Grateful Monday

This is one of my favorite scenes in the garden. I know I have posted it before. Just showing progress.

This is the last Monday of my current contract, and I have a lot to be grateful for. Forgive me if I ramble on.

Suna and the boys

It is so wonderful to have a place of refuge where I can find peace and support. Suna and the boys give me more than I can hope to return. I am grateful for this.

Nature at home

Yesterday, Beccano took Suna and I upstairs to show us a nest of cardinals just outside the guest room window. The cardinals incorporated dog-chewed plastic bottles, dog hair, and more traditional items into the nest. This is like having a science museum at home. Unfortunately, I think the screens will keep us from getting good pictures from that perspective.

We also got about 7/8” of rain last night. It was a gentle, soaking rain—very unusual for this time of year. When we get any rain at all, it usually comes as a quick deluge that runs off before it can do any good. The cloud cover has also kept the temperatures reasonable today. You can go outside without feeling like you’re stepping into a convection oven.

I am grateful to be able to enjoy nature at home without having to worry about how to extract a living from it.

This assignment

Not only has the money from this assignment been good, the support of the people with whom I have worked has been very healing. I had developed a very negative attitude toward ALE in my tenure there. Now I am grateful for this team, who has helped be regain the equilibrium that ALE originally destroyed.

I came here nine months ago—time passes so quickly!—on a 90-day contract. I have enjoyed my stay and been productive, earning what I have been paid. Now I am going without regrets. Thanks to this team and ALE. I look forward to the potential of coming back again.