Good news: a monarch butterfly near my garden today. That’s the second one I’ve seen this year. Maybe it’s not a lot, but it gives me hope. In other news? Read on to find out where my money’s been going…

I received my property tax bill in the mail this week. I knew it was coming; every year at this time, it’s the same. Still—it’s not my favorite annual bill. I tried this year to set aside a little every month so that the entire amount could be paid when the bill arrived. Somehow, though, unexpected expenses kept cropping up. It could be worse: I still managed to put aside about half and have a few months to gather up the rest.

The saving is not easy, though—because life keeps happening. I cleaned the cat box one morning this week and noticed a damp area at the back. My first thought? How did the cat manage to pee all the way back there? That would have been amazing, quite a feat! My second thought—not so pleasant—was that maybe the washing machine was leaking, since the cat box lives next to our washer-dryer. It took a bundle of towels to soak up the water.

I now wish that it was the cat who made the mess, because it means that my 12-year-old washing machine is on its last legs, about to do its final washing machine cycle.

There are many, many things to spend money on these days: property taxes, washing machines, and car repairs, which I also had this week. Thankfully, it wasn’t a catastrophic repair bill—but it was more than nothing. There was also money needed to help get my son set up in his apartment at college; he moved in last Sunday. He’s living off-campus for the first time and will be cooking for himself—no more dining hall! We gathered up pots and pans, some from our community’s annual White Elephant sale. We went to Trader Joe’s for spices and cereal bars.

I’m so glad that we had our time away on Catalina Island that I wrote about a few weeks ago. But if I would have known that the washing machine was about to die—that it would be $850 to replace it? Or that the car would need to go into the shop? I also possibly forgot that property taxes were coming due soon. Then there was the college move-in. If I would have remembered all that, would I have postponed the trip?

I hope not. Hard to know, though.

But then there is this: my daughter and I walked the cemetery loop today and, at the end, ran into a neighbor who was trudging up the hill, carrying flowers and a bag of produce from another neighbor’s garden, which she was tending while they were out of town.

“Do you like vegetables?” she asked.

This is something I would never say no to.

She gave us lovely lemon cucumbers and plums that were green, a special variety that ripens to green instead of purple. The plums are delicious.

So I am grateful tonight for my home, grateful for my neighbors. Property taxes, washing machines, and cars make my life sweet. It is also a gift that my son can be away at college, learning every day, things like Japanese and history, but also how to get along with roommates and cook and take care of himself. He’ll do a lot of adulting this year; he’ll gain skills that are priceless.

I am remembering all that tonight—and I am grateful.