The fires have pushed me over some internal edge I didn’t know was there. A tough couple of days. This, even as the fires burn 1,000’s of miles away.

It’s cool here. Heating pads, sweaters, slippers, and blankets find their way to the body. I love this time of year.

Inspired by Kamala, I bought some Converse All Stars. My last pair were hot pink. I wore them to a “Firm Picnic” back in the nineties, one of many signs that I didn’t want to belong.

Wednesday: signed up for postcards to Kentucky. Thursday: calls to North Carolina (out of 42 calls — 5 connections and one amazing conversation. Worth it? Hmmm).

But by Friday I felt a whole new level of overwhelm. So distraught I actually couldn’t look at any news.

My brother and his partner, my older son, my niece, K’s brother and his partner and son, all live on the West Coast.

LA, Oakland, and Corvallis.

Grace, Nancy, and Hazel.

Barbara & her entire family, Sherri, Aymee, Dan, Ekin

I found myself wishing it was a week where we only suffered through news about corruption. Election stealing. Punitive prosecutions. The Russians. CDC fact-tampering. Boy oh boy — sickening!

I take refuge in an idiotic and entertaining detective series called, Psyche. Kind of love it, actually. Perfect length. Just enough character development. I laugh out loud several times every episode. Eight seasons are free on Prime.

Editing continues apace and so does the finishing of C’s blanket. The sashing doesn’t line up. My quilting is erratic. Where one might expect rectangles, there are wedges.

But it will be warm. It will hopefully outlast me and give comfort for many years.

“Massachusetts has the highest unemployment rates in the country,” K reading the paper.

Thank you faithful bloggers of the world. Those connections matter. Your posts are another place of refuge. I read daily even if I don’t comment. Thank you!