I haven't take any pictures of the red sunset, but some of them are gorgeous, but we all know that just because they're gorgeous that means somebody someplace is suffering. And as a retired fire firefighter, I have empathy for those guys and gals that are fighting the fires because that's a horribly difficult and -- and job to do under the best circumstances and if you have a heat wave like they had going on there before, it's just not good. I've got a friend in Portland area, Portland Oregon and he said it was raining today, started to rain and that was knocking down some of the smoke. So that was, that was kind of a blessing. I guess. I've got some friends around the San Francisco Bay Area who are affected by the smoke and that kind of stuff but not really affected by the the fires, yet, at least. And some other friends up in in the Pacific Northwest who are at the moment at least safe. Got a grandson who lives in Reno and a lot of smoke, he has a lot of smoke out there, but they have no fires that are close by and I guess because you know, there's a lot of desert and stuff where he is. So that's one thing I am thankful for at least.

This week, I'm starting to realize that fall is setting in and I'm trying – um my kids went back to full time school in person so managing that and remembering masks and they seem to be doing really well with it and seem to not even really notice. Especially the kindergartener who said to me as she was trying to manage her glasses fogging up with her mask. She said “Mom did you have trouble with your glasses and mask when you were a little kid too.” I thought that was so funny that she has totally adapted to this way of life it seems, and knows like just assumes this is how it always was, can't really remember. So with the weather changing it's so beautiful here in Michigan and yet there's kind of a feeling of dread because the thing that made this whole pandemic manageable seem to be, being able to be the outside and we have a little lake house we could go to and that was amazing, to have a place to escape to and get out of the house. And now a lot of questions come up with as it's getting colder and we want to meet up with people for now we can maybe do some bonfires and meet outside and feel pretty safe, but winter's coming, we have questions about do we have babysitters come? Like how does that work? And yeah, so these are things, so fall seems to have this sense of dread at least for me because of where we live and knowing how hard it will be to gather together or what will we do. Like, how are we gonna adapt or are we just gonna have people over and take our chances? I don't know what we're supposed to do.

I was thinking today about if I made a time capsule of 2020, so far we're three quarters of the year in, what would go in the time capsule? So here it goes. See if your list is like mine. First of all, of course, I'd put a mask in, and hand sanitizer. And I'd put in a canceled cruise brochure. We were going to take a Viking Cruise this summer. Argh, out. I would put in my church key, useless to me now, I can't get in church. I would put in, well, this is tricky, either a computer or a picture of a computer of people doing Zoom. How important that is. I would put in an Ottawa County parks map brochure, because instead of going on a cruise, my husband and I walked all the 42 Ottawa County parks and discovered the beauty in our local parks. I'd also put in a bicycle helmet, because again instead of doing a cruise my husband and I have done several bike trips and have had picnics. I'd put in my picnic tablecloth, because it signifies the delight in sitting out in the sunshine at a picnic table. Speaking of that, I'd put in a loaf of banana bread. I've made more banana bread this year than ever before. I'd put in a camp chair, because it would signify the informal gatherings I've had with friends in my backyard in the delight, just being with someone simply in the backyard has been this summer. I'd put in a jigsaw puzzle because I have done way too many jigsaw puzzles, at least two dozen and I do them twice. At least. I would put in, well, realize you are not from Zeeland and that's pretty much all of you, the feel the Zeel, Zeeland sign, with a heart, with a "Z" in the middle to signify the kindness of neighbors during this Covid time, and how the community has come together. And I guess the last thing I put in is an election sign, because yes, it is an election year and what a momentous election year this is. So that's what so far I’d put in my 2020 time capsule so far. I wonder what I'll add to it.

What's been particularly difficult for me this week? I'll tell you what's really really really is difficult for me is... I work at a -- I'm an essential employee at an essential business, or deemed an essential business and what really, really gets me going is these people who think that covid-19 is a joke. They think that it's something to laugh at. They think it's hilarious. And they don't feel like we have a big red stop sign outside of our door where it says "You must wear a mask to enter" and we have people that insist that it's their right to enter a private place of business without a mask if they so desire. So what really has been difficult for me this week, I really absolutely hate and despise having to be a gatekeeper for this thing. When I signed up with my employer I didn't sign up to be a gatekeeper. I mean, I'd like to encourage people to wear mask or some kind of face covering and most people, 99.9% of the people are. But I hate, I absolutely despise being forced to be an enforcer and a gatekeeper for this thing. I mean, I understand I always wear my mask and I appreciate other people in retail because I know what it's like to deal with the public about this thing, but I absolutely without a doubt despise having to be a gatekeeper for the having a mask on and that sort of thing. I just hate it, its not something I signed up for and I didn’t care for. I still don’t.

Have you gotten your wisdom teeth taken out do you or your family and funny memories of it? Yeah. I -- I had my wisdom teeth out. It's funny cause I was just talking to a woman on Facebook about this. I had my wisdom teeth out when I was sixteen all four of them, you know was one of those spur-of-the-moment things that suddenly one day my face hurt, went to the dentist, had the wisdom teeth out the next week. I remember that a couple days after I was doing better and I was in the band, the marching band and we were out on the field getting ready to go on to the field to perform during a football game. I remember being under the end zone waiting to go on the field and I sneezed and I popped those sockets. Oh my goodness, the most excruciating pain I've ever felt in all my life. It was awful. It was worse than the initial coming out of the surgery. So that was rough. You know when my ex-husband, when he had his wisdom teeth out you we were living in California, he was probably in his thirties. He went into this big conspiracy freak out when we got out of the facility and I had to take him home. He was like hiding in the van and he’s like, “I don't like this, I'm out of control. I'm out of control. I feel out of control. I don't like this. I'm sure this is –" this is like right around the time Michael Jackson died and he's like, “this is what they gave Michael Jackson to kill him. This is why Michael Jackson died. I know this is what they did” and he's like “I have to hide they're looking for me” and he was like hiding in the van. It was really weird and it was funny and I'm supposed to stop and get him his prescription and some Jell-O and stuff and I'm like, I don't want to leave him in the van alone because I was afraid to take off hiding. He was weird.

I sent a few different letters to my grandmother who is 98 years old. She lives in San Diego and she has dementia, but it's not too bad like she has sort of Lucid moments. My uncle who lives with her and takes care of her told me that the first letter that she got really brought her a lot of joy and I think that it feels like it brings her back into herself a little bit. So I've just been trying to write her since I've got, and I'm really grateful that I have the time to do that. And then in the meantime, I can support the post office.

The last time I had a "good haircut" was back in January, early January or late December. My husband had given me a gift certificate to a spa/salon that is very upscale that I normally wouldn't go to for a haircut and had a really nice cut and some highlights put in my hair. And that was before I went down to Florida with my mom. I did have my haircut once at Great Clips in Florida in early March before things really got crazy with the lockdown. So my last official haircut was in early March. Since that time I have been -- I have a short haircut, so I just trimmed my bangs, I kind of sweep it to the side and was managing to get by but I was really shaggy over my ears in the back. Of course, I had no idea what that looked like, hadn't looked, and haven't been going out anywhere to really care, so I was just letting it go.