I got great news at the doctor's office this past week. I'm able to start walking a little bit again, sans boot and brace. I've never been happier to go outside and go for a walk in my life.

It seems like the autumn is a little bit autumn-ier just because I haven't been able to wander among the trees. I have only gone for short walks as directed. It's definitely still painful to walk very far so I have to space it out - I can't go every day just yet. I have physical therapy exercises that must be done daily to strengthen my ankle and I have to straddle a fine line between pushing myself a little but not reinjuring the tendon.

Breathing in the fresh fall air is worth every bit of pain to experience it. I really hope to be able to regain all my strength and function in the months to come, and I will for darn sure never take the ability to go for a pain-free walk for granted again.

I remain shocked and horrified at some of my fellow Americans. Last night, I heard from a dear friend in NYC. She is Jewish and is unable to stay at home safely. She is leaving to stay with her family out of state. Her son, a university student in Brooklyn, can no longer safely stay on campus.

People were chanting, "Long Live Hamas" in the streets of The Big Apple last night. I was absolutely appalled by protesters in the United States of America - thousands and thousands of them - chanting pro-terrorism, anti-Jewish slogans. For some, I think it's just ignorance - they have no real idea of the depths this terror group will sink to, and they seem to see them as some sort of heroic underdogs. But with others, I think it's a true effort to undermine our national values.

I don't see this ending any time soon.

I think the thing that stuns me the most is how fast this has happened. Suddenly, people can openly proclaim anti-Semitic thoughts, and it isn't chastised. They're not getting canceled.

The truth of the matter is it's suddenly socially acceptable to quote Adolph Hitler, wear a swastika, and say things like, "Gas the Jews." I'm disgusted by this, as I am disgusted by all expressions of mindless hatred and conformity.

And all I can think when I see these pro-Hamas, anti-Jewish protests is, did it happen this fast in the 1930s, before WW2 erupted? Because this seems to have come about overnight.

I wish that we lived in a world where it was acceptable to show compassion for all civilians, people who are just trying to live their lives, raise their families, worship the way they choose, and go to a concert every now and then. I don't like the way Palestinians have been treated in the past either, nor how they've become collateral damage in the war between the IDF and Hamas. But disliking governmental decisions is an entirely different thing than disliking an entire group of people because of the blood that runs through their veins. What is happening to Jewish people all over the world is dead wrong.

We've gone backward into a time that I never thought we'd see happen again.

And it's dark here.

Have you gotten any of my most recent books from Amazon or on Self Reliance and Survival? If so, I could really use your help!

If you have an Amazon account and you feel that I have earned a 5-star review, could you please do me an enormous favor and leave me one? 5-star reviews help my books to show up in searches and encourage other folks to buy them. It won't cost you a penny to do this, but would help me out dramatically! Even if you purchased these items in PDF format, you can leave a review of them - it'll show up as non-verified but will still move me up in the rankings.

Here are the books that need reviews! (And if you haven't bought them yet, do consider clicking "add to cart" and grabbing a copy!)

How to Prep When You're Broke

What to Eat When You're Broke

How to Feed Your Family No Matter What

The Prepper's Coloring Book

The Prepper's Garden Coloring Book

Thank you so so so much for helping me out with this!