Staying/Getting/Doing Well – Moving goalposts or fixed target?

[Paw Prints]

Hi, this is my first post, though I have been reading the forums for some weeks. I’m probably expressing myself badly when I say that I have found reading about other people’s journeys reassuring. Finding a community of people who “get it” even when they have a wide variety of experiences and lives lived is not something I thought I would ever find.

Though people talk about getting well & there is a section Staying Well, I’m curious as to what this actually means to other people and how they manage their expectations. I noticed some people refer to being well as ‘being like themselves before they got ill’, whilst others don’t express an exact aim.

My idea of being well has changed over the years. I was first diagnosed as an 8 year old child back in the late sixties. The doctors told Mum that the voices in my head & the sudden crying bouts were because I suffered from ‘nerves’ & I was given meds to calm me. Of course such things were not discussed back then & I was told not to talk about it to anyone, not my school friends nor siblings, just Mum. For decades after my idea of being well simply meant being able to hide my illness from others.

A number of events in my life caused my illness to worsen, until some years ago I became so ill I needed to be hospitalised for my own safety. This lead to my current diagnosis of Major Depression, Anxiety & PTSD. I’m no longer in that dark place, but each day is still a battle (though I can now believe in a future). For now only my siblings & one friend know about my illness, though some things they still don’t know.
So, what does ‘being well’ mean to me, it is ever moving goalposts. If you had asked me 5 years ago would I be as well as I am now I would have thought it impossible as I couldn’t envision a future. If you had asked me last week (during one of my down periods) I would have said my progress was all an illusion & I was fooling myself that things can get better.
For now my idea of being well is being able to believe that things can change for the better, that I will one day be able to manage the everyday things like housework, caring for myself & caring for my dog & maybe, just maybe I will even be able to enjoy myself.

Paw Prints
**I took the tip to give myself time to write my post by writing on a word doc & then paste it.

[Paw Prints]

Hello ER,

Oh lass, I can't begin to imagine how it must feel wanting children & not being able to have them.  I've never felt that need myself.  I do have family members & a friend who like you have that need but can't have children themselves, so I have seen first hand how much it can affect someone.  I wish there were words that would help, but I know all I can say or do is be here & hold a space for you.  

In Melbourne we don't get the dolphins in the Yarra River & the bay is rarely flat & still, so being able to see a dolphin from the shore as you can is almost impossible.  My nephew often sees the dolphins when he takes his tinnie out fishing on the bay.  

I was in bed by 8:15 last night & asleep almost as soon as my head hit the pillow.   I got up about 6:30 this morning & have been fighting the urge to go back to bed to sleep since about 2 hours after getting up.  I'm trying to not give in to sleeping at any time during the day so I can get into my planned healthy sleep routine.  I will definitely be in bed before 10pm tonight. 

Despite being tired & a bit weepy all day I did manage to get some things done. My kitchen has gotten away from me again, so this afternoon  I was doing small 15 minute bursts of cleaning & organising.  I've only cleared a third of the counter space so far, but I did reorganise one cupboard, de cobweb, do the dishes, scrub the sink & scrub the cleared bench space, as well as put the things cleared from the bench where they belong.  I really need to get back into the "put away not put down" habit.  

I usually keep water on my bedside table in a little insulated flask.  Unfortunately the other night I didn't wake up at any point to be able to drink some, that in itself is unusual as I normally wake briefly a few times a night when I need to change position or throw the covers on or off.

I'm glad to hear you intend to break your drive to Perth, especially if it is going to be hot.  Fatigue while driving is such an insidious danger.   I'm keeping everything crossed that the day I'm meant to be going to my sil's won't be too hot for me to travel.

Hugs

Paws

[Eagle Ray]

Hello Paws,

I have sort of come to terms with not having children, but it’s like my body hasn’t, if that makes sense. I knew from the age of 40 I wasn’t going to as I felt I would be too old after the age. But it’s like my body is still saying, hey, not giving up yet. I was watching a lovely documentary on King Penguins recently and their whole drive is to find a mate and raise a chick. They go to extraordinary lengths working as a team to keep the chick alive and get it to adulthood through many hazards. It’s a fascinating thing the drive to reproduce even though it means a lot of self-sacrifice. When I was 29 I cared for a friend’s baby daughter 2 days a week and it was like the most peaceful, in-flow experience I’ve ever had. I’d take her for walks with their little dog to the nearby uni to catch up at lunch time where my friend was working. One of my former uni lecturers took one look at me with baby and dog and said, “You look like you’re doing what you were born to do”. He was right, I felt so at peace. I am fortunate to have my friend’s little girl now to spend time with and see her grow up.

