They've all gone -- but for how long?

 After a complicated multi-week travel extravaganza, three of the college students are safely ensconsed on campus. The fourth one is remote learning from her private room at the grandparent's farm for an additional three weeks, until moving in at school in mid-September.

The whole process took two and a half weeks, two cars, about 4,500 miles of driving, one mail in Covid test, one pharmacy Covid test, two on-campus Covid tests, two 14-day serious quarantines, one 14-day self-isolation, one 48-hour campus quarantine, three safety pledges, two New York State travel forms, numerous health questionnaires, and many wristbands. I think Caroline is still wearing one. Still to come, another 500 miles of driving, 14 more days of self-isolation, one safety pledge, at least one more on-campus Covid test, and probably a couple more wristbands.

Rumor has it that unruly students have been sent home from campus for the semester -- mostly freshmen -- but that campus administrators have been effusive in their thanks to students who are following the rules. Hopefully, they all settle in and get to stay.

The Villanova portable chairs are out in full force.

We are trying to lower the levels of parental anxiety here in our empty nest (!) but the specter of imminent return hangs over us. Since that would theoretically involve a few thousand more miles of driving, and very unhappy children, we keep all our fingers and toes crossed that it doesn't happen.

I do get the feeling that while Grammy is as hopeful as the rest of us that Sabine gets to campus as scheduled in a few weeks, she is also secretly delighted to watch over Sabine's shoulder during the Zoom lectures. And I definitely heard, "Oh, the Early Crusades? These books look wonderful, can I read them?" If Sabine had to stay there a little longer, I just don't think Grammy would mind!

Sabine would mind, though.

Keep crossing all those fingers and toes, won't you?