Sunday In the Park with George

 Easter Sunday, and the sun is shining here in Central PA.  Temps are supposed to climb into the mid 60s (F), but alack and alas, clouds will be moving into the region.  Tomorrow the showers will start and Tuesday there will be rain.  Over an inch is predicted.  

One of those things I find fascinating is that Christians who have gone to sunrise services in Central PA will see the sunshine as a sign, while Christians in Cincinnati are lamenting the fact that their Easter services were marred by heavy rains.  Too many Christians don't stop to think about weather patterns, yet they have convinced themselves that everything is according to God's will, or plan, which means the weather comes under his... jurisdiction, so to say.  This is just one of the issues they refuse to deal with, ignoring the bigger picture because it fails to fit in with what they want to believe.

Anyway, I get to work today.  The customers who show up will either be Asians, or non-Christians, or those who put looking at appliances over religion.

Since it is Sunday, I thought I'd post a Sunday picture; a Sunday in the Park with George picture, a modern recreation of  George Seurat's famous painting.  I think this is culturally amazing.  Happy Holiday!

 

Sympathy for the Devil

 So, we have a sunny Saturday morning here in Central Pa, which is nice.  Temps are in the low 40s (F) for right now, however things will begin to cloud over, and about the time I head off to work the occasional showers should start to fall.  They're not expecting any deluges, those will come on Tuesday.

I talked to my sister twice yesterday, once around the noonish hour to wish her a happy birthday.  She's younger than I, but old enough for us to laugh about our ages, and we do laugh.  And it's not that we're old, we're not, but there there are people who look at our age and think of us as old.  We laugh at them.  I suspect too many people look at their accumulating years with a "woe is me" attitude, who look at their dwindling years with dismay, wishing there were a way to add more.  And then there are those who simply resign themselves to the inevitable and just sit back and wait.  I feel sorry for them, for their decision to give up so much.  

And I did get a lot accomplished yesterday: a nice ride on my bike near Salzburg, some cleaning, some writing, some emailing.

David, my narrator are going back and forth via email on how long of a break does a comma require.  I want barely a pause, perhaps a shift in tone, a variation on inflection, and the actor in him claims that a comma indicates a change of thought.  I will win out, of course, since I'm in charge of the purse strings.

And one of my cactus flowers is blooming.  Here's what it looks like this morning with the sun shining in on it.

And this is Easter weekend.  I'm only slightly curious to see what the Spawn of Satan, Donald J. Trump posts on Truth Social tomorrow.  Perhaps an AI generated photo of he and John Eastman tacked up on crosses next to Jesus.  Notice, I said next to Jesus since we all know that Trump would have to be front and center.  

Yesterday, he posted a picture of Biden bound and gagged in the back of a pickup truck.  He will get worse.  He knows that his cultists will dismiss his Hush money, Porno trial, it's not going to endear him to Centrists in this country, those swing voters essential for him to even come close.  This is why he's trying to delay, delay, delay.  I do suspect this is why he is working as hard as he can to break his Gag order.  I don't doubt that in his Adderall demented mind, he sees getting arrested for contempt of court will swing the sympathetic vote in his direction.  Stop Laughing!  You have to remember this is why he projecting himself as the injured party.  He wants your sympathy! 

Ghostbusters

 Hello Sunshine!  That is the forecast for today.  Nice and sunny.  I like that.  There have been too many gray clouds hanging overhead.  The bright sunlight shining in through my windows has been sorely needed.  Of course, it is Spring, and rain will return, but not today.  This coming week, however, we will have consecutive days of showers and drizzles, and possibly a soaker or two.

There are chores to do today.  And shopping.  I want to swing by the store and pick up the quarter round I need to complete my kitchen floor.

While I was making my breakfast, I went through my cupboards to see which essentials needed to be refilled, honey, cereal, and olive oil were all on the list.  Since it is Friday, sometime this afternoon I will be cooking my weekend lunches, pork, cabbage, and potatoes.  I'm so glad my beliefs don't affect my diet.  I feel sorry for those who can't eat pork.  That other white meat is one of my favorites, in fact, I eat more pork, chicken, and fish than I do beef.  

Today's my sister's birthday.  I will call her.  Our calls are usually filled with laughter which is good.  Her life has not always been the greatest, and now she's discovered she's married to a cultist.  Smart woman, she laughs at him.

I went to see the new Ghostbuster's movie last night.  I really enjoyed it.  What most people have forgotten is that the original Ghostbusters was a comedy.  That's right, it was funny.  That's what made it a big hit.  The newest film in the franchise has gone back to its roots.  There are some very funny scenes.  The Sta-Puffed Marshmallow man returns... in miniatures, lots of miniatures.  It's so nice when you go see a comedy and the audience is laughing loudly at the jokes.  

Joe Biden had the largest, biggest, wowiest fund raising campaign event last night in New York City where he raised $25 million.  Yeah, that's right, $25 million.  In one night, Biden raised more than the Orange Anus did in the month of February.  Ouch!  While the Democrats are raising money like gangbusters, Trump is funneling money from the RNC to pay for his legal bills... oh, and he's shilling bibles, too.

Republicans are aware of their shortcomings.  That's why, in the deeply red states, they're passing agendas they believe will allow them to hold their grip on power.  Of course they're going to fail, and they have no idea what to do to save their sorry butts as evidenced by this post from Charlie Kirk.

The Kitchen

 So, it's Thursday and the clouds are still here, it's not raining, however, so I guess that's a dim bright spot.  Tomorrow, things will be a little brighter.  Partial sunshine will do that, however as we move into the weekend rain showers and possibly a soaker or two will move back into the region.  Temps will spring into what are consider normal highs and lows for the season. 

One of the things that's bothered me about my trip to Greece was the return flight.  Having to wait in Madrid for 13 hours before my return flight to the states was irking.  I'm not a sitter, or waiter, and having to do so weighs heavily upon my impatience.  Doing nothing.  Ugh.  And since the layover was from 11 PM until 12 the next day, it wasn't as if I could leave the airport and take in a single, solitary sight.  So, I revisited the return flights and discovered that if I left Athens at 0830, I could be back in the states on the same day.  Realizing this, I had no problem in changing my return itinerary.  Now, I'm leaving Athens at 0830, and flying to Heathrow, where I'll have a 4 hour wait, until flying to Philadelphia.  Believe me, cutting out that 13 hour layover turned out to be such a relief.

Here are two pictures of my new, old kitchen.  I still need to put the quarter round down, and there are a few touch-ups I need to get the paint brush out for, but otherwise it's finished.  I'm pleased with the way it turned out.  The flooring is Lifeproof, Chelsea Pond and, as I might have expected, it's a color that is no longer sold.  Good thing I bought 2 extra boxes.

John Eastman was disbarred yesterday, or at least a judge ruled that he should be disbarred.  He's a Trump zealot, who was once a law clerk for Clarence Thomas.  Now tell me, doesn't that make perfect sense?  

