Kage Baker usually collapsed after a long car trip. Eight hours on the road is wearying, even when you’re the passenger. It’s hard on the navigator, too – especially any navigator who had to work with me – so just riding shotgun could be a little strenuous.

I usually ran around a while, once we were home. hyped on adrenalin and still focused on the long-distance horizon.  Which I have done, being back home; as well as petting all the cats, the dog and Harry the Parrot, all of whom claim to have not eaten in the week I was gone. Which I am pretty sure is a lie, because if it were true my family would be picked bones …

Anyway: my drive down from early morning Berkeley to late afternoon Los Angeles was interesting and free of traffic, Dear Readers. But I’m brain-dead tired, so I am going to go collapse and eat Pumpkin Spice Cream Sandwich cookies from Trader Joe’s. Even in this year where everything is being released in a pumpkin morph, these are uniquely delicious. I highly recommend them to you all.

Tomorrow: Dust devils en masse along I-5