It's beastly hot here - but I have air conditioning. So it's about 71 -73 degrees in the bedroom where the AC is, and 77-79 degrees in the rest of the apartment. Outside? It is currently 82F/22C with 65% humidity, during the day it was 90F/30C with 80% humidity, felt like 100 F/40 C.

I've been online shopping - I needed to get new Bose Headphones - the current ones are wearing out, and the warranty expired. (The head phone muff is coming undone.) So got new ones on sale - at a 43% discount. So shaved off quite a bit. Also, picked up some more storage related items (baskets, large utensil holder, medicine organizer for a counter), and a collapsible but secure and safe step stool. I desperately need one - I have insanely tall cabinets and windows. I'm almost 6 feet, they are 8-9 feet.

Yes, I live in a tall person's apartment, which is good thing.

I'm looking for a tv dinner table/lap top table, but the one I saw advertised on Instagram via Amazon - I cannot find. So I gave up finally.
The other one is rather pricey, although tempting.

And...I got my organizers today - two turnstiles, and a coffee/tea shelf that I have to put together. I took the box they both came in along with all the other boxes (book shelf and towel/pillow box) down to the basement for recycling on the way to pick up groceries. I was out of protein greens (pea shoots, spinach, argula, and shard).

***

Work is work.

Wales wants to take a six month paid sabbatical from her job, to do what I don't know. Probably just lay about. I would like a two week vacation to travel somewhere - but I can't get more than a week at a time. So, am making due and trying not to envy those who can do more. I'm flirting with Ceiliac Cruises and Road Scholar cruises and trips. Also Viking River journeys. But also pricey. And I'd need a smaller cruise and the ability to take motion sickness pills - I'm prone to sea-sickness. I love the ocean, but my body prefers to be on solid ground. It could be worse - my sister-in-law gets motion sickness on a swing. It's an inner ear thing.

***

Time to go to bed, perchance to sleep, even dream But I don't want to?
I'm not really much of a sleeper. Never have been. This can't be good for me?

ChatGPT came up with an excellent blog post about decluttering as a spiritual practice, but I wasn't logged in and lost it. I tried several times but it didn't come up with anything as good. I modified the prompt, and it came up with something that I like. I just need to edit it slightly.

Woke up at 6:30 AM. Bella did her business quickly, so I’m going to take a nap.

I don’t think that I can do dog training today; I need to go pick up my plants. In addition, my foot hurts. I’m a mess. I ordered a bunch of dog training books instead. Yeah, I'm overwhelmed at work too. Cannot cope.

I forgot to take out the garbage last night.

I was trying to nap at lunch, but Gracie started barking. It was close to the time that I needed to get up, so I gave up. Sigh. Gracie is a loudmouth.

Had a vet appointment for Zara. She was hiding in the closet, and the door went off the track, so I thought that I wouldn't be able to get her out, but I got it open. Her mouth healed well from the dental work. She still has an ear infection. They gave me some gabapentin to calm her down before I treat her ears. We made an appointment on Friday for Gracie because she's having diarrhea, but they gave me some probiotics to try first.

Oh! I need to pick up the plants tomorrow! I could have gone to the dog training in that case, but I'm still swamped and stressed out, so no. PetSmart has training at more convenient times for me, but their next class starts right before I leave for Italy. I found a place with Saturday classes with a session that will start in the beginning of September. That will work.

I read a Quora article about a doctor who wouldn't give a guy drugs, and he took a horrific revenge on her pet (I won't say more so that you won't have the awful images that are now in my mind) and I feel like crying.

Bella is teasing Gracie. She seems to know that Gracie is on a leash, and Bella runs around, stopping just out of Gracie’s reach. Gracie gets mad and barks. I think that Bella is finding Gracie a little annoying.

Article in the BBC: “US lawmakers write to Canada to complain their wildfire smoke is spoiling summer.” Oy. Like it was a plan.