And even though there's a gag order on the Orange Anus, he's still spouting out his hatred, aiming his attacks at those involved in his porno trial whom he thinks the most vulnerable.  He will continue to do this until he's actually punished.  That's the only way his attorney's might convince him to shut his mouth.  In my opinion, that would be outstanding.  He's always believed his words and actions are above consequence.  Wouldn't that be a delight, having him handcuffed  and taken to spend a night in jail?

Ludicrosity

 We got rain coming in people, lots of showers, and possibly a few hour-long soakers to make your gardens grow.  Daytime highs are going to be hovering in the mid 50s (F) for the next few days, and showers and mini-soakers seem to be the norm.  There is that occasional day in which the skies are just going to be overcast.  Gloomy.

Though the showers and soakers are going to be nice.  Green is good.  I had an old bag of grass seed which is now strewn over the patches of my lawn that are bare of grass.  Female dogs, more so than males, are sod killers.  Salt in their urine spots and destroys your lawn.  Males?  Not so much since they lift their legs and shoot, meaning your backyard prefers shooters to squatters.  AS I said, the seed is old, so I'll have to wait and see if it grows.  If not, I can always buy another bag.

I installed the cove baseboard in my kitchen yesterday.  Cove is that rubber baseboard that fits in the kick area under your kitchen cabinets.  Some people don't like cove, saying it looks kind of cheap, and I'll admit that using white, or black this does tend to be the case.  But I used a pale brown that coordinates the the brown in the flooring.  I'll probably take a pic or two this afternoon and show the world tomorrow.

And for those who like their religion deeply intwined with their politics there is this.

Yep, Trump is grifting of bibles again, though not just any bible.  He's hawking the USA Bible, so for only $59.99 you can not only read you bible, you can read the American Constitution as well as the Bill of Rights.  These are not signed!  At least not that I'm aware of, though I suppose there is an option for you to buy and autographed copy for an additional fee.

And NBC canned Ronna, though most likely it isn't that she's been fired, more than likely they are just not going to renew her contract.  It's easier to pay her the $600 thousand she's owed, then deal with lawsuits.  I read someone said she should sue them for defamation of character.  Big problem, everything said about her was true, and there are soooo many video clips to back that statement up.

Finally, there was a special election down in Alabama and a Democrat won.  Alabama is a very conservative state, in case you hadn't heard.  It was the Alabama Supreme Court who said that a fertilized human egg was a person.  In Vitro Fertilization clinics immediately shut down because if something happened to one of those frozen embryos, they could be charged with murder.  Marylin Landis, a Democratic using the abortion and IVF issues, just won the special election for a seat in the Alabama senate.  She won in a Trump district.  Ouch.  And she won by a large margin.  Republicans are in trouble.

Oh, My Gosh!

 Outside, the temp is 34 (F).  Our expected high here in Central PA is  51(F), but I'm wagering we're going to top off a few degrees above that, possibly 55 (F) or more.  That's been the case, even when it's predicted to be cold, we're a few degrees above the low high temperature... or should that the the high low temperature?  Golly gee whiz, that's almost a song!

Yesterday work was really boring.  Oh, my gosh!  I did cut rolled carpet and vinyl sheeting for customers.  I talked to a few non-customers, the ones who haven't yet decided to climb up onto that fence of indecision.  One of my fellow specialists dealt with a woman who wanted a "ballpark" estimate on what it would cost for blinds.  We get this frequently, people who are sticking the teeny, tiny little toe into the water and come to us completely unprepared.  You know there are going to be problems when the customer says it's "your standard window."  There is no such thing as a standard window, there are always variations which is why shims are used during installation.  This customer did that "standard window" comment one better.  When asked for the dimensions she said, "oh, I don't know, but I took a picture."  Oh, my gosh!  A picture might be worth a thousand words, but it does not provide dimensions.

My new pack and suitcase arrived yesterday.  The suitcase is a bit larger than I had been expecting, but it will be fine.  I'll be able to pack a lot of underwear, shirts, and shorts.  Here's a pic of the pack. 

Of course, the Orange Anus had his $464 bond reduced to $174 by a sympathetic appeals court.  Immediately afterward I began seeing shouts of "rich white privilege," appearing on social media.  In his tiny brain, he sees this reduction as a win.  In the broader scope of things, while it may please his tightly wrapped base, most Americans going to see it as a rich guy really being able to get away with what ever he wants, and it will hurt him.  People are getting fed up with seeing "talking head" billionaires (or wannabe billionaires) having courts define just how privileged they are.  While this may have gone his way, his porno trial date is now set for April 15.  Shortly after, the Spawn of Satan spit out an incoherent word salad of hatred.  I don't know which media outlets aired it, probably Fox noise, but CNN started to and the cut away.  

There is also a growing amount of evidence that his campaign is seriously falling behind the Biden campaign in the fundraising department.  People just are donating their hard earned $$$ to a loser.  One thing you can bet on, no matter how much he lies about donating his own money, it'll be a cold day in Hell before he uses one thin dime of his own lack of wealth to pay for his campaign.  That debt belongs to his cult.

The Quickie

 Outside it's sunny, temps are still in the mid 30s (F) but they'll be climbing up into the low to mid 50s (F) by this afternoon.  Looking at the long range forecast, it looks as though we are past our final freeze of the season.  While overnight temps drop into the mid 30s (F), there no indication that they'll drop cold cold enough to trigger a killing frost.

Yesterday, the store was so... boring.  The only bright spot was the food.  We're celebrating our Success Sharing.  The bonus checks were small, but they spent a lot on food.  So much so, that today I'll get dessert several times, and not just the traditional ice cream.  There were pies, and cakes, and cheesecakes, and all sorts of scrumptious morsels that kill cholesterol and add pounds.  Of course, an offshoot of my recent stress has been binge eating, snacky things; the sort of foods I usually tend to avoid.  And I have gained weight, about 5 pounds.  Since there are going to be leftover goodies this morning and afternoon, the exercise and diet plan begins tomorrow.  I want to be sleek for the Greeks.

I also bought a new suitcase and a new backpack (one big enough to carry one of my laptops).  They should be arriving today.  I went with red.  My most favorite color in the world, for those who didn't know.

And the Orange Anus goes to court today... again.  He's going to find out if he can wiggle out of his Stormy trial, because of the additional documents  the DOJ forget to give his team.  I'm hoping the judge nixes that idea, I really do think America needs to see the Orange Anus in Explosive Diarrhea Mode.

The fallout NBC has gotten from their hiring of Rhona McDaniel Romney.. ( of wait, she dropped the Romney, does that mean she got a divorce?) has been... interesting.  Suddenly the network is blurting out snippets and blurbs saying she's not going to be an on-air personality.  People are wondering just what they were thinking.  Perhaps they desperately wanted a $300,000 tax write-off.  

Today is also the day when New York begins the takeover of Trump properties.  I have to admit that I'm with that group who wants to see them take his private jet, the Flying Trump Dump, or whatever he calls it.

