The heat returned today; we still managed to get our quota of steps and calories burned in, but it would have been nice to be able to do some of the walking in an air-conditioned mall!

Our travel agent for Iceland sent a note saying they’d cancelled our flights and would be refunding the fare to the credit card – I had expected to wind up with flight credit on Icelandic, so I was pleased. And that reminded me to check with American – they had rescheduled our flight home from Richmond by several hours, which should qualify us for a refund on that leg. I submitted the request and I’ll see what happens in a few days.

I finished pruning and editing our photos from 2002 – I went from 664 photos to 237, all geotagged and titled. A few of the photos started their lives as film – when I had them developed, I also had Kodak make digital copies, which I’m using. Some day, it would be nice to look at the actual film photos we’ve accumulated over the years, pick out the good ones, and get them digitized but it’s going to be a while!

I am privileged to be able to shelter-in-place comfortably.

I am privileged to live in an area which has not been significantly affected by protests, riots, or police oppression and brutality.

I am privileged to be able to walk down the street without worrying about drawing undue attention to myself because of my skin color or accent.

I am privileged not to have ever had to worry about where my next meal was coming from, whether I could afford medical care, or whether I was in danger of losing my home.

Far too many people can’t make all of these statements – or any of them – in the richest country that the world has ever seen.

No one should be without medical care. No one should have to worry about their next meal. No one should have to live on the streets. No one should have to worry about being presumed guilty – or assaulted or murdered – because of their skin color or accent.

I cannot solve these problems, but neither can I desist from the work of solving them. I can be an ally. I can put money where my mouth is. I can vote.

Black lives matter because black lives are human lives. Black lives matter because black lives are under attack. Black lives matter because all lives matter.

(From Chainsawsuit by Kris Straub)