Very little to report today, in all honesty.

It wasn’t a bad day, but not every day can be stellar. There have to be days for regrouping. Tanja, by nature, likes to get things done, so she was busy all day. Work leads to fatigue. Fatigue opens the door to worry. And there is plenty to worry about.

We’ve said this before but, in the movie, when someone is recovering—learning to walk again or some similarly fundamental challenge—the difficulty of the challenge is conveyed economically. In Casino Royale, James is beaten nearly to death, then there’s a shot of him in a wheelchair, then he’s back.

They don’t linger in the day to day, because it is dull, repetitive and difficult. But that is where the work gets done.

And that’s where we are right now.

This morning Tanja drew the curtains and pointed out how, seemingly over night, the trees had filled with leaves. The maple is full of them; the chestnut that towers over everything and was bare twigs a few days ago is now impenetrably enfoliaged. It is remarkable how it happens so gradually and so suddenly.

In the front yard, our apple tree is looking so happy and healthy—it always feels like a promise of good things to come.

19 days remain in the countdown.