A very limited set of sentences this week due to a sad personal update: my dog passed away unexpectedly around 4 in the morning on October 15. It was sudden, but she was at home with her family and we were able to hold her and love her to the very last moments. This is my partner’s first dog, and worrying about his family in Lebanon has left him pretty frayed already so I am more worried about him than deeply involved in my own grief. But she really was the love of my life.

It’s meant so much to have friends and neighbors and our vet’s techs reach out to us. She was so loved by so many people. Please give your animal companions extra affection today, for me. Here’s a picture of her from 2019 that is one of my favorites and captures her a few months into being our dog.

For a variety of reasons despite being in mourning I am still doing the written part of my qualifying exams this week, so I will likely not collect too many sentences for next week’s newsletter. Submissions are extra-highly encouraged, thanks in advance.

In the eyes of the government, we are breathing ghosts.

“Return to Kíłááhíí”, Darcie Little Badger for the Texas Observer

The great hope of the state’s apple industry was born, and born, and born.

“The Launch”, Brooke Jarvis for California Sunday Magazine

Via Erin posting apple-related media on Bluesky.

First, it tempts self-assessment, which often ends badly.

“Breadcrumbs”, Simon Sarris for the newsletter The Map Is Mostly Water

Submitted by Wesley with the comment “idk what to think about that piece in general but this sentence and its corresponding complete lack of explanation or justification is pretty great.”

It turns each migrant into a worker who is boxed in and alone, quiet and open to exploitation.

“The Border Crisis Won’t Be Solved at the Border”, Jack Herrera for Texas Monthly