Monday was Columbus Day and I didn't have to go to work. We didn't set the alarm so we slept an extra hour. We got up and baked a new gluten-free coffee cake together, and it wasn't half bad.

I put on my blue jeans and Birkenstocks and went to work because I wanted to. I went through endless emails in my Inbox and either answered, deleted or filed them. I could do that because I wasn't interrupted. (OK, Peter did call from The Home Depot to see if we wanted to spend an extra $10 so that the new toilet seat lid he was buying would close slowly rather than with a bang.)

I made myself a cup of ginger peach tea with a teabag brought from home because I knew the office would not be heated for the holiday. By lunch time, I felt like I had accomplished a week's worth of work so I left.

I biked home under a sparkling sun, splashing light off the reddest maple tree leaves I have ever seen, thanks to our cold and rainy summer.

I had lunch with Peter at home. I took my bike in for its winter tune up and bought some gifts for the grandchildren from my favorite toy store.

I made a roast chicken for dinner and I read a book.

It was a heavenly day.