Yes, I can imagine it would not be easy to see a dolphin from the shore in the bay at Melbourne. I realise we are lucky here as there’s quite a few places they can be seen. The first time I saw them in the wild was at Rottnest Island, I think when I was 8. Where I live now, if the fish are really schooling and the dolphins are having a feast, they’ll do all kinds of mid air flips and acrobatics as they are so happy with plentiful food.

Well done for staying awake but I do know how hard that can be. It would be great to know the mechanisms in your body wanting to make you sleep. Me being a detective I’m always trying to understand what is behind physiological symptoms. Also I feel depression is as much physiological as it is mental. Our body must go down for a reason. I think about how hard it was for you from when you were only 12 and you took on so much responsibility and I often wonder later if our bodies are in a compensatory state saying you have to crash and rest now whether you like it or not. I feel those years when I was a carer manifested that way. I pushed myself to the max and then my body crashed and I’m still somewhat in that crash now.

I think doing small 15 minute bursts of cleaning is so sensible. I’m finding I have to break things up into portions and rest between. I totally understand the just putting down instead of putting away thing. I think when we feel we’re just getting by it’s hard to do the simplest thing. I’m trying to put my washing away as soon as I bring it in now instead of it sitting in the basket for days. It’s like just bringing it in is an effort. I understand about feeling teary and wish I could be there to give you a hug 🤗 

The temperatures I’m heading into in Perth seem so strange as it’s been cool enough here to need a jumper in recent days. I am so, so glad I decided to break the journey up as I’ve been extremely tired. I just woke up from a sleep on the couch now actually.

We had the mini strata meeting this morning and gosh people are fascinating. One person who was adamant they wanted certain works to happen at the main meeting, today claimed the total opposite and that the works idea is ridiculous. At the main meeting I realise now she was appeasing the woman who can be a bully and today she was appeasing the council president who has a persuasive personality. What she really thinks I have no idea. Although I have had patterns of appeasing people based on my childhood experiences, one thing I can’t do is lie. So I might acquiesce to someone but I can’t actually lie as part of it. I have compulsive honesty so it completely throws me when others are not real in what they’re saying. I don’t know what to do with that and feel very confused. It’s like it doesn’t compute. It’s the part of me that feels autistic where there is a very honest, literal perspective and people’s social performances are a mystery 🤔

Well I must get up off my couch where I’m lying with a view to the lovely descending dusky light outside. Wishing you a lovely sleep tonight and day tomorrow.

Hugs,

ER

[Paw Prints]

Hello ER,

Well the tiredness got me, so much so that despite having over 9 hours sleep Sunday night, I was still so tired I went to bed just after 5pm yesterday & didn't get up until 10am today.  I'm fairly certain one aspect of my tiredness is linked to my grief at losing Woofa & then my sister.  My sil posting pics of my brothers things (like the old ute he did up) that she is now parting with before her move is probably also adding to it.  Another aspect I'm sure is my diet, which needs to be much healthier than it is or has been for awhile now.  I'm also sure my lack of fitness just compounds the tiredness.  It's the same catch 22 that goes with depression... needing to do more to feel better vs needing to feel better to do more.

I forgot to ask in my last post, did you see the article on the ABC news site about the Eagle Rays that like to jump out of the water?  I hope more research is done on why they do it.

Your description of the days you cared for a friends child as "most peaceful, in-flow experience I’ve ever had"  could only come from someone who has that maternal urge that helps them to connect that way.  Even with my nieces & nephews who I love dearly, I could never describe the time I spent with them as children in that way as I don't have a maternal bone in my body.  Kids must love having you about, as I'm sure they pick up on that type of energy emanating from someone.  Your friends little girl will love her aunty ER, just as much as you love her.  

Well I hope the final outcome of the strata meeting was that the works don't go ahead.  How strange that woman completely & publicly changing her point of view.  I can understand her giving in to the bully woman's viewpoint if she felt the need to appease her, but why then even attend the second meeting & change her opinion without explanation, thereby leaving herself open to comment or judgement from those attending?  Strange!  It also begs the question, if the bully was so determined to get her way, why didn't she attend the second meeting?  People are an odd lot, no wonder I mostly prefer being around animals.

