.Friday

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What an absolute stunner of a day it’s been!  Warm, not hot or humid, cool breeze, deep blue sky and puffy white clouds.  It was just so completely lovely and comfortable to be outside for a while!  No bugs, either, so definitely a win all around.  Jerry has been happily shredding his new bed and leaving a trail of stuffing all over my floors!  I tried having a conversation with him, and he just wriggled himself into a more comfortable spot on my lap, wagged his tiny stump and prodded my tummy to be petted.  He just disregards what I say and does what he feels like doing.  Don was left in charge for a couple of hours, during which time he didn’t answer the phone, ignored the pharmacy delivery and (I think, he denies it) had a nice little nap!  He’s been watching political coverage nonstop since sports are temporarily over, and I’m sick of it myself.  

As mentioned (and shown in the photo) I was out for a late lunch today with a friend.  We went to a little cafe by the river, where it’s absolutely lovely; lots of little birds and mature trees lining the river.  I was able to get a very comfy overstuffed sofa, so my back didn’t protest loudly at being in a hard chair… I really need to find a cushion or something that makes my life more enjoyable.  Lunch was freshly squeezed lemonade and a croissant sandwich and some excellent company.  We were enjoying the location and chat so much that it was a shocker when my alarm went off to remind me that my support worker was due.  Traffic was a little heavier than we’d expected, so I got home about 2 minutes after my worker had already arrived.  😬  This guy was a stickler for rules, and would only do the specific tasks that were on my file… so where it says “light housekeeping” (= tidy kitchen, (un)load dishwasher, empty trash) he wouldn’t do any of those.  He did make tea, but not toast or eggs… 😔 I miss my regular worker!  Thoughts and prayers for her, please, as she’s undergoing a biopsy of a mass on her brain…

I am distressed by the trend that seems to be happening of increased racism and xenophobia.  Every country in the world is dealing with situations of increased cost of living, and in each country there’s a political party arguing that it’s the result of immigration and “foreigners.”  I’m just going to make a small comment about the differences between an economic migrant and a refugee.  The former are people who go through steps to change their country of residence in an effort to improve their situation — access to jobs, education, freedom from discrimination, etc — and will arrive in the new country with some resources, ready to get to work.  Refugees are people fleeing dangerous, potentially fatal situations and have left behind their homes, jobs, networks, extended families, etc, in order to stay alive.  They arrive often with the clothes they’re wearing and minimal funds.  Governments around the world work to resettle refugees and help them find stability.  Agitators conflate the two groups, consider economic migrants to be the same as a refugee, and they label everyone as indigent, pettifogging, (isn’t that a cool word?) gangsters and criminals.  Yes, it’s overwhelming the vast number of displaced persons who are fleeing to safety, and yes, it’s straining the resources of many countries to suddenly have to shelter so many extra people, but the only way to put a stop to the influx is to ensure that the source countries are stable.  That means, wars are to stop; corrupt leaders need to be ousted from office, increasing education to the general population and ensuring that women’s rights are protected.  Simple, no? 

Meanwhile, I’m hunting for trips to go see the small people (and my sister 😝) for the start of school, where my nephew will be starting kindergarten!  So exciting, isn’t it?  Good night!