Where Did June Go?

I live in a state where the numbers are rising and outbreaks are happening. It's not good. At all. June has been a huge ball of stress. I mean all the months have been since March but..I turned 40 a couple of weeks ago. I had plans to celebrate it right before the pandemic hit. So I'll admit it was tough to turn 40 this year. I'm hoping I can really celebrate my introduction into my 4th decade right next year... Maybe? Fingers are crossed.

Everyone has stayed healthy. G did two online space camps in June. It was one too many. But he survived and ended up having a great time overall. Despite the one or two breakdowns...

I celebrated my birthday going out to eat. I wanted to get sushi from my fave sushi place but they are still not allowing sit-in dining. So we headed over to a brewery nearby called Straptank. It was a pleasant evening and the staff there was super friendly. We tipped extra big since I know times are tough and they're risking their health and the health of their families to work at a restaurant which probably does not pay extremely well. It was disheartening to hear, though, while we were waiting outside for a table, a group of friends/family walked out complaining that they had never been treated so horribly...the restaurant asked them to leave after they had been there for an hour (the restaurants are trying to keep the virus from spreading and they have 50% decrease in capacity so family groups can social distance from other patrons...so they want to get people into their seats...I don't think an hour is bad to ask people to leave. We are in the middle of a pandemic!) It was very disheartening to hear people say stuff like that. I'm venting.

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We also have fires popping up all over Utah. There were evacuation alerts for the area about 5 miles from us. We're keeping an eye. Yikes. We had rain and cooler temps last night, so I'm hoping that curbs some of the current fires.

Wear your masks in public! Fight the spread and take care of your neighbors.

Monthly Pics:

Here's my bday and G enjoying his online camps and a hike! My friends even dropped off a fun margarita birthday basket. And a couple of friends from out of state sent a box of Crumbl cookies and birthday quarantine box. Friends are fabulous!

G made a model Mars science habitat, we attended a Black Lives Matter protest, and enjoyed a socially distanced picnic for Father's Day with my parents.

G and I got out for a hike with our neighbors, who also practice great social distancing and mask-wearing while in public. So we both felt very safe doing this hike together.

And we finished the hardest puzzle ever! DH did most of it while I did the easy parts! Ha! And Nala and Shadow being cute and doing their kitty things.

Reading:

I finished 4 books this month. Not my best, but 4 isn't terrible! All Boys Aren't Blue: A Memoir-Manifesto by George M. Johnson, New Kid by Jerry Craft, A Wolf Called Wander by Rosanne Perry, and Dawn by Octavia Butler.

I'm reading What Language Is: And What It Isn't and What It Could Be by John McWhorter, How to Be an Antiracist by Ibram X. Kendi, Stamped: Racism, Antiracism, and You by Jason Reynolds and Ibram X. Kendi (reading this one out loud with G; we are having some great discussions), Stamped From the Beginning: The Definitive History of Racist Ideas in America by Ibram X. Kendi.

There is also a read-along happening online for Stamped and Stamped From the Beginning.

I'm listening to Our Time Is Now: Power, Purpose, and the Fight for a Fair America by Stacey Abrams. I am loving this. I'm gaining new insights into voter suppression laws, the census, gerrymandering, etc. Sometimes I have to take breaks but I love Stacey Abrams. She has my vote.

I'm planning on starting Just Mercy: A Story of Justice and Redemption by Bryan Stevenson, the second book in Butler's Xenogenesis trilogy, The End of Policing by Alex S. Vitale, and Giovanni's Room by James Baldwin over the next week or so.

Watching: 

For movies I saw the documentary Toni Morrison: The Pieces I Am you can watch either on Hulu or PBS. Fantastic documentary on Morrison. So much I didn't know about her and her life and how the literary community accepted her work and books as they were published. I can't wait to read through all of her books and writings.

We also watched Artemis Fowl on Disney+... Wow, that was a terrible movie. Terrible! Even my DH who is less critical of movies in general found it rather nauseating and silly.

Disappearance at Clifton Hill on Hulu. This was an interesting mystery indie noir. Also, if you are a fan of body horror like Videocrome and Scanners David Cronenberg stars as well.

Swiss Family Robinson on Disney+... The animal abuse in that movie... wow. I had a hard time watching that one. Overall, one of the better old Disney movies but I will never watch that one again.

DH and I watched Rocketman finally last week. It was really well done! I could see Elton John's story becoming a Broadway musical one day. That's how this movie felt. I really enjoyed how they pulled his songs into his biography. And I had no idea he had long-time friend who is his lyricist. Fantastic story and movie.

And last night I watched Lost Child on Amazon Prime about a young woman who has come back from Afghanistan to her childhood home in the Ozarks. She's trying to deal with her PTSD and trying to reconcile with her brother. And all the while she finds a boy in the woods who seems almost supernatural. She must separate fact from local myth and folklore to find out who the boy is and ultimately find herself. I really liked this one. 

For TV I finally finished up to the third season of The Good Place on Netflix with DH. I was surprised at what a funny and smart show it is. I love a whole show on moral philosophy and ethics for the little gal. And done in such a way to make sense and be entertaining!

Never Have I Ever on Netflix was a great teen show about an Indian American dealing with the death of her father, getting along with her mother, and figuring out life as a teenager. Poignant and funny. Can't wait for the next season.

This week: Just looking forward to picking up our fruits and veggies, getting some library books, and some family time. DH has taken some time off this week and we plan on doing some game nights and a hike this week. And hopefully we will get some things done around the house like washing the windows, and cleaning up the basement, and donating some books and clothes to our local second-hand store. I'm also still working on our coronavirus quarantine time capsule and a blanket for my great-niece.

Oh, and this weekend I finally planted the rest of my flowers til Fall and laid down the rest of the mulch! Whew. Gardening is tough work.

Looking forward to relaxing a little more this week and enjoying some extra family time!

I hope you all enjoy a wonderful week and holiday this weekend!

Joining in with Readerbuzz's Sunday Salon