Despite grasshopper predation, the first few peppers are showing up on the Fresno plant that Gabi gave me. I’m excited to try this variety that’s new to me.

I’m grateful for Boyz Lunch today, and for the (relatively) cool breeze and few clouds that tempered the heat. Fennel bulbs aren’t ripe yet so I substituted fennel seed in this recipe, swapped out tilapia for cod, and spinach for broccolini, and we concurred it was a five-star meal and an absolutely delicious way to cook fish. I served it with the last of the coconut-corn soup, garnished with coconut cream and a squeeze of fresh lime.

I’m grateful for the meaningful conversation that we shared today, about aging and choices around death. I know one of them fears being hooked up to machines at the end, and the other wants Miles Davis music at his burial. It’s so important to have these profound conversations.

I’m grateful for this resilient desert willow, which once grew past the roof and froze nearly to death a few years ago. I’ve kept it pruned hard since then, and now it’s barely more than a large shrub, but it’s full of more blooms than it’s had in a decade, and they’re all at eye level.