Otis is out of school, which means the weeks have a different shape right now — less structured, more exploratory, organized around what he might find interesting rather than what I need to get done. This is mostly a delight and occasionally humbling, and I mean that in the best way.

Tuesday we went to the Hayward Nature Creek Preserve for the first time — a wildlife rehabilitation center tucked away in a way that makes it feel like a secret even though it isn't. There was a barn owl in a box who looked at us with the particular expression barn owls have, which is the expression of someone who has seen things. We walked the paths and then drove over to his auntie's house to check on the chickens and explore her garden, which is the kind of garden that takes years to accumulate — raised beds, banana plants, lavender. A good day.

Friday was Concord Water Park with Otis and his cousin — her first time. They spent most of it in the wave pool. Otis in an enormous life vest, waddling with complete confidence, is an image I will carry for a while.

In between the outings I spent two days building IKEA furniture, which sounds mundane and was actually something close to necessary. Most of what I own was sized for a two-bedroom house I lived in alone, and it has been sitting in this much smaller space doing what too-large things do — taking up not just physical room but mental room. The japandi pivot is deliberate: fewer things, quieter surfaces, a space that lets me think rather than one I have to think around. Every piece of furniture that fits properly is a small recalibration. It's helping.