A Little Greek

 Today will be sunny and cool.  Outside, the temperature is sitting at a brisk 30 (F). The high is expected to be in the upper 40s (F).  In fact, right now there isn't a cloud in the sky.  I am starting to yearn for spring.  My daffodils are in full bloom.  Tulips are be sprouting every where out front.  All the rose buses are in full bud.  

I ordered a new backpack for my trip to Greece.  This one is bigger than the one I already own, large enough to carry one of my laptops.  Yes, I'm taking one along with me.  My current pack is a "laptop" pack, unfortunately I bought it 15 years ago and laptops have gotten bigger since then.  Well, at least my laptops have gotten bigger.  I was going to order a battery to go with it, but instead opted for a plug adapter with 2 USB ports.  Since my old pack is practically brand new, I'll give it away.

Retail was slow yesterday.  I did manage to get a measure in, that will please management somewhat, but nothing is every going to make them completely happy.  I realized this a long time ago.  That is one of the reasons I got out.  Telling people who are doing well that the need to push a little harder is not for me.  Give credit where credit is due no longer seems to be a valid motto.  As a result, when I do hit my goals for the week I will inform management, and then say, "since I've hit my goals you should let me go home."  No one will ever meet their expectations because greed is good for corporate America.

I pulled this out of the Greek file in my desk.  Maybe I can pick up a few words before August.  You will notice that I didn't say I wanted to pick up a little Greek.

And tomorrow's a big day for the Orange Anus.  If he doesn't shell out the half billion he owes in fines, his properties will begin to be taken.  I understand that "vacate the premises" letters have already been sent to several properties.  I should check, since I don't know, but do these evictions also pertain to his two spawn, Donnie the cokehead, and Eric the dumb, since they, too, were part of the Trump crime family.  Or are these properties that were held by the Trump organization?  I find this somewhat interesting, that someone would have their company own their home.  I guess, if you desperately feel the need to leverage the value of the real estate that might make sense.  Of course, the Orange Anus didn't leverage, he lied.  I saw where he'd valued that little shack of his in upstate New York at $290 million, and it's actual appraised value is only $30 million.  This is probably the main reason he's not an actual billionaire.

Potential

 It's Saturday, and it's raining.  We will have soaking rains all day.  Temps will hover in the mid 40s (F).  Tomorrow's high will be in the mid 50s (F) and according to the long range forecast they will continue this high as we get deeper into spring.

Yesterday was another one of those ho-hum days.  I cleaned the tank in the living room. I finally seem to have managed to get the black algae under control.  The answer was rather simple.  I only turn the tank light on for a certain amount of hours each day.  Algae, like live plants, needs a certain amount of light to grow.  It's not completely dark, and the light is on for a few hours each day, but not for 17 hours, like it used to be.

So, the trip to Greece has been booked.  So have my flights.  Wow.  When I went to France I got on a plane at Dulles and flew straight to Paris.  Well, that ain't happening.  The only direct flight is from Chicago, so I'd have to fly west and then east, and boy was it pricey.  This time I'm flying from Harrisburg, to Philadelphia, to London, to Athens.  The return flight (s) will take me from Athens, to Madrid (for a 13 hour layover), to Boston, and then finally to Harrisburg.  I checked on flights from Philadelphia, Baltimore, and Washington (Dulles), and they all had a least one stop.  The same was true on returning flights.  So, does anybody live in Madrid?

And, don't believe this headline.

Or, better yet, focus on the word potential.  You see, DWAC, the company merging with Truth Social, saw their stock value drop by 14% Friday.  Not good.  True, for the short term he will be about $3 billion richer, however he can't sell any of that stock for at least 6 months.  Oops.  This means he's not going to be able to use that money to cover his $464 million bond.  There are rules to keep this from happening.  He could get special approval, but selling so much of his newly acquired stock would crash GWAC, leaving it and the Orange Anus open to legal challenges by the investors.  Of course, we all know that Donnie's been sued often enough for being an asshole.

And the pathetic thing about the terrorist attack in Moscow is that the US warned Putin 2 weeks ago, his ego, however, pooh poohed that information.  This means that the US knows more about what's happening in Russia, than Russia.  And the fact that ISIS shouted out that there were responsible within 2 hours of their attack kept Putin from blaming the Ukraine.  Poor Puty.  And while the Kremlin is claiming they've arrested 4 for the attack, ISIS is not that stupid.  And Vlad's claim that the terrorists were arrest heading towards Ukraine is laughable since and road heading out of Moscow, be it east, west, or south can be headed towards Ukraine.

Bliss

 Friday.  The temperature was 29 (F) when I got up this morning, and that was early, around 0530.  Why so early?  Well, my alarm went off and I couldn't get back to sleep.  This is how it happens sometimes.  And it wasn't as if I frittered away the time, I booked my trip to Greece through a company called Explore.  Treaders has used them and speaks well of their trips.  Thirteen days, starting September 1.  I wanted to go later in the summer hoping to avoid some of the heat.  Greece can get hot.  Perhaps that's why they wore togas.

Yesterday was pretty much blah.  I did go for an 11 mile ride on the bike.  Did a little cleaning.  Made a fish chowder for dinner.  The house is so quiet; I don't like it at all.  And, as all of you with pets have said, it's rare for a dog person to not have a dog, so I have begun looking.  Nothing small.  Nothing hairy.  My movie friend Patty said I could have her dog Reggie if I wanted, but Reggie is both of those, small and hairy.  I'm thinking some sort of pointer might be nice.  When I told her I was thinking about getting a male Vizsla and naming him Howard Hawkes she asked why I'd curse a dog with such a name.  I like Howard Hawkes.  The director Howard Hawkes turned out classics like To Have and Have Not, Bringing up Baby, and that little Marilyn Monroe vehicle, Gentlemen Prefer Blondes.  For those of you who don't know what a Vizsla looks like, here's one.

Now, I have to ask, am I the only one who's not surprised to discover that Donald Trump is broke?  I suspected for quite some time that he's been living on borrowed cash, using the revenue from his real estate ownings to make payments on his constant indebtedness.  How deliciously humiliating for him to have the world laughing at him as more of the truth gets uncovered daily.  He posted another All Cap shriek on Truth Social about how he has the money to pay for the bond in order to appeal the $464 million judgement.  Making all of this even sweeter are all of the clips out there of him bragging about his wealth.  There's a tasty one from 2015 of him boasting about using $600 of his own money to fund his presidential campaign.  This loser is so wealthy that donations to the RNC are going to go to pay off his legal bills before anything else.  Just think about all of those Republican Senators and Congressmen up for re-election having to fund their own campaigns without a dime of assistance from the RNC.  This is almost like bliss.

Updates

A big thank you to all who sent their condolences, they were so appreciated.  For the first time in the 30 years I have lived in my house there is no dog nor cat companion, and it is strange.  They are not only the friend you can talk to, they add regularity, a steady syncopation, a reliable heart that helps keep everything moving in a positive direction.  I used to tell people there would be no more animals after Lily... who the Hell was I kidding.  It's not like I'm feeble.

