Flying Donny for Democracy 25

#ThreeGoodThings #3GoodThings
1. Homemade cinnamon rolls
2. Federal taxes submitted and out of my hair
3. Sunny day

#ThreeGoodThings #3GoodThings

1. My husband's and my wedding anniversary is today! ❤️
2. Donny (14-yr-old dog with kidney disease) and I have been doing rehab exercises almost daily since early March to try to regain strength and stability in his rear legs. Today he stood for over a minute without his legs quivering at all!
3. Joule and I have been trying to prep for lure coursing. Today she finally was chasing a bag that I pulled on a leash instead of coming to me for a treat.

#ThreeGoodThings #3GoodThings

My Mastodon community (the best)
Detangling dog shampoo
Cooler temperatures coming in tonight

#ThreeGoodThings #3GoodThings

1. Donny started feeling better by midday, although he's not quite all the way back to normal.
2. I'm writing postcards to Virginia voters about redistricting. It probably does some good, and it definitely makes me feel a little less helpless amid all that's happening.
3. Movie night with my husband in the comfort of our living room.

#ThreeGoodThings #3GoodThings
1. Spending time with old friends whom we hadn't seen in years
2. End of extreme heat
3. Pudding

#ThreeGoodThings #3GoodThings

1. Informative webinar on ways to calm one's dog
2. The line of severe thunderstorms and tornadoes currently moving through central Iowa is expected to weaken by the time it gets here.
3. Both dogs pottied after dinner, so if there's too much lightning and rain for them to go out at bedtime, they'll be ok until the storms have moved through.

Good morning, Mastodon friends! The temperature already was 63F (17C) when I got up. I hope Donny will be willing to walk earlier than usual this morning while it's still cool.
I mentioned yesterday that I was taking my complicated glasses prescription to the Costco optical shop. The price Costco charged was 1/3 what I paid for glasses elsewhere a few years ago! I did take in an old pair of glasses for them to reuse the frames. I hope the glasses turn out well!
Be safe and never give up.

Good morning, Mastodon friends! And happy anniversary to my husband and me!
We'll do a Costco run this morning by a circuitous route due to road construction that will continue through August. I will take my complicated glasses prescription to the optical shop there. I hope they do a good job.
I'm feeling better this morning after having had side effects yesterday evening from my Covid shot.
Have a safe day all, and never give up.

#ThreeGoodThings #3GoodThings from yesterday:
1. The Morning Thunder tea did perk me up.
2. The mini LED keychain flashlights arrived. Donny has lost most of his hearing, so my verbal "yes" no longer signals him that he's done what I want and a treat is coming. I hope I can make a brief flash of light become his new reward marker.
3. We had plenty of leftovers so I didn't cook.

Good morning, Mastodon friends! #Today is chilly (34F and 1C now headed for a high of only 47F or 8.3C), but tomorrow will be much warmer.
I'll be glued to election returns this evening since there are important elections in WI and GA today. I did my tiny part by writing postcards for both of them.
Have a safe day, all, and never give up.

New COVID variant with immune escape potential confirmed in US, 22 other countries

'As BA.3.2 mutations in the spike protein could reduce protection from a vaccination or infection, “continued genomic surveillance is needed to track SARS-CoV-2 evolution and determine its potential effect on public health,”'' they [CDC researchers] added.

https://www.cidrap.umn.edu/covid-19/new-covid-variant-immune-escape-potential-confirmed-us-22-other-countries

Good morning, Mastodon friends! It's another cloudy, cool morning with severe storms possible this afternoon and evening. I'll get Donny walked right after my Zoom meeting.
Here are the frozen probiotic treats I made from his rice milk yogurt. He got one in his breakfast. I think he liked it -- he ate it first. Success.
I was way too tired yesterday to check over the taxes and submit them. Wish me luck with it today.
Have a safe day, all, and never give up.

At the end of a good day, I'm tired but pleased. My husband and I spent several hours with friends from my college days with whom we'd lived in the same cities for years after. Then we moved away, and we hadn't seen them in years. They came down this way for birding, shared their binoculars, and taught us a lot. I'm exhausted from lots of driving and lots of standing, but buoyed by good conversation with wonderful people and happy that my husband enjoyed the day very much.

Good morning, Mastodon friends! So our temperature topped out at 91F (32.8C) yesterday. That exceeded the previous record for the day by 7 degrees and that for the month of March by 3 degrees. Today will be windy with high in the 50s F.
My husband and I will spend a few hours today with college friends of mine who live in MN. We have not seen them in years. They planned a stop on a birding trip just 20 miles from here so we can join them.
Have a safe day, all, and never give up.

Good morning, Mastodon friends! I am procrastinating doing my exercises, taking a shower, and going to the credit union.
Happily, the severe storms forecast for last night didn't materialize, and there was only 0.20 inches of rain in my gauge this morning.
I'll be keeping a close eye on Donny today. He waited a bit before eating his breakfast and then ate very slowly. That's not like him. I hope we don't need a vet visit.
Have a safe day, all, and never give up.

Woot: "Your federal tax return was successfully accepted by the IRS. "

Unchecking that extraneous box did the trick. 😃

Communities Near Concentrated Animal Feeding Operations Have Higher Cancer Rates.

Air and water pollution from the massive farms may be playing a role, according to a new study focusing on California, Texas, and Iowa.

https://truthout.org/articles/communities-near-concentrated-animal-feeding-operations-have-higher-cancer-rates/

Arggh, I got email saying the tax form I'd submitted had an error. As best as I could interpret the opaque error message, I'd ticked a box that didn't need to be ticked. I unchecked it and resubmitted. 🫰

What are you doing, Iowa? "UI faculty, researchers oppose bill barring colleges, universities from hiring H-1B visa holders
The bill passed the Iowa House and would restrict institutions from employing international professionals in specialized U.S. occupations." I hope the IA Senate will kill it.
https://dailyiowan.com/2026/04/01/ui-faculty-researchers-oppose-bill-barring-colleges-universities-from-hiring-h-1b-visa-holders/

I just learned of this organization: "Seniors Taking Action is a group of political activists working to support Democratic candidates and organizations throughout the country. We believe seniors are a powerful untapped source of volunteers for local, state, and national Democrats in upcoming elections. We have time, experience and talent, and we are determined to preserve our democracy for our children and grandchildren."

https://seniorstakingaction.org/action-agenda/

Gun violence, domestic violence, and the systems that fail us

https://yourlocalepidemiologist.substack.com/p/gun-violence-domestic-violence-and