For Peter

Small round yellow fleshed watermelon. Light sabers on the lawn, three color sunflowers on the kitchen table. Luscious farmer's market, potatoes, tomatoes, squash, blueberries, peaches, corn. Kids on the wii. Swimming at the public pool, then being told to stay out of the sun because of the side effects of the antibiotics. Stay out of the sun in the height of summer in Michigan? Shopping for tank tops, white chili for supper. Lost cell phone found, overnighted by a friend back in CT. Baby coos, cries, smiles, nurses. Dog gets taken for a walk, fearful of going too far from the house, but working on it. Dinner in Bay City on Friday night with some new internet friends. Teaching the boys how to catch a ball. Focus, concentrate, relax, it's just the ball and you, keep your eye on the ball. They get better each time we practice. Vegetables cooked on the outdoor grill, smokey, flavorful. Aching knees if I stand too long, or walk too far. Reading a 600 page novel, set in 19th century England. Off coffee, off sugar, except for the CT salt water taffy made in Massachusetts. Girls in a play tomorrow night, getting very good at playing the piano too. Artful frogs on Main Street. Small black kittens living next door. I'd have fifty cats if I could. Camilla back home being good at taking her pills for the cat sitter. Relief. Dog has mange, vet called it demodex to spare the embarrassment. Ointment does not seem to be working. Have to figure out what to do with the rest of my life. Hope the dog can pass the therapy dog program, that's a start. Pulling weeds, sweeping the walk, husking the corn, slicing the tomatoes. Using the wheelchair privilege at the airport, gets me through security faster. False knees set off the alarms, or else the pants with too many zippered pockets. Must remember to wear socks with shoes always at the airport, who knows what bare feet can pick up in that environment. Nice person in the seat next to me. Dog is always so quiet under the seat; she exceeds the weight limit but they never check, esp. now I have a letter from the doctor. Working at my brother's computer station in the house, surrounded by StarTrek paraphernalia. Why do I even bother playing Scrabble? Always so frustrating. It's not a competition. Yawns and long pauses to make an eight letter word. Flowers planted along a main thoroughfare. Special truck comes along just to water them. Miles and miles of petunias and zinnias, healthy and vibrant. Dog likes dad's chair, rests her head on his ankle. Her bark makes the baby cry, but her sister still encourages her to touch the fur, to see the dog is not a threat, just loud. Hardy pink hibiscus boldly standing against the Wedgewood blue of the house.