Life at a "Swell's" pace

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.

After the death of George Floyd, protests and at times riots broke out here in Oregon. Most of the destruction took place in Portland, but even a lot happened in Salem, Eugene, Corvallis, Newport, and smaller cities saw some damage, too. BLM (Black Lives Matter), and federal agencies brought in by President Trump clashed during the day, and clashed a lot at night. Tear gas, spray paint, broken windows, looting, arrests, and police brutality continued through the months of May, June, and into July. A lot of people, that don't even live in these areas, much less the state of Oregon, were claiming that Oregon looked like Afghanistan. Skylar and I decided to go and have a look for ourselves. Besides the plywood blocking off a lot of windows to keep them from getting broken, and spray paint in and around the city, it didn't at all look like a warzone. This post is about our experiences with the protests and riots, and my take on what was going on in Portland, Oregon, on July 24. Side note: I am not a political person, and this post is in no way taking a "side" to anything other than standing up for what is right and showing what is actually happening here over rumors and hearsay.

(These pictures and videos will be from the time we arrived in Portland and found a parking spot, to when we left. Under some pictures/videos I will also add a small comment, if needed.)

**This post is very picture and video heavy

Where the iconic elk statue and fountain used to be before someone set fire to it.

What it looked like before it was burned and removed on July 17, 2020. (Source)

We asked a photographer with OPB take our picture in front of the federal building and in front of the encampment where the protestors were camped. Skylar (when he was on Facebook) posted about it in the middle picture.

Homeland Security vehicles were constantly circling in and around the protestors and taking pictures. It was a bizarre situation. Mostly because, no one was doing anything illegal, other than gathering in large groups.

Random tents set up for different things. Lots of food, art, first aid, clothing, and all of it was free.

The man yelling is Lorenzo and he is an original Black Panther. He started Riot Ribs on July 4 and continued to BBQ in the middle of the protests until he was pepper sprayed. They pepper sprayed him, his food, and his volunteers. Since then, donations and other volunteers started showing up in support of his efforts to feed the community during the chaos. I got to speak to him and in the following videos you can hear his views on the matter. I will say, it was an absolute pleasure to speak to an original member of the Black Panthers. In his words: "The government doesn't like mutual aid."

We left Lorenzo, wished him luck, and headed towards the far end of the protest line to hear Mayor Ted Wheeler give a speech on how he plans to handle the federal agents pepper spraying innocent people, the cleanup efforts for the city, and his take on the murder of George Floyd.

Lots of signage and graffiti in random places. A lot of the signage that we saw was for other groups meeting up in other areas different than the Portland area. It was interesting to see so many different groups standing up for what they think is right.

"White supremacy is terrorism" "Black Lives Matter"

Other pictures from around the web. Not sure the source of these pictures, but if you own one of the ones listed, please let me know and I will give appropriate credit.