I’ve come to realize that I have two very different morning routines based on one factor: RUSS. There are RUSS MORNINGS and there are NON-RUSS MORNINGS.

On RUSS MORNINGS, my major job is to STAY OUT OF HIS WAY as he prepares to leave. This is always accompanied by a high level of chaos, as he finds and loses things, checks his maps, forgets where he planned to stay, repacks his bags, and fends off the attention of the dogs, who scamper excitedly around him and generally get in the way. It is a high anxiety time, as I’m never sure if he is asking me a question (in which case I need to pay attention and answer) or just talking to himself (in which case I need to stay quiet so I don’t derail his train of thought). I used to try to help by making his breakfast, but as I have proved incapable of making eggs properly, I now leave that to him. My one job is to neatly write out his plans for the next few days until he meets me again: the day/date, starting and ending points, overnight accommodations if he knows that in advance (with contact information), mileages, etc. I include my next campground, site number, etc., so he can find me. Then I discreetly take the dogs for a walk to keep them out of his hair. Usually, I wait until he leaves to make my own breakfast.

Then there are the NON-RUSS mornings, when I leisurely awake, take the dogs for a pee, feed them, and make my breakfast:

(that is orange juice in that cup: don’t be weird)

I might pull up today’s Wordle, play that, read a book (this one is the latest from one of my favorite authors, Mary Roach. She writes hilariously on all aspects of science and nature. I laughed out loud all through Stiff, her book about cadavers. No, really.). I check emails and messages, compose blogs, maybe work on a stitching project. Then it’s time to go for a hike or whatever else I feel like doing that day.

In all fairness, and because he will probably point this out, there is a subset of RUSS MORNINGS where he is not leaving, but staying with me for the day. On those days, I start by walking the dogs for a bit so he can fold his sheet the way he likes it and put up the bed so we can move around the camper (my sheet will be neatly folded later). Breakfast may include exotic items such as bacon, pancakes, or muffins. We both prefer to sip our morning beverages in a leisurely manner (his coffee, my chai). That often segues into looking at maps to plan his next few days. Depending on where we are, there may be activities planned: hiking, whitewater rafting, kayaking. And so on.