Reading the current talking points from Republicans, here in the form of a question -- "Do you support shutting down the federal government to provide illegal immigrants taxpayer-subsidized health care?' -- makes me so angry. I am acknowledging the feeling. Hi anger! And part of the anger is that i believe that there is an abundance in this world and we should be able to provide health care to all. I don't think there are any elected congress critters trying to make that happen.

Yesterday was the first day my hands got cold outside while sitting on the deck before work. (Saturday morning i spent with inside with Bruno, as he hid under the bed. Sunday was complicated.)

I think the remaining chestnuts on the tree are poorly pollinated burrs. So, that was a quick abundance that came in but it's done. The figs' abundance seems over, and i seem unmotivated to hunt the late ripening fruit. Next harvests, lemongrass and persimmons.

Don't know what to do with the lemongrass. For Saturday's lunch i harvested some and some of my walking onions (which are related to shallots), both are very small compared to commercial things. Both have the same challenge of peeling back the less tender bits and trying to not peel back too much. Since they aren't large, it just feels like so much work for not so much food. I fried in butter, added some old white wine, and then left over rice. Yummy!

I think one thing: maybe instead of harvesting the biggest stalks, pot them up and give them another year. If i can remember to use the other stalks in broths, just flavor like bay leaves, that might be the easiest way to enjoy them. I think i've dried leaves in the past but i don't drink enough herbal teas to really use it up yet.

Today (Sunday) we had some good socialization time with Bruno with a variety of interactions. Carrie is a very good dog and has behaved well. I recalled how she used to  try to keep Marlowe and Edward from fighting and had a wave of missing Edward.  I am much more optimistic about how the three will get along, but Bruno does seem so very skittish and needs safe places.

Back from vacation which was lovely if exceedingly laid back. I forgot my antidepressants, which i suspect are more of an ADHD med for me, and simply underscored my plan to try not to plan to do much.  Friday had some bright weather, but then it was grey. The grey made for nice beach walking.

Carrie was ... OK with the beach. She was initially terrified by the very high tide line with the dried seaweed. I carried her across the first time, she did some remarkable leaps, and eventually she could cautiously make her way across.  She eventually discovered delight in rolling in the drier sand, and did enjoy walking along the wet sand.  By our last morning she was just beginning to get water curious but still didn't want the waves to lap around her feet.

I butterflied and broiled a half pound each of white (aka green tail) and brown shrimp -- it was delightful to see how differently they tasted from our grocery store shrimp, and tell apart the two. Christine said the white tasted more like langostino than shrimp. I thought sweeter.

The next day i  broiled sheepshead (probably aka convict fish), sea trout, and red drum. The red drum filet was pretty big. I tried all three at the same time. I enjoyed them, but really couldn't distinguish them that much. The sheepshead was most tender.

I have read lots, a couple collections of short stories from Amazon Originals, two Mary Russell novels i hadn't read before, then broke down and joined Kindle unlimited to reread almost all the Murderbot stories and an Anne Leckie novel, Translation State.

I've gone through feeling the feels off and on; the novel reading since getting home feels like a return to avoidance. Although, admittedly, not having my antidepressant/motivation med in my system was probably a little odd.

Christine was mostly good about the trip, although the drive involved stretches of highway that wasn't limited access but instead was at much reduced speed through little eastern North Carolina towns or dotted with evangelical signs. She dreaded the return drive back through.

Somehow, i edit and see the shape of the land, the trees, the rivers, the quirky signs of humans. And while things could be better, instead of critique my mind goes more to trying to interpret things like what are the things that look like foundations in the edges of the fields at 35°52'46.2"N 76°33'15.3"W . A check of the county GIS shows the owner of the structures and some of the water bodies is JCT, LLC, 100 LAKE DR, Clinton, NC, which is different than the owner of the fields. That appears to be a hog farm, which has at least a few  environmental enforcement actions against them -- hog farm waste ponds in eastern NC being the source of some nasty environmental horrors after heavy rains (hurricanes).  Let's see ... Somerset Farm ... permit "Swine State COC" AWS940001 ... DEQ map of feeding permits... found the farm, history of permits and site inspections. Hmm, looks like they weren't going to upgrade as needed circa 2023 so shut down.

Well, that was yet another distraction.

Gotta get ready for vacation to end.