Later start to the morning. Or maybe it’s just that they are up too early.

Hot tea. Gotta take a break from the coffee; it makes me to angsty.

Grocery shopping. I see the old man with the blue sneakers. I haven’t seen him in awhile. I realize that this is the last time I’m going to be in this store, shopping for a full week of groceries. This is the beginning of the end.

What am I going to do with all of this whole wheat flour?

Laundry and a big mug of tea. I keep finding all the other things to do instead of packing.

Spicy pizza, a red blend from Tuscany, an average apple crostada. Belly full on a cold and cloudy day.

I am late picking them up. Not late-late, but the third-to-last car in the pick-up line. I apologize and tell them that I fell asleep. They are forgiving. “I’m not mad, I was just wondering. It’s okay.”

She asks if she can bake the chocolate cake since there is nothing else for dessert. “I know, I know. Read the direction and mise en place.”

Sometimes your kids do things that let you know you are doing it all right even when you feel like you’ve got it all wrong.

“You’ve really got to start packing.”