This morning we all woke a little late, and somehow got Wave out the door on time. How many family members does it take to get one almost four year old into the car for school with his lunch and both shoes on his feet???? I had a lovely, especially wonderful walk. The trees are passing their peak, but there is so much gorgeousness on the river in the reflection of the trees. I took a huge bunch of photos and plan to make a series out of them. There was a pleasant loose feel to my schedule. I had plenty of time. One of the things I did was send a batch of poems to a journal that the editor asked me to submit to a couple of weeks ago. Felt good to cross that off my list. Watered all my new tropical plants––indoors. Did errands, had an x-ray on my back. Listened to two recent Fresh Air podcasts, recorded a week apart. First, an interview with the Israeli author Etgar Keret, and the Palestinian poet Mosab Abu Toha who recently left Gaza with his wife and three children after being detained and beaten by Israelis at a checkpoint and separated from his wife and children. They are currently living in Syracuse, NY. It was a fascinating combination of interviews, and I found them both exceptionally moving. Tonight I made my homemade macaroni and cheese for my youngest, my mother’s recipe. And spent the evening with Wave, playing, and telling him his birth story on this night before his birthday. We will give him his present on Friday when Frank returns.