Body as solace for the mind: I'm no athlete, but I do know that physical chores can trigger an emotional reset. So yesterday morning I yanked out the faded sunflowers, and pruned the wandering cucumber, and mowed grass, and hand-trimmed the edges, and in the afternoon I went for a long sweaty walk with my neighbor. And by the end of the day I felt a lot better.

This morning I need to grocery-shop, and probably I'll clean the house in the afternoon, if Tom isn't clogging up the kitchen with his pre-tiling planning. Because, yes, we've got yet another exciting renovation stage looming: backsplash tile is on the way . . . a beautiful frosted blue reminiscent of sea glass.

In the meantime, I'll keep reading Baron Wormser's Song for a Voice, which I'll write about more when I've finished it. I just got Hilary Mantel's The Mirror and the Light out of the library, so that's the next novel on the list. I'm copying out Blake, and getting a poem draft ready for my poetry-group meeting tomorrow evening.

Here's the announcement for my upcoming online October writing retreat: New England Bards: Discovering Voice, Discovering Place. We're keeping the cost low--only $150--and limiting numbers to eight participants. I hope you'll consider joining me. And please be assured this it is virtual; the ad in its current manifestation does not make that quite clear.

And here's a photograph of an okra blossom.