That Shepherd’s Pie I made last week? Gone. In one sitting.

After I file that recipe under “K” for Keeper, I’m not digging out another. Not today. It’s my day off. The last thing I want to do is slave in the kitchen. I have other places to slave – in the yard, in the laundry room and, yes, at my laptop.

And, like Columbus, who I have to thank for my kids being underfoot today, I did have my sights set on discovering a new world – Bloomington, Indiana.  My first mate (a.k.a., son #3) and I were going to explore the well-charted campus of Indiana University.

According to Mapquest, it would take us four and a half hours to get there. The thought of driving for nine hours through the flat Midwestern landscape had me shuffling through my CDs and instructing my son to bring along some homework. Lots of homework. I also planned to pack provisions – water, fruit and protein bars for my son and coffee for me. Lots of coffee.

Yet, as our launch date approached, my first mate had second thoughts. Seems he’s already made up his mind that, like his oldest brother, he’s leaning towards an urban environment for his collegiate experience. And, like his other older brother, he’s decided to only target schools that are known for his area of interest.

Well, OK then! That would’ve been good to know before I sacrificed a vacation day, but I’ll make sure it won’t go to waste. Between the fallen leaves, dirty clothes and unwritten content, I’ll try to squeeze in some down time. Lots of down time.