. . . And when I come to the garden ground,
     The whir of sober birds
Up from the tangle of withered weeds
     Is sadder than any words. . .

~ Excerpt from “A Late Walk,” Robert Frost

After the market, the Saturday early food shop, there is the walk into the meadows with both dogs and the late blooming wildflowers. It’s not warm, but the sky is entirely clear and the sun is out. It’s bright September. I consider a swim. Change my mind. The walk is enough this morning. I am listening to, on Audible, The Vanishing Half, by Brit Bennett, a wonderful novel, beautifully produced. Later, I see that it has been long-listed for the National Book Award; I’m not surprised. The day flies by. I am working on a poem I’ve been working on forever, wondering if I’ll give up on it after all. I’m freezing. How can this be? Frank builds me a fire, warms me up well. Perhaps it’s warmer outdoors. The sun shines on the deck and my daughter has washed all the new baby clothes and wants to dry them outdoors. So we hang them all over the deck: the little onesies and bath towels with hoods and the blankets and tiny socks. She is very cheerful at this chore, and so am I. The sun dries them quickly. I can see the sunflowers, tall and cheerful as my daughter from the deck. Soon, she picks eggplant, plenty, and in the kitchen I show her how I make the eggplant parmesan: two batches we make, and she munches the fried eggplant as she helps me assemble them. Then I hop in my car and take one fresh from the oven to my dear friend who is recovering from surgery. I find her in her gorgeous garden. She warns of a frost. The watermelon and eggplant and squash need covering. My daughter says she thinks she will not go into labor until the watermelon is ripe on the vine. She set up the bassinet we gave her last night and placed it by her bed. In the middle of the night, she told me, guess who was trying to climb in and sleep in it? (Charlie!!!!!!)

My aunt shared her personal, moving tribute to Ruth Bader Ginsburg on he Facebook page today:

As a former Fortune 500 company EEO Specialist who worked to safeguard women and minority rights for many years before my job in Corp. Mgt. Development at the same company, I join with our country in mourning the death of Ruth Bader Ginsburg. She was a heroine of the 1st order. I ask that congress honor her request to wait for the new president to chose her replacement. She deserves an honorable response to her request. Scalia would hope you join those of us who share one of her last requests. I am honored, RBG, for working along with people like you who helped women make it in our sometimes anti-women environment. I will honor your memory along with other females like Sojourner Truth, etc. for making a difference in the lives of so many. Thank you for showing us how to make such an impact. May you rest now dearest woman. You have