And, suddenly, we’re in autumn. Along about mid-August, I stop caring about the look of the gardens. I only pull a weed if it’s in the way somehow. Every plant stays, nothing is pulled, and I let them self-seed and provide food and shelter for the birds and critters during the winter months.

Of course, raking must be done eventually. But let’s not go there yet.

I’m never ready for winter, but I am ready for fall. Bring it on.

I finished up my part of the 2020 deductions. Heaven knows what they’ll allow now. I’m hoping that the Biden administrations puts back some of the performing arts/freelancer deductions that they took away. Don is finishing up his deductions and I’ll send the whole ball of wax off to our accountant later this morning.

I also have to do some prep for my 12 noon coaching session with Ben.

It rained overnight and it’s supposed to rain tomorrow and the next day. Sigh.

Things on my mind, a running list of things to do before I head to NYC: show Don how I water the indoor plants so that he doesn’t overwater them, give him a watering schedule for indoor and outdoor porch plants, tell him when to pay the bills, encourage him to vacuum, dust, and clean the bathroom while I’m away, show him how to position the blanket on our California King bed (because we couldn’t find an affordable blanket in that size, this one goes on sideways.) There will be more things on that list and I’m not leaving for five weeks, but you know how it is.

It will be strange, as we haven’t been apart from each other since I spent a night in Hartford right before lockdown and we certainly haven’t been away from each other for any length of time since Margaritaville. While I was going through our bank records to look for deductions, it struck me: I could tell exactly when we went into lockdown. We were going along swimmingly until mid-March and then, bam! We were home. I also had to check my planner pages and I saw notes like “big grocery run” and “Don: last minute run before lockdown.” Then on the next day: “eerily quiet around here.”

The before times.

I’ve always had a planner of some sort. The kind of planner has changed over the years, but the recording of each day –  list of things to do, schedules, important notes, impressions of the day, quotes to remember, what I’m reading – has never changed. When I consult them for some reason, I see a visual of my life. I’m not a journal writer – this blog serves as a sort of visual journal – but boy oh boy, do I love my planner. It sure comes in handy at tax time, too. I can look back and see what dates I worked on a show, when I was out of town, the exact date something happened. It’s a memory refresher and I find I need that more and more as I get older.

Alright, my friends. I’m off to do some prep work.

But I have to include this:

Just because she’s so darned cute.

Stay safe.

Happy Tuesday.