In other words, I have started educating myself on other dog breeds.  No more boxers.  I love them, but I don't seem to have much luck with them.  Gertie died at 5.5 years, Biggie at 8.5.  Lily lived the longest.  So, maybe an Airedale is in my future, or a Vizsla, something large enough to make it up the staircase and jump onto the bed; nothing little, nothing hairy.

 For those interested, Lily had thrombocytopenia, a disease much like leukemia where her white blood cells were killing off her other blood cells.  It is extremely difficult to diagnose with zero symptoms until it is in an advanced stage.  This is how it goes sometimes.  

And I do plan on traveling a bit before the new puppy arrives.  An appointment has been made for April 9, to get a new passport (I foolishly let the old one expire), and I've begun looking at trips to Greece, probably in September so it's not too hot.  Interestingly enough, my next book takes place at Delphi, Greece.  Here's one of the trips I'm looking at.

That will bring me back before the election, and you better believe I am, as Bob says "casting a damn vote!"

Briefly:  I find the politics right now so fascinating.  All of the bad Karma that Trump has accrued for decades is coming home to roost.  Supposedly no one wants to loan him $464 million, at least that's what he's saying, the reality might be that there are those willing to lend, he just may not want to agree to their terms, like signing over Mar-a-Lago and Trump Tower in exchange for their cash infusion.  He could also file for bankruptcy, which wouldn't eliminate the fine, just give him more time in paying it, and that would be so publicly humiliating for him... oh... what joy!

Lily

 I took off work yesterday because I needed to take Lily to the vet to get her boobly cyst taken care of, that is not what happened.  There were severe underlying conditions that I was not aware of, the most major being that she was severely anemic.  Her white count was extremely high, her red blood cells were extremely low, and her platelet count was practically zero, meaning her blood had lost the ability to clot.  She had a lot of fluid in her abdominal cavity, and there was blood in that fluid, so she was experiencing internal bleeding.  Before he would even consider looking at the boobly cyst, my vet said she needed to be stabilized, her anemia brought under control, and source of the internal bleeding found and corrected.  Lily was a very sick dog and the possibility for her recovery was very poor, so I made the difficult decision, which was easier than I was expecting it to be.  And, as I gave her a final hug, and she nuzzled her nose up into my neck, I knew that she, too, was ready.

Those of you who read my books no doubt already suspect that Lily and Seig were the source for the Von Trapp Family Boxers, but Lily got special attention.  I used her AKC name, Lillian D'Aubert for the mysterious contact who provided the team with much needed information.

I will take a few days off, but not many.  Doing things, writing things, will keep me from sitting here moping around in my grief.

Believe me when I tell you it was such a joy to spoil her, she is going to be terribly missed.

Lillian D'Aubert
August 19, 2013 - March 18, 2024

In Context

 Oh, my, yesterday's entry went nowhere.  It wasn't that I didn't start writing one, I experienced a moment of indecisiveness and the words I had written scuttled themselves off onto into the wasteland of the backburner where their lack of importance slowly boiled away to nothing.  Translation:  I couldn't decide if I wanted to take  off work so I could take Lily to the pet emergency room or wait and make an appointment with my vet.  In the end, I decided the vet option was the best.  The boobly cyst on her wrist has not effected her appetite, nor does it hinder her bodily functions in any way.  She just doesn't want to put weight on that leg for long periods of time.  Besides, I have familiarity with this veterinary group, they were very good with Biggie and his multiple problems.  So, this morning, after they open, I'll call and make an appointment.

This means I'm going to take a personal day from work.  Believe me, I've no problem doing that.  I worked yesterday and basically hit the trifecta for specialists:  sales over $11,000, 3 measures, one window decor lead, and a credit card application.  

Weather wise, our high temps today will be in the mid 40s (F) and according to the forecasters, we should be expecting the same tomorrow.  No rain.  Remember, we're still officially in Winter for another day or two.  

Over the weekend, ex-vice president Mikey Pence came out slapping saying there was no way he was going to endorse the Orange Anus, nor was he going to vote for him.  His suddenly aggressive stance made people wonder if Pence had finally realized that on January 6, 2020, Trump would have gleefully watched while rioters hung his terribly disloyal vice president.  Or, perhaps mother finally said, "Mikey, stomp your foot!"

Then, of course, there was the Moral Degenerate's "bloodbath" comments.  His ego would be quite mollified if there was a bloodbath in November, after he loses the election.  Knowing that his cultists would be willing to kill, and die for him would give him unbelievable pleasure.  This is what he lives for.  Of course, cultists said these comments were taken out of context.  That, however, is not the case.  Trump is priming the pump, so to speak, prepping his cultists for an uprising that will forever end not only the Republican party, but the Federalists as well.  With Trump, nothing can be taken out of context; everything is in play.

You've got to be Kidding Me

 It's sunny here in Central PA.  The temps are a bit cooler than yesterday.  Our high today is only to reach the mid 60s (F), and the highs will continue to decline as the days move on.  Keep in mind that for the next few days we are still in winter.  Spring arrives on the 19th this year because it was a leap year, but don't expect it to bring a big change in the weather.  We are a degree or so warmer than we were last spring, and that will most likely continue into the foreseeable future.

I didn't really do too much yesterday.  A bit of this and that.  

Mostly, what I did, was observe Lily, the lady of the house, and she's not nearly the invalid she plays.  Her biggest problem is that thing I call a boobly cyst on her wrist.  It was something that was more of an inconvenience than anything else, something that didn't need to be surgically removed because of her age.  Now, however, over the past few days it's become swollen, filled with fluid, and it is causing her pain.  She has no problem drinking, and her appetite is strong, she just doesn't want to walk.  My Vet recommended a Mobile Vet, however they are on vacation until Monday, in fact it seems as though the few other Mobile Vets in the area are also closed and getting her into the car is virtually impossible.  As I said, she has no problem eating or drinking, just in using stairs or walking for an extended period.  This means, as you might expect, the floor of the writing room is covered with pee pads.

Quick update on the Vet situation:  Mid State Vets sent me an email, they do not service my area, so I'm going to need to load Lilly into the car and take her to the Vet on Monday or Tuesday.  You've got to be kidding me.

Anyway, while I was out back with invalid yesterday, I snapped a picture of these.

And you've no doubt heard that the Orange Anus has had his porno trial delayed until April because the Justice Department only recently turned over around 15,000 additional documents which may have little to no impact on the case.  You've got to be kidding me!  For quite some time people have been throwing out excuses for our Attorney General, saying that Garland is just being cautious, that we're not aware of things going on behind the scenes.  The more this happens, however, the more I'm inclined to believe that he is just incompetent. Now, I don't know about you, but I've always felt he got the job not because of his superior qualifications, rather it was compensation for not getting a vote on being a Supreme Court Justice.  If that's the case, then this his appointment was a terrible miscalculation.

