June 23

I went for a 2 3/4 mile walk this evening by myself. It wasn't that I wanted to go solo; the Little Boys were headed to bed and Abby responded to my asking if she wanted to come along by starting a new episode of Phineas and Ferb. (I can take a hint.) As I walked along, I took notice of my surroundings.

Socio-political ideological clashes aside, this really is a lovely place to live. The scenery is pretty, the weather (well, aside from the whole severe drought thing) is close to perfect, and it's a safe place for our family to grow up.

And for all of that, I'm deeply thankful.