1. Morning walks: I didn’t get as many pictures this week because most mornings it was still dark when we walked. As we start to shift from summer into fall this happens and we don’t always adjust our schedule to walking later until it starts to get colder. I was a bit sad because even in the dark I could tell, especially at North Sheilds Ponds, the fall colors were really starting to show. And yet, I would gladly give up a few pictures of that to share with you to experience what happened instead, what happened because we were out in the still dark: a pair of Great Horned Owls. I couldn’t get close enough to get a better picture because as soon as Ringo saw them, he started to bark and they flew away, but Eric saw them again this morning when it was a bit lighter and he was able to get a bit closer.

2. My tiny Oregon family. Meaning my brother, his girls and his grandkids (who I call “the girls” and “the littles”). We’ve been working through all of the details of the financial elements of our parents’ estate and keep telling each other how glad we are that we are doing this together, that we don’t have to experience the horror stories we hear about other families as they divide and divvy up what is left. There is a yearly lantern festival by the river where they live and this year, Chris got two lanterns in honor of Mom and Dad, and they all went to visit them and walk around. Chris brought home the lanterns after and put them on his front porch, where they remind me of Halloween decorations. Also of note, Warren started his first year at the “big school” where he now gets to go with his big sissy, Lia. Another fun fact is Chris’s house is so close that his back yard is right up against the school property, so he can see the kids on the playground at recess, and it’s the same school where the girls went.

3. Practice. Yoga at Red Sage plus a dog and Teri who hasn’t been able to come recently, my Friday morning writing sangha almost full and such tender gorgeous writing, yoga at the gym — I forgot how nice it was to have someone else tell me what to do.

4. Baking. There hasn’t been much this summer because it’s been too dang hot. This week, I made carrot cake and gingerbread muffins with cream cheese buttercream frosting, enough that I got to share a bunch but also eat it myself. So good.

5. My tiny family, small house, little life. Eric is finally feeling better and I’m so glad. He’s going to be extra busy with work commitments until Thanksgiving and to have him not feeling good on top of that was no fun. Ringo went for a checkup with his regular vet this week and continues to do so well for an almost 13 year old. I realized this week why I take so many pictures of him when he’s sleeping, besides that he’s so cute — it makes me so happy to see him so relaxed and content.

Bonus joy: laundry, groceries, listening to music and podcasts and audio books, poetry, comedy, a new notebook, stickers, my favorite pens, my new laptop (seriously, how did I put up with my old broken-down slowpoke computer for so long?!), pizza, cake, Autumn Crisp grapes, slightly green bananas, book club, the book that Eric wants to pick for his session of book club being one I really want to read and had already added to my list, a warm shower, a big glass of cold clean water, indoor plumbing, our whole house fan, cooler temperatures, everything turning gold, owls, rivers and ponds and the ocean, acupuncture, aqua aerobics, the hydromassage chair, sitting in the sauna, a massage with Danielle, crying, naps, pasta, Zoom, my favorite coffee mugs, other people’s dogs and kids, streaming content, the flowers Eric got me when he went to get groceries, potatoes of all kinds, texting with Chloe’ and Chris, tarot cards, wool slippers, down blankets and pillows, Ringo’s PEMF mat, wireless internet, shampoo that smells so good, basket boxes, naps, reading in bed at night while Eric and Ringo sleep.

1. Morning walks. Saturday morning I had planned on sleeping in, skipping the walk, taking the morning slow and getting some laundry done. Instead, Eric woke me up (or rather Ringo did when Eric opened the bedroom door and he got up on the bed and booped me awake) at 6:30 to ask if I wanted to go with them, that they hadn’t left yet. Even though my half-awake mind was grumbling about it, listing all the reasons I should stay behind while they went without me, I got up and got ready to go, because the thing I know (and this is true of both morning walks and yoga) is that I will never regret going but I might regret not going. And once again I was right.

2. Peaches and watermelon. I know I said last week was probably the last of them, but I managed to squeak out a few more.

3. Practice. Yoga at Red Sage and the gym, writing with my Friday morning sangha, meditating, writing in my journal in the morning, reading poetry, pulling a few tarot cards.

4. The colors of fall. The past three days and have really felt and looked like fall, and I am so happy! It’s my favorite season in Colorado.

5. Comfort food. Sometimes “eating healthy” means taking care of yourself in a different way, and eating nourishing food doesn’t always mean only vegetables. And usually if I want something baked, like a cake, I’m better off making it myself rather than trying to buy it somewhere.

6. My tiny family, small house, little life. Eric has been sick but is thankfully feeling better. He got me my very own murder of tiny brass crows, hid them around my computer to surprise me. I came out after reading, writing, and having my morning drinks, and he asked if I’d noticed anything, but I had no idea what he was talking about, didn’t understand, hadn’t seen them yet because I was sitting at my other desk. It wasn’t until later that afternoon that I sat down and reached for my keyboard and saw two tiny crows sitting on my spacebar and looked to my left and saw more scattered on the desk, a few perched on the modem, and more lining the shelf in the corner. I called out to tell him now I understood what he was talking about, but he didn’t hear me because he was fast asleep on the couch, where he’d been spending a lot of his time. Ringo got acupuncture this week with Bronwen, who even though she pokes him with needles still manages to be one of his favorite people. He’s doing really well for almost 13 years old, was making us laugh last night chasing his tail after dinner, trying to get someone to play fight with him.

Bonus joy: texting with Chloe’ and Chris, good books, listening to podcasts, other people’s dogs, chrysanthemums, cooler weather, down blankets and pillows, comedy, poetry, short videos, pasta, a big glass of cold clean water, my new laptop, watching Death in Paradise with Eric, listening to music, cream cheese buttercream frosting, a couch comfortable enough to spend the night on, battery operated candles, garbage collection service, a washer and dryer in my house, bluetooth speakers, gummy supplements, that Ringo is easy to give pills and other supplements to (because he gets a lot of them), our futon and the wool topper, wool slippers, being able to help, pictures of the little humans in my family, the doodle notes Chris makes, inviting my father-in-law to come stay with us for Christmas (not sure yet if he will), horses, owls, indoor plumbing, sitting out in the yard with Eric and Ringo, stickers, new Birkenstocks, lip balm, lotion, an electric toothbrush, canceled plans, getting things delivered, prescription glasses, mint and ginger drops, naps, reading in bed at night while Eric and Ringo sleep.