The Collapse CXXXXII: On Home

16 July 20XX +1

My Dear Lucilius:

We leave tomorrow.

Yesterday and today have been a bit of a mad scramble – not just to prepare to be gone for up to two weeks, but to catch up on everything here that the last month has left behind, as well as to actually reconnect with my wife.

There just seems to be so much to do – even more so given that at least a week or more was effectively lost.

The bees continue to seem to do well, although to be honest I am doing most of this via outside observation. Any time one opens the hive one disturbs them and given that replacing a hive is quite likely impossible at this point, I try to minimize my interventions. One more check, perhaps two, between now and the end of August, before I try and harvest something.

The quail are in full production. By “full production” I mean a handful of eggs, maybe 5 or 6, which make for a very welcome treat. They do tend to hide them, although Pompeia Paulina has managed to corral them in the mornings to a part of the greenhouse until we are relatively sure they have laid, and then lets them out to wander the fullness of it. The eggs are nice addition to breakfast.

It is high Summer here, and rain remains scarce, so a goodly part of the day is spent on hauling water to the garden. Fortunately, the stream is across the road. Less fortunately, there is no convenient way to get it there except by hand hauling it over. I should have paid more attention to that earlier.

The last two weeks, the house has almost felt like a home. A busy home, mind you, given that this coming year seems even less certain than the one before it, but a home none the less. Having Pompeia Paulina here has brought a certain settled sense to things. Not specifically because of anything she has done, although she has done quite a lot. Simply her presence fills this place in a way that I did not realize it was lacking until it was filled.

She did me the kindness today of going through the things I am taking: Did I really need that? Could I made do with this as it did two things and weighed less? Was I bringing enough to make it there and back?

Never a recrimination on leaving or why I had to go. We had talked about it of course, and she was in full support of making the suggestion – perhaps understanding more than I did what the likely outcome would be.

How remarkable, Lucilius, to find the thing you never knew you needed in the place you never thought to look.

Your Obedient Servant, Seneca.