Life is hard lately for a lot of us.

Whether it's money problems, relationship issues, the loss of a loved one, illness, rage against the machine that is our government...it's just difficult. And seeing the troubles of others makes it feel sometimes like things will always be this way.

Perhaps my problems will seem trivial to you, but if you are an animal lover, you'll understand.

Our beloved recessive Goldendoodle Bella isn't doing well. We call her "recessive" because she didn't get any of the "oodle" characteristics - like not shedding - and looks like a Golden Retriever.

We thought we were going to lose her in Mexico when she had severe kidney problems that caused her weight to plummet. Mercifully, great vet care and a prescription diet resolved this issue, much to the shock of everyone.

Unfortunately, now she has a growth on her face that appeared in just 3 weeks. On the day I noticed it, I thought she'd been stung. I looked for a stinger or a wound that had perhaps abscessed and could find nothing. I treated it as a sting and gave it a few days. She seemed like she felt perfectly fine aside from a mild ear infection, which I was already treating.

Then the ear infection got worse so between that and the growth that had not receded, a trip to the vet was in order.

Even more worrisome was that sweet Bella, who follows me everywhere, waits patiently outside the bathroom for me, and never leaves my side, began going into her crate and just laying there listlessly.

Both a fine and wide bore needle aspiration were attempted but the texture of the mass did not allow us to get enough cells for diagnosis. We scheduled a biopsy in a week. The ear infection has been quickly resolved. The mass has not. She's starting to develop some issues with her breathing on that side due to the mass, so the biopsy has been moved up.

Much of this week's reading material has been focused on the travesty taking place in Afghanistan. The best thing I've read about it was this:

Report: U.S. Special Forces Vets ‘Secretly Rescued’ Hundreds Of Afghan Allies ‘Left For Dead’ Amid Biden Withdrawal - what truly amazing human beings.

Escape from Ecuador is my friend Greg's story about his experience nearly dying of Covid in Ecuador and how he managed to get back to the US and get life-saving treatment.

As predicted - more supply issues in 3..2..1...US West Coast Port Congestion At Record High Amid Transpacific Trade Route Disruptions

This article has a little clip from one of my interviews in it: Survival and Prepping: There's NOT Just One Way to Prep

Here's another video clip you might enjoy. In this one, I talked with Brian and Dale of The Survival Preppers about how my family utilizes storage lockers as survival caches.

Please be prepared if you're on the Gulf Coast. They're predicting that Hurricane Ida could be the strongest hurricane to hit Louisiana since the 1800s - and that includes Katrina. If you are in the area, I encourage you to evacuate if at all possible.

The Caldor Fire is ripping through my old stomping grounds of El Dorado County, California, and headed to South Lake Tahoe. Exhausted wildland firefighters are desperately trying to save the small towns between Placerville and Tahoe and stop this inferno.

I know I keep promising my small space prepping article and after just over a month in my studio apartment, I've almost got things ready so that I can share my ideas with you.

When I went to Home Depot to pick up some pots and a watering can, there were some very wilted herbs they were throwing out. I'm going to attempt to nurse them back from the edge of death. Although I got a late start, we have a long growing season and some time until the first frost. I just transplanted everything right before these photos were taken so the plants are in shock a little bit still.

Obviously, I can't grow enough to completely feed myself on a teeny tiny patio. The other issue is that I need my patio to look decorative to keep the complex management happy. Since the building, is black, orange, and gray, I used that as a basis for a color scheme. Some of you may be shaking your head at the idea of a "color scheme" but if a person lives in a city apartment, there are rules. And if you want to get around those rules, you have to slide in under the radar. My hope is that my choices look more decorative than utilitarian.

I'm growing basil, thyme, mint, sage, yellow squash, slicing tomatoes, parsley, hot peppers, and lettuce. I hope to add a few more fall veggies.

Also note the large black container in the back corner of the patio. That holds 60 gallons of treated drinking water right there in plain sight, but due to the color blending in, I don't expect a problem.