Comfrey of Bliss

What a beautiful day! I thought it would be chilly, but the sun shone so brilliantly that it didn't feel cold. I did some laundry and put away the towels and dishtowels and cleaned up the kitchen. I didn't really get much work done in the yard, but I dug up a pile of thistles, and cleaned off the outdoor glass table. Then we moved our books and teacups out there and sat in the sun for awhile. A cardinal perched in a tree just overhead and sang to us. I love it when I'm sitting in a shady place, and it's so quiet that when a bird flies over, I can hear the rustle of its wings. I could feel a sense of happiness soaking into me along with the sunlight, like cream pouring into black coffee, or maple syrup onto pancakes. A mollifying and sweetening influence! I had been contemplating abandonment of my WIP, on the grounds that I don't know what the hell I'm doing, but I changed my mind. After all, how do I find out what I'm doing except by doing it? As Roethke said, "I learn by going where I have to go."

The children, in collusion with their father, sent me a beautiful bunch of flowers--left on the porch in a socially distant fashion by a man with a mask. The Sparrowhawk said they each chose a color for the flowers to be included on their behalf, so I can think of them according to hue. We went for a walk, and after dinner, watched "Persuasion." I liked it much better than I did the first time I saw it. I don't think it's Jane Austen's best work. It has too many minor characters and subplots that rather muddy the issue. also, the first time I saw it was at my parents' house, not exactly the most relaxing environment for enjoying a move at leisure. It was much more enjoyable this time around. And I can hardly NOT like Ciaran Hinds in a naval uniform.