The Eyjafjallajokull Diaries: Day Four.

It is now the fourth day of my extended stay in Oxford. I'm sitting out in the back garden enjoying the sunshine, wondering where this blasted ash cloud is. If it's causing so much chaos, why is the sky so very blue and the sunlight so very clear? Who knows. Talk about disconnect.

Though I'm getting quite desperate to see my family and eat some crawfish étouffée and drink coffee with chicory in it, I am still really enjoying the extra few days here in Oxford. I guess since I spent so long trying to prepare emotionally to leave right away, now I feel like every extra minute is borrowed time -- little moments magically stolen from What Should Have Been. The city of dreaming spires has never been so beautiful.

Jay left on a bus this morning after reading Wendell Berry's short story "Are You All Right?" from That Distant Land. (It was deemed the best selection because it's about people being stranded.) After he hugged everyone around the circle and walked out the front door, down the little dirt path to the street, and disappeared down Crick Road, Kate said, "A piece of the Crick soul just left." Then we all got really mad at her.

Then the girls decided to watch Friends because it would make us feel better and "In Jay's memory, we'll do something he definitely wouldn't have wanted us to do." :)

There seem to be some positive reports right now about the ash cloud and flights picking up again. We're cautiously hopeful, but ready to wait it out.