the end of America

The following italicized remarks (and the title of this post) were spoken by the 45th President, at South Dakota’s 2020 Mount Rushmore Fireworks Celebration in Keystone, South Dakota on July 3rd, to 7,000 unmasked fans, with a dais of dignitaries, including his third wife. These remarks are peppered throughout this post to highlight many efforts (or rather his team of writers’ ideas and the Republican party dictating his campaign) and tactics to win re-election next November, while not discussing unemployment which is at a record high, or COVID 19 when infection cases are running right off the graft in the US. This man is on a course to bring the end of America, not a prosperous, generous, healthy, and united America, nor the one that would make my ancestors proud, but a place of fear and hate and worry for all of us who understand fact and science and reason. But I’ll let him tell you that.

 

Seventeen seventy-six represented the culmination of thousands of years of western civilization and the triumph not only of spirit, but of wisdom, philosophy, and reason.

And yet, as we meet here tonight, there is a growing danger that threatens every blessing our ancestors fought so hard for, struggled, they bled to secure.

Our nation is witnessing a merciless campaign to wipe out our history, defame our heroes, erase our values, and indoctrinate our children.

Patrick Campbell's Flag

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Mask Up

Whether you are in agreement or not, wearing face masks in public locations is here to stay for awhile. I for one am leaning on those good people who have spent a lifetime in a research lab for their recommendations and listening to their sage advice. Mask up, says the CDC, so I’m doing just that when roaming beyond my home. Of course, one does want to have the right mask for the occasion, and look their best too, right? Here are my suggestions from three fabulous Los Angeles designers who now include this latest essential accessory along with their latest fashion lines. Pick your fav & wear it well!

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happiness is

Most mornings when I first open my eyes there are a few glorious seconds before I remember COVID 19 or the world in stages of lockdown or the sinking worry or the inherent isolation that edges us all inward, but then I do remember, and those disparaging thoughts instantly deluge any happiness I felt looking out the bedroom windows and wondering what joy this summer day might bring. In blended hope and resignation I attempt to lift myself out of despair through daily rituals. Onto the mat, moving through Yoga with Adriene, generally is reminder enough, but if I still can’t shake the gloom, there is Ryan Heffington to dance me into the light; if all fails, there is the unmistakable natural beauty surrounding me, bringing undeniable gifts in the field’s wildflowers or our household gardens or the backdrop of the majestic mountains or any number of placid lakes which are all blessings I can’t even count but perhaps can share with you all today. I invite you to stroll along. Stop and peer up. Take a breath. Dive in with me.

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