What’s Been Going on This Summer in Our Backyard

These last couple of months have gone by, and we’ve done some fun things, starting with barbecuing in the back, going to the farmers market downtown, and going on short road trips. Just shaking things up this summer and having fun.

Between June and July, mom and I started going to our local farmers market, downtown, and it was awesome! We enjoyed walking down the streets, and smelling all the local produce, not to mention the other stall with crafts and projects, and the other sights and sounds, like the horse drawn trolley cart, or the saxophone player. I especially enjoyed the fresh herbs we’ve been finding, and I tagged some of the businesses in my Instagram. So, we’re trying to keep making a habit of going the first of every month when we get our money, and enjoying fresh herbs and produce with our cooking and meal prep.

We’ve also gone back to barbecuing in our backyard again. I’ve enjoyed that singular taste, of charred meats and veggies, not burned, but intense. It’s been nice, not to heat up the kitchen, and to season the food, and cook over an open flame. I like to think it’s helped a lot, and that I’ve been better with everything going on.

We started to drive to Macomb, Illinois, to check out these winning tickets from a car dealership. Usually, it’s not about the prizes, but getting out of the house, and taking a long, awesome trip along the beautiful farmlands, and nature. We usually try to pack something to eat or have some money to grab coffees and something to eat, or much on. It’s always nice to be able to go and enjoy the ride.

Our next trip is to Davenport, Iowa, to check out the Best Buy. I’m going to pack up some sandwiches, and we’re going to drive up, and then we’re going to this diner, Steak n Shake, and enjoy a meal as a late birthday celebration. Hopefully, we can enjoy some more small adventures along the way.

The Blacklist: Another Thriller I’m Obsessed With

Like some of my other series, I got started on this one by finding a video on YouTube. I was just surfing, looking for something interesting, and possible romantic, when I found this one video. The characters looked interesting, so I looked up the trailer for The Blacklist, and it seemed a little promising.

I saw the premiere promos before, and I thought it might be twisted, so I didn't start watching at first. Now, I started watching on Netflix, just to test the waters, and I became hooked. The beginning was awesome, and the longer I watched, the further down the rabbit hole I went.

Starting with the pilot episode, Raymonde Reddington heads to the FBI, to “surrender” to them, when in truth he offers an incomparable deal, starting with the name of a notorious criminal, who was believed dead. The one caveat, Reddington will only speak to Elizabeth Keen. A new agent, and profiler, Keen gets yanked out of her world, and into one manipulated by this man, and his Blacklist.

Standing Up to Harassment Today

There are so many different types of harassment today. From physical, to social, for all kinds of reasons, but none of it is ok. We all need to take a stand against harassment.

Some time back, I saw a promotion, sponsored by Hollaback and L’Oréal Paris, on helping prevent street harassment. The video was uncomfortable to watch, but I knew it was important. Later, I took the time to go through the steps on being harassed and helping others who I believed were. A long while ago, I remember, I was back to my car, and these guys whistled loudly as they drove by, and I remember it made me want to cringe.

Around the time I took the steps to learn more on how to deal with it, I just followed this guy who had started following me, and he just kept messaging me, and for some reason it made me really uncomfortable. I was finally able to tell him to stop, and he did, but I was the second time it happened. Social harassment isn’t like physically, but it can make you feel awful, and it’s wrong.

All of this needs to stop, we need to take a stand, and keep talking with each other. It’s not right how other people can make us feel about ourselves, with attention, with hounding that person, even if they believe it’s flattery, it doesn’t feel good.