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.

1. Morning walks. We are now in the season where we can do more of these together, all three of us, and soon, we’ll be doing them for a bit on the beach. We are also in the season of baby animals and the river flowing full and fast.

2. Ringo got a bath. It takes some work for the humans (his bedding, the blankets that cover all the furniture he’s allowed to use — which is basically all of it, and all the towels mean a full day of laundry) and he doesn’t love it, but he’s all fluffy and clean now, and I can’t help but think that must feel better. Especially now that he’s older, I also appreciate the after bath zoomies and roll in the grass, the extra surge of energy he gets after he’s done — followed by an epic nap.

3. Practice. Meditation with Sarah Blondin, Friday morning practice with my writing sangha, and yoga with Red Sage that included a fluffy puppy.

4. Working in the garden. As I mentioned, there is something so satisfying about it, as whatever progress I make seems so obvious, so clear. I filled our entire 65 gallon yard trimmings bin in just a few hours, and the majority was either Bindweed or Creeping Bellflower, also known as Devil Weed, (for good reason). I picked some of my rhubarb and since I also had strawberries, I made compote.

5. My tiny family, small house, little life. Eric was still busy this week and at work some days, but it’s starting to feel like summer with him around a bit more, and I love it. I’m not ready for him to retire yet, but I like having him around more often.

Bonus joy: Mom and her best friend, visiting with Chloe’, getting in the pool and sauna, my own washer and dryer in my own house so I don’t have to hoard quarters and transport my dirty things to a second location and wait there while they cycle, a warm shower, a big glass of cold clean water, ice cream, all of our favorite places to eat and stay and walk on our road trip to Oregon still there (I checked), Eric’s dad’s new place perfectly located on our regular driving route so we should get there right in time to stop for lunch and rest a bit before the final two hours to the beach, down blankets and pillows, clean sheets, grapefruit Bubly, hot coffee sweetened with hot cocoa mix, a warm mug of green tea, eggs, Skyr with granola and strawberries, listening to podcasts, good TV and movies (and the awareness that sometimes “bad” can be “good”), listening to music, oranges, texting with Chris, naps, reading in bed at night while Ringo and Eric sleep.