#NewThisDay Writing From My Photo Stream

. . . The Ukrainian people and their courage inspired the whole world. They gave humanity a new hope that justice has not completely left our cynical world. And it is still not force that wins in it, but truth. Not money, but values. Not oil, but people. . .

Excerpt from Speech by President Volodymyr Zelenskyy on Independence Day of Ukraine, Odessa Journal

Frank rises early, traveling for the first time in some weeks. We have had so much time together. Today the grass in the yard is wet from the recent rain. I go out with the Special One in bare feet to roam a bit before breakfast. A nice dampness in the air. My milkweed pods are healthy, but the stalks have lost their leaves. No sign of any monarchs. The bee balm and the butterfly weed no longer bloom. The thistle next to the milk weed is all brown. There is such a sad stillness among this little garden plot where there was constant activity of monarchs and dragonflies and hummingbirds last August. I miss them. I take Charlie on a long walk and he dips in the swamp and also at the river. He looks so healthy in his sun-lightened chocolate coat! His eyes are bright and his gait is youthful. I lead my Charles River Writers critique group––very interesting and engaging writing. In the late afternoon I take my swim at Farm Pond. The water suffering a bit with goosiness. It’s warm and wants refreshment. Always like this in August. The beach is populated, it’s hot. I take a lovely swim, but run out of steam on the way back. I’m glad I went. Tonight, after dinner, the sky is so dramatic with clouds and a setting sun, I go across the yard and field to the river, feeling the soft night of late summer coming on, the fall solstice soon, and a season passing into the next.