I hope you are feeling better & the migraine has completely gone

hugs

Paws

[Eagle Ray]

Hello Paws,

You have had a lot of grief to deal with in recent times so it’s very understandable it could make you very tired. It really has a powerful effect on the body. There’s often a mourning period of months in some cultures where it’s recognised that grieving is a process that takes time, yet in our culture people may get one or two days off work after a loss and then have to return to everyday life like nothing’s really changed. I remember my boss at work having to come straight back after his mum died and he had tears in his eyes, poor fellow.

I know what you mean too about needing to do more to feel better and feel better to do more. I can really struggle to get out to do a walk sometimes, yet it always helps when I actually do it. Today my depression levels were really bad by lunchtime. I was a wreck but still had to drive to my halfway point on my trip to the city. It was extremely hard to get going. But once here I’ve improved. I’m across the road from an estuary where I just saw a beautiful sunset and saw people catching blue swimmer crabs. I met so many nice people in the last few hours. The guy opposite me in the donga-style accommodation I’m staying in is the nicest person. He is homeless and here at the caravan park awaiting news about whether he might soon have a place. We’ve had two lovely conversations. Another guy, a local, gave me great tips on locations for bird photography and we also had a great chat. Then I met another friendly guy at sunset. I really didn’t feel up to leaving home this afternoon but already I’ve improved for having ventured thus far.

I just looked up the jumping eagle ray article. It’s great to know eagle rays are one of “the main fun jumpers” 😂 The ones where I live are real characters. They nudge the legs of people cleaning fish at the fish cleaning stations in the estuary, saying can I have a piece please. They are hand fed the scraps. If I’m walking near the water they’ll often follow me, hoping I might be going to clean fish and feed them too. The larger smooth stingrays do the same.

I do seem to have strong nurturing instincts with babies and little ones. My mum could not really nurture so I’m not sure where it comes from. But a photo I have of my dad’s mum who died when he was a baby makes me feel it might be her. He was her eighth baby. I wish I knew more about her. From what my mum has told me about her dad he had a nurturing side even though her mum did not, so maybe it comes also from him.

The strata meeting did indeed lead to the large, expensive proposed works being voted down and lesser works being postponed for a year. The council president was absent from the previous meeting, thus the contrary lady went along with the bully then. But the second meeting was council members only which meant the bully was absent. Thus she seemed to think she could perform a completely different role claiming now the works are ridiculous. This second meeting was only me, her and the council president, so I’m the only one to witness both performances. She seemed to think the risk of me seeing this total about face was worthwhile. She kind of dashed off furtively at the end, perhaps to avoid facing me after her obvious about face. So confusing 🫤 

Thank you, I did have more migraine symptoms this morning but they’re gone now. There’s still underlying despair feelings and I’m thinking of trying the hormone med tonight just to stave off how bad the depression is, as it did seem to really help in the past. This one doesn’t spark histamine issues like the other one and is usually only prescribed on its own in early perimenopause and I’m in late perimenopause. But my gut instinct tells me it may help. It helps with sleep and is calming. I think I won’t worry about the bile flow issue at the moment and just try it to feel better. I do feel somewhat better as mentioned just being in a new place and meeting people too.

I hope you have a good sleep tonight Paws and a lovely day tomorrow. Take care and big hugs 🤗 

ER

[Paw Prints]

Hello ER,

That is fascinating that the Eagle Rays actively ask for food scraps.  They must be brighter than I would have thought as that isn't simply an instinctive behaviour but rather something worked out & learnt.  

Yes men can have a very nurturing nature, which I think we often forget as society in the past didn't often give them a chance to express it.  You have mentioned before about your mum not being a nurturing type person & I wonder if your nurturing nature may partly be a response to the lack of nurturing you experienced.  Perhaps the little girl within feels the need to express what she needed & didn't get.

It sounds like you had a very welcoming time at the caravan park, having that friendly interaction with other people.  I'm sure it was just what you needed.  How lovely meeting a local who knows where you can photograph the birds of that area.  I hope you took slots of pictures, not just of the birds, but of the people crabbing & the estuary against the sunset.  Simply exploring a new area would I think give you a mood lift.

