Life has been like this photo: out-of-focus, full of color. I've been spending a lot of time on the playground, watching S explore the sand, pull herself up to standing against the wooden posts, go racing across the little bridge, her bottom waggling in the most adorable crawl you can imagine. In the evenings, if I'm lucky, I make a sour cherry and apricot cobbler, or steam a few ears of sweet corn, or braise chard and onions until they melt and meld into a tangy puree. Other nights I'm in bed by nine. Before I close my eyes I stop to shiver at the days contracting. Have you noticed the autumnal slant to the light?