We took H to the airport in late afternoon today to see her off back to Minnesota after a wonderful long weekend together in which we chauffeured her north for what turned out to be long, taxing, but satisfying interviews for a residency and fellowship. After almost a decade, we haven’t really gotten over empty nest syndrome, and we are always pathetically sad to wave her goodbye. I feel essentially homesick when she leaves, even though I know she’s going home to A—who is, basically, the world’s best husband—and Jasper the Wonderdog. Happily, her mom will see her again in a month, during a surgery rotation in Arizona, and I will put in an appearance in the Southwest sometime after that, having first enjoyed a luxurious and restful two-week holiday in Scotland. The two of them are planning a trip to the Grand Canyon, which I’ve never seen. I’ll probably just lie around in the desert heat trying to thaw out.