I’ve been feeling a little blue since my Darling Daughter went back to college.  Today, life seemed to be trying to cheer me up by dropping small treasures into my day: 

1) Today dawned sunny, warm and with NO HUMIDITY, something unheard of at this time of year in New Jersey.

2) Lured by the lovely weather, I took my J. D. Robb novel out on the patio to keep Brodie the Devil Dog company while he patrolled the back yard.  (The J. D. Robb novel was another small treat to myself from the RWA conference in July; it’s the latest IN HARDCOVER autographed by the incomparable Nora herself.)

8 yard rolling 2

Brodie found one of the acorns which are beginning to rain down from our oak trees.  He picked it up in his mouth, tossed it into the air, then pounced on it where it fell.  Now Brodie is a handsome fellow but he’s not graceful.  When he plays, his front end and back end don’t seem to quite know what each other are doing.  His acorn-chasing reduced me to helpless laughter.

3) About two hours later I was headed out the back door when I saw this little fellow happily perched on our back porch, chowing down on another of the ubiquitous acorns.

Chipper closeup

He didn’t even flinch as I snapped his picture and admired his elegant racing stripes.  I thought Brodie had chased all our chipmunks out of the yard, but evidently they’ve figured out my dog is a total goofball and couldn’t catch them if he tried.

4) When I took Brodie out for our evening stroll, his tail was flying high like a happy flag.  (He hates heat and humidity even more than I do and has been drooping along through our walks this summer.)  Usually, I use these moments alone to indulge in a little weepiness, but tonight I found myself smiling up at the nearly full moon where it glowed in the twilight sky.

Sometimes life is generous and gives you what you need just when you need it.