Five Simple Things (July 3)

Hello.

Nothing really more to report on the Coronavirus pandemic here in Oregon, but reading the numbers they just keep going up and up. We just keep wearing masks, social distancing from others, and only going out for supplies. Our emergency stock of food is almost gone. I'm pretty upset about that; it took awhile to build that up. But, I can't be too upset, it is the reason why you have a stock, to use it in emergencies and I think this is an emergency. There are a few items in there that needed to be rotated out, anyway, so it's a good thing we were able to go through those before they expired. Otherwise, we've just been staying at home and not going out as frequently. Jeff has been still coming in through the garage entrance and keeping things clean otherwise. The sun was out all week and we got a chance to actually go outside and enjoy some of it. It's been really dry here, though, so we've been watering a lot more than normal. Hopefully, it won't be too dry of a summer. Here are five things this week.

1. These Snails.

Skylar has been keeping a few pet snails lately. He has three in this small jar, but we are looking into getting them a large terrarium and maybe making it a snail habitat for our homeschool classroom. More on this later.

2. Hardy and Fern.

Fern (our male mallard duck) has been following Hardy around and standing "guard" next to him lately. We think it's because Fern has taken a liking to Hardy, but sometimes he pecks at him, so we are watching them closely.

3. This "Jacket."

I still can not believe how many yellow jackets, or tracker jackers, as Skylar calls them (Hunger Games reference), there are here in Oregon. It's as if the summer months hit and they are out in swarms. We've had issues in the past with the yellow jackets making their nests in the car rearview windows, garage door handle, or even in the clothes line poles. They may help with pollination, but they are annoying, to some degree.

4. These Mallards.

While getting and moving more Skylar and I have been walking down a lot of side roads and roads outside of town. These wild mallards were swimming along the roadway in the flooded ditch. They let us get just close enough before they took off. It was a nice moment I was able to capture.

5. These Ducklings.

While out getting some supplies and groceries for our house, we spotted these ducklings along the side of the road in downtown Albany, Oregon. We were kind of shocked to see them in the city, but they seemed to know what they were doing. The mother duck wasn't anywhere around at the time, but they were very alert and seemed to know how to protect themselves.

Positive affirmations this week: "What are your tips on grounding for anxiety, stress, PTDS, and/or emotion overload?"

One of the most affective ways is THC, low doses. I use a lot of CBD and THC products lately in order to help me calm myself more affectively. Sometimes I need a bit of a boost along with my breathing techniques and mind calming procedures. This flyer has a lot of great information, as well. I don't do all of these options on the flyer, but I do burn incense, use essential oils, take belly breaths, eat or drink something, laying down, or even going for a walk/run. All of these things have helped me a lot. They don't always work, but for the most part, they do.