More things that help me feel strong

1. Railing against Rovian Republican fables
2. Playing Connect Four with A; watching the wheels turn as she thinks one, two, three moves ahead; her delighted giggle when she wins; her resolved sportsmanship when she doesn't
3. Running the dishwasher and unloading the dishes; feeling the burn on my neuropathic fingertips from the still-hot plates
4. Listening to the local independent station on M's huge old tube radio
5. The sound of hard rain on the roof after three months of dry; trusting that the new roof will keep the water out
6. Cutting lemon for hot tea
7. Following US Open tennis
8. Donating (more) to Obama/Biden
9. Seeing M's mannerisms in A's gesticulating explanation of why he cannot go first in the next round of Connect Four ("Dada, do you get this? Because it doesn't seem even a teeny little bit to me like you get it.")
10. Being socked in with M and A on a stormy Saturday afternoon

     A is still in the excellent fairy-princess outfit we threw together this morning. She has fairy dust on her cheeks and loose, wild hair. Her fingernails, polished pink, are absolutely filthy.