Another trip to the gym this evening, between the last two cat runs, and I have finally figured out why I seemed to be short on socks. There were five pair tucked into the gym bag and the pool bag. Now they're back in my dresser drawer, and an extra pair of walking shoes is in the shoe rack in the closet. Since I have an appointment tomorrow where I want to be cleaned up and have clean hair, and I wanted to kill some time between the cat feedings, I not only spent time on the recumbent bike listening to an audiobook I took my evening shower there. I was doing that last summer to save water (so I could put more on the garden). They have great water pressure and huge showerheads.

I get free access to a gym that normally has a fairly expensive monthly fee through the Silver Sneakers program as part of my state-paid health insurance. It promotes exercise and healthy habits as a way to maintain health. I wonder if our health insurance will continue to be robust in the days ahead.

The roofers next door had bits of plastic wrappers and paper linings of things drifting into my front yard and garden this afternoon. On my way out to feed cats I stopped the SUV and got out and picked up a couple of pieces and spoke to the guy working on that side of their house - "this is a food garden. Please be careful picking up anything that might have blown into it." I'll see in the morning, but I think he was going to comply - a polite young man.

The funny thing about the work next door is that there were nine vehicles parked in the street because the workers each drove themselves here (in past years they would arrive in just a couple of company vehicles - so the contractors aren't providing transport now.) One of them parked right in front of my Italian Stone Pine and as I was headed out mid-afternoon a man was taking a nap under it; he had a cushion of some sort and a cooler beside him, but he was tucked under the full shade of my tree. I don't mind he was in my yard and I'm glad someone was enjoying the shade. That's why I planted a street tree.

In the natural history porch goings-on department, I put water in the dog pan on the back patio again, but have a couple of rocks in it after we had a juvenile toad drowning earlier in the season. I know the big old toads really love a good midnight soak, so didn't want to deprive them of that treat.