Much ado

I'm thrilled that Sonya Sotomayor has been confirmed as our 111th Supreme Court Justice. It is about time we had an Hispanic presence on the nation's highest court. She'll be a wonderful judge, without doubt.

Today's photo is one of my brother Curtis and me. I recognize the apartment where my husband and I lived in the first year of our marriage, so I'm about 20 or 21, and Curtis is 16 or 17. Aren't we adorable? I'm wearing my hair in a long shag, made popular by the likes of the late Farrah Fawcett.

My beloved spouse left a couple of hours ago for a conference in Chicago. He'll be gone until Sunday night. While he's there, the weather is supposed to hit record heat, maybe even as hot as 100 in Chicago.

I've been enjoying the squirrels and chipmunks on my deck. One squirrel is so confident of a treat that when the door opens, he runs toward it with no fear. Then he dives on the proferred peanuts without so much as a thank you. He's also quite inclined to run up the screen if he's out of peanuts and wants to get our attention. Little beggar! The chipmunk this morning wasn't quite as brave, but almost. He didn't run away when I tossed out more peanuts, but his fuzzy little tail looked like a bottle brush. Isn't it a good thing that humans don't develop fuzzy tails when we're startled or frightened?

Some recent studies indicate our mental health is better if we enjoy nature and the outdoors. The key word, I suppose, is "enjoy." During summer in Michigan, I am the happiest, most serene person (except when I'm trying to finish a dissertation). In winter, my mental and emotional health stray from the path of serenity into downright grumpiness. I am convinced that people who can't relax and just lie back and do nothing--well, those folks are too tense and probably inclined to develop stress-related health problems.