Tonight I have been busy getting prepared for packing my suitcase tomorrow.

Packing prep is always important as I gather together things that must be taken on a trip.

Packing prep also means laundry time. I have to make sure that all the clothes I need to take are ready to go. I also hate coming home to an already full laundry basket when I know that I will have a suitcase full of clothes to wash. I have most of the laundry done, but will have a small load to do tomorrow with some shirts that I wore this week and plan to wear next week.

I have been slowly placing some items on top of my suitcase over the last couple of weeks. I will be visiting friends and have a few items to take to their kids. I have had the chalk and colors for quite awhile. I hope their youngest daughter still likes to draw with chalk. It is a bit cold and wet in Toronto now, but come springtime I am sure that she will have a lot of fun writing on the sidewalk.You also can see that I have already selected a few books for the trip. I have two Tolkien related books that I have been wanting to read. They are on the short list for this trip.

Another book I am considering is The Boston Tea Party by Benjamin Woods Labaree. I want to learn more about this historic event.

I usually do not take library books with me on trips, but I think I will take Jane on the Brain: Exploring the Science of Social Intelligence with Jane Austen by Wendy Jones. I have started to read this, but have been sidetracked with novels that I am reading for several challenges. I usually read more non-fiction when I travel as it is easier to pick up and put down. With a novel it is easy to lose the thread of a story when reading in an unfamiliar environment or while waiting for things to happen.

This will be a short trip of only one week, but I will have a full suitcase as I have to take along some cold weather items. A bit of different inputs to The Travel Formula this time.

Now to empty the dryer and get some sleep.

Steven