done/is working on in their apartment. Jess an Tom, like Natalee and Jeremy, are one of those couples with families that make me actively look forward to having kids. All my friends do, in fact -- I feel good about bringing children into a world where my friends exist.

There was a moment, when Gennie and Emily and Jessica and Tiffany and I were all in Gennie's apartment, with Merlin eating a stuffed toy, Tiffany finishing her amazing fall socks and Gennie crocheting a 'purse' that turned into a hat. Tiffany pointed out how good it was to have a group of women, all such close friends, and it was -- but it wasn't just good, it was powerful. My friends reminded me about magic. I hadn't exactly forgotten but I hadn't exactly been paying attention either.

So I'm back now. I am a writer and a kitchen witch and a cheesemonger. I am a wife and a student and a part of a triple goddess. It is so so good to have friends to keep me from getting lost in a world full of Muggles. It's good to be back.