While cleaning up another garden area, I found an adorable little critter–a shrew or vole?  I even held it in my (gloved) hand for a minute.  Why would anyone want to exterminate these helpful little creatures?!

Y (with their fox tail) has been spending lots of time high up in their tree, getting comfortable.  It’s their happy place.  I stay firmly planted on the ground, enjoying their acrobatic agility with a beer.

Also, they’ve been recycling cans into illuminated candle holders, and giving them to me.  Agile and creative.

Soon I’ll work on erev preps before Yom Kippur begins.  Some of the kids expressed an interest in fasting.  Though I now have a rabbinically-approved excuse (!), I may go ahead anyway (?).  Then it will be time to build the sukkah, one of our favorite times of year.