Ten.Ninety-Eight

1. These last few days with no alarm have been nice. But I miss being the first one awake.  

2. I make a meal plan full of things we’ve never had before and this excites me. Newness is good.  

3. Blue heron, white heron, mallard duck. I wish I knew more names of things. To be able to give a thing its proper name is to respect it. 

4. I’m trying to think of all the things I need for this birthday party of hers. It’s not so much a party as it is a gathering of friends. I should just relax. They’re only 8 years old. Anything I do will be just fine.  

5. I pick Gia Mia for lunch.  

6. Mushroom toast, beet salad, calabrese pizza, tiramisu. They always bring two spoons; I am the only one who eats dessert.  

7. I get the potatoes started for the gnocchi.  

8. I miss walking the kids to and from school. I miss the trees and the conversations and the fresh air.  

9. This tomato broth. The kids eat double and triple helpings.  

10. In two weeks I’ll be in Tucson. I have no expectations. I just want to put myself in the way of beauty.