Good morning, friends! I hope you are lucky enough to have a break in the extremely hot weather, too! I've so enjoyed sitting outdoors in the lower temperatures. I have a few days of these perfect temperatures left and plan to enjoy as much of them as possible.
 
With the world as crazy as it is, we have to focus on the good things in our own small circles. It's almost a daily occurrence now that I get a text alert about another incident of mass violence. While these used to be in the cities known for violence, now it's often in more random places like a small town Walmart or grocery store. Despite my current aversion to the news, I want and need to know about things like this. Is it happening where someone I love might be? Is it near me? Is it near where my daughters are or my mother?
 
Instead of letting all this make me crazy, it makes me appreciate the peace and safety of where I am even more. I like my little apartment, surrounded by nice landscaping, the two mourning doves, Nick and Nora, that visit me each morning to see if I've bought them a crust of bread, and our patio spider, Barbara. Yes. I name random animals. I'm not a fan of spiders, but spiders with names are different, right? As long as Barbara stays on her corner of the patio and keeps catching more annoying bugs, we have a truce.
 
Regardless of what the official reports say, the job market is pretty bad around here. My daughter, who has a lot of qualifications, has applied for literally hundreds - probably even thousands - of jobs, and has had only a couple of interviews. It's utter madness. She knows so many people who really want to work, who are just having no luck whatsoever in getting hired. She's not shooting way above her reach - she's applied to fast food places, Walmart, and other retailers - nobody is biting. Michael Snyder wrote about this just last week.
 
What this tells me is that a lot of the stuff we're seeing about the economy improving is baloney. Maybe it's not baloney for every person in every place, but the general public is still struggling to find new jobs, pay bills, and buy their groceries and necessities.
 
It seems like gaslighting to hear that everything is going so well when the individuals we know are absolutely not in that circumstance. It's quite detrimental to hear of a booming job market when a hard worker can't even get a second job pouring coffee. 
 
Out of the things I hate, I hate being lied to the most.
 
On a brighter note, of all the things I'm enjoying right now, I'm so happy to be able to get back into cooking! I have a nice big kitchen with a lot of counter space, one of those nifty soft comfort mats in front of my sink, and a place to sit and chop up ingredients. I made a pot of pasta fagioli this week that would make my Italian ancestors proud. Butter beans are where it's at, as far as secret ingredients.
 
I put all my cookbooks on sale this weekend for 75% off - you can get three complete ones for only $5. Go here to check it out!
 
Life can never feel that bad when you have tasty food. It really does make a difference in your mindset.
 
I'm not a medication fan, but I finally broke down and began taking something for my degenerative spinal arthritis. The chronic pain had gotten to the point of being nearly unbearable, and NSAIDs and over-the-counter remedies were doing nothing. I hated it the first few days of the medication because it made me feel loopy and high, but I woke up yesterday with so much less pain, it felt like a miracle. I may have overdone it a wee bit because I felt so good, but I tried to rein in that urge. 
 
I'm still feeling pretty good today, and my head has cleared, so I'm hoping to be on my way to leading a better life. When you have excruciating pain all the time, it's difficult to get things done. It's difficult to enjoy things that you usually would. Things like exercise or going for a stroll for fun are miserable. You start to feel like a different person. I have felt so much more like myself the past two days, and I really hope this trend continues.
 
If you missed it, be sure to check out this week's story chapter from Haven Hill over on The OP!
 
Stay safe.
Be happy.
 
Love,
Daisy
 

Unsubscribe



Luther inc.
1740 Dell Range Blvd.
Suite H13-49354 Cheyenne, WY