Hippie Boy is home!

and so is my new gnome! I have been waiting for this guy to go on clearance all summer. My kind of gnome - smoking a hash pipe, holding a 'shroom and wearing Birkenstocks with daisies on them. Oh poop! I need to take a shot that shows the daisies. Well, I'll take one tomorrow when I decide what will be his place of honor in the garden. Right now my only garden figure is a hedgehog, because it reminds me of Sirpa. Hedehogs are a big thing in Finland, I guess. Sirpa once gave either me or Emily a Hedgehog pin and it was lost and I was VERY sad about it. So when I saw a garden hedgehog, it HAD to be purchased. He still holds a place of honor. Even though Sirpa hurt my feelings and blah, blah, blah I will always treasure and value our friendship and my memories.

Michael is in bed. I told him he has to go to school tomorrow. My actual decision is that if he looks like it will make him physically ill to attend school he gets to stay home, but I do want him to sleep tonight and try to go. Eleven hours of jet lag will be tough, but from what I have heard it is best to get back into the regular schedule as soon as possible.

He told me some about the trip on the drive home from the airport, but two weeks will take a lot of telling! Mostly tonight he told about the Fuji climb and attending another kind of bike race on a track where people bet on the racers. I was worried he'd starve over there, but he doesn't look too bad. He said the worst thing was that there is ONE ITEM in the entire country made from whole grain - soba noodles, made from buckwheat. He is used to eating about a million grams of fiber a day. I told him he'll probably be constipated for two weeks until he gets used to eating fiber again. Oh - God - probably a lot of teenage boy farts too! Yuck. Well, I'm still glad he's home, even if he'll be stinky.

I need to try to settle down and get to bed. I had a tired day at work today and I think I will have some catching up to do and it will be a short day because I have a dr. appt.