1. Morning walks. Sadly, Eric starts back to work in earnest next week, so no more weekday morning walks together. It’s been hazy and sometimes smoky with the wildfires burning here and northwest of us but early mornings are usually still okay so we get a walk in before it gets too bad. Still haven’t gotten many mosquitoes on this side of town yet and now it’s getting close to when that season is over for the year, so we’ve still been able to walk at our favorite places, near the water. I saw some yellow leaves this week, so even though we’ve got a bunch of 90 degree days in the forecast, fall is on its way.

2. Practice. Yoga at Red Sage, my Friday morning writing sangha, meditating, writing, and making art.

3. Family. My cousin was released from the hospital and is going back home, Mom still remembers us and we are still sending each other selfies, and Lia is riding her bike without training wheels and lost a tooth.

4. Late summer season food. The natural stuff — watermelon, corn, berries, and peaches, and the traditional stuff — potato salad, burgers, potato chips, baked beans, pasta slaw, and pie.

5. My tiny family, small house, little life. We went to a bbq by a lake with friends yesterday and even though I would always rather stay home than anything else, it was fun. I’ve been loving extra on Ringo because our friend Theresa just found out her ghost faced cattle dog Casper who is almost exactly three years young than Ringo and looks so much like him has cancer — send them some love if you’ve got some to spare. 

Bonus joy: texting with Chris and Chloe’, sharing reels with Shellie and Carrie and Kari, realizing that having friends who blog is almost like having penpals, so many good books, watching TV, listening to podcasts, clean laundry and clean sheets, a warm shower, a big glass of cold clean water, other people’s kids and dogs and gardens, listening to other people’s funny or sweet or surprising stories, making each other laugh, a cooler day in the midst of so many hot ones, Sunday morning Pilates, therapy, how much the bees and other bugs love the blooms on our mint, baby deer and their spots, Sunday afternoons, fry sauce, a good watermelon, our whole house fan and fans in general of all kinds, a/c, the view, how Ringo sometimes chooses to hang out with me even if Eric is home, gummies, grapefruit Bubly water, dogs with spots and stripes, baby elephants, stickers, wi-fi, prescription glasses, naps, reading in bed at night while Eric and Ringo sleep.