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The days are warm and the sun is bright. I have been watching for snakes again as I walk through the desert. I haven’t seen any yet, but I do believe it is probably about time to see stick to main trails when I walk Betty Sprinkles. I haven’t seen any yet, but I do believe it is probably about time to see stick to main trails when I walk Betty Sprinkles.

I dropped the girls off at school and as I was driving home a coyote, frightened by a jogger with their dog, ran out of an arroyo and into a park. Our neighborhood is an enclave of homes surrounded by open desert, so there are coyotes. I was a bit worried that it would go deeper into the neighborhood instead of back into the desert. It was a real treat to watch this beautiful animal trot along the sidewalk.

Here is Elise, who was a smidge clingy (turns out she was getting sick), and me snuggling. Sunday afternoon the girls were rewarded for their stellar effort in a school reading competition (both did the best in their classes, but the prizes were a random draw. Sunday afternoon the girls were rewarded for their stellar effort in a school reading competition (both did the best in their classes, but the prizes were a random draw. This mellow fellow took Cordelia’s enthusiasm in stride. This mellow fellow took Cordelia’s enthusiasm in stride.

Saturday she gave up the ghost, thankfully not in a flood as I have heard some hot water heaters expire, but in a frozen whisper, no more hot water. We have been working with the home warranty company, their contractor, and all of that jazz for what seems like a small eternity. The sweet contract plumber and his wife came out after 8pm last night and confirmed what we all knew, but the home warranty company requires. Even though the hot water heater was working fine in August we knew it was 13 years old and wouldn’t last much longer.