Fed us all. Got the recycling out. I need to scoop litter boxes, but I need to cool off first, so I thought that I'd post. I also need to check my work computer to see if I got messages about the stuff that I'm working on.

Printed out bank statements to analyze. Bella got into some of the highlighters (I swear that she has a radar for stuff that she'd like to chew), so I ordered more. It's supposed to rain this weekend, so that will give me time to work on them.

I came up with an idea for a blog, Stumbles on a Spiritual Path. I was thinking and reading about the Society of Friends (“Quakers”) idea of cumber, possessions or philosophies that keep you from a spiritual path. Oh, do I have cumber. That led me to the thought about decluttering as a spiritual practice. All of this is aspirational, but interesting. (Note to self: another thought, intentionality.) I created a LiveJournal site to use as a scratch pad for ideas.

Woke up a little after 7 AM. I decided to go back to sleep for a half hour and take my shower during lunch.

Crud. Someone chewed off the pads on my headphones. Or anyway, they came off, I'm not sure how.

So freaking tired.

I'm not having a good day at work, and I keep falling farther behind. I'll need to log on later.

Fed us all. I’m going to try to take the short nap that I intended yesterday. I think that I need to do more self-care when I’m busy. Overslept my nap again. Sigh. At least, I'm well-rested. Chaos over here. Gracie is barking.

My bookshelf arrived around 10 am, while I was at work. And even though I requested that they deliver it at the front door of my apartment, they delivered it to the package area in the lobby. But it was still there when I got home, and not that difficulty to get upstairs. I pushed it into the elevator, then dragged it out onto the third floor and into my apartment.
It was pre-assembled, all I had to do was screw on a few buttons for the feet. Then I inserted the books, and voila.

It wasn't too expensive - I got for about 10-20% off, with free shipping from Wayfair.

I'm very happy with it, and it is metal - so hardy.

**

Crazy Org decided to revise all the construction contract templates and schedules again. This is the fifth time in three years. Every section.
And instead of waiting until the next fiscal year - they did it now.

It's a mess. Everyone is confused.

I've decided quite a few folks in management are incredibly bored and need to invent new ways to keep busy - so they look productive. This is what happens when you have too many managers, they come up with an endless supply of busy work.

***

Sigh. I don't know what it is about me - that feels the need to explain and or discuss characters and stories and things with idiotic strangers on the internet. ( whinging about the internet fandom and using the Buffy fandom as an example )
Fandom can be annoyingly dense. I blame our educational system - too much memorization and multiple choice tests.

My frustration stems from the fact that I love analyzing and discussing stories and characters, and debating them. I get off on it. I did it in college. I'm a frustrated English Lit/Cultural Anthropology Major.

**

Alarmingly hot day with a thunderstorm at the tail end of it. Except oddly not as bad as yesterday. Neighbor informed me that feels like temperature was 110 F (50C) today, it was actually 96 F (36C). Yesterday was worse - the humidity made it feel like a sauna. Today, it felt like walking through a very warm hair dryer - hot with a breeze. But hey, I could breath - so better air quality. Either that or the Allegra was doing wonders.

It's probably best to be happy about small pleasures? I am happy and grateful for my new book case, which I've been pondering obtaining for about five years now. It looks lovely next to the tv. I might get another one. I just don't know where to put it.

A couple weeks ago we went out to Shi Miao Dao Noodle House, which for the last year-or-two occupied the location of the rather lovely Japanese joint next to my favorite Vietnamese, An Loi. They also go by "Ten Seconds", which I believe their name translates to.

What they do is a bowl of broth into which you throw many things, but all of their broths are either spicy or porky or tomatoey, so I hadn't tried to make the time. Well, they do have other things, and I decided to go for dumplings and supplement them with a rice ball. Spouse went for a tomato-broth soup, and reviewed it favorably, and the spicy soupy things our friends had also hit the spot with them.

