And then it cooled down, and that has made all the difference! I took myself out for my regular Herring Run Trail ride on Monday, and it felt so good. I kept staring up at the sky. It was perfect from every angle–bright blue, fluffy clouds, offering just enough shade to keep me cool-ish. I snapped this one near the end of my ride, doing my second C around Lake Montebello.

There’s a lot of talk about libraries these days. People (a very small group of them–11 are responsible for more than 50% of requests) are trying to ban books, mostly those telling the stories of LGBTQ+ people, Black people, people of color. This has everything to do with the radical right wing using culture wars to push disinvestment from public institutions. Libraries rightly get a lot of attention as one of the last public places you can enjoy, use the bathroom, without paying a fee, other than the one we all pay from our taxes.

Parks are another of these public resources. We can all use them, and we don’t have to pay, other than what we pay from our taxes. On this ride, I saw people using the park for biking, obvs, jogging (or is it yogging?), dog walking, sitting, chit chatting, taking pictures, blowing up bouncy houses (you probably pay for a permit for that, maybe), roller skating, doing a lil exercise class, scootering. Parks are awesome. I am so lucky to have so many in biking distance from my house. More parks, more libraries, less war, less profit, that’s my platform.

I stopped to grab a sandwich at the end of my ride, ate it in front of the TV with the AC blasting, drinking cold seltzers from the fridge. I am indeed the very luckiest.