Good and Beautiful

 It's a grey, rainy day. It's a Cat Stevens, Gordon Lightfoot, Grover Washington Jr. kinda morning. That coupled with the fact that it's Sunday and that I have the house all to myself makes this my very favorite kind of Sunday morning. Mike is at the cabin with his brothers, Ted left for Madison on Friday and Lily has yet to return from a sleepover. Tigger is back in bed. I'm a stickler for a daily and particularly made bed, but he's a big fan of soft nooks and crannies, so I indulge him. I'm grateful that Lils and I pulled the trigger and went to the wildlife sanctuary yesterday. It was a perfect fall day for trail walk with friends. Wild life sanctuary is a glorified name for a zoo, but believe me when I tell you this is like the Ritz Carlton of zoos. I only feel a slight sense of guilt for their captivity. Lily drove us in her new Jeep along country roads bursting with color. The drive alone filled me up. The stories from the day will be the fox who didn't like me and the elk we're not sure either really liked Lily or really did NOT like her. The wolves were out, the raccoons were playful and we weren't charged by any buffalo. On the way home, Lily let me stop at a favorite butcher despite the fact she has a no meat rule for her car. I swayed her by telling her I was in search of chicken wings. Chicken is not meat. That's another rule. We were famished so we picked up sandwiches for an early dinner and called it a day. I had thoughts of going out, but all she wanted was Potbelly's. How used to we are all becoming to being home, doesn't bode well for local establishments. 

Blau's was out of fresh chicken wings so I'm thinking I'm going to make a hearty pot pie for Sunday dinner instead. Mike usually comes home from the cabin chilled and tired so I won't send him out to the grill in the rain. It' the quintessential day for spending time in the kitchen, lost in the pages of a book, or binge watching something girl friendly. I got into Liar last night on Prime. I think I can get through the first season before the Packers play today. It's a good psychological thriller. I'm rather stuck in my current read: Dearly Beloved. It's reminiscent of Crossing to Safety, which holds a special place in my book-loving heart so I'm thinking it's me not the story. Timing.

Speaking of which, I had a long overdue visit with a friend Friday night at her request. She's been going through the roughest of rough patches and was finally ready to connect. Things have eased up in her world to where she could catch her breath. We shared a great night. We talked about the tough stuff, but also the good old days of Marquette and Rufus King boys, swapping Esprit sweaters and Sargent Zwitter's Algebra class. I made a big Caesar salad and kept the wine flowing. In the morning, I was saddened to hear that things are exploding in her world again. Timing. No rest for the weary. The other shoe. All I can do is pray for her. It doesn't feel like enough.

I've been saying lots of prayers lately for people I know and also some I don't know. Things feel heavy, dark, divisive. And then I come here and I'm focused on the bright spots in this good and beautiful world.