I could smell the ocean this morning so I stood on the deck by the rail just soaking it in. The water is a long way off, but many a morning the ocean makes its way here, and I love those mornings the best. The breeze is slight, and the sun is hot. It is already 80°. When I came inside after my coffee and papers, the den felt cool, still shaded as it is. The sun is working its way around the house, and, by afternoon, the den too will be hot. Tonight is movie night. We’re seeing one recommended by a friend: Next Stop Wonderland.

The renters from next door have already left. I watched them tote boxes and roll their suitcases to the car. I don’t know who will arrive this afternoon, but I hope they are as quiet as the last tenants.

I’m busy with plays and dinners and such, but I still take the time to do nothing but put my feet up and read. Gracie and I sit outside for the longest time. Well, actually, only I sit. Gracie spreads out and sleeps in the shade. I stop to watch the birds, and my friend the giant crow comes back almost every day. I’m thinking of naming him, but I suspect he already has one of his own. The feeders need filling so that’s a chore for later. The kitchen needs sweeping so I’ll add that to the list. I need to do a bit of shopping and that will be the last chore of the day.

The paper this morning had an article about music returning to Afghanistan. It had been banned for so long many of the master musicians have died, and some traditional instruments have no one who knows how to play them. I thought how awful a world without music must have been. I think how music soothes me or enervates me or even makes me smile. I think of songs like Happy Birthday which we sing no matter how old the celebrant is. I can’t imagine a Christmas without carols. I think the first song I ever learned was Twinkle Twinkle Little Star. The words to that song and so many others stay in my head, and I can still sing along years after first hearing them. I wish I remembered yesterday as strongly as I remember, “Up above the world so high like a diamond in the sky.”