Kage Baker took it as her responsibility to keep me awake on the road on Sunday nights coming home from Fairs. She told me stories – she played spotter for High Weirdness on the road – she made custom music mixes designed to keep me singing. She used to include the occasional unexpected selection on extreme volume just to startle me awake when needed.

Without her – well, my nephew has been a great help. But he had to tend to some school work this weekend, and so I was flying solo. And Sunday nights, after a weekend of Fair, are always harder.

Tonight I lacked any copilot at all, as I traveled to and from Dickens Dress Rehearsal alone. I had various of Kage’s music mixes, though, which helped a lot. And the full moon rising above the eastern mountains in the San Joaquin Valley was magnificent. The Rabbit in Moon was as clear as daylight, leaping up the side … what, you don’t see a Rabbit in the moon? I always do. He was an especially frisky Rabbit tonight, too.

Sometimes the music made me cry, without Kage to harmonize. But I could hear her voice in my mind, and the tears are beginning to be a slight relief instead of unrelenting acid. Time is passing. I am getting – maybe not better, not yet, but more used to being alone. And it was a lovely night …

But I am worn right out now. Made it home, have managed to distribute the luggage so I could find my jammies and access my bed, have checked my correspondence and hit my mark at least slightly on this blog. Time for bed.

Tomorrow: Final Countdown to Dickens!