There is nothing like a night of music with friends, the drive home, and falling into bed, tired and happy only to be notified around 1:30 a.m. that you forgot to put the cat out. The discovery is made when she jumps on the bed. At first you think perhaps she is simply seeking a warm spot beside you on a chill spring night, but said feline announces her true intentions by walking on your sleeping head. It’s the I-need-your-full-attention shuffle. I get up, put her out, return to bed. We’re all happy.

All things considered, however, it was only a slight interruption to an otherwise delightful day. Dug in the garden, visited a friend on some new property he is developing, and spent the evening in the company of other friends listening to music. Most of us are vaccinated and are hardly strangers, so Covid fears are greatly reduced. It’s nice to be heading into summer where small outdoor gatherings will be possible once again. The only sour note yesterday was that it got a little chill to be sitting outside.

Today, I’ll be back in the garden, there is silverleaf nightshade to be plucked along with Virginia creeper and other assorted weeds that have yet to establish their utility in the garden. The day promises soft weather and I’m still inclined toward digging. It’s a match. And of course, there will be the daily walkabout, in which I marvel at the fecundity of nature, the bright green of new leaves, the thin shoots of new growth, the blooms on the roses. Life in all its glory. Here we go.

 John W. Wilson is the author of The Long Goodbye: A Caregiver’s Tale