An off-kilter day. I was scheduled to go to school and check in homework, and then make photocopies for the teachers. Homework was easy. The copies, not so much. I went through three reams of paper and ran out of paper for the jobs. The new fancy copier worked well until the toner disposal had to be emptied, and I discovered they had not ordered any cartridges. So it was out of commission. The other copier — old, rickety, unstable — worked well enough, but there was one job it couldn’t handle. I felt frustrated. So much paper! Worksheets, homework, activity sheets — stuff gets handed out, written on, and recycled.

Still, it kept me occupied the entire morning. I came home to a house empty of snores, purrs, and meows. I really miss Stella. So does Claire. I gave her the sleeping blanket I knitted for Stella shortly before Claire was born. While I made dinner she snuggled under her monkey blanket while hugging Stella’s.

As for me, I’m thinking of turning in early. Grief makes me cranky.