Darling, I just got home, am settled in the aerie with a glass of rosé, and KZE is playing Natural Forces. Earth science reminded me of the song, listening to it now and thinking about the lyrics reminds me of you, out West. Did you ever get a new horse?

In the essay that I noticed in the kiosk this morning the geologist noted that he would be giving a guided tour of another conservation area in the county - "July 15 at 3." Yesterday (as reliably reminded by the francophile Mr. North Fifth Street at the12534) was Bastille Day so I deduced that the 15th's today and I thought, wow, so weird I'm reading this at this very moment, since for all I know the essay's been up for a while, I hardly ever look at the kiosk - maybe I'll go. Like E.D. with her wellspring knowledge of botany, I felt that I could use some hard scientific grounding in local natural phenomena in order to give me fresh source material, inspire new connections and metaphors in my writing. So D, who's very friendly with the next door neighbors (while I remain forever the pariah - for some reason that eludes me, maybe some primal one-sided death match, Mom vs. mythically child-devouring Non-Mom (WTF has really changed since "feminism"?)) borrowed their Subaru for the afternoon so that I could have the car. So I drove out to High Falls, a lovely piece of protected land, very woodsy, reminiscent of the Bartlett Arboretum, only with the abiding sound of rushing waters - Falls and brook. Hot sunny day, but here it was all dappled shade, stands of fern, and worn, rock-strewn dirt trail from which arrowheads have probably been long ago spied and pocketed (I never found one as a child - did you ever? why do I imagine that they were more plentiful then? or does the earth, after heavy frosts, yearly heave up a fresh spare supply?) -- all one might wish from a northeastern woodland trail (all but a bog walk, astronomical twilight, and thou), along with dramatic geology reminiscent of Mianus Gorge in Greenwich, CT - ravines and, I don't know, striated granite? But no geologist, and no guided tour, so I toured the place in geologically ignorant fashion, simply enjoying the cool shade, beautiful scenery and memories of you, not just memories, but a desire to hold your hand (I reached out my hand) and discover the place together. I think you would like it. Kisses, darling.

***
P.S. I finally did make cole slaw, with farmstand cabbage, carrot, and half a kohlrabi (like a sweetish turnip I've read) that's been sitting in fridge vegetable bin for a month. I'll never get to the other half so maybe right now I should go downstairs and grate it into the slaw, where I'm sure the sweetish turnip qualities will be lost in the deliciously obliterating dressing of mayo, mustard, celery seed, celery salt, etc. Also cooked up an enormous pot of pasta with a sauce of ground turkey, turkey sausage, tomato, chicken stock and swiss chard. Note to Ms. Browning - I didn't used to know what to do with chard either - those enormous bunches are daunting - but, chopped up, it wilts down and then is perfectly manageable in a very large pot, mixed up in, ultimately lost, yet adding a healthful green note (and bragging rights) to a mélange of delicious savory ingredients.

***
More kisses for you, darling.