Me, I was a bit less lucky: as everyone else was served I got a question instead: did you order the chicken mushroom dumplings, but instead I made chicken soup dumplings, is that ok? I can't say it was necessarily thrilling, but I didn't exactly want to wait for a whole nother batch, so I went for them. And they were entirely ok. I also got the rice ball described as "shu mai" (shrimp); the shrimp was chopped into small enough bits that little texture remained, and the texture of the rice ball made me feel like it had sat for a while. (A couple days later I picked up a very similar rice ball from the deli counter at Lotte supermarket, and it was superior in nearly every way.)

We split an order of milk buns for dessert, and those were just fine.

It took rather longer than 10 seconds, but I would go back, if only to try the thing I actually ordered. Though maybe with a different second thing.

When last October The Big Greek Cafe first came to town (to replace the excellent Madrid tapas place, sigh) we attended its grand opening and won a door prize in the form of a gift card. (Then we forgot about it for a while.) We split a trio of appetizers - falafel for Spouse (which came with a bonus salad), calamari for me (with pita), and spanakopita to split. The first two came with containers of very dense tzatziki, and each was a perfectly adequate example. The spanakopita was, nicely, a rather sizeable mini-pie of it, rather than a slice of a larger sheet; I think I prefer this presentation, and it was a good size to round out the meal. All in all, a pleasant enough outing, though I don't know that I'd prioritize returning to it.

Woke up at 6:30 AM. Bella did her business relatively quickly, so I’m going to go back to sleep for a half hour.

I changed the printer ink and got the return pages to print. Packaged up the laptop to return.

Called the guy about the garage to sign the contract tomorrow.

I’m in bed, and Bella and Gracie gave me a thorough face washing. Shit, Bella was trying to chew the new sheets!

Mailed my returns. And drat, I forgot to mail my letter.

Fed us all. I want to take a nap, but I need to log back onto work. I compromised on taking a "short" nap and slept for three hours. Oops.

Somewhat sleep deprived - got about four hours, and was up half the night, partly due to high blood sugar, and partly due to the inability to shut my mind and body off? But, considering the previous four days - I had seven and forty-five minutes worth of sleep per day, not too bad. I've discovered that I feel better - mind body - when I sleep.

Question a Day Meme for July:

6. Ivy climbing over a wall can act as an impressive natural air conditioner, absorbing heat from the sun and cooling internal temperatures by as much as 7.5C/45.5F. Do you like ivy plants?

Yes? But I don't have a green thumb, and tend to kill plants. So I refrain. There's plenty outside though.

7. Today, on the seventh day of the seventh month, the Japanese celebrate the Star Festival (or Tanabata). For one day only, wishes, hopes, poetry and dreams are written onto colourful streamers and tied to trees. What would you write on a streamer today?

Let there be rainbows?

8. Artemesia Gentileschi was born today in 1593 – an incredibly famous artist in her time, she is only now becoming better known. Have you ever seen any of her works?

I think so? I had to look her up, but her paintings are familiar. Particularly the one featured in the New Yorker. (I've been to a lot of art galleries and museums in my lifetime, but I can't always remember the names of the artists. I live in NY, and in the 1980s, I spent a summer in London, during which time - I hand wrote a lot of papers in art museums (they were cool and quiet and not that far from where we were staying) - my favorites were the National Gallery and the Victorian & Albert. This was before computers and lap-tops, all we had was an electronic typewriter, white out, and pens.

The Guardian article on her - shows some of her paintings

****

Today was in the mid 80s(20sC), but felt like the 90s (30sC) with the humidity, which was around 80-90%. It was akin to walking through a sauna.
Occasionally it would rain. The air hung heavy, and I found it hard to breath? So I didn't take any long walks today.

Debating taking Friday off - but honestly, it's supposed to be a nice day, and I'm more likely to take a long walk at work than at home?

I need to schedule a dental appointment, a mammogram, and alas a hair cut.
(I'm procrastinating for various reasons not worth going into.) It requires scheduling around work - although work does provide four hours for cancer screening.(Just need to provide proof of it).

