Ten.One Thousand, Three Hundred & Nineteen

1. I want flow.

2. One more cycle of the dishwasher before the water goes.

3. Thick stripes of watery tangerine in the sky. Silhouettes of redwoods and Douglas firs.

4. There are empty oatmeal packets in the trash? When did he come down to eat again?

5. Water is off. At least they are in school. We can manage just fine when it’s just the two of us.

6. He says he’s starving. I ask him if he’s the one who ate all of the oatmeal. He confirms. Thirds at dinner. Ice cream. Four packets of instant oatmeal. Breakfast. He eats almost an entire pizza for lunch. I tell him he will be out of his shoes before the end of the month.

7. I take a splinter out of his hand. He chuckles. “I feel really tall.”

8. Solo walk. I look out over the hill and down into the valley below. Naked vines and bright green cover crop. Sunshine. Mustard. Deep breath.

9. Beef stroganoff.

10. Trivia after dinner.