Well, Mom stayed home from church, having brought Owen's cold with her. Philip and I got there in good time, although the psalm tunes did not make me happy about this. Sigh. The sermon text was Colossians 1:3, discussing prayer and its inseparable elements, thanksgiving and petition. It was pretty good. Oh, and they had Communion today. We stayed for a bit afterwards, to talk to a few people.

After lunch, leftover chicken salad with bagels and birthday plans, Lark and I went out. We took Thursday's walk in reverse, taking the road up the mountain and going down the slope as usual. It was pretty uneventful, although Lark was perhaps a little antsy after we left the parking lot to head home.

Mom and I were down in the sitting room, having been looking at pictures, when Owen called. It was like a breath of home just listening to Mom talk to them. Peter, of course, asked after Lark, who at the time was engaged in her vendetta against the miller moths.

Had a nap, woke up for dinner. Spent the evening reading All About Aussies, until Mom handed me No Bad Dogs. It's a serious book, but it's hilarious because it's such a character study. Barbara Woodhouse is certainly the basis for Sybil Vimes' character, and her firm, no-nonsense voice pervades the book.