So what is this? The 8TH? And Wednesday, right? Man, oh, man. I may have found the answer to "how time flies" by watching the hummingbirds in our backyard. It's not in anything resembling a straight line, that is for sure. And like their flight path, my latest attempts to make plans with focused intention and priorities also swerved, dove, and hovered on occasion before shooting in an unexpected direction, then down, back, up and stalled again. Jennifer left us Sunday for a week in Indian Wells. Oh, and by "US," I don't mean Tommy and me—the dogs and me. Lucky can roll with it, but Scottie has been a complete basket case. His looks have been everything from heartbreak to confusion over what he did to cause her to leave. At one point, I found him slowly pacing the backyard, sniffing vigorously while muttering something about where I might have buried the body. Clearly, he does not realize that I might love her as much if not more than him. And this week, his devastation over her absence has me suspecting he's right. He has slightly improved. Today was the first day he didn't go through an entire box of Kleenex, and he's settled in beside me and more willing to do so. Settling means something entirely different for him in this instance. For me, it brings back recollections of being picked last in 9α΅Κ° grade gym class team selections. This dog I adore is aging and limping as his joints become problematic, as is typical for this breed. So, I have been trying to limit his jumping onto and from chairs and couches. We now have three dog ramps scattered about the house. I also started him on CBD dog chews as an experiment to see if they help. It's just been one day, but he does seem a bit... hey... now I come full circle back to him "settling." It's the drugs. Anyway, dog tangent aside, Jen's absence has given me a fleeting taste of living alone. Fleeting mostly because Tommy remains a presence but is mainly off doing his own things. And I have mixed feelings about the relative sense of isolation. I have been busy and focused on action items, shifting schedules, delays, and interruptions. That's fine. It feels "natural". Yet the routines are as broken for me as they are for Scottie, and the evenings, in particular, feel reminiscent of the period between divorce and moving in with Jennifer. All that being said, I feel satisfaction and pride about the things I've gotten done: calls and connections, housekeeping and maintenance, routines rebooted, all positive steps towards positive ends. On a sour note, my back and "Siatic" nerve, in particular, have been problematic, and the new additions to stretch have yet to improve it. On a joyous note, Lauren, I decided (I did, really) that the destination for our upcoming getaway before school resumes will be Paso Robles. It will be wonderful to introduce her to some of our favorite places, to the aspects of viticulture, and to places like Morro Bay and Sensorio. Tommy and I are looking at options to get at least one or more nights in at Rush Creek the following week. Cardzmania last night was enjoyable as always. I watched the Yacht Rock "dockumentary" at Mark's recommendation and loved it. Passed it along to a few fellow fans of that era's music, too. For all I have gotten done, half was unplanned and the other took longer than expected. Based on self reflection and a personal history audit, I am running on par.