Hello darling, I'm going to take a flying leap - into conjecture and into your arms - and welcome you stateside, I hope you had a good flight. You must be very eager to stretch your legs at this moment, breathe some fresh air. Soon darling, soon, first there's that matter of getting the luggage off the carrel. I haven't flown in years but there is something about that experience of getting off a plane and waiting for one's luggage to appear, while watching that steel belt start up (yay!) and go round and round - I don't know, just very lonesome to me. And most of the luggage looks the same, I could barely recognize my own generic black bags.

Ah, but sweetheart! What am I going on about! Let's leave that horrible old airport, put the top down in the convertible, and zip around to wherever you're going, and I'll tell you about my day. Because I for one am very glad to be seated at this moment, up in the aerie, I've been on my feet for the last several hours. I've lost the battle of weeding the garden, but today I did battle with getting to all the fresh CSA and farmstand produce in the fridge.... before I pick up another "share" tomorrow. So I did a lot of cooking. It was a little intensive, a lot of multitasking, not exactly zen 'slow food' style, but I felt very - maybe unusually - energetic, and full of vigor, and enjoying moving around the kitchen, enjoying the sensation of my quite fit (or fittest it's been in years) body. What all did I do? I made yet another summer squash quiche-like eggy breakfast pie - I had to get to a bag of a half dozen beautiful squashes & zucchinis === before I pick up another batch just like it tomorrow. I sliced and sauteed white onions for pissalediere, and pitted olives. I incorporated an organic head of swiss chard into a pasta sauce involving (non-organic, I'm afraid) turkey sausage, lentils, canned diced tomatoes and homemade stock. I made iced tea. I detached tiny beets from their lusty greens, roasted the former & rinsed the latter, which will be the side to a chicken that I stuffed with lemon & garlic & fresh thyme.... You get the idea - I could actually go on - assembled beautiful nicoise salads for lunch, had made a scallion & cheddar omelet for breakfast. Phew!

So yes, I am quite exhausted, but in a nice way... on top of that I did some weeding, and fed the birds, and watered the garden, and changed bed linens in the two bedrooms, and washed them, hung them to dry, and threw them in the drier to finish them up, and folded and put them away.

So I didn't have time to settle down into the memoir of the charming but prickly (is irascible too strong a word for her?) Dora, but I did have a bit of quality time with myself (& you) that went off splendidly, unlike yesterday, when it didn't - and I have to wonder, from day to day, what on earth is the difference? Is it the batteries? Ah mysteries of life...

It is just a really splendid hour just now. Really, it's been a splendid day. It's been absolutely glorious - sunny and dry, very comfortable. I took a walk with weights at the conservation area, and later even did a workout to Charlie Rose. No wonder I'm feeling fit & trim, plus much more 'up' on the looming debt-ceiling deadline & the issues.

Sweetheart, so this is a bit of a laundry list of a post, but how can I top yesterday's? I blew myself away, I'll admit. I had sat down, as usual, without a clue as to what I was going to write, just trying to settle into the groove, see what might come. I don't understand my own processes myself (and honestly, I suppose I don't look too closely either). But I had felt miserable much of the day, because I had spent quite a bit of time - too much - in another pursuit, to no relief or effect, which threw off my day and left me feeling upset. And then I was very tired, and read about James Lord & Dora, and then fell asleep for a long while. So at least I was rested, I guess, when I sat down to write.

Today there was quick success, followed up with an "'well all right - let's get cookin'" mode - and all that activity isn't so great for dreamed writing. But that's okay, darling isn't it --- as long as there are kisses, whatever I write, as long as I'm writing, connecting with you dearest -

because it's not as though there's some novel or screenplay or epic poem that's not getting written because I did some work around the kitchen & the garden
that simply isn't the case
what you see here - is what I write
and I am beyond thrilled to write it - whatever it is
(like that charming song from Mamma Mia - "Thank You for the Music" - what a gift, what a joy...)

And that's it darling. Today was all about cooking; tomorrow I aim to clean the house. In case you've landed, or will, nearer to me than usual and there might be a reconnaissance mission on the part of some to the wilds 30 miles south of Albany. Well, whether any of that transpires or not in the near future, the house is 'due', and best tomorrow, before the weekend, and before the return of summer heat...

And so that's that darling, love you. Welcome home. I've changed the linens for you, come visit tonight. I'll put my arms around you, you'll put yours around me, and we'll have fun. Or maybe we're both so exhausted - you after your long flight, me after all that thrashing about in the kitchen...

ah, but there's always three a.m., when we wake up in each other's arms, in the still, in darkness, groggy but amorous, reinvigorated, with bad breath, but rested

Sweet dreams my love -
'later
XOXO