I hope everyone had a happy and safe July 4th, wherever you are. The four of us had ourselves a nice little day at home where we barbequed, played in a sprinkler, and set off noisemakers in our yard. Not that we really needed to set off noisemakers – so many people in our city were setting off their own fireworks, and we could hear them for hours. It always makes me nervous when I hear amateur fireworks around here since we’re surrounded by brush-filled hills. It was our most mellow July 4th in years, but we made the most of it. And clearly James enjoyed himself because he crashed on the couch in the middle of the day! I can’t remember the last time that kid slowed down enough to take a nap.

Around The ‘Net

~James Baldwin Insisted We Tell the Truth About This Country. The Truth Is, We’ve Been Here Before

~Coronavirus autopsies: A story of 38 brains, 87 lungs, and 42 hearts

~What we (don’t) know about Covid-19’s long-term health effects

~Why the Descendants of Confederate Generals Are Happy to See Their Names Go

~‘It’s an artifact’: Mississippi officially retires its state flag to a museum

~Coronavirus updates: Seven-day average case total in the U.S. sets record for 27th straight day

~The history of the US ballot is a fascinating journey through the making of a democracy

~How a Harrowing Photo of One Woman’s Death Became an Iconic Pro-Choice Symbol

~A North Korean Defector’s Tale Shows Rotting Military

~Stars Aren’t Supposed to Go Out Like This

~A woman is infertile, so her mother is carrying her baby for her

Fun Finds

~Mike and Annie have been so into cooking lately that I ordered them this set of mini cast iron skillets. I can’t wait for them to bring me breakfast in bed LOL.
~Want to know how I exhausted James to the point of napping? Get one of these bouncy things.
~I ordered one of these cooling neck wrap/face cover thingies for when we exercise outside and as athletic face covers go, I’d recommend it!

Happy Sunday, everyone!