Maria met a friend, and I made myself lunch – focaccia bread with cheese, fresh peaches, and snap peas. I went outside to sit in my Amish Adirondack chair and slipped into a trance between sleep and dreaming. It was the most beautiful afternoon of the year for me.

It was cool and dry, and the wind was terrific. It kept the bugs away and made me want to sit there forever.  It was the kind of wind that feels like an angel rubbing the sides of my face.

There was an intense sun for the photos. I always look for the light.

Last week, when the heat dome visited us, I couldn’t go outside for several days.

My cardiologist told me to get a blood pressure and heart reader and record the test results for two weeks.

Doctor Daraban is fiddling around with my medications, thinking one of them was causing trouble with my Ozempic. I’m relieved; I thought I might be having heart problems. It’s possible, but when I stopped taking one meditation at her suggestion, I felt great as she suspected that I would.

I would tell Maria we should drag some sleeping bags out and sleep under the stars tonight. She would do it in a minute. I’ve changed my mind.

I sat there for a long time; it was close to paradise. When I woke up, Maria was coming home and was looking for flowers in the pasture. She likes to give some to me and take some into her studio.

I had my camera; I followed her passage into the marsh. I knew she was looking for wildflowers, and Zinnia loved to tag along with her.

It was a beautiful sight. She sat with me for a while, but I couldn’t get up. I sat there longer and counted my blessings. We talked, and then she had to go back to work.

Rubbing Lulu’s ears, carrying her bouquet of wildflowers. Donkeys love to have their ears rubbed

We are bringing out food for our composter.

This is what I saw looking in my chair for more than an hour. Getting up was hard.

I have a blackbird friend who likes to sit on a pole near me and listen. I hope he likes what he hears, and I will miss him.