I went to dinner last night with Bill and Maryanne who are neither sports people nor tv people, and left the tv on for the dogs, with strict instructions that they were to keep an eye on the Cubs. Then I come home in the 8th just as all hell breaks loose — the Cubs are breaking our hearts again! I don’t even know if I can watch tonight —

In normal everyday life here in Montana — the weather is gorgeous this morning. It rained last night, and this morning at the dog park the Crazies and the Absorkas have a new dusting of snow and the yellow cottonwood and aspen leaves are almost all gone. It was one of those dark-blue and gold mornings — still some residual dark clouds, gold sunshine streaking through, and white peaks.

And I have a huge bag of iris thinnings that Andrea left on my doorstep yesterday while I was out getting a massage, and a yellow rosebush that Yena gave me. Patrick loved yellow roses and so next summer I’ll have a nice yellow rosebush just off the porch to remind me. The week is still full of paperwork kinds of tasks — tracking down the title to his car for State Farm (I cannot say enough good things about State Farm at this point — they have been unfailingly kind, and quick to settle on the most generous terms possible), sorting out the mess of paperwork that’s now down in my basement office so I can begin sorting out to whom he owed what, and where his outstanding invoices for his little business are. However, I’m going to take a break this afternoon and go buy some bulbs. I think a weekend of gardening is just what I need, and goodness knows, after a couple of hard frosts, there’s work to be done out there.

So, bittersweet as it is, life continues here at LivingSmall where we will be lighting candles all day for the home team.