Death and Destruction

July 17 -- John Lewis, civil rights leader and member of the U.S. House of Representatives, died at age 80

September 18 -- Justice Ruth Bader Ginsburg, the second woman appointed to the U.S. Supreme Court, died at age 87

Just nine weeks separated the deaths of these two remarkable public servants, who will be very deeply missed. 

Ten days before Justice Ginsberg's death, wildfires began in California  and then spread to Oregon, Washington, and several other western states. A total of 79 large wildfires have burned more than four million acres in ten states, more than 30 people have died, thousands of homes have been destroyed, and air quality in California, Oregon, and parts of Washington has been severely compromised.

If I'd taken this photo yesterday, I would have researched the little insect on the blackberry blossom, as I like to know the names of the creatures I see in our back yard. The shock of Justice Ginsburg's death and the ramifications of that loss, on top of all that has gone before in the past few weeks, has made that impossible for me today.

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