I was moved to tears yesterday when I heard at the end of Sally Ride’s obit on NPR that she was survived by her partner of 27 years, Tam O’Shaughnessy. I am moved almost to tears again today when I hear there is backlash that she didn’t come out sooner. Sally Ride’s passion, from all accounts, was being an astronaut. …

The four o’clocks volunteer every spring. As late summer’s heat bears upon them, they will become brown and leggy, but now at midsummer the plants are dark, plump, and glossy-green. Their flowers are fresh and bright, inflamed and sunny. Hummingbirds feast at the funneled amphoras. They drink voraciously, stopping only to chase other hummers from the stash. Their window of …

I set off at dawn this morning on the hill trail, with the dogs and four small apricots fresh from our tree. After the second hill I came to the manzanita decorated with old, stuffed animals. Who left them there, and for what reasons I can’t know. But suddenly it felt important to leave my plumpest apricot there, wedged on …