I watched the last night of the Democratic convention. Vice-President Harris is a surprise.  For the last three years she has been the quiet figure standing near President Biden when he speaks. No more. She is a breath of fresh air. She is strong. There is no doubt what her agenda will be.

This is my summer of learning about baseball. They do have a lot of little rules and it is about the numbers. We are Phillies fans. Through thick and thin. My favorites are Straum, a toe tapping relief pitcher, Castellanos, right fielder and dependable hitter, and Stubbs, relief catcher, energized team player. I like them because they all are characters and all are solid team players.

My rheumatoid arthritis(RA) is about the same. The medical establishment offers me little at this point. I am still on Kevzara which helps up to twenty percent. I am on a low dose steroid, Medrol. My pain levels range from four to seven on a scale of one to ten. I supplement my medical treatment with Cannabis gummies. We are New Mexico. The cannabis reduces the inflammation in my body. It makes the whole thing manageable.

What creates a problem for me is the number of joints affected. Some days it feels like they all are inflamed. As you might imagine I use distraction a lot. The Phillies. Writing, Matilda and her Alien.

The saga of my kitchen I am determined to make healthy meals. Many days it is hard to do. My pain level and fatigue level increases as the day wears on. I tried the various freezer ready meals, but I did not like them. Sandwiches with a salad work as easy meals that I alternate with more substantial dishes.

 I have learned to accept my situation. That could mean resignation, which isn’t helpful, or it could mean no longer fighting and resisting.  It is  living within what there is to work with. Slowing down. Life can’t be the same as it was. It is not the same anymore. I finally get it.

My Garden  Now I understand why gardeners get angry with squirrels. I planted one tomato plant. It is a strong, healthy plant. Loaded with green tomatoes. I wondered how we would eat them all. I did have a two foot mesh barrier around my plant. I went out one day to water. The mesh was torn on one side. There was not one single tomato on my plant. There was no sign of ever having tomatoes.  The tomatoes are picked carefully from the vine. The squirrels must form an assembly line and pass each tomato from one to another to finally drop them all  into their burrows. Neat. Clean. No mess. One thing for sure is that squirrels do not share.

I keep planting rosemary. Fortunately, I love the fragrance and the squirrels don’t care for it. We are still in the high nineties. In August our night temperatures cool down and the daytime highs are not as severe. School has started. Time to plan Halloween costumes. And life goes on.