Thursday

Toward the end of the week, things slow down even more. It's a little tricky this particular week, because I have to teach late Friday (a makeup class), but still, I feel it in my soul -- I'm slowing down from the mad dash mentality I adopt for the other days. (My office neighbors would tell you that I am often seen rushing into my office, only to rush out again two minutes before class -- with time to pause to fill my cup with hot water for a chamomile tea bag before I enter the classroom. And I am never late.)

Yes, sure, these are stressful times. For the students as well. Today, we had dogs at the Law School – there for students to pat and make much of, in the hope of providing at least a momentary relief.






Slowing down. Somewhere in the back of my head I do recall how it works: you stop work for the day, maybe pause for an Aperol spriz, exchange a few words with a person who crosses your path, yes, I remember.



Work’s done, I rev up Rosie. To Paul’s café first. Ed and I will meet up there, it’ll be the transition from work to home life.

It’s a gorgeous day. A bright, bright day. Paul tells us – I’m going up in a friend’s airplane tonight. It’s so clear that they say we’ll be able to see Chicago from here.

I think about that as an ending to this fine day. Yes, good, I admit it, but I like mine better.






I turn down our road, Ed is closely behind.  And now we're home.

Another load of wood chips has made its way to the driveway and Ed is in the middle of spreading them in places where he wants to arrest quack grass.


It’s time to take out the last packets of seeds and finish sowing the raised beds. More lettuce, scallions, radishes.Our peas are coming up already. Our tomatoes are doing fine too.












A good evening. Every once in a while, we stop and take in the bees. We get them in our flowering giant and it is immensely gratifying to hear them up there in the crown of branches. And let me say that this great big flowering tree is no more and no less beautiful than the old willow behind it. They're all, right now, at their very best.






When the sun sinks lower, I go inside. I don’t have a dinner planned but it hardly matters. Salad, with fried eggs, some defrosted Trader Joe’s salmon. Chives over all of it. From the garden.

All that. Thursday. Getting toward the end of the week. Nice.