I was in bed by 8:30 last night & asleep almost as soon as my head hit the pillow.  For now I think I will keep going to bed that early it feels like that is what my body needs.  I forgot to mention yesterday that the meds I'm on are likely another factor in my tiredness.  I do think it is a combination of everything rather than one major cause.  I didn't do anything practical or useful today, but that is ok as I gave myself permission to only do what I felt up to doing.  So I spent ages watching the birds in my garden & I spent time on the couch reading with a pot of tea.  I also spent some time pondering what will be tomorrows tasks, making sure I'm not setting myself up to fail by expecting too much.  Yesterday was a good reminder that being able to finish all I plan does mean I feel better about doing it & not like a failure.

I hope with the second leg of your trip you managed to miss the worst of the heat & you are now settled in where you are staying.  

Hugs

Paws

[Eagle Ray]

Good morning Paws,

It is early here and coming up to sunrise. Fluffy cat is outside in the relative cool. It’s good here in that she can be in the courtyard at the front or back and can’t get out. She loves to find a hidey spot under a plant, or even sometimes curls up in a pot next to a pot plant. She’s a Persian cat and they sleep and rest a lot! Occasional zoomies happen followed by more epic sleeping.

Yes, the eagle rays and smooth stingrays are delightful. They are very communicative and have formed definite relationships with people. Children actually stroke them and they love it. They are like pets 😂 Of course, if you actually stood on one it would be a different story. I know someone who was stung this way and it’s apparently excruciating, but it’s understandable from the stingray’s point of view. They bury themselves in the sand and are plentiful where I live, so I think about it every time I go for a swim. They’ll often swim right past which is fine but it’s the buried ones I feel I have to look out for. We have a local bronze whaler shark who is quite friendly too and divers swim with him or her (not sure which). I have had said shark swim along next to me while I’m walking on the beach just a few metres from the shoreline.

Yes, the nurturing in me could be a counter response to my childhood experiences. I was certainly trained by my mother to be her nurturer from the age of 5, but it does feel like maybe a mixture of something innate but also as you say a compensatory response to my circumstances. I spent hours yesterday afternoon playing with my friend’s little girl. I enjoyed it so much and so did she 😀 

Hmm, think I can hear a bird hassling fluffy cat. Will just deviate to investigate… Just checked and she is fine looking very happy and content out there. Sometimes the wattlebirds hassle her and I just heard a magpie out there but all is fine. She is delightfully absorbing the morning atmosphere and relative cool (it has been so hot!).

Yes, I felt a real flow in engaging with people at the place I stayed the night before. Not that long ago my abject fear of people had taken over and I was driving to remote locations on my own to get away from people. At the time that felt completely what I needed and now connection with people is completely what I need. This is a kind of pendulation that Peter Levine talks about in his work on trauma. I’m definitely moving in a healing direction and recalibrating myself.

I started taking the hormone med again two nights ago too. Wow! It helps so much. On my drive to Perth I was smiling and made myself laugh by inventing silly songs about elephants 🤣 Evrn when the traffic came to a slow crawl in the southern suburbs and my car was baking in the midday sun with the aircon barely working, I just kept expanding my repertoire of silly elephant songs and was quite happy. It’s basically a nurturing hormone which is interesting. I’m going to keep researching how it might affect the liver condition but will continue for a while because the benefits are so obvious.

It is really great you had that good sleep and you can identify that going to bed early is helpful. I’m learning more and more that my body tells me everything I need to know and I just need to tune into it. Yes, absolutely, I think meds can be a significant factor in tiredness. The antidepressant I was on for pain previously had a sedative effect and kind of blunted me and made me a bit mentally foggy. Since I’ve come off it my mind is sharper. It’s a real balancing act isn’t it, getting the benefit of meds but also dealing with side effects. I think it’s good to give yourself permission to just do what you feel up to doing. I’ve found letting go of pressure on myself is what allows things to happen - when they are ready. It’s like letting go is the key and just being in the present moment in whatever way feels right. Watching birds in the garden and reading on the couch with a pot of tea sounds just wonderful. I feel those simple things are the essence of life itself. I think keeping ideas for daily tasks simple is a good idea, just envisioning what feels possible. I’m learning to set a simple goal such as I will just vacuum these 2 rooms or I will just clear the table rather than I will try to get everything sorted. I’m also learning to leave something and come back to it later if it’s proving difficult (e.g. broken bit of light globe stuck in light fitting - it doesn’t matter for now).

