Swimming parallel to the shore

Recently I saw a news clip describing what to do if caught in a riptide while swimming. Rather than fight the current [which usually will win] by heading straight to the shore, you should swim parallel to the shore. This takes you out of the pull of the tide, enabling you to catch your breath and head for safety.
This past week has felt like a riptide . . .

Jim is in Venezuela and assures me he's fine . . . even though he talks about the hundreds of thousands of demonstrators down the block from where he's working; hot water in the apartment has become a 'hit and miss' kind of option; a good friend of mine emailed that she has been diagnosed with breast cancer [regular mammograms are a must!]; then during the wee hours of the morning on Wednesday, a very large dead tree in the backyard fell - very loudly!

These are not the kind of life events that I have any sense of control over, so I find myself 'swimming parallel to the shore' until I can catch my breath and head for land for awhile.

For those of you who have had the ultimate pleasure of dining on 'Jim Burgers' on the patio out back . . . these pictures are for you!