Here it is:

It's now fully mid-September. As we were pedaling around the 'hood on our bikes in the twilight, I said (and not a bit out of breath, in case you were wondering), "It's the autumnal equinox pretty soon, isn't it?"

"Yep, the 20th, isn't it?" the historian rejoined, in his knowledgeable way.

Right. And then the day will last, briefly, as long as the night; and then the nights will grow longer. So as of this moment, the people, I believe we can all agree that the light is a precious commodity, and we'd all best be making the most of it.

Today, in order to make the most of the light, I

• ate my little breakfast out on the porch and watched our raggedy cherry trees up against the blue and cloud.
• read my student drafts on the terrace outside the Student Center at work.
• took the aforementioned bike ride in the evening.

I hope to do more of the same and similar over the next few weeks, and so should you. Tomorrow, alas, I must arise at the crack of dawn for an early meeting. I will try not to focus on the crack portion of the morning, and instead, look up to see what's happening in the sky. Something good, I bet.

Cooking update: the quinoa salad was lovely today; yesterday, the ratatouille was resplendent. And we still have gorgeous tomatoes left, just lying around, not called for in any recipes, and therefore fair game for any rapacious tomato eaters. Of which there are at least a couple, lurking in the kitchen and environs.

Solidarity.

Last night, as I was spinning around my neighborhood on my awesome bike, I crossed paths with some girls on their awesome bikes. Two girls, maybe five and four, were riding together--I smiled as I passed them, and one of them called after me, "Hi!"

But before that, an even tinier girl was riding down her driveway on a diminutive, lavender tricycle. She smiled at me. I smiled back. She slowed down--obviously, she was too little to ride into the street. But I heard her say, "Can I be your friend?" as I passed. You bet! The question is moot, though, isn't it? because we girls on bikes, we're a sisterhood.

And with that in mind, here's something I think about a lot. A woman at the college where I work passed this along to the historian, who passed it along to me. Now I'm passing it along to you: