Dear Reader,

I hope you are having an amazing summer. Mine is filled with sorting, packing and unpacking—we are moving, again! Locally—into a smaller place, preparing for our impending empty nest. I love the simplifying and excitement that comes with a move, but I will miss my wonderful neighbors—that’s never a given and we have been blessed. I must be a sucker for change, for in addition to it happening on its own as it surely does, I seem to seek it out! So, we will end this summer in a new home getting ready for our youngest son, Sy, to begin his senior year of high school. Time is a funny thing. I wholeheartedly agree with Gretchen Rubin when she says, “The days are long, but the years are short.” It has flown by!

Luckily, I have the cats. Lance and Ivy are sweet and constant companions. More like dogs, really—they come running when we get home, they fetch, they always want to be near us and they usually sleep with us at night. I am thankful for their presence in the midst of all the change. In this issue, we have an expanded pet section to highlight our furry (feathered, finned, scaled…) friends. Be sure to take a trip to CritterTown BathHouse & Market and RedRidge Pet Market for all of your pet needs.

This issue also focuses on inflammation and how it can negatively affect your health, especially your gut and brain. Another article emphasizes the importance of clean water—beginning with local sources, like our own James River. It’s so important for us to keep the pollution out of the water and the litter off her banks. Every little bit helps—whether you volunteer to assist with a big cleanup effort or simply pick up pieces of trash when you are on a walk.

I love the magic of the river, of any body of water, and I hope to spend a lot of my summer hanging out by Pony Pasture. I hope your summer finds you by the water or another favorite destination. May you rest, recharge and be well. I love this poem by Juan Ramon Jimenez with its focus on water and change…

Oceans

I have a feeling that my boat
has struck, down there in the depths,
against a great thing.
And nothing happens!
Nothing... Silence...Waves...
— Nothing happens?
Or has everything happened,
and are we standing now, quietly, in the new life?

Happy Reading!