That Smiths song has been in my head all day, ’cause I’ve been feeling miserable! Seems like as good as time as any to blather away in a good old fashioned blerg entry. Although it is now November, I am quite behind on chronicling My Life so we’re back in July and look who I should see while reviewing my July photos? Sweet GG. This was the last time I saw GG while she was still in relatively good health. She passed on October 10th, in her sleep, around 4 am. October was a very stressful month. The entire family mourns GG and is sad. She was so special.

C’est moi, at the family cabin back in July. This was the worst trip to the cabin of all time, although you never could tell based on the cute pictures I took. Josh had to leave after two days and fly back to Seattle and work, and wasn’t able to come back until the end of the week. I thought for sure we were both fired, which was incredibly stressful. Josh was replaced by my in-laws, and Fleeta had stated to my mother that week that 2025 was the most stressful year of her life, so needless to say she wasn’t doing well either. She was mad at me for not cleaning enough and I was mad at her because I wanted to relax. Then to top it off towards the end of the week Bob was hauling logs in the woods (as he does, at age 78), tripped and fell and hurt himself and had to be taken back to Spokane for medical care. So. Yes. Not a good vacation.

The cabin is generally our Happy Place so for it to be fraught with anxiety and stress made it all particularly difficult. The only saving grace I guess is that I forgive and forget quite easily (it’s a hallmark of ADHD and maybe one of the only good ones!) so by next July I don’t think the trauma will be as present. Although after not having a vacation since November 2023 I kind of want to go somewhere new. And warm, Lordy Lord I want warmth.

My mother was doing pretty well in July, despite the brutal 9 hour car ride there and back, but her body has been doing poorly ever since. She’s had a zillion tests since August and never mind her crappy parathyroid and hypothyroid, now she has been newly diagnosed with a cyst in her hip and advanced ortho-arthritis. She is in pain all day long, and will need a hip surgery this year. And she’s moving! Moving out of the park she’s been in for two years. My uncle has been helping her with finding a new home and I am grateful for that.

And my God, don’t even get me started about politics. The overall atmosphere in America has been so fucking brutal this year it’s almost a daily horrorshow. I’ve been sick since Halloween but I pulled it together to fill out my mail-in ballot this week, and also encouraged my husband and mother to do theirs. Josh did, but I’m not sure about my mother.

But…it can’t ALL be bad, can it? Naaahhhh. We went camping again in July (to make up for the awful cabin week), and then again in August. We were roast piggies for the August camping trip, but that freezing cold river felt amazing!

Josh took this nice portrait of me during the July camping trip. We found a beautiful swimming hole during the July camping trip, and when we camped in August we camped close to it, a different spot from the one we’ve used for several years. Bonus: very very quiet and secluded. But DANGER: a fellow camper told us he had seen a cougar near our tent! Yikes! I guess that’s fairly common in that area. He said they like to go after dogs, so I kept a close eye on my black daughter.

Around the end of July/beginning of August, my dad came for a visit and brought Lucy, who is getting old. Such a sweet girl with a happy face! My dad has had many housing and financal challenges since the divorce in 2020 but as far as I know currently has a stable home now, back in Idaho. My brother and his family have moved to the tri-cities area but we haven’t a chance to meet up with them yet.

While my dad was visiting I re-dyed my hair purple (too hot in August for wigs, and I wanted to look “cool”) and participated once again in my most favorite art show, Art in the Garden in Ballard! The community garden was up for sale a few years ago but the community came together and raised the funds to keep it intact. The show has a wonderful vibe and I always sell something. In this case I sold six of my children’s books and four paintings, so it was a win win. I’m kind of leaning towards not doing art shows anymore and just focusing on publishing my children’s books.

Josh helped me out at the art show (like always–thanks buddy!) (he doesn’t read this blog) and for the first time EVER my father was able to attend one of my art shows. That was special!

Josh and I celebrated our 17th wedding anniversary on August 3rd. This month, November, it will be 20 years since we started dating. “Wild and wacky shtuff”!

I did re-join my gym in August with the very best of intentions but I haven’t made it much. I’ve been hit or miss with my beloved weekly yoga classes also. The body…fails. Boy does it ever. And I’m only 45! Damn!

I took myself out on a hot date to the Red Light in the University District in Seattle one hot afternoon and it was GLORIOUS. Thrifting without children when properly motivated is simply one of my favorite things to do in the whole world. I felt like a teenager again, and it made me so happy. I also went into a little shop up the street that was almost entirely vintage dresses, and scored a lovely neon floral sheath dress.

I wore it to work with my little liquid glass earrings from junior high and felt real cute. Gee now that I’m looking at these pictures I want colored hair again!

Your Humble Narrator during the August camping trip. I scored that skort at Value Village, and it’s perfect for my middle aged mom needs. Cute too! My daughter was very happy in the river that weekend. We all were.

Mmmmmm. I’m somehow feeling better in my present state just looking at these pictures. So gorgeous! Nature is the best! Thank you Washington State!

I had Josh take some nice pictures of me in one of my favorite dresses in front of the grapevine. This was a selfie, but this one…

…is going to be my author photo for a while. He did such a nice job. He’s a great photographer! Speaking of my furry husband, he is transitioning to a new job this month after being with me at the same building for the last two years. It will be new for him, but we are both looking forward to a change. And hopefully better healthcare. Both of our sons have issues that require special medical treatment that isn’t covered by our current insurance, and it has been stressful. Ugh, stress! Why can’t I just be a pothead!

I did actually attempt to go back on my Celexa for generalized anxiety about a week or so ago, but I hated the side effects and then I got waylaid by a nasty virus just in time for Halloween, roops! Well, that brings us up through August. I’ll be back back back again to discuss back to school, Halloween, and all that November entails soon. Ish.