1. Fall weather. I’ve actually been cold a couple of times in the past few days. Even though I’m going to miss our garden, I’m ready for it.

2. Good food. Rocky Mountain Popcorn Caramel (so good…), roasted corn on the cob, watermelon, the last of the zucchini and tomatoes, bran muffins fresh out of the oven.

3. Practice. Yoga, meditation, writing, and dog. The best way to describe the book I’m working on is most likely “how I went from crazy to sane through practice.” Getting up each morning and stretching, then going to sit on my meditation cushion for 20 minutes, and then sitting at my writing desk to write for another half hour is just the best. And last night I got to go to a new training class with Ringo, Tricks-n-Games, and then came home and cuddled with Sam, which leads to the next thing on my list…

4. Sweet Sam and Ringo Blue.

Tricks-n-Games class

How can such a big dude curl up so tiny?

Sam wouldn’t come out of his crate to play with him, so Ringo went in.

5. Good friends. The kind who celebrate with me, bitch and moan with me, laugh with me, clarify things for me, support me, and hatch big plans with me.

Bonus joy: the pumpkins in our garden, the way the blooms on my clematis look like tiny stars, how Eric loans out our tools to the college kids who live behind us, physical therapy, a finalized bid for our bathroom remodel so we can finally order things and start, really smart and kind people who can clarify my confusion, focusing on just one thing, seeing that what I want is possible, knowing I can if I want to, knowing I don’t have to, Wild Writing class, a hot shower, clean laundry, texting with my brother.