Reprinted with permission from The Vermont Standard

9/21/20

Brrr – not too much more to say about that!  I have picked the tomatoes and put the pots to bed.  I have been shielding the 4 hanging plants and a lovely big one that was a gracious gift because they are all blooming beautifully and I cannot bear to let them go yet.  Autumn has arrived and I plan to shift the hummingbird feeders today and replace them with the sunflower seed one.  I fill it out my dining room window, so it is high and not a bear magnet.

There was an amazing discussion at the the zoom Book Club gathering last week about The Vanishing Half by Brit Bennett.  There were so many layers to this book. One twin opted to claim being white and went on to live that falsehood with both positive and negative results.  The other twin propelled herself into a good job in DC and marriage to an attorney, but opted to leave that abusive relationship and return to her roots in a small southern town.  Not only were racial issues addressed, but transgender ones as well. 

Our next selection is Redhead by the Side of the Road by Anne Tyler.  “Micah’s story of being jarred out of a fear-based, inert, complacent existence, and realizing that his very structured existence has left him feeling empty, lonely, and wanting more”.  Plan to read it and join us on 10/5 for the discussion!

I recently received an email from Dish that I thought might be worth passing on. It noted that scammers use a variety of techniques to entrap you.  For instance they try to give you a sense of urgency. They may ask you to help someone in need or a loved one or offer some kind of incentive or something of value in return for your personal info. 
Sometimes they impersonate government agencies by saying that your taxes are past due or you’re violating some law. I just received a call today supposedly from Social Security that my SS # has been suspended because of some fraudulent activity!  Often they reference computer vulnerabilities like your device needs new software or has a virus. The email cautioned against providing any personal information such as a credit card or bank account numbers, passwords, pin, birthdate, Social Security numbers.  Although most of us are aware and prudent, they often besiege us at vulnerable times.