Squeaky Clean

 Yesterday we got up to the upper 70s (F), the thermometer in the car listed the temp as being 77 (F).  Today we're back in the mid t0 upper 60s (F) and if the long range forecast is correct, we're definitely going to be seeing closer to normal early spring temps.  That doesn't mean everything that has started to bud and bloom is going to stop.  It's too late for that to happen.  Today, showers are expected.  

I was watching Death is in the Details on Hulu on and off for a while.  Last night I watched the last episode and was disappointed.  The reveal of who the villain was intended to be a shocker, I thought it was a cheat.  There was nothing clever about it.  I read that the producers were optimistic about a 2nd season, let's hope they're wrong.

The invalid old lady downstairs is doing fine, by that I mean Lily.  I suspect her biggest problem is the boobly cyst on her wrist, which is swollen, and pains her to walk.  Other wise she's alert, watching me constantly when I'm at my writing desk, and eating.  She has a good appetite, and drinks, and goes outside to do her business, but then it's back onto the sofa in the writing room where she perches herself on pillows to rule the world.  An email (with pics) has been sent to the mobile vet who's on vacation until Monday.  What I find surprising is there's only one in the area.  I'm definitely not living in a "All Creatures Great and Small" area.

Thanks to the warm temps and the rain, things are budding and blooming.  The peach tree I cut back wioll soon be filled with blossoms.  The nectarine?  Dead as a doornail.   Here's a pic that I took.

And I just got a news flash, probably the same one a lot of you just received.  Fanni Willis can stay on the case down in Georgia, but she's going to have to dump the Chief Prosecutor.  She's a smart cookie, so I'm sure she and her team were prepared for all possibilities.  That being said, I also have to admit that she wasn't smart enough to manage her hormonal urges.  Honestly, I did believe someone in her position would have realized that when dealing with any Trump related case even the slightest appearance of impropriety could be catastrophic.  You would have though she'd have realized that with these trials being so high profile, squeaky clean was the only way to go.

Also, Trump's porno suit has been delayed for 30 days, too.  Whispers say that a bit of evidence has been unearthed proving Cohen to be totally unreliable.  Again, that wouldn't surprise me.  Even though he's been telling anyone and everyone that he's cleaned up his act, let's face it, he worked for Trump, doing his dirty work, for years.  He will never be squeaky clean.

Challenges

 So, yesterday was warm and sunny, though I spent most of the day nursing a sick dog.  Today our temps are predicted to climb into the up 70s (F), that's way too warm for this time of year.  Seriously.  Those temps belong in late April, not halfway through March.  Luckily for us, they're predicted to drop back closer to normal.

And, as I said earlier, I spent yesterday nursing Lily.  For those who don't know, she's 10.5 years old, which makes her a senior boxer.  She's learning that at her age stairs are too difficult, meaning she's going to have to be sleeping downstairs on one of the sofas.  She doesn't like that at all.  I'd take her to the Vet but she won't get into the car, so I called my normal vet to see if they could recommend a mobile vet since she does have other senior issues.  They gave me Mid-State Veterinary Services; the soonest they will be able to see her in Tuesday.  Cost wise, it's just a tad more expensive than taking her to Good Hope, so when I get another dog, I may deal with them on a permanent basis.

Yesterday I sent a sample of my first book, The Body on the Lawn, up to my narrator so he might have an idea on the difficulties in turning it into an audiobook.  There frequent flashbacks and we're going to have to discuss how he's going to be recording them.  He says he can be very creative, I guess I'll find out just how creative he is.

I hope this doesn't cause any of you to lose your last meal.

We all know this is never going to happen because that would mean The Former Guy would stay in the United States.  You can bet that when things go south, he will fly away home to mother Russia, and and more and more things seem to be going south daily.  The head chopping at the RNC?  For him it's loyalty or death to your career, no matter how conservative you happen to be.  And I'm also advising Republicans to send the RNC as much as they can afford, since the Trump Crime Family is going to use those funds for their own designs.  As someone said, wait until the general election starts and all those Senators and Congressmen who get a healthy campaign donation from the RNC get nothing.  Tough beans.

And one more little bit of frivolity:  Ivanka has evidently dumped her old man's name, and all of her commenting and statements are signed Ivanka Kushner.  Ouch.  She's going to put as much distance between herself and that radioactive brand as possible.

Oblivious

 Well, it's going to be another warm sunny day in Central PA.  Temps in the mid 60s (F) is fine with me, though I do wonder what this summer is going to be like.  Possibly hot?  Who knows.  Last year we had a similar spring and the dog days of summer were anything but steamy.  Hitting the upper 90s (F) was the hottest it got, and that only happened a few times.

So, Lily is once again a downstairs dog.  She went downstairs this morning and began panting heavily again.  Now, she's laying down and her breathing is normal.  This happened to Biggie, too.  There's a certain point in an old dog's life when stairs are no longer possible.  One of the things I didn't know about boxers is that they are prone to heart disease and either climbing a staircase, or going down one, leads to undo exertion.  My first boxer, Gertie, died of a heart attack when she was 5 1/2 years old. Is she becoming an invalid?  Probably.  And so I'm going to have to start asking myself at what point has the quality of her life deteriorated to the point that we need to make that last trip to the vet.

Yesterday, as is the case on most Tuesdays after I work the weekend, was a day in which things were done, but not everything on my to do list.  The kitchen windows have been cleaned, inside and out, and the new valances arrived; they need to be washed before they're hung.

Late this afternoon I'm going to an informal Marriott reunion of sorts.  This is the 2nd one I'm going to and will probably be the last.  The days I spent in that accounting department were 40 years ago and, except for seeing one or two of the people, I really have little desire to reunite with most of them.  

And I thought this was appropriate now that Trump is the official GOP candidate.

This has long been a problem for Republicans.  Seriously.  They believe their opinions are the only ones that count.  You don't need to be a rocket scientist to know the truth in the above statement and yet Republicans seem totally oblivious.  Now keep in mind, in their tiny minds, the only fair elections are those in which they win, everything else is fake.

And Ken Buck, another Republican in Congress is retiring... next week.  That's fast.  Usually, unless there are health issues with either themselves or their families, they serve out their entire term.  When he leaves, the razor thin Republican majority will be sliced even thinner.  This is how it goes.

Set Design

Outside the temps are already in the mid 40s (F), and they're going to be zooming up into the mid 60s (F) today, and by Thursday they should be at a scorching 74 (F), that is if the forecasters are correct.  Sadly, a quick look at the long range forecast indicates they're going to be dropping back into more seasonal temps.  This is a good thing.  If it was already this hot in March, I have no idea how hot the summer would be and don't doubt that scorching would not be a strong enough adjective.

Work was boring yesterday.  I had a brief talk with my manager about my scheduling.  Some time back I'd mention that I wanted my Monday start time to be 0930, and that was the case for some time, until yesterday, when once again it was 10:30.  However, I went to work at 09:30 per the previous discussion I'd had with HR and discovered the error.  So, I work my shift.  If it happens again, I suppose I'll have to have another chat with HR.

