1. Morning walks. The trees are starting to turn golden, the rabbitbrush and aster are in full bloom, and the mornings are much darker and cooler. There was some extra magic this week. The two mama deer and three babies we’ve been seeing are now FOUR babies, (not sure where the fourth had been hiding because it’s the same size as the other three). I had to be careful the morning we saw them because this particular herd of white-tailed deer are so used to people that one of the mamas was walking right up to me and I knew Ringo would not be okay with us saying good morning so we had to keep moving. We saw and heard owls — now that it’s darker in the morning, they are still out by the time we get close to the river. AND, we missed running in to a black bear by mere minutes. We stopped to take pictures and when we rounded the next corner, a very excited bike rider told us a black bear had JUST ran across the trail. Ringo had been tracking something for about half a mile, so I knew there was something but I’d almost forgotten it’s bear season in Fort Collins — the time of year when they come down to eat what’s left in people’s gardens or extra apples from their trees, trying to get as fat as possible before hibernation. We also saw a couple of raccoons and a few herons and lots of rabbits.

2. Libraries and librarians, poetry and poets, books and those that write them, songs and those who write and sing them. Just a few of my favorite things, the ones that on repeat make what seems impossible survivable. 

3. My brother. So many people have come together to help my mom, but no more than him. First because she and Dad were aging and couldn’t take care of some things on their own anymore, then because Dad was in hospice care and dying, then because Mom had a stroke, then because Dad died, and now because both Mom’s physical and mental capacity aren’t up to living on her own or being able to take care of herself. I’ve bragged for most of my adult life how lucky I am to have such an awesome brother, but in the past few years, he’s really outdone himself.

4. Practice. Continuing to keep me on the path, to keep me grounded and steady.

5. My tiny family, small house, little life. I’m staying right here for as long as I can.

Bonus joy: Warren wearing his new massive backpack for preschool, lunch at Mount Everest Café with Eric, emailing with Kari, sharing memes and reels with Kari and Carrie and Shellie, texting with Chris and Chloe’, other people’s dogs, payday, clean laundry, a warm shower, a big glass of cold clean water, gummies, pistachios, Palisade peaches, fresh corn, fans, down pillows and blankets, crayons and paint, the way the rabbitbrush smells, cooler weather, training with Shelby and the gang, the hydromassage chair, acupuncture, massage, clean sheets, prescription glasses, fry sauce, rotisserie chicken, lettuce, taco salad, listening to podcasts, watching TV, the internet, blank notebooks and ink refills, stickers, baby animals, good neighbors, naps, reading in bed at night while Eric and Ringo sleep.