Bridges

Oh, dear Lord!  I stepped on the scale this morning!!!
Actually, it wasn't that bad.  Nothing more than a 1.3 lb increase that will be temporary at best.  Of course, there's more food today at work.  It's meatball sub day!  Now, let me be perfectly honest, while I loved the Tacos we had yesterday... anything Italian hits the spot.  This is interesting because my ancestry is French, German, and Irish, (the Irish is definitely the source of my impatient temperament, no doubt).  No doubt tomorrow's weigh-in will represent more of a temporary increase.
Yesterday was busy, evening in the Flooring Department.  Lots of people buying... junk.  The morning, after I to work was rather slow, but business picked up in the afternoon.  In the past we had most of business in the morning and then a serious slowdown in the afternoon.  Sales were fairly good.  Let me tell you, I was glad to leave.  I have tomorrow off, and I'm glad for that.
Every morning, when my alarm goes off, I'm treated to news headlines.  Today I heard one from Faux News questioning whether the impeachment process was beginning to backfire on the Democrats.  I think that's a desperation message for the Conservative Base, giving them something to grasp onto as their world continues to collapse.  I think we all realize the Senate is never going to vote to impeach the Idiot Jerk in the White House.  To do that, would be to admit their own culpability, their or crimes and misdemeanors.  The main job of this entire process is to continually erode his base, slowly whittle them down until the numbers going to the polls represent nothing but failure.  So far, from everything thing I've seen, that seems to be working well.
In my first book the pivotal chapter was 'Meeting with Morris,' in which Eli confronts his father.  I've been told the tension in that chapter is palpable.  In "The Body in the Tower," the pivotal chapter was 'Splish Splash,' where Eli and Max get to see first hand the hacked security footage of the murder in the Eiffel Tower.  For the past 2 weeks I've been working on a chapter called 'Bend in the River,' the pivotal chapter in The Body in the Well.  I'm having a grand old time.  As you might suspect, it does take place at... a bend in the river, the Uncompahgre to be precise.  There is an old wooden trestle bridge.  And Bobby Tussel discovers what cold, mountain waters do to certain parts of the male anatomy (I do like my humor, you know?).  Anyway, I've been looking for pics which show trestle bridges at bends in rivers... which has turned up some interesting photos.  Here's one:

And here's another:

The first provides an idea of what the bridge looks like, the second what the environment looks like today.  The big difference is the trees along the Uncompahgre are mostly conifers.

Grazin' Time

For those of you who don't know, today, in America at least, it's Black Friday.  This is the day we celebrate rabid commercialism.  At some Walmart today someone is going to get punched in the face, or trampled.  In fact, that may have already happened.  There are so many Black Friday deals out there which aren't really deals, unfortunately Consumers have been trained like seals doing tricks for fish.  We have a laminate floor on sale for .49 a square foot.  People will buy it believing it' has at least somewhat good  quality.  It doesn't.  It's cheap.  It will sell because it's Black Friday.
My schedule is fixed so by the time I get to work most of the crowd will be gone.  There will be food, however.  Today will be a grazing day.  So much so, I doubt if I'll feel like riding when I get home.  I'll catch a ride tomorrow evening.  Today it's Mexican.  Yummy stuff.

Tomorrow it's going to be meatball subs.  Sunday is some sort of hot dog day.  I'm not working Sunday so I don't really care.
Evidently the Idiot Jerk in the White House showed up in Afghanistan yesterday.  Smart people will understand he needed to go, there's an election next year and his unpopularity is staggering.  Right now his party is struggling to hold on to their base, to keep them from sliding through the cracks.  What will hurt them in the election is a Conservative electorate which stays home.
Oh, and I saw where Obama is quietly dropping subtle warnings to the Democrats about moving too far to the left.  While there are a lot of Lefties out there, the country is overwhelmingly Centrist.  Stay in the Center.  Keep the majority happy.  Don't do what Republicans do.  The first they do whenever they get in power is tell you to "shut up."  This is always followed by "we're in charge," which is their way of saying "screw you" to the masses. 
And for a final bit of political humor, I saw where Boris Johnson has asked the Idiot Jerk to stay out of their elections.  Now, ain't that a hoot!

Thanksgiving Entry

Yep, today is Thanksgiving, it's also Thursday and a day off work.

