Scott Loftis is managing editor for Carroll County Newspapers. His email address is CarrollCountyNews@cox-internet.com

I don’t dislike my job. And my office is perfectly fine.

Still, I’d much rather be on the beach in Florida. And that’s my plan for the rest of this week.

As I write this column on Monday, my wife is already soaking up the sun. And posting photos all over Facebook that make me want to pull out what’s left of my hair.

“Our view for the week,” she captioned one set of photos, looking down from a balcony onto a pristine beach and the beautiful blue and green Gulf Coast water at Panama City Beach.

Later, there were photos from Harbor Boardwalk in Destin. Miss Lisa, it appears, is having quite a fine time.

Me? Oh, I’m here. Figuratively chained to my desk, trying to get this week’s paper out.

This after spending the past few days at home alone, sort of. Just me and four dogs — the two I adopted from Good Shepherd and the two Lisa brought along when we got married in November.

I love all four of the dogs, but they do require some time and attention.

There’s Luna the Lab, whose primary hobbies are jumping the six-foot fence in the backyard and gulping down stray dryer sheets whenever she has the chance. The dryer sheets don’t stay down, by the way, which tells you a little about my weekend.

Then there’s Snow, the nearly 16-year-old Bichon Frise. Her hobbies are more sedentary: sleeping, a lot, and waking Lisa up every two hours to go outside.

Oddly, in the three nights since Lisa left, Snow has only woke up twice at night. I’m calling that a win.

I was a very happy bachelor for many years. I became very accustomed to living alone, and quite comfortable at it. But that has changed quickly.

As soon as Lisa left on Friday afternoon, the house suddenly felt too quiet. In just a few months, I’ve gotten so used to having her there with me. I missed her immediately. I suppose that’s how it ought to be.

Lisa loves Florida. I, on the other hand, had never even been there until we vacationed there last June. We’d already booked another trip this June when Lisa and her daughter decided to head down there this week for spring break.

I don’t have nearly as much vacation time as my bride, so I’m rationing my days. But I won’t be completely left out of the fun. I’ll catch a plane at XNA on Tuesday afternoon and spend the rest of the week staring at that blue and green water.

I’m sure it will look even better in person than on Facebook. But don’t worry. I’ll be back next week and write about something more serious. Next week. The rest of this week, I’m on vacation.