In my county in Maryland our property tax cycle is from July 1st through June 30th, so I went online today to see if the new bill had posted and it had. Property tax and various fees for this year's cycle are $3214.14. Last year it was $3194.85, so a modest increase of just $19.29, which was actually an increase in the Water Distribution line item. I should receive the paper bill in the mail this week and then I will just pay it in full online. I just like to be sure the paper bill and online bill are the same before I pay. One year there was a discrepancy and of course it took a while to get everything straightened out.

I had a very nice weekend that included a small birthday party for my niece at my brother’s house yesterday. There were 6 of us, just family, and we sat outside (safe distances apart) and had some cake and ice cream. The weather was beautiful, and we really enjoyed the day together. I hadn’t seen my niece and her husband for months and it was great to see them.

Today my best friend and I met at the park for a walk and then our usual sit and chat at one of the picnic tables. After that I ran my car through the car wash and then stopped at a local farm stand for some fresh produce. I’m lucky that while I live in a populated suburb, I am only a few miles from farmland and in the summer, there are usually several small outdoor farm stands selling the most delicious fresh fruits and vegetables!

On July 4th my brother and I would always co-host a big party at his house, inviting lots of relatives we don’t get to see very often as well as friends. This year we won’t be able to do our usual big bash, but we will have just a small family cookout instead.

My sister lives in Texas and they are getting hit really hard with the current spike in COVID. It's doubly hard for her because her husband has cancer and they must be extremely careful. He only leaves the house to go for treatments, and my sister has to strictly limit her outside contact as well. She has groceries and prescriptions delivered to the house, but she still must wipe everything down before she can bring it inside (per the oncologist's instructions). It’s been really, hard on them. I’m still hoping that they will be able to come home for Christmas this year.