3:44 pm: I have a secret weapon.

I am sitting in a rocking chair on my front porch. The weather is just chilly enough to wear my odd combo of shorts and an Old Navy fleece sweater. I’ve got some milk chocolate found on clearance at Home Goods. Don’t ask me why I bought chocolate when the kids have a ton from trick-or-treating but I could not pass up these bars for only fifty cents. The fact that the bars have lasted more than a half an hour without being devoured says something about the quality.

Life, like my favorite chocolate chips, is bittersweet. Tomorrow R goes back to Virginia and when I reminded the kids of this fact this morning, the middle daughter A cried, “BUT WHY?”

R will be back in December after another surgery, hopefully for three weeks this time. It won’t be long until he moves back permanently. That’s exciting. Almost as exciting as writing 532 words in 15 minutes. (BTW that badge was supposed to say those numbers but oh well. I can Word War myself again tonight.)

Almost.