Plenty of sleep and a spontaneous waking at 6:00 a.m., into a busy Monday. The windows open, cool September. I attend to the clutter of after-party. (Even a Zoom party creates clutter.) I put away gift wrap and sort through boxes of car seats and strollers and juicers items and put them away and leave my husband’s office tidy for his week. Charlie and I walk, over the trestle, to the wide open meadow. I am aware of my deep sense of sadness and fear for the people suffering in fires on the west coast, while I breathe fresh air under a smokeless sky. I will not take this for granted. Charlie and I get trapped in the meadow. They are working on the rails and all the machinery is being brought in on the tracks; we dare not try to cross back with all this work going on. So I call my daughter for a ride. I feel a bit anxious, today, starting a busy week, and so I walk with awareness of taking it easy; trusting that I will get everything done and all will be well. This turns out to be true, as soon as I have a chance to sit down and focus. I have three workshops of my own to run this week - writing workshop I’m excited to lead and warm-ups to prepare. And I even get a poem from the letters written for workshop tonight. Suzi, dear Suzi, is up to her old tricks! Feeling well enough to run away through the woods to our neighbor’s house. I get the call in the late afternoon. This has been a favorite haunt of hers since she was a puppy and Flash died. Charlie and I see this as a sign of recovery. My daughter has tied a bow around her neck and my neighbor thinks she must have been to the groomer! We all go cheerfully home. I am making eggplant parmesan with freshly harvested eggplant: I make it like this: I dip the slices in flour, egg, and a mixture of fresh paremsan and bread crumps, then sautee them in olive oil and place in layers with a tomato sauce from a jar, and top with mozzarella and freshly trimmed basil (my own). Bake at 350. Yes, it’s delicious! I even get a quick swim in. So much for feeling Monday anxious. Now I’m feeling Monday gratitude.