2023    Jan    Feb    Mar    Apr    May    Jun    Fougères - Sept   
2022    Jan    Feb    Mar    Apr    May    Jun    Jul    Aug    Sep    Oct    Nov    Dec   
2021    Jan    Feb    Mar    Apr    May    Jun    Jul    Aug    Sep    Oct    Nov    Dec   
2020    Jan    Feb    Mar    Apr    May    Jun    Jul    Aug    Sep    Oct    Nov    Dec   
2019    Jan    Feb    Mar    Apr    May    Jun    Jul    Aug    Sep    Oct    Nov    Dec   
2018    Jan    Feb    Mar    Apr    May    Jun    Jul    Aug    Sep    Oct    Nov    Dec   
2017    Jan    Feb    Mar    Apr    May    Jun    Jul    Aug    Sep    Oct    Nov    Dec   
2016    Jan    Feb    Mar    Apr    May    Jun    Jul    Aug    Sep    Oct    Nov    Dec   
2015                                                                               Aug    Sep    Oct    Nov    Dec   

Most of our activities this month have centered on loving our two new kittens and thwarting their attempts to bite Tommy's tail. It was fun watching Charley and Buster playing under a postage box. The box was like a bumper car zipping across the room seemingly by itself until they bumped into something and then ricocheting off in another direction.

Charley and Buster. Best bros, forever!	Playing hide and seek in a box.	Okay, my turn to get under the box!
Buster hanging out with Uncle Tommy.

With the virus surging in Europe most restrictions remain. John and I are very careful and, as such, we don't use much mass transit or do other things that involve being close to other people. We do take walks, though, leaving Tommy in charge of the kittens.

Because of the significant increase in CovID-19 cases in France, masks are being required in more places. Schools are starting so that's a concern. The government here, like others, wants life to get back to normal soon but they know they must keep close tabs on where and how many cases occur and what the trends are.

I've been "zooming" with my atheist friends in Eugene Oregon for about 4 months. I always look forward to it. They've asked some questions about France and I add a few tidbits that may interest them. Sometimes it actually feels like we are sitting in a living room sipping coffee (their time) or an occasional apéritif (my time) just chatting and laughing and carrying on. It's been wonderful. Thank you Covid-19! No, seriously, thank you dear friends in Eugene Oregon. Thank you for this time together.

Last week I stepped in to host our weekly zoom coffee klatch because Dana, the regular host, went out to enjoy nature for a few days. I made some mistakes from which I learned so when I do group zooms with my other friends I'll get it right.

The protests and the unconstitutional actions of the anonymous Federal agents in Portland Oregon have some of my friends very concerned especially those who live in or near, Portland or who are from there or have family there. My friends in Eugene have been concerned and we've had a few discussions about the issues involved.

In two weeks John and I will be able to download our ballots from the Oregon Secretary of State website We will vote early. I recently learned that the election turnout rate for Americans Abroad varies between 4% and 7%. I know that Democrats Abroad - France (DAF) does GOTV (get out the vote) outreach to it's membership and to registered Democrats in France who are not members.

Americans living abroad vote in the general election with the state where they last lived so our votes get counted with Oregon's. As of 2016 about 9 million Americans live abroad. There are about 175,000 Americans living in France today. About 70% are voting age (140,000). If 5.5% of them vote that's about 8,000 American voters in France whose votes are distributed across many US states. It's not a single voting block for the general election. It's just some stray Americans voting in their home states from afar. John and I don't think of ourselves as members of an ex-pat voting community. We just vote by mail in Oregon - like every other Oregonian does and has done for decades. Primary elections abroad can be conducted through Democrats Abroad as a group but we still just vote by mail in Oregon.

The number of expats has more than doubled in the last fifteen years - a number growing faster than the rate of the U.S. population itself. After the 2016 U.S. Presidential election many Americans said that they would leave the country, though no figures exist to show whether a significant up-tick has occurred. You can see where America ex-pats are emigrating on this website.

Because we vote and because we are members of Democrats Abroad John and I keep close tabs on political events in the states. Many issues there still impact us such as Social Security solvency. BTW, Social Security is the name given to the national health care insurance program here. Other issues involve travel (whether we can go there or friends and family can come here), whether nationwide health emergencies which impact our loved ones and other humans in the US are being addressed properly and every other disaster that is being screwed up or created over Republicans' kill the government politics (fires, hurricanes, mail service, health care and more).

This year the opportunities to vote early are much greater than usual. This vote early calendar lists the places where and the dates when you can vote early. Check it out. The all mail states have downloadable ballots, some starting in mid September and several states that are not all mail states start early voting in mid October.

And to close out the month the SNCF staff will be striking again crippling train service for a while. Apparently the government does not yet know what are the objectives of the strike. Stay tuned.

Some street art we found on the way to the grocery.	Rennes has many giant wall murals.	Peaceful canal scene on the way to the grocery.
The peaceful canal looking in the other direction.	Hard to see in this pic, but folks fish in the canal from the many bridges.	A barber shop and hair salon in a houseboat in Rennes near our doctor's office.