The city birds seemed happy to see us. The dogs, who will soon move to the country, were oblivious to the birds; their sole mission was to smell the earth.

I was wide awake at six am. By six thirty the dogs had been walked, watered and fed. Coffee is brewing. The machine is loud this morning, as if it wants to make its presence known. Perhaps it senses that it will soon go into storage and may not be used for awhile.

Life is change. We will leave this apartment in two weeks. We have lived in it for eight years. I don't know exactly what lays ahead, but no one does. The coffee machine is suddenly silent: time to fill a cup.