Back to school

As usual, winter break has gone by quickly. With-a-Why is already back at school, my husband has been back to work for a couple of weeks, many of our extras have gone back to college, and for the rest of us — the semester begins tomorrow morning.

I spent the day cleaning my office and preparing for classes. My daughter did laundry, piling clean clothes in a basket to take back to the apartment. Boy in Black spent the day “bonding” with With-a-Why. (That’s what they call it when they play computer games.)

Shaggy Hair Boy is at the piano, playing jazz. Smiley Girl is lying on the back of the comfy chair that my daughter is sitting in. They are talking and eating chocolate. My husband has his laptop open, planning a trip we’ll be taking in the spring.

The woods are filled with fluffy snow, and the driveway is coated with ice. “Hey, listen,” my husband says, looking up from his computer. I open the window a crack. In blasts some cold winter air. Through the dark night comes the sound of coyotes yipping.