It is quiet here at Marge's after today's wee hours began with heavy rain. The morning's travels to church and errands crossed ditches, creeks and streams topping the capacity of their banks. At midday, I overheard someone saying they'd had over an inch of rain. Just checking with Wendy this evening, I learned there was an inch at Rhapsody Ridge by her goat milking time this morning. More heavy showers came throughout the day, but by late afternoon, the sun came out long enough before it set for me to get in a rainless walk over to the little park a few blocks away.

By the time I returned to the house, the sky completely changed back to dark clouds and the wind was picking up as I set out the big garbage can with the one bag in it and the tiny bag of recycles in the blue box. Now in the darkness, the wind is howling through the big trees behind the house.

Mornings finds me with coffee and this laptop sitting comfortably looking through the patio doors out to the back of the property here. The neighbor, skirting the open space behind, daily walks his dog with his cat bounding along in her catlike ways; sometimes detouring up and down a tree trunk, or once right up to the patio doors where I sit. During our crisp, clear mornings this past week, I was entertained for longer periods by five-squirrel cartwheels back and forth, up and down, across the view, their gray, agile bodies spiraling the tree trunks; even running right up to the patio door.

Youth is returning to college's and universities, and that includes Keoni who traveled to Mercer today.     These days, Aidan and his dad work most nights on math. Sometimes early in the morning, too, while Aidan eats his cereal. Soon he will board his 6:41 a.m. bus in daylight.

In Tucson, Carol and Janie have each sent some very recent weather pictures of the views that my nearby property shared pretty closely years ago. It still entrances me.

From Janie. The Catalinas to the East.

From Carol. The Tucson Mountains to the West.

Thanks.