I am back home again now after a weeks hiatus in the homeland. Ohhhhh I feel a little jet lagged. I felt like I had just got into the Canada schedule of eating and sleeping only to have it changed up again. It took over 24 hours to get back home to Shiojiri. It was relatively smooth though and I am still in possession of all my luggage which is nice. That is one of my chief fears involved with flight transfers. I fear that somehow my luggage will become hopelessly redirected and I won’t see it for a year. US Customs and Homeland Securities managed to open every single food item I brought back and no doubt stick a finger in it. Yes people, those were indeed gummi bears. No need for further inspection. I guess it's a good thing I forgot all that cheese at home.I am not going into work until next week because I know there isn’t much going on. I went to sleep at a very early hour last night so I got up quite early as a result. This led to yard work and all kinds of started but not finished household chores. I believe the laundry is still sitting in the machine. I got a bit of Japanese studying in and played with Sweet Pea. She isn’t feeling well today because she managed to eat a considerable amount of baby powder. You wouldn’t think an animal would want to eat any at all but she persevered and then threw up everywhere. I have kept her inside since I returned home because it’s too hot out these days. The grass in the back yard has risen to above knee height in just 10 days. I was pretty shocked by that. And the pumpkin plant grew approximately 2 feet in length as well, crushing all plants in its path. I have left it and moved the plants under it. Now it is hopelessly entwined with the watermelon which is sporting three delightful little guys already! It has long been my dream to grow a watermelon so I often go out and stare at them happily. The task for the remainder of the day should probably be to clean my room up a bit. I just closed the door and stopped using it since I have been home and sleep primarily on the couch and in the spare room. Recognizing this as a bit lazy, I will probably look into the situation before the end of today. So all in all, I am glad to be back in Japan but really enjoyed seeing everybody back home. It was a good idea to come home to remind everyone I am still alive and catch up on all the gossip. I especially loved my trip up to Bruce County. Thanks to Mandy for arranging everything. I hadn’t seen a lot of those people in years. It’s good to know that people don’t change that much. Everyone has a baby now, has bought a house and is married to someone from the surrounding area. Other highlights included visiting in Eden Mills and Milton. I tried to send out pictures to everyone but if I missed you just drop me an email and I will pass then on. I have to run now so I can tend to Gisela’s kittens while she is on holiday. Hopefully they haven’t had a day like Sweet Pea has had. Poor creature! These pictures are all from Ontario. The first one is of the light house in Southampton where I have spent many nights fishing with my family off the the pier. The rest are of rural Ontario which is what I think of the most when I picture Canada. All those wide open feilds and family farms. It's a beautiful place but I never really thought that until I was home for a visit.