1. Good books. Just one way I’m keeping sane these days. One that is not in this pile because it’s on my Kindle is “Difficult Women,” also by Roxane Gay. It is SO good.

2. The cup my brother and nieces gave me. It’s perfect for soup. And, it’s covered with dogs!

3. Fun Home, the musical. I know I already mentioned it in my Something Good list this week, but y’all it was SO good, and this week I found the soundtrack on Amazon Prime so I’ve been listening to it constantly.

4. My three boys. I haven’t been able to go on walks this week, and have been working a lot, so I’m really missing them. Hopefully we can hang out a bit more this weekend.

Sam doesn’t really like getting his picture taken, so always turns his head

5. Sam’s new harness. We got Ringo one a while back (see above picture) and it’s worked so well for him, we got Sam one too.

6. Obi. Yesterday would have been his 15th birthday. He was our first. He taught us how to have a dog, and he taught us how to let go. I won’t ever stop missing him.

Bonus joy: getting good feedback (appreciation, kudos, acknowledgement) about the work I do for CSU, doing some work for CSU that I don’t need anybody to tell me is good because I just know, Voxing with Justine, my knee getting just a bit better, getting enough sleep, clementines, tomato gratin, garlic bread, tart cherry juice, working from home, how poor Sam hides from the washing machine but the spot he chooses to hide and where he feels the safest is under my writing desk, the way Ringo wants me to give him handfuls of water while I wait for it to warm up so I can take a shower and sometimes he stands next to me with one of his feet right on top of one of mine and I love him so much I want to stay right there with him forever and ever, laughing with Eric which is the one thing that can save me when nothing else can even reach me.