I baked a cake last evening:

From Scratch.  It's tasty.  I'm taking it to my sister's for desert.
Here's a pic from of me at my brother's Thanksgiving from 2014.  I was heavier then, before I got back into cycling.  You can think of this as a snap from the eating years.

Nice, huh?
And, in case you are wondering, I really am thankful today.  The high winds blew the rest of my leaves over into my neighbor's yard.

Don't try and snow me

Well, it's Wednesday and not my Hump Day.  Because tomorrow's a holiday, I doubt if there are too many out there doing the Hump day dance.
My new schedule was posted yesterday and I'm back with my consecutive days off.  Oh, happy me!  As for this week, Thanksgiving week, they're allowing individuals to get Overtime (a rarity).  I was asked if I want a few extra hours.  My response:  (long, slow pause here) no.
Colorado got snow!  That's nice.  Another storm the Weather Channel decided to name dumped upwards of 17 inches through most of the state... and the storm is moving eastward.  We might get rain.  Some are making a big 'to do.'  Excuse me people of Colorado, but you're in the middle of the Rocky Mountains, you get snow.  Trail Ridge Road, one of the rides I have downloaded, has warning signs "closed during the winter" because of snow.  That's right.  This is a 2 lane highway is usually only open from Memorial Day to Columbus day because of SNOW.

Ooops.
Last evening I was riding Oberschwaben - Kempton, in Deutschland.  Considered a hill ride, there are lots of smaller hills and valleys leading to a long climb at the end of the 27.7 mile ride.  That will be a long ride, about 2 hours in the saddle.  I rode about half last night and my legs felt fine.  The countryside reminds me a lot of Central Pennsylvania.

I guess Melanoma was booed... loudly, at some sort of Opiod Crisis meeting.  You realize that when she met... and married the Idiot Jerk in the White House, she thought she was getting a really sweet deal.  Wrong.  And you know he forced her to sign a pre-nup from Hell. 

Oh, and I saw where Jared the Joke Boy has been promoted to an even bigger Fail.  That's how the LA Times put it: Promoted to a bigger Fail.  His scurvy style as a mid-east peace interloper failed, so the Idiot Jerk in the White House has put him in charge of getting the Wall built.  You know what they say?  Once a failure, always a failure.

No President is King

Okay, I was wrong.  Management did choose to drape thick, black plastic over our Black Friday Specials.  Some people find this quaint.  Yesterday an older woman asked me about the black, low density polyethylene so I told her "Black Friday."  She smiled because she thought it was cute.  Go figure.
Yesterday was slow.  Not excruciatingly, but those days are coming.  The same thing happens every year.  Sales have always been cyclical.  Of course, corporate doesn't let that get in the way of setting budgets.  The Sales Plan does go down, but never as much as the plan from the previous year.  In retail there is always an increase.  We have to keep those stockholders happy.
A judge has ruled that the Idiot Jerk in the White House can not keep witnesses from testifying.  The line that stood out most to me was "the president is not a king."  The sad truth is that the one MAGA elected wants to be more than a king.  He wants to be a dictator.  You can bet this decision is going to the Supreme Court.  This is why he tried to put in as many Conservative judges as possible, to protect his sorry ass.
And once again Rudy Gazooty said he's not worried.  He has insurance.  I'm wondering if that might be a copy of the Golden Shower Tape.  If not that, then some other juicy tidbit detailing how the Idiot Jerk compromised himself with the Russians.  He evidently doesn't seem to be too worried, so maybe behind the scenes he's talking to the Democrats about becoming a State's Witness.  That threat would no doubt sent shivers down the the Idiot Jerk's corpulent torso, shaking all of that jelly from Hell.
My Marlowe has arrived.

I set myself up for a subscription.  If I don't like it, I'll just cancel.  This is how life is.
Finally, customers began buying live Christmas Trees yesterday.  They want them up for Thanksgiving.  Impress the relatives, you know?  Look!  Live tree!  In 3 weeks they'll be hearing dead pine needles falling to the floor.  You only need one to start a cascade.  And in 4 weeks their floor will be covered with them.  Live trees belong in the forest.

What's Mikey eating?

