Too Hard to Think of a Title

Inspirational song: Higher Ground (Stevie Wonder)

Oh, man. I slept hard last night. I dreamed hard, or at least weird. Sometime after dog breakfast (I know because they stomp on me to and from their meal), I had in-depth dreams about the house I grew up in. In this one I wasn't living there, but was leasing it out to other people. I was there, in this dream, describing experiences I and my daughter had there, where it felt like the house was haunted, or at least just not normal. I don't often remember facial expressions from my dreams, but I for sure saw these people exchange meaningful glances like they totally had similar encounters. Who knows, maybe other people would feel creeped out by the same windows and dark rooms as kid-Anne was in that house.

I didn't start moving until almost 10 this morning. While I was having that weird dream, I was curled up in a ball, clenched hard. It was difficult as all get-out to move once I tried. I was stiff and sore from lugging peaches around yesterday, and I stopped moving boxes earlier than most of the others. (I started earlier too, so I don't feel like I wimped out on my friends.) It took me quite a while to get the house ready for game night. I'm more recovered now, at the end of the night, but it took me a long time to get here.

Despite how tightly the dogs were snuggling me all night and all morning, they were trying to convince our gamers that they are attention-starved. Saoirse stayed under the table through the whole game, only poking her nose out for head pats and the occasional French fry. Beinn stood by my side for much of the game, breathing heavily against me (and dog breath is warm). I suppose it says good things about us, that our dogs would rather be in a pile with us and our friends than anywhere else in the whole world.

I noticed something wonderful today. I saw fully yellow leaves on my cherry tree. I will never see my aspens turn the pretty colors that they are already starting to be on the mountain where the cabins are. But I have cherry trees, a maple, and a peach to put on a real show out my front window. It has begun. I am thrilled.