Driving 5000 miles in a month!

Since Labor Day, I have made two round trips to San Diego. I transported my daughter's possessions to her dad's in Chula Vista. Also visited my high-school-and-college buddies in Coronado, a marina/housing community near Chula Vista.

I took the motorhome, so I had a comfy place to rest on my trip.

I like to help people and I picked up a homeless man on the freeway, named Don. I took him from the Oregon border to Stockton, helping him with laundry and a meal. He said he was an Air Force veteran from a 3-generation military family. I felt sad that a veteran could be in his position, but I know he's not alone.

I'm addicted to AM620KPOJ. Ed Schultz, Randi Rhodes, Mike Malloy, Ron Reagan, etc. They give voice to so many of my thoughts! I'm looking forward to seeing Ed on November 15th in Seattle at the Town Hall Center. Hopefully I will connect with Joan S., my long-time friend from the old ERA days (my first legacy), and let her "wine and dine" me at her cozy place on Camano Island. She and her partner Tim love kayaking and exploring our natural world and Joan has dedicated her professional life to helping women keep access to birth control. She's a modern day Margaret Sanger!

I'm missing my dog, Lucy. Hopefully soon I will upload her photo, made by Margaret L. This photo captures Lucy's lively spirit and beauty. I'm so glad Margaret took this picture when she was taking care of Lucy when I was in Germany this summer.

Good news on the Riggs front: the Emmaus Christian School overview of the explicit phonics program is now on You Tube. Karen R., who has taught Riggs/Spaulding for 21 years, presented the information. Apologies for the video quality. I am now preparing a self-paced explicit phonics program for YouTube, so anyone anywhere in the world can take advantage of this very logical and effective reading program. That's my second legacy.

My hoped-for third legacy is planting trees in Africa with Magawi Mathai, the Nobel prize winner.

What I'm reading: Ralph Nader's Only the Super-Rich Can Save Us! It's very uplifting. I also found a sequel to an old favorite: The Eight by Katherine Neville. It reminds me how much I love playing (losing at) chess! Chess is truly one of the most wonderful things in this crazy world.

Hope all's well in your life! If it isn't, hope you can sit down, breathe, and go to your internal "happy place." :)

Your friend,

Mary