Making it to Centralia feels like an accomplishment, mostly because of delays in the trip caused by a freak mid-April snow storm and a broken axle in Oregon. Then yesterday the check-engine light came on in a middle-of-nowhere mountain pass about three hours away from Centralia. I listened for suspicious noises, checked that the engine wasn’t overheating, made sure there was no smoke or unusual smells, and kept driving.

Then, when I was about an hour away from Centralia, Nene (who I’m staying with for three weeks) got word that one of her colleagues tested positive for covid. The universe must have known that I was past my limit for excitement by that point, because the car ran well all the way to Centralia, and both of Nene’s covid tests came back negative.

Nene turned her library into a gorgeous guest room. I can’t get over how pretty the above photo is, the colors, the textures and patterns, the lighting, and of course Hamlet. (Nene took this photo.)
I wasn’t planning to start this trip until May, but Nene pointed out that April is really when the scenery starts going nuts. She calls it “car-crash season,” because it’s so beautiful that people take their eyes off the road. She mentioned rhododendrons, but it seems like everything is exploding with stunning flowers. (These are from a school near her house.)
This is the welcome crew: Marmite the cat leans into pets, Hamlet the cat keeps the computer warm, and Sam the dog helps park the Subaru.
Hugo and Violet seemed comfortable almost instantly. The room has lots of good hiding spots, and they were reunited with their favorite blanket, pillows, and scratching post. Nene provided a cat tree (which happens to be the same one they have back home) where they’ve spent most of their time so they can look out the window.
More car-crash season from Nene’s yard and surrounding neighborhood.
The trunk of Nene’s lilacs.
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