The towels and pillow I ordered from Brooklynlinen arrived. I got two waffle bath towels, and two waffle hand towels in blue. They are very soft, and light weight. Different from what I'm used to. And a Marlow Pillow - which is adjustable, and suppose to be cooling and provide more support for better sleep. I'm hoping it helps with the insomina - and neck issues.

Hopefully the pre-assembled book shelf that I bought on sale at Wayfair, and is allegedly being delivered on Tuesday will arrive without incident, and without me - having to be home to receive it. (They called today - thinking I was a business, uhm no, I ordered it for my home. Not for business purposes at all. (I wonder if this is a New York thing? People keep thinking I'm a business, I am not a business.) I don't buy furniture for my workplace, construction/design/and engineering services change orders - yes, furniture, no.)

For dinner - I picked up some sushi. I'm doing it with a light salad, I think. I don't feel much like cooking.

***

Working my way through Remarkable Bright Creatures and wondering what all the hoopla is about it? It came recommended by folks on a book site on FB as a comforting read (it's not), and it's highly rec'd on Smart Bitches. Also been highly rated elsewhere. I've found it to be plodding, and I'm struggling to get through it. Been doing a lot of skimming. And the characters - are beginning to annoy me, the writer does all sorts of things to keep the characters from connecting and finding out stuff. It's beginning to feel rather contrived, and frustrating. I can feel the writer struggling to bring them together - and not quite knowing how.

Also it meanders and rambles a lot. There's a lot of repetition and navel gazing, and internal whining. I don't find it comforting at all. Yet, alas, I can't give up on it? I want to see how the writer resolves it? Also I keep trying to figure out why folks recommended it as a comfort read/happy book?

I'm in a bad reading slump folks. I need a book with good witty/quippy dialogue, and suspense, a page turner. And I'm not finding it? (Well except for the Graphic Audio Dramatizations of Illona Andrews Kate Daniels books (9 and 10), which I'd forgotten the plots of - for the most part.)

Posted by MessyNessy

https://www.messynessychic.com/2025/07/07/13-things-i-found-on-the-internet-today-vol-745/

https://www.messynessychic.com/?p=490881

1. Word of the day: Xylarium – Library of Wood

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<p class='syndicationauthor'>Posted by MessyNessy</p><p class="ljsyndicationlink"><a href="https://www.messynessychic.com/2025/07/07/13-things-i-found-on-the-internet-today-vol-745/">https://www.messynessychic.com/2025/07/07/13-things-i-found-on-the-internet-today-vol-745/</a></p><p class="ljsyndicationlink"><a href="https://www.messynessychic.com/?p=490881">https://www.messynessychic.com/?p=490881</a></p><div> <a href="https://www.messynessychic.com/2025/07/07/13-things-i-found-on-the-internet-today-vol-745/"><img title="edit_ZARAGOZA_017_300DPI" src="https://www.messynessychic.com/wp-content/uploads/2025/07/edit_ZARAGOZA_017_300DPI-600x400.jpg" alt="13 Things I Found on the Internet Today (Vol. 745)" width="600" height="400" style="max-width: 100%; height: auto;" /></a> </div> <h1 class="wp-block-heading">1. Word of the day: <em>Xylarium</em> – Library of Wood</h1> <figure class="wp-block-image size-large"></figure> <figure class="wp-block-image size-full"></figure> <p><a href="https://fennerschool.<p class="ljsyndicationlink"><a href="https://www.messynessychic.com/2025/07/07/13-things-i-found-on-the-internet-today-vol-745/">https://www.messynessychic.com/2025/07/07/13-things-i-found-on-the-internet-today-vol-745/</a></p><p class="ljsyndicationlink"><a href="https://www.messynessychic.com/?p=490881">https://www.messynessychic.com/?p=490881</a></p>

I was debating whether to weed this morning—I really want a nap—when it started raining. Well, that settles that. Bella and Gracie were chewing a branch that the tree people left.

