1. Fall color. I think we are heading into the last few weeks of it, with our first real freeze and the garden officially done. I was so ready for summer to be over, but I’m so not ready for the long, dark season just yet.

2. The last of the garden. The last watermelon, the last strawberries, the last of the tomatoes and the basil. Maybe if I plant some bulbs this weekend I’ll feel better? Every year I mean to and then forget, but this seems to be the weekend to do it.

3. Play. Ringo got to meet a new friend last week when she came over for a play date, and after she left, Sam came out and they played some more. After a rough summer, Sam and Ringo now play multiple times a day, and it’s just so good to see it. AND, bonus — we have a play date scheduled this weekend with some of our favorites.

4. Hiking season. This is the best time of the year in Colorado to hike, although I don’t always go with, (since the boys go 6-10 miles, and run at least some of it, and I can’t keep up with that, and I’m not gonna lie, I love the long mornings at home alone). I appreciate how happy it makes Eric and the boys, and all the good pictures he takes and lets me steal to use on my blog.

image by Eric

5. Work from home Friday. I am so lucky to have a job where I can do this. I skip yoga and sleep in, wear comfy clothes (sometimes a clean pair of pjs), maybe take a nap with the dogs, get the laundry done, and don’t have to drive anywhere if I don’t want to, don’t even have to leave the house.

Bonus joy: Wild Writing, clean sheets, San Pellegrino Soda, tomato gratin with rice, a good therapist, massage, good books, my Kindle, soaking in the tub, how Sam sneaks in bed with us in the early morning, how much Ringo loves sleeping in his crate, how much both dogs love lounging in the backyard in the sun, when something makes Eric laugh really hard (we are rewatching The IT Crowd, so it’s happening a lot lately), teaching yoga, a new yoga mat, walking the dogs under a full moon, sleeping in, going to bed early, TWO people I adore stopping by my work office just to share a hug, feeling good about a piece I wrote for work even though I’m not sure anyone else even read it.