July 11, 2022:
Even the mountain lions know it. They're down from the heights, up from the crags. Searching out puddles, stalking neighbor dogs. Where desperate times call for desperate measures.
I Uber back from stepdown. The driver is kind, takes me all the way. Through the gate, up the serpent road, wheels spinning. To the door, minimizing my walk. A kind man, and I'm grateful.
At home, all is as it was. I'm glad to be among the familiar, bummed bummed very bummed to lose the air conditioning and the meals and the safety. It's not safe here. Even the mountain lions know it.