Editor’s note: Karen Harris Tully is a writer who lives in Raymond and has agreed to keep a journal to share with Daily World readers during the odd and uncertain time we’re all navigating.

Dear Journal:

Which yellow is the right color yellow? Like sunshine but not too bright. Like butter but not too pale. Not veering into mustard. This is this morning’s existential question. I sit outside in my garden, trying to get some peace to think. My youngest locked me out, but that’s OK. I have two deadlines today, and the kids keep picking at each other till someone screams. Fun times.

I saw my first back to school ad in the paper this week. Come on Safeway, it’s July! And a really weird year. Can we get a break here? I don’t even know what’s happening with schools right now, and I’m not ready to think about it. There is so much conflicting news these days I’ve decided to wait until I actually hear what the plan is from the school district before getting all riled up.

This seems like a good plan with pretty much everything these days. I’m stepping back from the morass of Facebook. I’ve said that before, but this time I mean it. Yes, there’s some good stuff there, pictures of people’s kids and kitten videos, and some good news articles get shared. But there’s also a lot of wonky news from questionable sources, and I’m tired of saying, “Google, wonky news site dot com rating” because people refuse to look up their own sources before posting. The last site I looked up had a rating of “quackery.” Seriously. I don’t need the echo chamber of angst stealing time from my life right now.

So, we’re back to the garden and writing, which yellow and how to tell in the fluorescent lights of the paint display at the hardware store. The kids are now sharing a room, mostly successfully, so I get to have my tiny office back. Mike is patching the ceiling as we speak (there was a water leak) and so, I get to choose paint. Energizing, calm, lemon-butter, NOT school bus. I could ask Facebook, but I don’t have time for quackery.

Song of the day: Take it Easy, The Eagles

Karen Harris Tully is a novelist living in Raymond with her husband and two small children. She writes sci-fi/fantasy for teens and adults and can be found at www.karenharristully.com.