Homecoming is a feeling of familiarity. When I return home I am coming back to my childhood safe haven. I am coming to warmth, shelter, comfort. I get to see the old friends I have in all of my plants. When I get home, I know that I am finally out of the woods. I am safe, and there awaits food, showers, and my bed. It is a nice feeling to come home because I know I can recuperate from my exhaustion. I have successfully dealt with the changes confronting me and there is all of the things I know and love waiting for me. When you get home, you can take a few moments to take off your shoes and outer layers. You have the luxury to rest on a couch, in bed, or even on the floor. There can be a companion waiting for you. A pet may show the ecstasy of your return. You can turn on the lights and know there are no surprises as you look around at what is yours. The anticipation of coming home gradually builds in inverse relationship to your distance. It builds and you start to sit forward in your seat. You can feel the exhilaration of seeing well known landmarks. For me, it is the turn around the corner from the Mogollon Rim where you first enter the Ponderosa Pine forest. It is the curves into Woods Canyon Park, Munds Park and the dash across the meadows of Newman Park. It is the first close up sight of the Peaks, the winding forest past Kelly Canyon. It is avoiding the speed trap in Kachina and thinking of my good friends that live there. You come around the bend to Pullium and get off the highway. Then, you know there is a mere five minutes over the rolling limestone to the 270 degree turn into the Dell. Suddenly, everything passes in a blur and I am pulling into my driveway. I can see at a glance if there is anything new happening in the gardens. Recently, squirrels, chipmunks, and a rabbit have taken up residence. They pause in caution wondering if I will make a move, but my eyes are only for the bay window at the front of my house. I am home.