Of course I did my 30 minute walk first thing this morning--well, I cheated; it was only 28 minutes.

Then after changing back into my couch potato clothes, I decided that a Starbuck's venti red-eye was again going to be the drink of the day. Hopped in the car, took my latest book with me (Demick's Nothing to Lose), and headed into the wilds.

Um, make that the wilds of the nearest major intersection where crouches the green-and-white Starbuck's store. Not wild at all, except for the one raven who kept me company while I sat outside sipping my coffee and reading my book in the cool delightful morning.

What do they say--One for Sorrow, Two for Joy? I looked for a second raven, but there wasn't one. Only the solitary bird, keeping me company. He (she?) was very quiet, grooming plumage and checking me out with a bright eye.

I get up and walk before dawn, and then off to get coffee really early. (B and I used to have coffee together in the back yard, but now it's Starbuck's time alone.) Practically nobody else there on the coffee shop veranda, so it was quite pleasant. If you sit around the corner on the shady side, there's almost no music. I believe the speaker over my head was non-functional. Goody.

After I left Starbuck's I wasn't ready to come home and deal with "stuff", so in the spirit of taking care of myself I went for a nice long drive from one end of Topanga Canyon to the other, from the sea to the mountains.

It was lovely. A mini field trip to start the day. Now, to deal with other stuff. Have a good day, my friends.