1. Morning walks. The color is starting to fade, the leaves fall, and it is still so gorgeous.

2. Our neighborhood. We’ve been here for 25 years now, in this neighborhood, on this street, in this house. All my dogs have lived here. We’ve had some really good neighbors and only a few duds. We are close to everything we want to be but also at the very edge of town so it’s quieter and slower here. There are so many good places to walk, miles of trail that follows the river, multiple natural areas and ponds, and quite a few city parks. I’m a bit sad this week because the elementary school down the block is closing next year. The official reason for the closure, and that of a few other schools in this district, is “declining enrollment.” The building will remain and be leased, possibly to another school or the city. If there are no kids, I will really miss that — seeing them on their way to and from school, the joyful sound of them outside at recess or the way they want to come say “hi” to my dogs. I am confused how HARD so many of our neighbors go for Halloween but then they don’t put up Christmas decorations, not even lights.

3. Other people’s kids. All the pictures and stories about Halloween activities this week have been especially fun.

4. Practice. I taught a fun Thriller themed sequence at yoga. Only one person was able to be there for it, so she and I are practicing it this week and next class, we are going to surprise the other people with a “flash mob” version of it and then teach it to them. Friday morning writing was a good time as usual. To be honest, I have not been formally meditating — as often happens for me in a season of grief, I think because allowing myself to cry ends up becoming the practice.

5. My tiny family, small house, little life. I’ll be glad when this particular semester is over, when Eric goes on his fall and then winter break, and hopefully next semester he won’t be quite as busy. I’m so lucky I’ve got Ringo to keep me company when Eric isn’t here.

Bonus joy: getting to catch up with Chloe’, getting a massage with Dana and getting to catch up with her, aqua aerobics, sitting in the sauna, yoga, finding more tiny brass crows Eric hid for me, flowers from the grocery store, giving myself permission to stop reading a book I’m not enjoying, binge watching a TV show, libraries, poetry, comedy, down blankets and pillows, wool slippers and bed toppers, getting my teeth cleaned, Sunday morning Pilates, taking myself out to lunch, getting the laundry done, pay day, napping with Ringo on the couch, texting with Chris, prescription refills, being retired, other people’s animals, groceries, coupons, wireless internet, my new laptop, a new journal, stickers, cheese, fig spread, apples, the technology of photography so I still have lots of pictures of my other three dogs, watercolor, music, seeing that mama deer with her two babies, headlamps, gummies, a big glass of cold clean water, reading in bed at night while Eric and Ringo sleep.

1. Morning walks. I love doing this so much, and especially doing it with Ringo, and I’m really going to miss it someday when he is gone.

2. Fall color. On Friday morning, Ringo and I waiting for the sun to come out to start our walk so I could see the full fall color and get some pictures — I took so many, a walk that should take us less than an hour took an hour and a half. The sky was extra special that morning too. It was just so gorgeous, this dying of the light.

3. Our visit with Terry and Moose. It was so fun to have them here. (Moose is Alisia’s nickname, has been for years, so long I don’t even remember how she got it anymore). When they left to go back to Oregon, even though we were ready to have the house back to ourselves, I came out and saw root beer and a bag of sugar and the three chairs at our table and got really sad, really wanted to call Mom and tell her because she always did the same thing when I left to come back to Colorado, would find some receipt or luggage tag of mine in the trash and get really sad, but I can’t call Mom and that made me even sadder. 🥺💔

4. Practice. We had to cancel yoga at Red Sage for the third week in a row, and I teased them, “I sure hope we remember how to yoga when we are back together again.” It’s been eight years, with a break for COVID, that I’ve been teaching for them and I’m so grateful for the ones who keep showing up. Friday morning wild-ish writing was extra fun, as Michelle’s mom joined us to write for a bit. I appreciated the mom energy.

5. My tiny family, small house, little life. We are having a quiet, easy weekend — my favorite kind.

Bonus joy: dinner out with friends, the yellow roses Eric brought home from the grocery store, leftovers, molasses cookies, submitting something for my short memoir class that I feel good about, Kim’s pottery, the Maria Bamford documentary, book club, mocktails, crispy green grapes, getting the laundry done, clean sheets, down blankets and pillows, physical therapy exercises for my si joint (it is so mad at me), yoga, wool slippers, a warm shower, a hot cup of coffee and a warm mug of tee, a new notebook, ink refills for my favorite pens, stickers, tape, Ted Lasso (I’m super late to the party and it was exactly what I needed right now), blue sky, that guy I ran into at the ponds who’d come all the way from Ohio just to take pictures of birds with the backdrop of the fall colors in Colorado and how patient Ringo was while I talked to him, a comfortable guest bed that I can fold up and use as a couch when we don’t need it, canceled plans, starting over, being able to try again as many times as necessary, tiny brass animals (I found more tiny crows Eric left for me), acupuncture, all the various supplements and prescriptions keeping Ringo healthy, Eric watching a dumb video over and over because it makes him laugh, making each other laugh, inside jokes, other people’s kids and pets and partners, groceries, bread of all kinds, purple highlighters, patchouli oil, my meditation shrine, texting with Chloe’ and Chris, getting a text from Dana and scheduling a massage with her, naps, toothpaste, electric toothbrushes, birthday cards, discovering new artists and musicians, comedy, poetry, limes, how sweet Ringo was with Dr. Gaffney, her new kitten Julio, a really good camera on my phone that fits in my pocket, my new laptop, wireless, streaming content, Ringo coming in just now to lay on the bed under my desk, reading in bed at night on my Kindle while Eric and Ringo sleep.