1. Morning walks. Since Eric is on summer break now, he gets to come with us, which also means I don’t take as many pictures. We’ve seen baby ducks and geese but no deer yet, and even though we haven’t seen them we are happy to know there are some fox kits this season. For how dry and warm our winter was, this late spring has been normal-ish with rain turning everything green and filling the river back up.

2. Ringo’s care team. This week I was especially grateful for Dr. Foster, who was so kind to me and so helpful as I worried about the callus on Ringo’s elbow that got irritated this week. She suspects that because he has more arthritis in his right elbow that when he lies on the cool hard surfaces he loves so much, he shifts his weight to his left elbow and that’s how he rubbed all the hair off and developed a callus. I was also grateful to her because after we’d been messing with his elbow all morning trying to figure out a homemade way to protect it (we’ve since ordered something made for exactly that), he was extra spicy with her during his acupuncture session and she loved on him anyway, didn’t take it personally.

3. Working in the garden. The columbine I thought was lost but found and uncovered has a tiny bloom on it. I especially enjoy the company of the bees and the ladybugs. I’m surprised how satisfying weeding can be, knowing as I do the impermanence of the impact, aware as I am that those weeds will keep coming back and sometime later in the season, maybe many times, I’ll have to do it all over again. I have tons of peony buds again, although my two biggest producers spent a few weeks tipped over after the snow and by the time I got them pulled back up and caged, their stems had bent like crazy straws. Here’s what I have to look forward to:

4. Getting in the pool. I am loving being back after the long closure to replace the tile, being able to spend more time there.

5. My tiny family, small house, little life. This is that weird moment in time where there are still a few weeks before we leave for Oregon but most of our attention is already turned towards that trip so I get so easily distracted about everything, like I’ve got too many plates spinning. Yesterday, I was boiling some carrots for Ringo and totally forgot about them, went out to weed in the front so didn’t hear the timer I’d set, and luckily it was already pretty warm out and I didn’t stay long enough to burn the house down. I’m also feeling so sad because even though I’ve been there since, with this trip it is going to seem real that our parents’ homes are no longer there for us to return to, to be welcomed and comfortable, to stay for a bit. *sigh* And yet, I’m so grateful for the home I have here, with Ringo and Eric, and that after we visit Oregon, we get to come back here.

Bonus joy: my annual haircut, the rain helping keep the ground softer so weeding is easier, how well toddler socks work for dogs too, writing with my Friday morning sangha, practicing with Sarah Blondin, watching good TV and films, listening to podcasts, naps, gummy supplements, how I weaned myself off social media to the point that whenever I go back on I don’t stay long, poetry, sharing poetry, when Sandy and Janice come to aqua aerobics, sitting in the sauna with Eric, air fryer french fries with homemade fry sauce, baked ziti with broccoli, onion poppy seed buns, ice cream, sitting in the backyard with Eric and Ringo, book club, ordering off Amazon (yes, I know Jeff Bezos is the devil and the whole thing hurts a lot of people and is wrong in so many ways, AND I can’t tell you how much my little black introverted heart loves to be able to get online, do a search, shop around, order what I want, and have it show up on my front porch the next day), a warm shower after honest work, a big glass of cold clean water, crying, how well my repotted Christmas cactuses are doing, being able to let go, canceled plans, sleeping in (which for me apparently means 6 am, so not that big of a deal), reading in bed at night while Eric and Ringo sleep.