Yes, we made it this far.

Believe when I say it wasn’t easy. There is so much to do to leave the house ready for the winter and, despite giving it our all on Tuesday, we still didn’t leave the lake until 1:00 Wednesday afternoon.

Banjo Man managed to drive for an hour before needing a nap, so I bought coffee in Plains and took the wheel.

He slept for almost two hours.

The highlight of the day was having dinner with old friends Gary and Judy, who baked chicken pies for us. So much fun to visit with them, as always.

Once at our hotel, things went downhill in a hurry. I am never at my best when deliriously tired, so when our room’s thermostat was stuck on 67 degrees and blowing frigid air, I begged Banjo Man to go down to the front desk for help. He returned with a helpful maintenance man who unlocked secret closets and adjusted the temperature so we could have heat.

Once cozy and warm in bed, I reached for the little plastic box that holds my retainer only to discover it was EMPTY.

I’ve worn that retainer since 1991, after wearing braces at the age of 39. I have carefully packed it over thousands upon thousands of miles of road trips, writers’ conferences, and eleven trips to Great Britain and Europe.

So…where is it now? I’m stymied. Somehow it never made it to its container and fell on the floor in my rush to hop out of bed and get busy with my list of chores? Maybe it is under my nightstand or under my bed. The little blue plastic case never left my bedroom until I put it in the Zip lock bag that holds essentials like my toothbrush and lip gloss and moisturizer. Could the retainer have fallen off the bathroom counter and is now wedged between it and the tub?

I wish I knew, even though it doesn’t matter now.

I am aware that I am whining.

I will rally any day now. I will find an orthodontist who will create a replacement, no matter how long it takes. I will even eventually forgive myself for being too distracted, too busy, in too much of a hurry to pay attention to personal details.

We have been so busy.

So…change of subject….we are looking forward to a beautiful drive across Montana today. We don’t know where we will stop or how many miles we will travel. But we do now that the scenery will be gorgeous!