I woke early to swim before taking Wave to school and going to a a medical appointment. I got pretty much a lot of joy from my time with him. He showed me and his mother a “trick” he did for the first time last night: where he curls up as a roly poly, whatever that is, and tightens himself into a tight body like a little toad at rest. Purely adorable. Then, I am asked to turn my back, and then he unfurls. Brilliant. This is, apparently, a defensive posture, and the conversation shifts to how animals defend themselves. And, guess what he says Brittany’s defensive posture is?

Love. Her defensive posture is love. I had to really stop and appreciate that notion. I am still thinking about it and appreciating it.

Then I drove to Athol, town of my birth. I wanted to take some pictures and drive around to a bunch of places where my various relatives have lived, places I haven’t seen in many years, places of my childhood. At Starrett Tools, where various family members worked over the decades, I took these pictures of the Miller’s river which runs through the factory buildings. And taking these pictures made my trip so worthwhile. It was a gorgeous fall day, sun and clear sky, plus a fast, hard warm wind. Research for a book I’m working on.