Wishing you a wonderful day Paws doing whatever feels right for you today.

Hugs from me a purrs and fluffy cuddles from fluffy cat 🥰🐱

[Paw Prints]

Hello ER & Fluffy Cat,

Wow what a difference for you in just 48 hours.  Getting away from your place & spending time with other people (+ the hormone med) & you go from breaking down in tears to singing silly songs about 🐘 elephants.  How wonderful 🌞🌞.  

I'm glad you got to spend so much time with your friend's little girl.  Did you sing her any of the elephant songs or do they need more work?  I'm sure Fluffy Cat would enjoy having you sing them to her regardless.

I am very envious of the wildlife encounters you can have, especially as it doesn't sound like the beaches where you are get over run by tourists.  I would love to have an encounter with a ray like you describe, though I would most definitely pass at swimming with a shark.  Have you ever swum with the Bronze Whaler Shark?  Actually you have me thinking... I've been for walks on many beaches, especially in the UK... but I can only remember swimming in the ocean twice in my whole life.  Once at St Kilda in Melbourne & once at Green Island in Qld on a day trip.  

I hope you & Fluffy Cat managed to stay cool today.

Hugs & pats

Paws

[Eagle Ray]

Hello Paws,

It was quite a remarkable shift. I had the giggles on the drive up yesterday. I was actually smiling to myself. I didn’t sing the elephant songs for my friend’s little girl. I think they do need more work. The one composed during the traffic jam on the freeway was quite experimental and I think might lead to her staring at me perplexed. We did Incy Wincy Spider yesterday though. She knows the hand movements that accompany it. As you say, Fluffy Cat may quite enjoy the elephant songs, though she also can stare at me like I’m a weirdo at times 🤣

It was incredibly hot today. The city max was 41.2 but it got as high as 44 in the Perth hills and far northeastern suburbs. I was out at the hottest time but was lucky to find a shady tree in the 3 places I parked. There is just one room here with aircon so I left that on for Fluffy Cat plus a floor fan to help the air circulate plus the ceiling fan on in another room. But of all the rooms to snooze in she chose the one with none of those things and was still there when I got back. I’m sure there’s some kind of cat logic to it.

I have not swum with the Bronze Whaler but should I see him or her while in the water I  think I would be automatically alarmed, even knowing that Bronzies don’t usually chomp people. One recently got inside the shark “proof” net at Cottesloe Beach here in Perth leading to the water being evacuated. Sadly someone went and speared the shark afterwards which is actually illegal. The Bronzy down where I live is incredibly tolerant. I’ve been told it’s been caught and released by sports fishermen several times for fun but still seems to be ok with people. It’s 3 metres long and my mind did a double take when I saw it swimming close to the shoreline.

I was lucky to grow up about a 20 minute walk from the ocean. I was a lot braver in it as a kid and teenager compared to now. We were near the beach with the biggest surf though learnt to swim at a nearby sheltered beach. There is an absolutely lovely safe beach for swimming in my town. There is something baptismal about being immersed in the ocean, not in a religious sense but in the sense that it really changes how you feel. 

It would have been interesting seeing the beaches in the UK. I’ve always been curious about the Hebrides in Scotland and have ancestors from Skye. I’ve seen photos of beaches from the Outer Hebrides that look postcard perfect with white sand and turquoise water. Did you ever get to any of those beaches? While I was in Melbourne I caught the train to Sandringham Beach and really enjoyed walking along there. There is a coastal walk you may know, the Bay Trail, and it had a lot of bird life on it. I even saw a Rakali (native water rat) shortly after seeing an interpretive sign about said Rakali. It was very peaceful there and such a contrast after being in the CBD.

I hope your weather is ok and not too hot. Fluffy Cat is enjoying being outside now where there is a bit of a breeze. It will remain in the 30s the rest of my time here and 40 is forecast again the day I leave.