This morning Lily licked my nose twice to wake me up - that's her way of telling me she needed to go potty-outside.  A few minutes later I found her sitting patiently in the dining room.  As I opened the back door, I heard the galoot that's Big Seig get out of bed (there's always a thud when his front paws hit the floor) and begin his early morning ramble downstairs.  This is what mornings are like in my household.
Today is day 4 of my 6 day work stretch.  Can you feel the excitement in my words?  I will have to wait another 2 weeks before I once again get 2 consecutive days off.
My brother sent me a text asking me to his house for Thanksgiving.  I respectfully declined.  He lives 50 minutes away, I'm going to my sisters who lives 15 minutes away.  His dinner begins at 4 PM, my sister doesn't have a big, family get together, there will be like 7 of us there and hers starts as 12 noon.  Oh, and Thursday is my only day off.
I did download one of those Swiss rides, but rode one from Deutschland last evening, just 8.5 miles out of 26 mile ride: long with lots of little hills.  I will ride the whole thing one of these days.  Not tonight though.  I usually take 2 nights a week off - no cycling.  Rest days can be very essential.
Oh, and Michael Bloomberg is running for president, in case you didn't know.

Another rich, old white guy who also happens to be a Democrat.  As I've said before, there is so much anger built up over the Idiot Jerk in the White House, even Donald Duck could beat him in an election.  That being said, Mike is no duck.  Unlike the morally degenerate squatter in the Oval Office, he actually has political experience: Mayor of New York City for 3 terms.  He is a life long Democrat who switch parties to win the Mayoral race... and then became an Independent.  While popular with Democrats in the city, he is far more popular with Independent voters.  For those who don't know, Independents are the largest voting block in the country.  For them, he will be a magnet.  Will he release his tax returns?  Possibly.  Long ago he realized the total worthlessness of the Idiot Jerk in the White House, so he's going to probably release tax information as a form of attack.  This man is the 9th richest man in the United States.  If you haven't seen his ads, you will shortly.  He's better than Donald Duck, how much better?  I don't know.  But I can tell you, if the Idiot Jerk was scared before of losing the election and going to jail, that fear is turning into terror.  There's a very good possibility Mike might eat him for breakfast.  You see, the Idiot Jerk, in his supreme idiocy, focused all of his attention on Joe Biden.

Riding On

Well, it's Sunday and I have to start off with a little bit of a correction.  Last evening I was informed that I have been pronouncing Demon Nunes last name incorrectly.  I was saying Nunes as nuns... you know, the ladies who used to wear black dresses but who now where frilly patterns?  Wrong.  His name is actually pronounce 'new - nez.'  Nez is the french word for nose.  Literally, you could say his name is Demon Newnose.  I just thought you might find that interesting.
At the store, our aisles are littered with Black Friday boxes.  There was a time when everything was kept secret.  Large swaths of 8mm black plastic were used to cover all of the 'special deals.'  Secrecy was important.  The idea was to make our customers curious enough to show up bright and early on Black Friday.  That is no longer the case.  We now open at our regular time.  That extra, earlier hour was not adding enough buckos to our sales to justify the payroll expense.  Now we let people know what our specials are going to be, though to be perfectly honest, nothing is a real deal, unless you're shopping for an appliance.
So, Rouvy added some new rides... in Switzerland... in the Alps.  This one looks really nice.  It's Sustenpass.  I showed it to a friend at work and he said... "Dave, that's a big f*****g hill!"  I corrected him of course.  "Nope," I said, "that's a mountain."  Here's a little video showing off the beauty and majesty of this ride.

I only have one question... I didn't know Sherlock Holmes fell to his death.

  

