I found out yesterday that it’s now October! A while back I’d signed up for volunteer shifts at our local harm reduction center in October, but because I’ve been busy-busy with many things, I forgot about the shift until my phone chirped yesterday afternoon with a message asking if I still planned to come in. Whaaat? It’s already October?!

So, what’s going on around here?

Zippy had total knee replacement not quite two weeks ago so I’m now the only driver, grocery shopper, dog walker, yard clean-up person, animal appointment keeper, etc. in our household. He’s making slow progress and is doing a great job sticking to his ice machine and motion machine schedules along with his three-times-daily exercises. He starts physical therapy on Monday.

Emma our dog and Loki our cat continue to have health issues that require extra care. The good news is a friend gifted us some high-end cat food their cat can no longer eat and Loki is eating a bit more. The bad news is he’s clearly on the decline. Fortunately, he’s happy to “ride” Zippy’s lap during the motion machine sessions.

That photo was taken the day of Zippy’s surgery and he no longer has tubes coming out of him or uses a walker. He’s been using a cane for a while and this morning walked Emma and me up to the corner (and then slowly made his way back home as we continued on our neighborhood loop). Another change since that photo was taken is that there’s less room for Loki on the lap as the motion machine bends Zippy’s knee 120 degrees. We laugh about Loki getting squished as the knee pushes against Zippy’s chest, but the kitty seems to like the closeness. Good therapy for both of them.

I’m also busy (along with many others in our community) working to defeat a Christian nationalist running for a local seat. I’ve pretty much let go of organizing around electoral politics but this is a red alarm situation that demands all hands on deck. I cannot express how much I hope that person loses. (Accepting all good thoughts on that front! 🙂 )

As mentioned earlier, we won a six-month moratorium on data centers in our community but there’s much work to be done to make it permanent so that’s taking up bandwidth.

However, as soon as I hit Publish on this post I’m taking the rest of the day off. I plan to read and rest and snuggle with our furry friends.

So now you know what’s going on here. What’s going on with you?

* For all the Marvin Gaye fans, shout-out to the creator of this music streaming playlist that made me laugh out loud when I read what they called it.
Also? If it’s been a while since you listened to Marvin Gaye’s album What’s Going On, be sure to put it in the rotation soon as it’s just as vital now as ever. And if you’ve never listened to Marvin Gaye’s What’s Going On, drop everything and listen to it now.