Busyness feels like a constant—I had meetings at 10:00, noon, and 2:30. My first meeting was with a Conifer musician, and I drove out to the Aspen Perk Cafe to interview Sarah Bauer. I like the drive to Conifer. It’s smooth and it calms me. The sun was shining and it warmed up quickly. I felt guilty only ordering coffee at the cafe—I didn’t realize it was a diner.

My other meetings were Zoom calls, and a lot of information intake. I was grateful to have them from the comfort of my own home, even if the hot day turned the sunroom into a sauna.

A month ago, we scheduled dinner with friends. Trevor started pizza prep as I wrapped my work, so I sat at the kitchen bar with a glass of wine so we could chat. Our friends arrived around 6, and the adults caught up while the kids played outside with walkie-talkies, navigating the rugged yards like mountain goats. We made several pizzas from my sourdough starter and a fresh salad. Our friends brought wine from Applegate Valley in Oregon.

After dark, still sitting outside under the deck lights, our conversation was interrupted by a clip-clopping that I was sure was horses. Sure enough, five shoed horses rounded the curve of the road below us, holding up traffic. They safely jumped a fence into the neighbors’ pasture, and we spent the next hour contacting authorities, trying to track down which ranch they came from, and ultimately helping the owners round them up. It’s easy to forget that Evergreen has rich Old West history, and it was a wild way to end the day.