Beginnings

Holy Crap!  I looked at my calendar this morning and realized today is... Saturday!!  Son of a bitch!  A bit of uniformity in regard to my schedule would go a long way towards making things normal.  That isn't to say that in reality I'm a normal person... I'm not.  Far from it.
As I'd said earlier, Elton's coming to Hershey.  Originally I had set myself up for the Verified Fan pre-sale to happen on 11/20.  On 11/14 I went into Ticketmaster to verify the time, thinking I was going to be at work when the sale started, and saw that the Amex pre-sale was going to start in just 2 hours.  I bought 2 tickets.  The Verified Fan sale came and went, all I received was an email telling me I had been put on a waiting list.  Yesterday tickets for the 4/20 show actually went on sale.  Being the curious type, I went into check prices.  Tickets in the same row as mine now cost over $600 in resale, more than 3 times what I had paid.  Floor tickets being resold were going for... are you ready for this?  $3888 per seat.  Son of a bitch!  I don't know about you but I think that's a little too pricey.
Oh, and saw that an associate of Giuliani is willing to testify that Demon Nunes, himself, met with Ukrainian officials in an attempt to get dirt on the Bidens.  In case you didn't know, this whole fixation on both father and son can be traced back to 2016.  After the Idiot Jerk won the presidency and stunned the world, sane minds began searching for the best candidate to beat him in 2020.  The name most frequently at the top of every poll and on everybody's lips was Joe Biden.  The GOP, already terrified they were going to be voted out of power in 2020, and knowing their fraudulent ways were incapable of unifying the country, made what they considered the best decision poossible under those circumstances:  get dirt on Biden.  And, they proceeded to try and do just that, with the Idiot Jerk in the White House egging them on, providing absolutely no restraints.  And now we discover that Demon Nunes was busy with a shitty little shovel in his hand, digging in the dirt as well.  Hhhmm.  I can see another eye-roll coming.
And the other day while I was out cleaning up the yard (I have big dogs, remember), I snapped a picture of Big Seig just standing their, watching the world pass by.

He almost looks tiny, doesn't he?  From the pic you might find it difficult to believe he weighs 118 pounds, that's 52.39 Kg for those of you living every where but in the United States.  Such a baby he is.

They kick dead horses, don't they?

For those who didn't know... Winter arrives in one month.  The time has come for me to buy my ice-melt.  Last year I bought an expensive pet friendly product which melted little, if any ice.  Sadly, it can be pet friendly as hell, if it doesn't work?  well, it doesn't work.  Because I shovel as soon as the little flakes are done falling, I have little use for these products, and when I use them they're only for the front sidewalk.  Don't want to get sued by some dumb shit falling and breaking a hip.
I had to update the software in my car yesterday.  To do that, I needed to turn my phone into a Hot Spot.  Interesting.  I turned off the Hot Spot as soon as I was finished.
I went to my Uncle's viewing yesterday.  Wisely, the casket was closed.  He was 88.  My Aunt complained about how expensive it was, but then she spent a lot of money for a casket.  Cremation is about half the price, even cheaper if you provide your own urn.  Just about every man there was in a suit, except for me.  I don't understand why some need to formalize death.  I stayed for 15 minutes and left.
I saw this pic this morning of mountain bikers coming down a trail in Leadville 100 race.  The race is named for the town, which is named for Johnny 'Leadville' Brown, who just happened to have been married to this little girl named Molly.  You do know who I'm talking about, don't you?  The Unsinkable Molly Brown?  The one who survived the sinking of the Titanic?  Anyway, this is what it looks like when you're racing down a mountain trail in the Colorado Rockies.  Just thought some of you might like to know.

Could this be somewhat relevant to "The Body in the Well?"
Oh, and in case none of you have noticed, the GOP has found another dead horse to kick.  I'm talking about Joe and Hunter Biden.  They have always had this problem with dead horses, when they find one they just need to keep on kicking it.  They did it with Clinton and Lewinsky, and Clinton and Whitewater, and, most recently, Benghazi.  How many different hearings did they have on Benghazi?  Three?  Had they not lost the House during the mid-term elections, this is exactly where their focus would have been.  This is how they try and win elections, paint their opponents as being corrupt.  They so desperately want impeachment hearings in the Senate so they can call the witness they want.  Why, I saw yesterday that Miss Lindsey Graham has even applied to the Justice Department to begin an investigation on Joe and Hunter.  Why?  It's the only dead horse in sight and they're desperately trying to turn attention away from the hearings.  Yesterday Fiona Smith bitch slapped them into reality.  Ouch.

