Minnesota, hail to thee

It's good to be home. I've been in the land of 10,000 lakes since 6:00 CDT yesterday. Though I was excited at the prospect of coming home, I didn't mention it here because I wanted to surprise a few folks with my arrival. Also, I wanted to control the scheduling of visiting time with friends and family and I worried that a grand "I'm coming home!" announcement would flood my inbox with excited responses and I'd be overwhelmed trying to sort through invitations to hang out. It's kind of amazing how many people want to see when you've been physically absent from the state for nine months. And humbling. I've got extraordinary friends and family, and I'm thankful for every hour I get to be here.

Now it's not all fun and games and coffee and beer during my two weeks here. I'm still working and I've got some continuing legal education credits that I need to take while I'm here. But it will all work out time-wise. I'll make it work. Actually it will be nice to watch a live webcast at 9:00 am CDT instead of at 4:00 am HST . . .

One of the things that I missed the most from Minnesota (besides the aforementioned family and friends) is seasons. Clearly defined, radically different seasons. It's beautiful here right now. My mom's garden is gorgeous. Flowers are popping up, the tulips are radiant and the lilac bush in the backyard is in full bloom making everything smell intoxicating. I love how all the flowering trees are blossoming in the neighborhood. It's spring. Hawaii is truly eternal summer. Yes, there are seasonal weather patterns, but it's not like in Minnesota where in February and March everything is gray and brown and relatively life-less, only to burst back to living Technicolor by April and May.

I sort of feel like Superman going to his Fortress of Solitude. It's like my batteries have been recharged and I can relax for a little while. Well, as much as one can relax when 16 month old Lincoln is around. He is the funniest, smartest, most entertaining holy terror I've ever seen. He's a menace, but delightfully so. Example: My parents watch Lincoln usually four days a week. He has observed and learned many of their morning routines. My mom (aka Grandma) keeps her makeup in a drawer under the sink. In this drawer are also a comb and a brush. Now Lincoln is allowed to go into the drawer and take out the brush and the comb, that much has been established as a house rule. However, he is NOT to touch Grandma's makeup.

The other day my mom heard him open the drawer and started towards the bathroom to make sure he wasn't getting into something he shouldn't. As she approached she saw Lincoln grab one of her lipsticks out of the drawer. She quickened her pace, scolding, "Lincoln, no! Put that back!" Lincoln, being Lincoln, realizing he had only seconds to commit as much trouble as possible, whipped open the tube of lipstick and started scribbling it all over his mouth. (Luckily he wasn't aware that he needed to rotate the lipstick to get it to come up so he didn't look like a circus clown.) My mother wanted to holler at him but, at the same time, bust a gut laughing. That's how he is - he gets into trouble, but he's so darn entertaining about it that it's hard to be stern. Apparently right now the standard operating procedure is be stern with him to his face and then quickly find the nearest family member you can to recreate the event and laugh about it.

Ah, yes, it's good to be home.