Hello darling, pleasantly ensconced at my desk in Gull Cottage, feeling quite exhausted but pleasantly so after a day of errands, cooking, flower arranging, laundry, and the like. There are flowers all over the house now, from all over the place: on my desk from the garden; on the kitchen table from the cutting border at the CSA farm; in jugs on the pellet stove and on the hearth (oh, shiver - winter!) from an enormous bouquet that I divided, a $6.99 bunch from the supermarket of all places, but showcased as having been grown on a local farm.

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D's been around all day so no ground control to Major Tom, tomorrow I hope. So I kept busy and active in all kinds of other ways. Went to the conservation area for a walk in the morning, and ended up having a very nice, interesting conversation about the dog-leashing brouhaha with the conservancy director, a very nice gentleman who's between a rock & a hard spot on this issue. I chatted with a couple of other people later on my walk too - the controversy has caused people to stop in their tracks and converse with one another, really quite a nice collateral development - particularly for me, who rarely has occasion to talk to anyone beyond transactional pleasantries at a shop or library. Anyway, it was great, I enjoyed it. One of my conversations was with a very nice woman who walks a huge dark gray shaggy dog, I don't know what breed. The poor dog was whimpering, wishing to be let off its leash. I felt bad for this gentle loving creature. The woman was puzzled as to why suddenly there's this kerfuffle, and I told her that I'd just had a chat with the conservancy head who filled me in - basically it's one individual who's doing all the complaining. I mentioned that IMHO there was (conscious or not) a political subtext to this controversy - I smelled Tea P'y, or such views. And her eyes widened and she told me that she was blown away that I'd come up with that, that it made complete sense to her - it's like she made the connection that what goes on in Washington is really just a reflection of what's going on right here (anywhere, U.S.A.). She asked me if I write and I said that I do though typically not on political issues. I also told her that I have a lot of time on my hands to think. It was interesting to see a lightbulb seem to go on for someone - because of something I said. Talk about an exceedingly rare occurrence! You see too darling, while I was talking to the conservancy head I found myself getting a little excited and impassioned. I'm much better writing down my thoughts than speaking them. But he was cool with my thoughts, even as I became a bit flustered, and encouraged me to attend meetings on the issue. I don't know if I will. I mean, I don't get rabid, but - I have to say that I really wish I had my U.S. Senator Kirsten's equipoise and smiling demeanor, and just waltz smilingly through everything while lowering the boom with killer arguments and observations.

And so here I type to you, darling Captain, and not even a 'Letter to the Editor.'

Ah, what else today? There was beautiful fresh basil to be had at the CSA yesterday, so I made pesto which we'll have with fresh cheese ravioli. I made salsa with sweet yellow tomatoes and red ones too, plus a CSA jalapeno & white onion. I whirred together dough for a pie I plan to bake tomorrow with the CSA peaches. I topped off the bird feeders - one of neighbor's free-ranging (unleashed!) chickens hangs out there, fox to the feeders' grapes, plaintively honking (yes, this chicken expresses itself with Model-T hornlike bleats) querying as to how to get to the sunflower kernels. And I watered the garden, which was especially pleasant because across the way a very handsome house (we know only the house, not its weekending residents) is having a party this afternoon, and so there are many cars parked along the road, and there's a live band too, playing fun party music, a mix, R & B, and some piece - bossa nova? - I don't know - but musically one number ended with a cha cha cha.

And that's about it, darling, a day of mundanities really, but it was fine, I packed it in. On summer clearance I found a wonderful pair of high wedge-heeled sandals, originally $40, for which I paid $15. I'm putting them away for next summer.

Darling, I wonder how you are doing, I think about you all the time, abidingly. I've been dreaming, weirdly, of 1.0 the last several nights - he's always running away, leaving, cordially interested in me yet detached - and I'm a little agitated in my dreams because I sense just that about him, that he's always on to the next thing. And nothing calms me down quicker than thoughts of you, I greet the dawn with you, and you're there, you just stay there, you don't keep running. And so I hold you close, in my heart, and sometimes I'll hold my pillow too.

Oh yikes, let me go, I really am quite tired now after this day. I wonder if I will ever see you again. I would like to, but I am resigned that it may never happen. Well, it's okay, my dear Captain, we'll make it work somehow between us - we already are. Many kisses from Gull Cottage, my love, as I figuratively throw windows open wide at refreshing breezes coming in off the sea, settle in my seat to type, hoping when I raise my eyes again, to see you standing at the window peering through the telescope and swearing in tarnation about - I don't know, having to leash a dog in a depopulated park particularly in winter is like trying to harness Poseidon. Bah!!!

Kisses, my dearest dearest Captain. We'll both calm down, and you can put your arms around me and kiss me behind my ears, and I'll say hold off a few more seconds dearest dearest love until I can finish this senten...