1. We rented a cabin at Punderson State Park that had a gorgeous view of the lake. The word “idyllic” comes to mind.

2. I went trail running every morning and all the twitchy little muscles and tendons that have been giving me trouble lately (I’m talking to you, Achilles tendon and hip flexor) felt wonderful. Trail running=pleasurable running.

3. We had three visitors during the week:

• One of my sisters, who came and spent two days with us, so the kid got to swim and play with someone other than her boring parents. (Because, you know, when you’re a kid, parents are, like, so boring.)
• A field mouse that ran over my stomach in the middle of the night. Much like the ancient solders of Sparta who could go from sleep to battle-ready in the blink of an eye, I was awake and out of bed in a fraction of a second. We didn’t manage to catch the little critter but peacefully co-existed with it until we left. My husband named it Bobby (or Bobbi–I didn’t get close enough to determine its gender).
• A girl with long blond hair who looked about 11 years old and wandered into our cabin by mistake the morning we were leaving. We said this was Cabin #4 and asked what cabin she was looking for. The little girl didn’t say anything, just looked around the room in disbelief, as though we had somehow supplanted her real family. Then she ran out.

4. We went swimming every day (sometimes twice). I do love swimming outside.

5. El Patron Mexican restaurant in Middlefield is really tasty.

6. Somewhere near the start of the Iroquois Trail is a little fairy house made of stone and bark. The kid and I built it. It’s a little small but in a great location. It’s now listed with Howard Real Estate.

7. Some Amish families will give buggy rides for a donation. We had a buggy ride with an incredibly kind family (an older couple who live with her their daughter, son-in-law, four grandkids, two horses, and a bunch of cats) in Mesopotamia. The grandmother drove the buggy for us. She also confided that her husband is afraid of mice (see #3 above). This amused me to no end.

8. Leaving vacation on the day when it’s cold and pouring rain is far preferable to arriving when it’s cold and pouring rain.