This past week has proven quite fraught, emotionally speaking. I blame the full flower moon in Scorpio for my big, deep feelings.

How has it been for you? Are you still locked down, or are you making bad choices? Let me know.

Here are this week’s links.  I’ll be honest – this week was a bit of a stretch to find something to share that seemed relevant and valid and not likely to prompt a slide into a deep depression. So I just have three, and one’s not even really a link. Take whatever you like and discard the rest.

SEA MONKEYS. I wanted them to work so badly. I was the child who saved her pennies and mailed away from the back of a comic book to receive a clear Zooquarium and a small packet of Sea Monkeys. After filling the cylinder with water and shaking the packet gently over the top…nothing. A lump of deceased Sea Monkeys drifted to the bottom of their tank and lay there, unceremoniously. I believe it was at that point my parents said something about wasting my money, but this writer is proving that Sea Monkeys do exist, they do spring to life. WANT.

An article in HuffPo lays out two men living a mile away from each other, one white, one black, and how their lives came together and split back apart. It’s not what you might think, and it’s an excellent read about race and our assumptions about it. It makes the connection between two seemingly disparate worlds inhabited by D. Watkins and Daniel T. Hersl, one a published author and university professor, the other a convicted felon who robbed drug dealers to turn around and sell the drugs and confiscated guns. Take some time to read this one if you have it in you this week.

Wednesday Khristian and I went for a little meander through Gwynns Falls/Leakin Park. This is less of a link, I suppose, as it is an urge to go out and explore whatever is in your own backyard, especially if you are starting to get antsy and lean towards doing dumb stuff like going out to eat or not practicing social distancing. Pick up some carryout from your favorite spot and go have a picnic. Bonus of the Leakin Park meander? It was the site of my first date with Khristian almost 4 1/2 years ago, and it was a lovely way to connect to that time again. Plus, we had been making plans to drive waaay out of town to go hiking, but there are tons of trails through the park that we can explore. Tomorrow we will bring a picnic and relax in the sunshine, safely away from anyone else enjoying the park.

That’s it for me. I hope you are all steeling your resolve and keeping safe at home. The virus continues to get more complicated as time passes, and we are not even close to knowing when this will end.

What’s your best tool for coping? How are you doing?