It is essential to woman’s equality with man that she be the decisionmaker, that her choice be controlling . . . If you impose restraints that impede her choice, you are disadvantaging her because of her sex.

~ Ruth Bader Ginsburg

Frank left at 6:00 a.m. to drive to New York, so when I woke up and watched the news, I was worried, of course. What a disaster during the night for New York City and New Jersey, and Pennsylvania, and more. Since Frank was headed to Flushing Meadows for his annual trip to watch the US Open Tennis, I thought he might be fine. And, I called him, he was. The morning news grew worse and worse, from the devastating effects of Ida to the devastating effects on women’s rights in Texas. I felt a fury rising. Went out into the coolness with Charlie, who listened to my ventings very compassionately. And I walked over trestle bridge and across the meadow and up Hospital Road and to the other side of the river to see the view. I made a number of phone calls to sisters, brothers, nieces. I have a dear, dear aunt, one of my father’s sisters, who is not doing well, and I am quite sad and concerned. She has been, always, more than an aunt: a mentor, a friend, and often, a guiding light. The bright yellow tansy in the meadow was a cheerful distraction. All the Queen Anne’s Lace bowing in the meadow. A lovely breeze blowing September air around me. I had Thursday poetry workshop and got a great response to my new poem, part of a series, and now I am excited to keep working on it. No weeding today, but time outdoors in the thick grass and late summer sunshine while visiting with my son. The thing about my aunt––she has been the true matriarch of my father’s family, and she was, for him, a most trusted person all his life. I went into the garden a couple of days ago. My one stalk of sunflower had fallen, and I let it stay that way, blooming in recline. Then, one morning, I went into the garden, and there she was, again, standing in bloom, upright and strong. Frank must have set her to rights when I wasn’t looking.