I just got caught up and was ready to be all "new house likes carrots" but between kitties in distress and Baltimore and train suicides, it is so trivial.

I have a lot of friends in the police force who are posting knee-jerk reactions. Violence against the police is just as wrong as violence against one else. I'm trying not to block them but it is getting rough.

Suzi, please. Post about your house. We absolutely want to hear about it.

I just got done with a stranger and "He sold pot, maybe." Well, it's on the record that his spinal cord was torn apart...if you can't see why that's worse, well, go sit with the gun freaks that want to defend what automatic weapons do to six-yer-old bodies. I guess we can only be upset if they really screw up and maul the citizen of the year(Which, fingers crossed, could happen any day now)

I will be trivial for you -- got my hair cut, new license, and then swung by DSW and ended up with three new pairs of shoes. In my defense, they are all replacements for current shoes that are nearing or past their useful life, and two of them were cheap.

The Texas thing is a whole lot of crazy: [link] How did we get to the point that so many people are convinced that the federal government is planning to declare martial law, confiscate the 300 million plus guns in this country, impose Sharia law and dump toxic chemicals on us?

I've been staying at the new house since Sunday. I have slept better these last three nights than I usually do. I'm up with my alarm instead of snoozing for another hour. There is still lots to unpack and decorate. Plus there is all the stuff still at the apartment - the kid's furniture, all the knick nacks on the bookshelves (books are already here).

Monday and Tuesday I made trips back to the apartment to see the kids, pet the kitties, and load up my car with more stuff. Last night I brought home the printer but forgot to grab any printer paper. Tonight, I think I'm going to just stay put and have a chill evening.

I've posted pictures of my new back deck and I'm loving sitting out there. I took a lunch break and sat out there, without my computer, and just enjoyed the outdoors.

How did we get to the point that so many people are convinced that the federal government is planning to declare martial law, confiscate the 300 million plus guns in this country, impose Sharia law and dump toxic chemicals on us?

Our external enemies don't seem scary anymore? I'm kind of serious.

Suzi, thank you so much for posting that. It's really like being able to take a deep breath in the midst of all the rest that's going on. We need that, so thanks.

That's so wonderful to hear, Suzi! I agree we need the joy to counteract the sad. And I am also hugely Team Outdoor Living Spaces. I swear I would get nothing school-related done on the weekends without my back patio. I find it so restful.

Here, have a new dinosaur with bat-like wings and feathers: [link]