I did sell some window treatments (roller shades) to a customer who was... nice, but not the brightest bulb in the box.  She was in her late 20s and wanted shades with all the frills, a glittery glint hem at the bottom and everything that goes with it.  The spent $1700 for 3 blinds.  He applied for a credit card and got one, with a credit limit of $1000.  They thought he'd have a higher limit, telling me he was a contractor and made $900,000 last year, however, they didn't mention how heavy their debt load was.  Honestly, the fact that he supposedly made that much money and was applying for credit card suggests to me that they're either up to their eyeballs in debt, or he simply didn't make as much as he claimed.

Seeing this pic from the Oscars makes me think the person in charge of set design is almost a genius.

For those who missed it, Ronnie DeSantis "Just Say No" anti-LGBQT bill just took a big one on the chin.  Teacher will now be able to talk to students about gender orientation issues with out fear of being fired.  In fact, Ronnie's anti-Woke campaign is dying on the vine, so to speak.  Mom's For Liberty meetings now draw protests, and Bridget Ziegler, also known as Mom for Three-Ways is refusing to resign from her position on the school board.  That would mean giving up the power she so desperately maneuvered to get.

And don't you find it interesting that Robert Hur, the Trump appointed official who did the hit piece on Biden's mental facilities has resigned his position with the DOJ.  Lies and deceits  have their consequences.  Transcripts of his conversations with the president have been released and people now know that his report was heavily cherry-picked and exaggerated, and had only one purpose in mind, to make Biden look weak.

Oh, and the Orange Anus has stated that he's open to cutting Social Security benefits if he's elected.  I'm betting Republicans will not be able to take that to the bank.

I'm Just Ken

Let's see if I can write this quickly, I slept a bit late and I need to be at the store by 0930.

We have sunshine, and a lot of wind.  Under a wind advisory we are, and it's predicted to continue for most of the day, with our temps climbing up into the mid 50s (F).  Tomorrow we'll be up in the 60s (F), and our afternoon temps should stay that warm throughout the rest of the week.

Yesterday at work end with a spud.  I'd gotten approval last Monday to leave early since the Oscars were starting at 7 and that's my punch out time, however life intervened.  One specialist had his schedule changed, another left at lunch, and a third called off.  Business was slow for most of the day, until.... 45 minutes before I was to leave.  The most aggravating thing was the man who called on the phone and wanted to know about indoor/outdoor carpet.  Many questions about cost, product, and date of installation, all of which take time when your trying to explain things over the phone.  Did I mention he was.. gruff?  He wanted precise figures and we can't do that, even our computer generated estimates provide a range for what the cost could be.  He found this difficult to understand.  He wanted a specific time for the measure, this never happens.  I spent over 20 minutes on the phone with the customer and in the end he told me he stop in at the store today so he could pay his measure fee with a check.  There are certain interactions which need to take place in person; a phone conversation simply doesn't work.

Because of this, I missed the first 2 minutes of the Oscar ceremony.  Boo!  Hiss!

Now I know there are those of you out there who don't watch the Oscars because of lapsing attention spans (thank god I'm not that old), or claim it's too long (it was shorter than Killers of the Flower Moon), and so didn't get a chance to see John Cena's full frontal (I'm waiting for Bob's comment on that one).  Joy Da'vine Joy Randolph won Supporting Actress, as expected, but how many of you knew that she was born in Philly, but grew up in Hershey, PA, and graduated from Hershey High School?  It's nice when you get to see local talent win an Oscar.  I hope none of you find yourself in the same boat as Donald Trump, who posted how bad the ceremony was on his Truth Social, or got to watch Jimmy Kimmel's response.  As usual, the Academy doesn't always vote the way the public thinks.  The highlight of the evening was, of course, Ryan Gosling's performance of I'm Just Ken.  From comments I'm seeing on the BBC and Le Monde, everyone around the world love it.

 

Katie Britt Lied

 Hello to later hours!  For the next... oh, so many months, the sun will not set in the evening until I am home from work.  I like that.  As we age, driving at night can be a bit of a bother, especially in drenching rainstorm like we had last evening.  Wowza!  Did we get rain!  Well over an inch fell soaking in and nourishing the roots of all my bulbs, and tubers,  and bushes.  I have tulips sprouting out all over the place, and after this week they're going to pop even more because start on Tuesday, our daily temps are going to be hitting the low 70s (F).  Will summer be a scorcher?

Retail was slow because of the constant rain, which occasionally reached deluge status.  You know it's heavy when you can hear it pounding on the roof of the brick and mortar, orange home improvement retailer I work for on weekends.  Yesterday, you could hear it pounding!

Because I do work today there will be no rowing, slow running, or cycling today.  Not only the times change, the Oscars are tonight, at a new time.  7 P.M. rather than their normal 8 P.M.  On Sunday, I work 10:30 - 7:00, so a change was necessary.  Last Monday, I asked if I could come in early in order to leave early, and got the approval.  So, I'll be leaving the house at 0930 this morning, or perhaps a little earlier.  Sometimes, we gotta do what we gotta do.  

As expected, I will be watching the Oscars this evening, the only award show I watch.  I know who'd I'd like to see win, and who will probably win.  Ryan Gosling, for example, without his performance Barbie would have been just another comedy, however I think the Oscar will go to Robert Downey, Jr..  I don't think Oppenheimer will walk away with everything, there were just too many very good films this year.  I can see costumes and set design going to Poor Things.  Joy Da'Vine probably has a lock on the Best Supporting Actress for The Holdovers.  Adapted Screenplay is anybody's guess, it could go to either Oppenheimer, Poor Things, or Barbie.  Tonight should be very entertaining.

And, to no one's surprise, it turns out that Katie Britt lied about the sex trafficking victim.  She didn't have a chat with the victim, Katie met her when Katie was part of a 3 senator round table 2 years ago.  And that sex trafficking?  That happened while George W was president, down in Mexico City.  Conservatives have zero ethics, they will lie about anything and everything to try and stay in power.  Her spokesperson admitted this, but, as was expected, said Biden was to blame because.... Republicans need to blame him for something.

Respect

 Well, Saturday has arrived and there is 100% chance that we're going to have rain, not only today, but the entire weekend.  Temps will sink into the upper 40s (F), which is about normal for this time of year.  Sadly, my grass is looking a bit green, and that means it'll soon be time to get out the mower.  

Yesterday was sort of a day of accomplishment.  The living room aquarium was cleaned; still trying to get rid of that pesky black algae.  Editing was done. Stuffed cabbage rolls were made... though, I've discovered using ground chicken rather than ground beef leaves a little to be desired.  It's a fairly easy dish to make, but the strong cabbage flavor overwhelms the chicken... as does the garlic.  Still, I tell myself, they are healthier.  Sometimes, however, you need to put flavor before health, especially when most of the time I'm eating healthy.  

