hi world, I'm back!

That's the way it felt when I stepped out this morning, quite capable of feeding the animals and taking my morning walk. 

Such an inconsequential routine, yet for a whole week, I could not do it. Could not bend down to pull a weed. Could not throw chicken food down for the hens and their mate. Could not make a cup of tea, could not sit up for more than a handful of minutes. 

Wiped out. 

That switch from fully active, engaged and on board to incapable of doing anything at all was flicked so suddenly and so completely that I am still reeling from it all. But, not reeling so much that I want to spend the next weeks analyzing every last detail of what went wrong. Because in fact, a lot went right!

I was able to get home. I have the privilege of great medical care just eight minutes up the road from me. Even Ed was impressed with the size and comfort of my hospital room. I was impressed with the super staff of docs and nurses and technicians. You know how they say you should never go to the ER room around 5 am, because you're hitting the tail end of a tired night shift? Well, twice I went in exactly then and everyone was superb. I commented on this to them and they laughed -- that's when we're on our second caffeine hit! It's a great time to come in!

And of course, the downward spiral eventually turned around and now I am so much better. So much better!

(our meadow in the new peach orchard, to the east...)

(our meadow in the young orchard, to the west...)

I haven't eaten breakfast with Ed since... the weekend. The previous weekend.

And I am back on schedule to pick up Snowdrop at school. And she is happy.

September... It can be full of grand surprises. Like, a little girl who decides on her own to pin her hair back...

Like a bunch of lilies suddenly sprouting from a clump of autumnal buds...

So, let's stick with the grand surprises for the rest of the month, okay?

With so much love...