August 2026 Newsletter
Hello everybody,
We hope you're all doing well!
Though August was by no means entirely dismal for us, the back half of the month was unfortunately overshadowed by the passing of Athennia's mother Lou on the evening of Tuesday the 18th: She had gone into hospice with congestive heart failure at the end of May; but we still couldn't help but feel blindsided just the same, though we've taken solace in the fact that she passed peacefully in her sleep and is no longer suffering.
Exempting Athennia's serving as the rock for her sister Sandy, Taylor, and Riley as they all mourn the loss of their mother and grandmother together, we're each doing rather well otherwise: Riley went on an exciting vacation to Florida, started 10th grade yesterday, and is absolutely loving kickboxing. Taylor has officially broken up with Ahlina and continues to make moves to separate herself from her entirely. Athennia is thriving at her new job. And Kevin... erm... got a new computer keyboard last week? <shrug>
Here are our August adventures...
Cutting the Mustard: Two Turds, One Stone
Athennia spent the first week of the month waging a two-front war against stupidity: She drove up to Connecticut to help Taylor extricate herself from Ahlina, and then took the reins at work when her boss dipped out to spend a week on vacation... at which point the sewer promptly backed up! But she also met a chipmunk and a stand-up guy named Bob.
How Can I Help You to Say Goodbye?
Athennia and Riley (and Taylor over video) got to see Lou for her birthday on the 11th. Riley spent a week with Kassie's family on Anna Maria Island in Florida! Athennia and Kevin tried to take Ron and Catherine out for a belated Father's Day dinner: Mission failed successfully. And Lou passed away peacefully at age 72.
Joe, Sea, and the Pussycats
Kevin had dinner with Joe; then he had to help Catherine hack back into her own life. Liv and Hannah painted some baby pumpkins, Paula and Joe had us over for dinner, and our neighbors mostly all still suck (except for Jeff, who is awesome). Also, Riley turned Odin's cone collar into a pirate cat-broadcasting system... so we're probably under investigation by the FCC now; but we have an insane amount of bonus cat pics this month 😉
Thank you to everyone for all the flowers, cards, and well-wishes these past couple weeks. Athennia just helped her sister check into rehab again, and Taylor still has a ways to go before she's fully decoupled from Ahlina; so please keep us all in your prayers.
Cheers for now,
Kevin & Athennia & Riley & Taylor