Papers, papers, papers. I am snowed under by a mound of mashed-to-pulp and printed-on trees. Admittedly one of my favourite things to spend time around. But my eyes have spent too much time staring at pages (and, for that matter, computer screens) this semester.

Four more papers and two essay finals, a few more quizzes in Harper's class and a dozen or two more mornings at work, and I'm done with college. It's a scary thought. School has been my life for nearly 17 years. What happens next?

My scratchy eyes, ink-smeared fingers and weary brain are quite a change from this weekend, when I read copiously, but mostly for pleasure...curled up in a leather chair reading Jane Austen's dating advice or delving into a story of war and identity in Singapore in the 1940s. But that was only a small part of the weekend's wonderfulness.

What did we do? We shouted nonsense words at the tops of our lungs in Mad Gab (Jeremiah and Mom and I triumphed, by 25 points). We walked around our new neighborhood in the gathering dusk and tossed golf balls at the little flag on the practice green for no reason at all. We feasted on Mom's yummy cooking - brisket, potato casserole, bacon-and-cheese bread. And I was tackled, pawed, licked, scratched, hugged and generally made much of by Peanut - the cutest miniature dachshund puppy in the WORLD.

Back to ACU reality for four more weeks. And then - who knows?

Life is about to change. But meanwhile, it's got to be lived.