I think yesterday was a nearly perfect day for my heart.

Which is funny when the introverted thinker informs me after an early lunch that she was really grumpy in the morning. Not feeling well. I knew it but her grumps take the form of silence and she is just withdrawn. I let her.

We were up at 6:30 and take the ski bus from Bellingham to Baker. I have not skied there in perhaps 15 years. Last time it was just grundoon and me on telemark gear. Leaving the children with fathers and escaping for three days. At the end of the first day we banter with some older guys and end up skiing with them the whole next day. A group of retired ski patrols and instructors who take us down every hidden trail and chute within bounds. "Wait, no fair, we are on telemark gear, not downhill gear!" They laugh. "No cliffs!" Ok, they don't take us over cliffs. We ski our legs off.

I wanted demos not regular rentals yesterday. So the introverted thinker is on demos for the first time, not cheap rentals. They throw her off the first two runs. She over turns because the skis are so much lighter and more responsive. At the end of the third run we go for early lunch. She says she is dehydrated and she tanks up. Then she takes off on the skis and jumps a level.

We decide to try a black diamond for her. We do a partial one and then ride the expert only lift. We do a steep very moguled slope with soft pack that is not slush. She falls twice but is pleased to get down it respectably. And unlike the morning slopes, the only other people on that one is a ski patrol with a young son. The ski patrol does alert when the IT falls the first time, but watches her get up and leaves her alone.

Then we return to the intermediate and the IT skies with much more confidence. By the end of the day I am flagging and she's jumped another level. She will be dusting me within a year or two. I may have finesse on my side for 5 years if I work out.

But I am delighted too, because I have muscles again and ski hard, instead of as softly as possible.

We fall asleep on the ski bus and then go straight out to dinner. We choose a very elegant seafood restaurant right on the bay, gorgeous views. We are grubby and disheveled in ski gear and they welcome us anyhow. The IT picks three large appetizers for us to share and it is fabulous. One is a quinoa and sweet potato patty that is quite amazing. The IT does not like meat though she loves seafood. I ask the wait person if the chef would give us the recipe. She said, no, he doesn't but she will ask him. He appears at our table and says he will print it out, but we'll have to do the math for a reduced amount. We are both delighted. I think I won't reduce it: make the full batch and freeze patties. How to make my daughter happy. It is not vegan, because it has a cup of parmesean cheese in it....

We return to the dorm and my daughter says how happy she is at school, with great friends and classes and sailing team....and then I go to sleep, blesssed, in spite of all the dark and sorrow in the world.