I really like Bella and Gracie’s new personalized collars with my phone number on them. I think that I want to get some for Oliver and Lily too. (Zara will never get out. Well, maybe I’ll try one for her too, but she probably will resist it.)

There’s a cat (Oliver) in my face. Someone wants to eat.

Serendipity. I got a mail-order form for a “Comfort Tower Pro” that heats and cools. I’ll put it upstairs.

I think that I’ll stay home today and get the package ready to send tomorrow. My Walmart order hasn’t arrived yet. And I need to empty the storage shed. The dogs are barking at nothing in particular.

Got my groceries in. Crud, my donuts fell down and the dogs helped themselves to two of them.

They are saying thunderstorms later in the afternoon, but I have stuff to do inside.

Ate lunch. Gracie: "Why won’t you give me your food?" Me: "Because it’s my food. I get to eat too." Gracie: "Oh."

The Washington Post suggested taking your bank statements and some highlighters to see where your money is going. That’s easy. I’ll try that. Ordered highlighters.

I got my new loofahs, which I put in the shower. A program to wipe files off my old computer plus some transfer software. And I got the purse in which the tablet fits.

Went to order markers for delivery from Walgreens, but they are "age-restricted items," so I need to be available to receive them. Now they’re saying thunderstorms after 6 PM, so I need to get outside.

Well, I made it to 5 PM. I was dripping sweat, and I figured that the dogs (who were outside with me) were hot too, so we came in. Gracie liked being staked out on a long leash. I got some weeding done in front and almost emptied out the storage shed. (There are a few bags of leaves that I need to take out in the morning. Everything else, including my bicycles and the lawn mower, are out and in the basement.) And the markers arrived.

I’m looking at day lilies for the patch at the corner. I’m going to move some of my orange day lilies and add some additional ones for a day lily patch. But I should deal with the plants that I have first.

The Week keeps on trying to get my mom to resubscribe. I like The Week, so I subscribed on a discount magazines site.

I really want a nap, but I need to feed the beasts first. Here comes the storm. Fed us all. Nap time. Gracie loves having her belly rubbed. Had a nice nap. There was an alert about a severe thunderstorm, but I went back to sleep.

Me: “Bella, leave your brother (Oliver) alone." Bella: “But I like bothering him.” Sigh.

Hmm. Now I’m wondering if I should get up a half-hour early and get the package together to send tomorrow. I’m having stomach cramps and want to go back to sleep.

I'm still having issues with Semagic. It won't let me post to multiple journals.

A little Good News from the American Resistance and it's Global Allies.

It's been a stressful "news" week for some of us, so I think we deserve it? Honestly, our media is annoyingly negative at times, isn't it?

Disclaimer: As always, mileage may vary on the good news listed below, and good news along with everything else is often in the eye of the beholder.

To the tune of ... All I Really Need is a Little Good News

1. The Miccosukee Tribe partners with the Florida Wildlife Corridor Foundation to protect environmentally significant lands.

https://www.theguardian.com/us-news/2025/jun/15/miccosukee-tribe-florida-wildlife-corridor-foundation

2.A coalition of civil rights groups plan “Good Trouble Lives On” demonstrations on July 17 honoring John Lewis’s legacy and opposing authoritarian rule.

https://www.citizen.org/news/good-trouble-lives-on-national-day-of-action-builds-on-momentum-against-authoritarianism-fight-for-civil-rights/

3.Citing “irreparable deprivation of…First Amendment rights”, a federal appeals court upholds a previous ruling that Louisiana public schools will no longer display the 10 Commandments in classrooms.

https://www.aclu.org/press-releases/federal-appeals-court-rules-against-louisiana-law-requiring-public-schools-to-display-ten-commandments-in-every-classroom

( 4 - 8 are basically courts striking down Federal actions that are considered unlawful )

9.The U.S. Navy will no longer perform research testing on cats or dogs
[I didn't know they were doing it? At least they stopped.]

