The Last Spanish Virgin

Tomorrow we're going to Isla de Culebra, Puerto Rico for my sister in law's wedding. I just looked at some photos of the beaches and it suddenly dawned on me that I'm going to a warm place! I'm going to the Caribbean!

I could really use a vacation. This is going to be a great one. I haven't left the Continental US since I was 15 and went to Japan.

I'm leaving with a nasty cold, unfortunately. I'm leaving a warm and sunny Massachusetts. I'm leaving a budding garden that I initially hated tending, but now I love it. I'm leaving after playtesting PSI Run and discovering that my character is a beach bumming surfer mermaid-like person. I was calling myself an aquatic hominid. How apropos!

And best of all, I'm leaving Greenfield just as the year forest tent caterpillar infestation begins. It's not as bad as it was last year, but it's still bad. I had two hitching caterpillars on my car this afternoon, and I shamelessly squished them. I almost never kill bugs, but I didn't want them on my trees. The pictures in the link do not reveal the horror factor of the yearly infestation in downtown Greenfield. They're everywhere. In the trees, swinging from their little tent threads, crawling on buildings, crawling and getting squished on the ground. They get on your car, your clothes, in your hair. They're just disgusting. I get the creepy crawlies just thinking about it.

I'm also leaving with my ginger beer almost ready to bottle, and a full tank of kombucha in the continuous brewer. It's a little strange that not only did I make arrangements for the Bakers to feed and water our cats and frogs, but also my culinary microbes.

When I come back, I start training to be a sleep tech. I will be giving notice at my job on Tuesday. Yay!

Have a lovely week!