1. Morning walks. We for sure felt the coyote close by at Kestrel natural area this week. Because it’s been such an early, long, warm spring, I keep expecting to start seeing animal babies but that’s probably still a few weeks out. We saw our neighbor walking alone at the ponds and found out that our longtime neighbor dog, her partner for the past 14.5 years, Ringo’s enemy at the fence but friend in the streets, had passed. Good dog, Rizzo. 🐾💔 We miss you. 

Special edition gallery of all the animals Ringo and Eric saw on their walks this week. I was so surprised by the video, how close the heron let the deer get to it.

2. The pool at the gym being open. There have already been a few days that the heater wasn’t working, but after being closed for close to a full month to put in the new tile and paint and then another closure when some fool dropped and broke a bottle and got glass in the water so it had to be drained and cleaned, I’ll take it even when it’s cold. Getting in multiple days a week, followed up by sitting in the sauna, makes a huge difference to how I feel. Seriously, just looking at this picture makes me happy.

3. Moving day for Mom. I’m anxious to hear how it goes later today and hope she settles in as easily as she did the last time she had to move. I’m confident we found her a good place where she’ll be well cared for and have good company and be comfortable. And it turns out she qualified for hospice care for at least one more month, so they will be visiting her at her new address, providing some extra support that I think will help her make the transition smoothly.

4. Practice. Eric bought me some tulips when he was at the store this morning and I put them in one of my dad’s pottery steins on my meditation shrine. I didn’t realize how much it was going to mean to me, how comforting it would be to have Mom and Dad’s things in my house.

5. My tiny family, small house, little life. With all the new things from Mom and Dad’s and some cleaning up and clearing out of our things along with replacing some furniture that was not great to begin with and now close to 25 years old, I’ve been having fun rearranging and organizing around here. My peonies are filling out and filling up with buds that will most likely bloom before we leave for Oregon. With the long warm spring, my lilac bushes are still full of blooms at least a full week or two longer than usual.

Bonus joy: my irises blooming, the smell of lilacs when the wind blows, sitting in the backyard with Eric and Ringo, onion buns, hot coffee sweetened with hot cocoa, aqua aerobics, seeing my “gym dad” Frank, all the women in the sauna that one day, Sunday morning Pilates, rain, the particular yellow of the neighbor’s Honey Locust tree, how long the redbuds bloomed this year, the three wild turkeys I saw this morning by the feed store, getting all the laundry done and put away even the extra loads, Ringo’s visit with Bronwen and how cute their relationship is, Ringo’s visit with Kelly and his “really good” bloodwork, how excited Ringo got when I was writing with my Friday morning group and Chloe’ logged in and people said “Hi, Chloe'” and he knew what that meant and wanted to see her and so she adjusted her camera to show him Franny his dog friend, finding the right shelves for plants by the front door where the “good light” lands in the mornings, watching The Pitt (even though this season feels a bit more intense), listening to podcasts, sleeping in, being cold and cuddling up, down blankets and pillows, our new futon mattress with the wool topper, a big glass of clean cold water, potato chips in my sandwich, peanut butter, marionberry jam from Auntie T, pancakes, naps, reading in bed while Eric and Ringo sleep.  

1. Morning walks. Things are really blooming and starting to turn green. The snow must be melting in the mountains because there’s water moving in the river again. Next will be all the animal babies.

2. Mom’s birthday party was a success. She really seemed to enjoy herself, the gifts and the treats (the berry pie my aunt brought was her favorite) and the company, and as soon as they put her back in her bed, she passed out for a long nap. As always, and as is clear from the pictures, baby Hallie is still her favorite human, (seriously, as soon as you had her that baby, everyone else disappears — I like to pretend she thinks it’s me).

3. My brain is “unremarkable.” Apparently, this is the result you want from a brain MRI. The only thing they found during my scan was evidence that I am, in fact, a person who has migraines. Knock on wood and fingers crossed that my migraines have calmed down for a bit and having a cluster of them like that is not the new norm. 

4. Practice. Doing yoga at Red Sage and writing with my Friday morning group.

5. My tiny family, small house, little life. I love it here, with them, in this place. 

Bonus joy: chicken breast made in the air fryer by Eric, the yellow green new leaves on my neighbor’s Honey Locust tree, good mail, stickers, a new blank notebook, ink refills for my pen, a warm shower, a big glass of cold clean water, getting in the pool and sauna, my new aqua shoes, Haflinger wool slippers, texting with my brother, sitting in the backyard with Eric and Ringo, down blankets and pillows, compression socks, listening to podcasts, naps, reading in bed while Eric and Ringo sleep.