Snark and Veggie Dog have left for their long car ride to Fort Collins. A couple of days ago, the mamas left. This evening I got home from work to a clean (thanks to Snark), quiet house. It seemed incredibly strange to only hear the murmuring of the refrigerator. It was a simple, peaceful pleasure to walk around the silent rooms and to encounter an evening with just myself. It was comforting like a nap or a familiar book. And it was accented by the lovely note Snark left for me, beginning with, "Enjoy the red couches. Play with words. Overdo it on veggies. . ." which read to me like a poem, and reminded me that he knows me well. He will be missed. And Veggie Dog too.