Sleep well Paws and I hope tomorrow is a good day 🙏🌼🤗

Hugs,

ER

[Paw Prints]

Hello ER,

Ahh yes... Incy Wincy Spider is one of only 4 kiddie songs I know, the other 3 are Twinkle Twinkle Little Star, Pat a Cake, Pat a Cake & Round and Round the Garden... anything more modern like Wiggles songs... nope no idea.  I suppose I could add the Play School theme song to my list... "There's a Bear in there".....  but if I go down that road... There's Humphrey B Bear... "What a funny old fellow is Humphrey".....   the list could go on. 😄

You do realise that Fluffy Cat, like all cats 😸, was just playing mind games with you.  She would have waited until she was sure you were gone & then made herself at home under the air con.  The sound of your car coming back would have sent her scurrying back to where she was laying when you left.  It is just a trick to get your undivided attention when you got back.  You are lucky she didn't do the hiding trick where she hides & then jumps out unexpectantly to surprise you.  I have sat my sisters cat a few times & they are fiendish creatures.  All that purring & head rubbing is just to lull an unsuspecting human into a a false sense of security.

I didn't get out to the Scottish Isles while I was there, but the beaches in the North West of Scotland were just as you described.  On a sunny day they looked like something from some Tropical South Sea Island, however the temperature of the water when you try wading is most definitely not tropical as I discovered first hand.  I loved exploring the coastal areas of the UK, from pebble beaches to cliff tops & the very long sandy beaches of Norfolk or the huge tidal rises off Lindisfarne Island in Northumberland or the Severn Channel.  Rockpools always got my attention as they often had small crabs etc in them.  All my trips there were during their Autumn so the holiday crowds were gone & the beaches mostly empty except the ones on the south coast of England that faced the Channel.  

Compared to what is has been in Perth I guess the low 30s is cooler, though still way too hot in my book.  Do take care if you do go out, remember Slip, Slop, Slap. Well I will be going into the chemist in Big Town early tomorrow & then hibernating inside.  It is forecast to be the mid to high 30s over the next three days here so the aircon will be on & the house closed up.  

Stay cool

Hugs

Paws

[Eagle Ray]

Hello Paws,

I am more familiar with the older traditional kids songs too. Play School and Humphrey were part of my childhood and we had Fat Cat here in WA. But I am aware of Hot Potato and a few other Wiggles things. My friend has introduced me to the Rattlin’ Bog song from the Wiggles, an Irish style jig featuring a guy dressed as a tree letting rip with the dance moves. So I’m gradually catching up on popular culture for the under fives 😂

Ah, yes, Miss Fluffy might have been luxuriating under the aircon in my absence 🤣 She has the right idea at the moment as she wanted to go in the front courtyard and there is indeed a nice breeze out there now. Twice yesterday I managed to embarrass myself while she was out there. The first time was early morning when I went to check the birds weren’t harassing her. I forgot I was only wearing a t-shirt and undies because it’s so hot and the courtyard is right next to the footpath. I was out there saying “Nice to see you little Fluffy” at the very moment a lady went by with her dog. I said “I’m just talking to the cat”, except she couldn’t see the cat from there. She looked at me like I was a bit weird. I was totally oblivious to the fact I wasn’t fully dressed until I realised later. How embarrassing 🙈 Then last night fluffy cat was out there again. This time I was looking for her and speaking to her through the screen door saying, “Hello Fluffy, where are you little Fluffy?”, in my special little cutesy talking to pets voice, and at that moment a big burly guy walked past the front gate. This is a rough neighbourhood and I hoped he didn’t think I was calling him “Little Fluffy” 😂 

Exploring the UK coastline sounds wonderful and I imagine Autumn was a lovely time and a bit more peaceful. I’m glad you got to visit those various places. Those Scottish beaches that look more like tropical paradises have always fascinated me. It’s not what you expect to see that far north. But when I think about it, when I was on Stewart Island in NZ that is very far south, and that felt like a tropical island at times there with the picturesque beaches and the type of vegetation there too. I watch several photography YouTube channels and one is by a lovely guy named Ian Worth based in Wales. He does a lot of landscape photography on the Welsh coast and some up in Scotland too. Although a lot of his videos are about technical things, you do get nice views of the landscape and him discussing how he’s going about capturing them. I love rock pools too and I have a favourite one near where I live. It’s a magical discovery place for little fish, octopus, crabs, marine snails, chitons etc.

I’m just having a lie down now as I’m planning to attend a meditation session nearby tonight. It’s a place I’ve been before. It feels humid today but certainly less hot. Keep cool in the coming days and I hope you have a good trip to Big Town tomorrow.

Hugs from me and gentle purrs from Fluffy Cat 🤗🐱