Life at a "Swell's" pace

This past weekend (July 25) Jeff participated in a Burn to Learn with the fire department. We were able to sit and watch how the fire department handles ground and grass fires and how they are able to promptly put them out with equipment and other means. It was interesting to watch how they combat the fire from all angles and are able to quickly tackle it before it spreads.

Backfire flares being shot into the dry grass to simulate a grass fire.

I couldn't decide on these pictures. I just love how Skylar is looking up at Jeff. He admires his dad and I see it in little moments like this and it just makes my heart beam.

Poor grasshoppers were trying to get away as the grass was lit on fire. I felt sorry for them, but unfortunately for them, it saves lives learning how to contain fires, even the lives of little critters like them.

Hello.

Had a pretty bad panic attack this week and ended up calling the paramedics. I used to have them a lot more, but they were less as intense. Now I have them less frequently, which is a good thing, but they are intense when they hit me. My anxiety is bad right now because of everything that's been happening within our own city, and even the state. The world if a wreck right now and I've stopped completely watching the news, or reading anything negative online. It's starting to affect me on a much worse level, so I figured a break from all of that for awhile will be a good thing for me. Nine more people died this week in our state, bringing the toll here to 282, as of today. It is such a shame that people think this is fake and refuse to help others right now. I mainly wear a mask to protect myself. A lot of people say they wear a mask for other people, but given that I had major surgery at the beginning of the year, I wear a mask for myself. Also, seeing people not wearing one, even more so to say I am wearing the mask for me. People protested here calling everyone wearing a mask "sheep." I just thought, you do you, and I'll do me. I wouldn't mind wearing a mask for the rest of my life, to be honest. I like it when people don't recognize who I am.☺ Here are five things this week.

1. This Picture.

I really like this picture of Skylar and me. It was taken awhile ago, but I always like looking at it. I don't really frame pictures and hang them on my wall, but if I did, this one would be the one the add to the collection. It was a good day.

2. These Tomatoes.

Didn't have the energy this year for a full garden, but we did grow these tomato plants from seeds, as well as some sunflowers. So, we are hoping for the best with them. They've been inside since we planted them and this week I let them sit in the sunshine for awhile.

3. These Fortunes.

Chinese takeout gave us new thoughts on our long term goals. Fortunes only work if you believe in them and we do.

4. This Project.

We did some projects from Kiwi Crate and Mel Science recently. You can see all of the projects we've done at our homeschool classroom website here.

5. This Car.

Being a horror fan, this car is definitely my kind of car.

Positive affirmations this week: "How do you make peace with your past."

Just because you did something wrong in the past doesn't mean you can't advocate against it now. It doesn't make you a hypocrite, you grew. Don't let people use your past to invalidate your current mindset. Growth is a concept, so embrace it, and don't let others try to tell you otherwise.

Have a nice weekend.