I've had to go to a number of government websites this week so I've seen the shut down announcements. Some are neutral. Some are not. But the SBA one has made me the maddest.

I’ve been on vacation this week, literally outside of the reach of the news for several of these days, but I’m glad my law partner is holding down the fort at both the firm and for our greater democracy, while I have been exploring some of our wonderful and worth-protecting national parks.

💙💛💙💛

We had no plans today and just went down to the hotel beach but we had our best sloth sighting (a mom and baby!), saw howler monkeys, and got to feed a squirrel monkey!

Our visit to Manuel Antonio National Park was fantastic. We saw all three types of monkeys and both types of sloth. And lots of other animals.

Today we drove from La Fortuna to Manuel Antonio and that was all we did because it is a very long drive. But we love our new hotel and we are excited to explore this area for the next few days.

Today we hiked Arenal 1968 and I had an excellent massage.

Today we hiked the hanging bridges and unsuccessfully fished on Lake Arenal.

Learned how to make chocolate and enjoyed the hot springs today in La Fortuna.

Here’s the photo I took before we evacuated and the photo from after we returned.

Anyway, this is what’s going on in my personal life these days. 🫠

May I recommend embroidery as a way to stop doom scrolling? I made this last weekend. It helps to have something to do with your hands. And a hopeful message isn’t bad to focus on (but a snarky one would work too). 🪡

This nerve plant had root rot and I had to cut it down to just 2 leaves on October 30. Now it has 20! I saved its life and it’s thriving!

I’ve recently become a plant person and now my favorite thing to do each day is check on the plants and discover new growth. It feels like a super power and delights me. This photo is of a pothos I propagated myself and its new leaf which is somehow more impressive than growing children in my body.

Like, so much terribleness and then I also have to worry about a November hurricane???

We just got our Helene/Milton debris picked up on Friday. At least my collapsed pool cage is coming down completely tomorrow.

He brought me $10 back! And a behavior contract. 😐

Oh and if we haven’t been connected since my Twitter days, we got a kitten! Her name is Scout. She’s very cute and also quite the terror.