Wiggles in the Dark and Wonder by Day

The morning started early—4 a.m. early. I sat quietly for a few minutes, letting myself fully wake up before tossing on whatever clothes I could find. My daily draw from the deck brought me The Crossroads card, a gentle but firm reminder that every choice I make today may ripple outward. It’s a day for awareness, for slowing down and paying attention to the direction each little decision might pull me toward.

Two paths to take. making a choice. An important decision. uncertainty

Next came school time for the girls. It was easy enough today—they hadn’t quite finished yesterday’s work, so most of it was already prepped and waiting, aside from their usual first assignment from the Wonder Calendar. Once their schoolwork was sorted, I moved on to checking in with my sourdough starter.

She surprised me with a strong growth day yesterday, which felt like a good sign. I started her back on June 16th, and maybe now she’s finally hitting her stride with a good, active ferment. The discard jar in the fridge told its own story too—half-empty when I pulled it out, after being three-quarters full when I tucked it away last.

As I was getting ready to start some dishes—too early yet for the animals—I got a call from Dad. Little Harley had slipped out of her harness and lead and disappeared into the darkness. I threw on my shoes and grabbed my gun. It was dark dark outside, and we’ve had a big cat lurking around—its scent trail has been strong for weeks now.

But the moment I opened the door, there she was, waiting on the porch for me—a tiny grey blur, all wiggles and excitement. Relief washed over me as I called for Charlie to bring a leash. I clipped her in and walked her wiggly little butt home. Dad was just as relieved. Once things settled, I did manage to get the first load of dishes done.

snappy eating

Next, it was time to feed the turtle—at least I think it’s a he, though I haven’t actually checked. After that, I moved on to the dogs. On my last walk of the morning, I felt the light sprinkle of rain hitting my head. A gentle reminder to check the weather before handing out jobs for the day.

Then it was Jezebel’s turn. As I finished up with her, I heard the soft “Mama”s of Aria calling from under her door—my cue that she was awake. I checked the weather, then fed the chickens. With a strong chance of afternoon storms, I made the call to keep the stand closed and skip grazing the goats for the day. That left just one more animal on my list: Babushka.

After Babushka was taken care of, I started breakfast for the girls—just a Bo-Berry biscuit with their usual drinks and gummies. Neither of them eats much in the mornings, and any time I make a big breakfast, about 80% of it ends up going to the chickens. So something quick and small worked perfectly today—less waste, and a good way to use up last night’s leftovers.

Not long after the girls finished eating, everyone else started to wake up and the day officially began. Dameion went off to handle his usual morning routine, and I prepped a bag for Charlie so he could get in the shower and change his ostomy bag.

Charlies Rolls

While the girls worked on their labeling for the day, I got some laundry and dishes done. I gave the bathroom and Cain’s room a quick clean, just enough to keep things moving. By the time lunch rolled around, the girls had made it to their coloring pages. They happily ate their chicken tenders and then went down for nap.

I fed the dogs, checked the hallway—it was already clean, thankfully—and kept the momentum going with more dishes and laundry. During nap, I shifted focus to the living room, retouching areas I’d finished yesterday before heading back to the infamous toy corner of hell. The girls are still thoroughly confused as to why it’s being messed with at all.

Aria is on Australia.

After nap, Charlie’s Hawaiian rolls were in the oven. He and Franklin were working together to cook dinner, and Charlie had also started a pineapple cake. I stayed focused on my chore quest—battling dishes, laundry, and the ever-mysterious toy corner. Meanwhile, the girls played in the hallway with blocks while Blippi played in the background between school assignments.

For snack, they had a plate of our homemade goldfish. We made it through our India flashcards, played a round of Continent Hop, did a shape scavenger hunt, tackled some Number 2 word problems, flipped through our seashell flashcards, and wrapped it up with our summer count-and-graph sheets.

Dameion and Franklin split the dog walk, and then Dameion took the trash down to the curb. When dinner rolled around, the girls cleaned up their blocks and opted for cereal—they weren’t too keen on the pork chops and rice.

Persephone is on Australia.

After the girls were in bed, I returned to my journey through the toy corner—I could almost see the bottom now. With the house quiet, Charlie made a mixed drink for us, and I got a small cup to enjoy. While he finished up the last touches on dinner, I took a long, warm bath to unwind.

When I got out, the bed was made and dinner was waiting. We curled up and ate together while watching Pokémon, ending the day in the softest way possible.