At day's end the sun finally shines, and the joy of it is that I'm able to sit out on my back step--well insulated, but outside--and write for a little while before dinner. The low light breaks through bare branches to make the river gleam like polished silver. The neighbor's dog barks her last round of the afternoon. The neighbor kids are jumping on their trampoline; I can hear their squeals and shouts. I even sneak in a few minutes of hooping on the lawn, with my shiny new hoop decorated in blue and silver tape. The cardinal cheers me on with his song of "tew, tew, tew" from somewhere near and high, and a downy woodpecker squeaks from a nearby stand of maples.