I derive incredible satisfaction from a clean house. Yesterday I vacuumed every floor, including wood and tile, and vacuumed the front room furniture, too. I watched the canister filled with dirt, dust, pet hair, and pine needles empty into the trash bin with a soft, solid whoosh. Ahhh.

This morning I took Kona for a walk. We went up to the city park about a mile or so away, and wandered the perimeter, venturing into the forest for a little bit. Through the community garden, we reached a vista point, with a semicircular bench, where one can look out through a gap in the tree trunks and see the entire town laid out below, all the way to the small bay and beyond to the mountains. The weather today is perfect; high clouds, crisp, fresh. We looked down at the trees and roads, and listened to the birds above us busily flitting around. Kona enjoyed herself very much, and looked up at me often with a big grin on her face.

My pals Claire and Steve were married yesterday, congratulations to them!