https://www.military.com/daily-news

10.In honor of pride month, elected officials host a “Love Is Love” concert at Kennedy Center in Washington, D.C., to oppose the administration’s agenda to change the venue’s programming. [That's kind of ballsy, considering how Trump took over the Kennedy Center.]

https://www.npr.org/2025/06/23/nx-s1-5442561/kennedy-center-pride

11. DE, MD, and NJ join a multi-state lawsuit against the presidential administration over its plan to redistribute firearm devices previously seized by the government due to their dangerous nature.

https://www.cbsnews.com/newyork/news/maryland-new-jersey-delaware-federal-firearm-case-gun/?intcid=CNR-01-0623

12. ID: A federal court extends a temporary restraining order preventing local law enforcement from arresting or detaining anyone based on their immigration status.

https://www.acluidaho.org/en/press-releases/judge-extends-block-on-anti-immigrant-law-in-idaho-preventing-enforcement-statewide

13.Japanese researchers, led by Prof. Hiromi Sakai, at Nara Medical University have developed a universal artificial blood—a hemoglobin-based oxygen‑carrier encapsulated in a protective shell, derived from expired donor blood.

( Read more... )

14. VA’s election for lieutenant governor demonstrates how ranked-choice voting can strengthen voters’ voices in our electoral system.

https://fairvote.org/virginia-elections-show-value-of-ranked-choice-voting/

15. ME extends ranked-choice voting to gubernatorial and state legislative elections.

https://www.pressherald.com/2025/06/18/ranked-choice-voting-expansion-in-maine-sent-to-gov-mills/

16. Maryland's 2026 budget includes bills that will increase green energy, lower prescription drug costs, and prevent federal immigration enforcement actions at sensitive locations.

https://www.cbsnews.com/baltimore/news/maryland-new-laws-2026-budget-taxes/

17.Communities across the U.S.—from Port Arthur and Austin, TX to Lake County, IL and Boston, MA—celebrated Juneteenth, commemorating the end of U.S. slavery.

[We even had signs celebrating it in my apartment building, and workplace takes it off as a State Holiday.]

https://www.beaumontenterprise.com/news/article/port-arthur-s-juneteenth-sunrise-service-20383530.php

https://www.lakecountystar.com/news/article/lake-county-sheriff-celebrates-juneteenth-baldwin-20391414.php

https://www.celticsblog.com/2025/6/20/24451593/jaylen-brown-boston-celtics-community-741-performance-dorchester-boys-and-girls-club

18.Conservative advocates for AI guardrails won, revealing the influence of a segment of the GOP that has come to distrust Big Tech. They want states to remain free to protect citizens against potential big tech harms, whether from AI, social media or emerging technologies. [Keep in mind that conservatives traditionally are State rights advocates and do not want big government. AI would annoy most conservatives - more so than liberals, actually.]

https://www.mississippifreepress.org/how-a-gop-rift-over-tech-regulation-doomed-a-ban-on-state-ai-laws-in-trumps-tax-bill/

19.Chris Kluwe is running for the state legislature in California.

https://www.latimes.com/socal/daily-pilot/news/story/2025-06-18/huntington-beach-activist-chris-kluwe-planning-state-assembly-district-72-run

[More and more social justice activists are running for elected positions.]

20. Flutes for Fido: Volunteers play music to soothe shelter animals. A 12-year-old keyboard player founded a nonprofit that recruits other musicians to give live performances in animal shelters.

https://apnews.com/article/animal-shelters-music-therapy-dogs-cats-badd87be4e39500e77c9230ad28ab9d4
( the rest of the thirty behind the cut )

Hopefully you all found something in that list that cheered you? If not? Here's a flower:

Taken on 28 May 2024 at 21:00 US Eastern Daylight Time:

(Warning for flashing lights and shaky camera.)

( Cut. )

(Not included: the sound of passing sirens.)

