1. Morning walks. Maybe it’s the rabbitbrush and goldenrod and asters blooming, or the mornings being darker, but this week seemed to turn ever so slightly towards fall — my favorite season in Colorado. 

I hadn’t seen many Rocky Mountain bee plants this year, and the seeds we scattered in our garden didn’t take. Then yesterday morning, Ringo and I went to a spot we hadn’t been since spring, and there were purple sparkler blooms and bees all along the trail.

One year, we had a whole bunch of Rocky Mountain bee plants in one of our flowerbeds and they got about six feet tall. My favorite thing was going out and standing next to them, listening to the hum of the bees, so loud I could feel it buzz in my chest.

2. First responders, in particular fire fighters. We still have multiple fires burning here, and so many people are right there, working so hard to put them out, risking their own safety and health to protect property and people along with all the wildlife.

3. Practice. I am so grateful I have it to return to, again and again.

4. Good food. Eric made a peach pie on the grill a few nights ago. He’s been working so much this summer on a special project that it’s the first pie we’ve had. Our raspberries probably still have a few more years before they really start producing, but the single berry I got the other day was so good. And roasted potatoes, red onion, and red pepper for breakfast burritos never disappoint, especially when I have eggs from Chloe’s chickens to go with them.

5. My tiny family, small house, little life. I’m savoring this particular moment in time, before school starts and before I need to make another trip back to Oregon. Nothing compares to the quiet, calm, and comfort that lives here.

Bonus joy: baby deer, hummingbirds, the smell of rabbitbrush, how the top of Ringo’s head smells when he’s been laying out in the backyard in the sun, sunflowers, corn, peaches, ice cream, clean sheets, a/c, plantain chips with dip (yup, still — I tend to get hyperfixated on certain foods), listening to podcasts, true crime documentaries, music, naps, acupuncture, massage, a warm shower, clean laundry, a big glass of clean cold water, peanut butter, the “plug your nose” trick that makes it possible to take the sour bitter Chinese herbs I’m trying for my hot flashes (funny, when I was younger I used this same trick to take shots of tequila), the Olympics, the way my brother and his daughter take care of our mom, “Nana and Papa,” sharing reels and memes, making each other laugh, gummies, down pillows and blankets, libraries and librarians, vaccines, storytellers, poets and poetry, reading in bed at night while Eric and Ringo sleep.