Otherwise, yesterday was pretty nondescript.  Some cleaning.  Some polishing.  Some exercise:  30 minutes on the treadmill.  Today I want to row for a bit, and because I'm working, I'll get my steps in.  Last Sunday I had over 15,000 steps which with the size of my stride was over 5 miles.  

Right behind my store is the Navy supply depot.  It is large, possibly the largest on the eastern seaboard, and employs thousands.  It's one of the reasons why we tend to plow through depression and recessions; they never lay any of those thousands off.  This morning I found a picture of what it looked like circa 1950.  It is much larger now.

And the fallout is still... dropping from Biden's Sate of the Union address and I find it amusing.  Fox is blubbering through a cavalcade of phony theories regarding his clarity, and his message.  Many are chortling and Mikey Johnson's flummoxed look, the multiple frownings  and the shakings of his head.  People are noting that when Trump was speaking, Pelosi gave him the respect he didn't deserve, though she did tear up his speech after the fact.  Not petulant Mikey Johnson.  He needed to make sure the MAGA cult knew he disapproved.

As expected, Republicans are finally admitting they liked Kim Britt's performance as a Stepford Housewife, and I'm not doubting many of them are secretly praying she gets nominated for an Emmy.

The Rebuttal

 Friday is upon us!  And it going to be nice, warm, temps in the mid 60s (F), but definitely not a precursor to the weekend, which will be filled with overcast skies and drizzly, showery storms that are more of nuisance than anything else.  

The weather will have a dampening effect on the garden center at the large, brick and mortar, orange home improvement retailer where I spend time on the weekends.  One thing I have noticed is that usually around this time of year, when people begin getting their refund checks back from the government, business in the flooring department picks up.  This year there hasn't been much of a change.  Sure, we're a bit busier, but not like in previous years.  I'm betting that those big heads down at corporate failed to predict this and gave us a flooring plan that's unreachable.

I got a 10 mile bike ride in yesterday, in Japan, on an old railway line that's been converted to a cycling, walking trail.  The route was very flat, boringly so.  I did not make it one of my favorites and will probably never ride it again.  While it was nice to get in the distance, I would have rather spent the time climbing a few very small hills.  That was not the case.

While Biden was giving his State of the Union Speech last evening, I was at the movies watching Dune 2.  It is, as so many people are saying, very good, the kind of spectacle movie goers haven't seen in a long, long time.  That being said, I must also say that if you've read the books, you know liberties were taken in the writing of the screenplay.  That being said, the movie is still amazing.  

And, of course, last evening, Joe Biden gave his State of the Union speech.  By most accounts it was very good.  Conservatives hated it because they've spent so much time and effort into making their base believe he's feeble.  That was not the case.  Many, who are not conservatives, said it was a fiery stump speech.  I understand MTG heckled, and Biden heckled back, that's something Republicans are not used to dealing with; part of their shut up, we're in charge mentality.   Unfortunately, we are now in campaign season and I'm so glad I don't watch TV with commercials, no political ads for me.

The funniest part of the evening, at least from what I'm reading, was the Republican rebuttal by someone named Katie Britt who spoke in a soft, almost whispery voice from her kitchen.  That's right, her kitchen.  Did they really believe that the old housewife and mother image, speaking form her very well appointed kitchen (she's wealthy), was really going to impress the largest voting bloc in America?  I did watch some of it but found the saccharine phoniness to intense.  That being said, if anyone out there watched the entire rebuttal, can you tell me if the camera panned down to show she was standing there barefooted?  You know the old Republican saying, women should be barefoot and pregnant.

 

Worst Case Scenario

 We have Sunshine!

Out in my backyard, the temp is 48 (F), and it going to get warmer, up into the upper 50s (F) to low 60s (F).  I don't mind this.  That being said, the cold doesn't really bother me either, though this past winter was anything but cold.  I've heard last month was the warmest February on record.  That doesn't surprise me either.  What makes me laugh is those numbnuts who will tell you "they've only been keeping records for 250 years, so this past winter is not a precursor  of Global Warming."  I actually work with someone like this... 

I got a row in yesterday, 20 minutes, over 3000 meters.  I liked the row, I didn't like the video which was filmed by someone rowing through a wealthy community in Florida, where every house had a boat dock.  I couldn't help but think that these people earn way too much money.  But then, this is Florida, the home white booted Ronnie DeSantis, where the state legislature is pushing through bill that will decrease what employers need to do for employees during periods of high heat.  I've been to Florida, in the summer, when the temps easily top 100 (F), and the Republican politicians are more concerned about cutting business expenses and growing profits than they are with humans working in high heat environments.

Remember Ronnie D?  Here's a snap in case you forgot.

And Nikki's no longer running for president.  Honestly, I'm not surprised, campaigns cost money and many of her backers started pulling funds.  The bit that Republicans would like to bury is that she was quite successful in illustrating to American how many Republicans are dissatisfied the current party and it's presumed candidate.  Even though she lost almost every primary, she easily syphoned off 33% to 37% of Republican voters.  Republicans are also desperately telling themselves that in the General Election those voters will come back and vote for Trump.  I don't know about you, but I find it fascinating to see how easy it is for some people to blow smoke up their own ass.  Those voters may not like Joe Biden, but that doesn't count, what does is the fact that they see a Donald Trump presidency as a worst case scenario for the nation.  They see the lies, the deceit, and the corruption, and, as a result, are going to sit this election out.

The State of the Union speech is tonight.  Unfortunately, I'll be at the movies.

Dense Fog

 We are under a dense fog warning!  Good thing the sun has risen, otherwise we'd be stuck in one of those good, old pea soup fogs, the type where you can't see the pavement beneath your feet.  I'm not planning on going anywhere, so my car will be one less that's not on the road.

Yesterday was fairly quiet around here.  There are two more small places sections of tile in the kitchen that still need to be grouted, one of them was done yesterday.  This morning I want to seal everything that's been done so far.  The curtain rod over the sink needs to be hung, that shouldn't take long.  I have to order the valance that's going to get hung there.  Really, these are nothing more than the finishing touches.  I like the end result.  It's a new kitchen, most of which I did myself.  As I tell people in the store, save money and do it yourself if possible.  Not only will you be rewarded with the buckos you didn't spend, but also the pride of you accomplishment.

I hit the treadmill yesterday.  1.67 miles.  Today I'll either be rowing or riding.  

The big fish tank was also cleaned yesterday, and the new Greek statuary added.  This is what it looks like now.  Oh, and there is sad note, the last of those Koi angel fish passed.  I really liked those angels.