Taken on 9 June 2024 at 07:21 US Eastern Daylight Time:

Taken on 27 June 2025 at 19:46 US Eastern Daylight Time:

Taken on 27 June 2025 at 19:47 US Eastern Daylight Time:

Taken on 2 July 2025 at 19:43 US Eastern Daylight Time:

This gradually took shape across the parking lot from a local Asian fusion restaurant over 2024; between recovering from Hurricane Ian and the COVID quarantine, changing hands, and changing formats (from the mid-century Cantonese-American the original owners had served for forty years to a pan-Asian combination of sushi, ramen, and Chinese), they’d spent the previous couple years uneasily gaining their bearings.

The garden’s proximity to the street, along with the lack of any obvious receptacle for offerings, makes it clear that this is a more ornamental than devotional site. (A Web search indicates the presence of a local Buddhist temple, but the address is a private residence, and home worship services are for who they’re for, which does not include curiosity-gawking spiritual tourists.)

My guess is that the white-flowering shrubs are Star Jasmine (Trachelospermum jasminoides), aka Confederate Jasmine, Chinese Star Jessamine, and Trader’s Compass, native to warm regions in South and East Asia, and widely planted in the Southeastern U.S. The flowers’ heady indolic fragrance is prized in perfumery, but I’m afraid I haven’t the right sensory range to enjoy them.

Current Music: ”Forbidden Colours”.

( evening spam )

( You're about to view content that the journal owner has advised should be viewed with discretion. )

Current Mood: accomplished

I got a face full of dog when they decided that I should get up. Gracie needed to pee but used the litter box in there. That works.

Well crap. The return label for the laptop isn’t printing. I just ordered new ink. Maybe I should stop at Staples today and also get more and return it tomorrow.

Gracie has figured out how to go upstairs! But she hasn’t figured out how to get downstairs, so I had to carry her downstairs. She and Bella swapped food again. Oh hell, she went upstairs again. I think that I’ll wait until after my shower to bring her down because Bella scratched my legs when I brought her down. But wait, I was going to wear shorts. Hmm. I threw some jeans in the wash. Oliver stuck his claw in my leg, so I removed him.

Whenever I go to South Carolina, I’d also like to go to Asheville in North Carolina. I found a senior living place that I’d like to check out.

Nap time. Woke up a little before my alarm. Gracie figured out how to get downstairs.

My massage was very nice (hot stone this time, which helps unlock my muscles). Whatever part she hadn’t rubbed yet felt tense. I was good and relaxed when she was done. She invited me to use the new sauna, but I said that I had errands to run. I forgot that it was 1.5 hours, so I didn’t make it to the UPS store. Plus, I was very hungry. I’ll go tomorrow. Stopped at Steak and Shake for a bite to eat. Got printer’s ink at Best Buy. Bought two more lamb toys at PetSmart so that Bella and Gracie each can have one (although I could see Bella trying to take them both). I also bought cat ball toys that probably will get stepped on. Went to Prairie Gardens and bought a Boston Fern for my porch, two enormous spider plants for the kitchen, and two more coneflowers. All were on sale.

Bella and Gracie were thrilled that I came home. Gracie is now taking the stairs upstairs and downstairs like a champ.

Fed us all. I have the shakes. Placed a grocery order for tomorrow.

Oh hell. I didn’t get the mail, which has Bella and Gracie’s new collars, but I don’t want to go back out in the heat.

I’m thinking of going to bed REALLY early to get up in the cool morning. I really want to weed and plant tomorrow. And drop my returns off in the afternoon. And maybe go to the other garden shop.

I don't know why Semagic keeps saying that my DW password is invalid.

source

Yes, it's time again for the weekly good news report bringing hope and sanity to all or at least attempting to do so? Seriously, the media (in all its forms (Social media in particular) makes it difficult at times). I've inserted a filter for my own mental and emotional health (it's manual, since the automatic ones elude me).

As always, good news is often in the eye of the beholder, and mileage may vary on this.

