On such an evening
I ache for what I cannot keep - the birds,
the phlox, the late-flying bees -
though I would not forbid the frost,
even if I could.  There will be more to love
and lose in what's to come and this too:  desire
to see it clear before it's gone.

~Excerpt from Late August, by Mary Chivers

Today, more departures from your our group. A simpler, quieter house. Charlie and Brittany joining me for a morning walk through the trails. A bike ride on the road and trails in the bright morning, all by myself. A bite in the cool afternoon, despite the cloudless sky and penetration of sun. September soon. On the edge of it. And today, in the early hours of the morning, my nephew, a boy born a year after my own first daughter, and his wife bringing a new being into the family: Welcome to the world, Lucy. We’re glad you’re here.