Today, I will remember

I will remember today because it has been a perfect day.

It began, most importantly, with sun and warmth. I think I've developed seasonal affective disorder because it only takes a little bit of gray to bring the corners of my mouth down but a sunny day will make me grin like a fool.

Then there were the good news from the vet: Geni, who has a penchant for developing tumors, doesn't have cancer. The little warrior dog survived two harrowing cancer surgeries this summer that were very hard on her and harder still on me, who am a wienie when it comes to animal suffering (surprise, surprise). She does have to go on a strict diet, though, because she's put on a whole three pounds, weighing in at a porker-ish 45 lbs. I'm sure the episode when Darwin helped her get to Rusty's duck treats and she ate the whole 1 lb. bag did not help.

Rusty, who came along just for the ride (my husband's idea), managed to bite the vet's assistant (earning us a "Beware!" sign on the door of the clinic and the vet's slightly tight-lipped suggestion that we needed to Prozac Rusty even when he was coming for the ride) and almost bit the hand off a woman who insisted on wanting to pet him even after we told her he was not friendly. She finally desisted from her rather suicidal friendly overtures after she realized Rusty did mean to sever her hand, if she insisted. (sigh)

Then my husband and I took our first motorcycle trip of the year and had a lovely ride. We went to our favorite little restaurant in the Hocking Hills for lunch and passed llama, sheep, cow, steer and horse farms along the way. Our friend (well, he doesn't know he's our friend but we always look out for him), the Amish farmer, was out with his team of two large horses getting ready to do the old-fashioned way what all the non-Amish farmers were doing today with their tractors: tilling the soil, getting it ready for planting.

We had a great meal, complete with lemon meringue pie for me and blueberry for him, and the pleasant surprise of friends, who on their own motorcycle excursion, saw my husband's bike and stopped by to say hello. Then we set off into the afternoon sun on our way back home.

That's when my husband had a stroke of inspiration and took a detour to a natural reserve that was our favorite when we used to live in the suburbs. We arrived and were treated to the sight of a Cooper's hawk, sitting tranquilly if eyeing us warily but without alarm, on a low tree branch. She didn't move, following us with her telescopic eyes as we walked past her, hoping she wouldn't fly away so we could get a good look at her. She didn't, and we did. We also saw robins and red-winged black birds and white-crowned sparrows and geese and ducks and fish that flew out of the water to catch some clueless insect buzzing by a bit too close to the surface.

Then we came back home and the church bells have tolled the hour and now it's time to walk the dogs. Like I said, a perfect day. Thanks be to God.