1.The Senate Parliamentarian had blocked some even worse provisions
( Read more... )

2. The sell of Public Lands and the ban on state regulation of AI were both removed from the Bill by the Senate - there was a lot of push back, and the Senate removed them by majority vote.
( Read more... )

3. California Gov. Gavin Newsom filed a multimillion-dollar lawsuit against Fox News, accusing host Jesse Watters of defamation by falsely claiming that Newsom lied about a phone call with President Donald Trump during the dispute over the use of the National Guard in Los Angeles. A demand letter from Newsom's lawyers says if Fox News doesn't "issue a formal retraction and on-air apology," the lawsuit will proceed. ( Read more... )

https://www.nbcnews.com/politics/politics-news/gavin-newsom-targets-fox-news-787-million-lawsuit-rcna215522

4.A carbon-negative concrete made from seawater and bacteria just outperformed cement in strength tests

( Read more... )

https://www.youtube.com/post/UgkxU78tkZBbdOCYup4qav0DavcF1FfwbrVZ?app=desktop

5.The largest 100% supportive housing development in LA opened! 600 San Pedro is a 17-story mixed-use building with 302 units, all designed for people in interim housing transitioning to permanent housing. ( Read more... )

https://ktla.com/news/local-news/biggest-homeless-housing-facility-in-los-angeles-opens/

6.A new Colorado law includes requirements that dozens of cities provide multilingual ballots during local elections, bridging a major gap in access for voting in those races.

https://boltsmag.org/colorado-language-protections-in-voting-rights-act/

7.The British government plans to extend a ban on bottom trawling to around 30,000 square kilometers across 41 marine protected areas.

https://www.reuters.com/sustainability/climate-energy/uk-seeks-extend-ban-bottom-trawling-fishing-english-seas-2025-06-08/

8.Kendrick Lamar quietly funds college tuition for 25 Black students from Compton—identities revealed after four years. During a UCLA graduation ceremony, a student emotionally shares: “I wouldn’t be here without a scholarship from an anonymous donor… now I know it was Kendrick Lamar.” Media later uncovers he secretly funded full tuition for 25 students from Compton, where he grew up. The beauty in this is he did it w/o broadcasting across social media. Someone else shared the blessings he gave.

9.In a historic first, a Southern Ute Tribe member was elected to chair the Colorado water policy board.

https://coloradosun.com/2025/05/28/southern-ute-tribal-leader-colorado-water-board-historic-first/

10.Kseniia Petrova, the Russian scientist who spent four months in detention after failing to declare scientific samples she was carrying into the country, was freed on bail from federal custody by a magistrate judge in Boston.

https://archive.ph/FeSOQ

12. The FDA just approved a long-lasting injection to prevent HIV.

https://www.wired.com/story/fda-finally-approves-lenacapavir-preventive-hiv-treatment-gilead/?utm_brand=wired&utm_mailing=WIR_Daily_062125_PAID&bxid=5bd670ae2ddf9c619438d7ca&cndid=25074173&hasha=a22cdf50ee78026aeb03bece73c2433c&hashc=7a2950363f4b90b1881ae76c68d24551846eea9063b67a6a14e9fa39bc419e40&esrc=OIDC_SELECT_ACCOUNT_PAGE

( the rest of the 30 items )

There's more, but I got tired and want to do other things.

So how about a picture of flowers from yesterday's walk?

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iddewes

July 2025

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iddewes

Reading

Wednesday is just hot and sweaty...

Near the End of my Rope

You don't say

Stumbles on a Spiritual Path

Tuesday is happy about a bookshelf

Restaurants: Shi Miao Dao, The Big Greek Cafe

Need a Sharpe day...

Short and Sweet

Monday is tired and trudging along...

Monday almost over...

13 Things I Found on the Internet Today (Vol. 745)

1. Word of the day: Xylarium – Library of Wood

7-7-Sean

At Home Day

Anybody else need a Little Good News?

Buddha statue and surrounding garden.

it's still spamday!

sunshine revival challenge #2: tunnel of love

Errand Day

bit rough

Believe it or not? There's some good news happening

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July 2025

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