And our 2024 presidential election is going to be a rematch between Joe Biden and the Spawn of Satan.  I don't know about you, but I find that rather amusing.  Personally, I think both candidates are too old to sit in the white house, unfortunately that is now a moot point.  There is not going to be a sudden entry in either party that going to dazzle America.  I'm not worried about the election, though I am concerned about what might happen after Trump loses a 2nd time; he's a terrible spoilsport and is a complete failure when it comes to handling losses.  Believe me, he would have no problem attempting to start a civil war just to save his orange ass.  In fact, one of the things we can count on is him growing more erratic as time passes.  You see in his addled brain the key to success is extremism, that's what his cult loves.  Unfortunately for Trump, America is very Centrist and his extremist shrieks and shouts will hurt him.  As someone said, he was extremely lucky back in 2016, people still believed polls.  In 2020, his cult was a full force and he lost.  Heading into 2024 he's lost about 30% of the Republican vote (something he desperately needs) because of the Insurrection, and because of his activist Supreme Court (think Roe v Wade).  Independent voters are not going to make up that difference, in fact that last point, Roe v Wade still has American women seething.  All Trump is going to end up doing is wander around in a dense fog of his own creation as his mind slowly slips away.

Polls

 Rainy Tuesday has begun.  Temps are going to hover in the upper 40s (F) and low 50s (F) throughout the day, and we will have drizzle.  Yes, the soaking rains are upon us for the next 3 days.  The only bad thing is that all my bulbs are going to be growing like crazy, and I'm not going to doing any yardwork in the rain.

Work was, as expected, very slow yesterday.  How slow you might ask?  Well, I got in over 15,000 steps, which is a bit over 5 miles.  I was going to but some small things I still need to finish the kitchen completely, but I'll be honest, when quittin' time came, I definitely wanted to quit and go home.  

Cori gave me the cover art for The Body in History yesterday.  I can't wait to show it to you... but not today.  There is that long wait until the book is finally published, which will be, if things keep moving at their current pace, in mid April.  For those of you interested, the entire process from my writing down my first notes to  publication takes about a year.  There was a time when I felt they need to be on the market as soon as possible, those days are past.  Working with audiobooks is partly responsible.  Also research, I find I'm looking at so many different sources.  I'm growing more communicative with my editors, as well.  I find talking about how things are developing, and why things happen the way they did, a lot of fun.  

I cancelled my subscription to the New York Times this morning, mostly because of this:

For the past few days the New York Times has been reference a poll the commissioned to basically disparage Biden.  Luckily, more and more people are beginning to understand that polls are terribly inaccurate, not that there wasn't a time when they were much more dependable.  Now, however, there are some serious issues.  What the NYT needs to do is detail for the general public how the results they get are achieved.  Most people don't know that a certain percentage of their pollsters make are to landlines.  Who still has a landline?  Being a flooring specialist, I have to list the best form of communication for a customer and those with landlines that they use are all older and more conservative; this automatically skews the poll.  Pollsters need to hand dial, they can't use robocalls where they can pick up once a connection is made; the vast majority of people will not pick up an unknown caller.  That fact alone is enough to invalidate the poll.  Still, will see a poll and run around like their hair is on fire.

Blair Mitch

 And so, a new week begins.  

Yesterday the day was sunny and the temps climbed into the mid 60s (F).  It was such a nice day, such a shame that I had to work.  Today's going to be the same thing, at least for  most of it, but then clouds are going to roll in.  For the rest of the week temps are predicted to be in the mid 50s (F) and we're supposed to have rain.  Of course, those are the days I'll be off.

And, as I said, I did work yesterday, and it was slow in the afternoon.  Very slow.  I had thought the warm and sunny weather might begin to bring out the lawn and garden customers, but it didn't.  I guess people are beginning to realize that early March is still... well, too early to begin planting.  One of the things I did during all my free time, was wander through the garden department.  One of the things I noticed was that the price of dahlias has gone up.  Last year you could buy 4 for $12, this year their costing 2 for $10.  What a shame everybody feels they're allowed to be greedy.

My neighbors were very quiet when I got home from work last night.  There was a half hour period during which I could hear a radio playing, but then that was silenced.  I'm planning on having a little chat with her tomorrow.

As I was wasting time at work yesterday, this caught my attention.  I think this would be a fairly funny movie: the Blair Mitch Project.

It's possible that today we might hear from the Supreme Court regarding Colorado's decision to take Trump off of the ballot.  This should be interesting.  I had thought that they'd refuse this and then rule that he wasn't immune.  Instead, they played party politics with the immunity, which means they're going to treat the ballot issue the same way.  

And, what about Nikki Haley winning in DC.  There are rumors that she's doing fairly well in Virginia, as well.  I wonder if she realizes that if Trump begins to see her as a threat her life might be in danger.  He might go too far in emulating his Bro Blow Vlad and and Nikki might accidently fall out of a window, or eat a ricin poisoned sandwich.

Voting Republicans Straight to Hell

 And so here we are on another quiet Sunday morning, some people are sleeping late, not me, though I did laze around for a little bit longer.  The sun is shining bright in through my window.  Lily is sleeping on the bed.  The temps are predicted to rise up into the 60s (F) this afternoon.  We have 16 more days until Spring arrives.  And soon... the end of Daylight Saving Time.

Yesterday, work was slow.  Not that I wasn't busy, I did deal with the occasional customer.  I have flooring installation ($6,000) that should be going through today.  And I got 2 measures from customers who had I had talked to previously.  That does happen on occasion.  Sometimes people need to go home and sort things out, look at their finances and decide if they're going to spend the money.  So, I had 4 measures last week, beating expectations.

One of the things I learned from my visit to the eye doctor was that my corneas move.  Both of them. They move a little when I blink.  The result is that sometimes they will feel very dry, hence the drops.  I hate eye drops, and this is not a daily thing.  Sometimes I go months without them feeling dry and scratchy.

Stevie Nicks is coming to Hershey.  I'm not going.  She was good with Fleetwood Mac, however, I was not overly impressed with her solo career.  Out of curiosity, I did a search on her and was surprised to see that she's 75.  I didn't think she was that old.

And there was an interesting interview in the NYT with Isabella Rossellini this morning.  I follow her on Instagram and she is fascinating.  She turns out to be very interesting.  Besides acting occasionally, she lives on a farm and raises sheep.  We're the same age, and honestly, while I think I do quite a lot, working a sheep farm is not something I'd have any interest in doing.

One of the things Republicans have whined and complained about for years was that Democrats managed to achieve their goals through activist judges.  Thinking this was they way to turn a very Centrist America conservative, they managed to stack the Court in their favor.  They forgot one big thing, however: that the vast number of decisions the Court reached when it was more Centrist appealed to a majority of people.  Of course, Conservatives never really think about people; they want one thing, to tell people how to live their lives.  As a result, there were shocked when, after the Court flipped on Roe v Wade, Americans started running to the ballot box.  In 3 conservative states Americans have voted to enshrine abortion rights in their state constitutions, and Conservatives, with their tiny minds are, themselves, flipping out.  They never understood that just being in charge is enough.  And they are never going to learn their lessons.  This court, by delaying Trump's immunity decision, is another example of Conservatives not understanding the American people.  Instead, they have given Americans just one more reason to go to the ballot box in November and vote Republicans straight to Hell.