Loglines/writing break, waiting for the refrigerator repair person to arrive between now and 4 hours from now, recovering from the debilitating cold the teen had last week, took the puppy on a brief walk to the pond, where we quietly viewed cormorants (I sometimes mix them up with loons) balanced on a platform thing floating in the water.

I don’t know why the cormorants are here and not the ocean, Ventura’s beaches, or Santa Barbara’s, where their kin thrive. There’s only teeny tiny fish in our pond. Turtles. Certainly a reliable midday peace, still…

Whatever the reason, I appreciate their presence here in the mountains.

Hello, February! Old birthday month, part nemesis, part thrill.

Let’s get on with it.

Yours in aging gracefully,

PB