July...Ugh

So relieved to have made it to August in--more or less--one piece...

July was fraught with so many things, including temperatures that soared higher each day, eventually reaching into triple digits; a president who is so out of control it boggles my mind every single day; gestapo tactics against American citizens; virus counts climbing into the stratosphere with no end or leadership in sight; the appalling, selfish ignorance of my fellow human beings who have no regard for the safety and welfare of others.  And then a sudden, unexpected death in my family.  Seriously.  As if the past six months weren't bad enough, July just capped them all.

This morning I realized, what with all the chaos and turmoil, that I haven't posted for weeks.  I've been trying to write at least once a week, but with the heat, the governmental angst, the plague, the family crisis...you get the picture.  Today is the first day in a month that I've taken a good, solid deep breath followed by a loooong sigh of relief that I made it through.

I was downloading some photos yesterday and found this totally adorable shot of Benny when he was just a wee baby of three months.  He used to sleep with a little smile on his face.  It almost broke my heart to see that innocence, to know that his perfect little puppy world wouldn't always be so happy and carefree...


Stay safe, peeps.  In the end, all we have is each other, and we've gotta do better: register to vote, wear a mask when out in public, keep washing those hands, open your hearts to those less fortunate, stand against racial intolerance...

...and stop for just a moment to appreciate a wee puppy's sweet little smile.

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(For those of you who know me personally and are concerned about who in the family has died, it was Mom.  She'd been ill for some time, though it was still a shock as we didn't think she was anywhere near ready to move on.  Or maybe it's more that we weren't ready.  In any case, she's now free from pain and beginning her new journey)

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