Circling in

Well, I get to go back to work tomorrow.  As you might expect, I'm not too excited.  I get to work 6 days before my next day off, and that one day happens to be Thanksgiving.  As you know from previous gripes, I prefer consecutive days off.  And, of course, I have split days off on the following week as well.
I went to see "Midway" last evening.  I found the film very entertaining.  There were a lot of old men in the theater, none of whom were wearing red MAGA hats.  The film gets a lot of things right, from Pearl Harbor to the snippet with director John Ford filming the battle of Midway.  What they got wrong?  Very little mention of the carnage being wrought on American soldiers and sailors throughout the region.  There's a reason it was called Hell in the Pacific.  Because the focus was only on one sea battle, the scope is minimized.  The filmmakers didn't need to make an epic, but they failed to let the audience know the Japanese were handing our asses to us on bloody, little plates.  However, I will tell you that without a doubt the biggest shock of the evening was seeing Dennis Quaid.  That man is not aging well at all!
And I finally put on my new Bigfoot socks yesterday and went for a ride.

This was my longest ride so far:  19.15 miles.  It took me an hour and 9 minutes and is rated a Category 3.  I've also started a new challenge:  But 14,400 kilo joules of energy in the next 17 days.  As of this morning I have 16% completed.  This is one of those things I need to do to move on to the next level.
Oh, and did everyone get a chance to see Devin Nune's eye roll yesterday?  Holy Shit!  That's what he's saying with his eyes.  It was almost as funny as the Idiot Jerk's sharpie notes, the ones scribbled on a piece of pad that say "I want nothing."  For those too young to remember, Nixon said something similar.  His phrase du jour was "I am not a crook."  Yesterday was not a good day for the moral degenerate in the White House.  One thing I heard about but haven't seen a clip of was Ken Starr on Fox News.  Ken said a lot of things, mostly trying to bolster all those breaking Republican hearts.  He also said something to the effect that he wondered if the Republican Senate was going to send a contingent to the White House and recommend a resignation.  I hope they don't.  I want to see this scumbag dragged through the mud a bit longer.  Oh, and that low rumble you hear is the sound of Republican wagons being drawn into a circle.

Spin Dry

My weekend begins today!  And it is chock full of things to do... like laundry, though I've been attempting to do several loads during the week in order to open up free time on... my weekend.  I'd better enjoy this one since I've been scheduled to work 2 weeks with split days off.  After that, my weekends seem to have been moved back to Sundays and Mondays.  That's fine with me.  I just want my consecutive days off.
I some of you have been waiting with baited breath... so I'm pleased to announce that a decision has been reached in regard to my use of soaps.  Will it be Dr. Squatch... or Marlowe?  Dr. Squatch has really great commercials geared towards a niche audience.  Marlowe doesn't have commercials.  Dr. Squatch is square.  Marlowe isn't.  In spite of a bare chested man rubbing his fingers across his torso spitting accolades about the lather Dr. Squatch creates... there isn't any.  Marlowe has lather.  Dr. Squatch has a nice scent... but after a few minutes my sensitive nose picked up the underwhelming odor of lye....  Marlowe brags about "no cruelty," while Dr. Squatch only has a small mention on their website.  Can you see where this is heading?  While I like the commercials, Dr. Squatch comes across as just another trendy product.  Don't you hate being let down by something for which you had very high hopes? 

Yesterday was not a good day if you're an Idiot Jerk in the White House and hearings are underway regarding a possible impeachment.  Today might possibly be worse.  Son of a bitch!  In case you're wondering, this is why he went to Walter Reed.  His fatty, little heart is palpating horrendously at the thought of being humiliated by being fired.  He knows that without the loyalty of his base he is nothing more than a shit stain on a dirty pair of boxers, or panties, just waiting to be washed.  He dreads the approaching revelations of 'spin dry.'  This is Karma of a man who never learned.
Interestingly enough a large majority of Americans (approximately 71%) now say he did something wrong, something un-American in that phone call to the Ukraine.  Even more interesting, it seems that a majority of that 71% feel he should not be impeached, rather, they feel the American people should fire his ass, not the House of Representatives, and not Congress.  And states are already gearing up for the election of 2020.  Turn out is expected to be very high as Americans line up to vote.  We want to skip the wash and rinse cycles and jump right into the spin dry cycle.

Beliefs

Here in Central PA they're forecasting a drizzly day... wow.  I'm excited.  I work so the weather really doesn't bother me too much.  The next 2 days are supposed to be partially sunny with the temps in the mid 50's (F).  I'm off, so that will be nice. 
Thursday is my Uncle's mini-viewing / service.  I'm hoping to not spend more than an hour at the Funeral Parlor.  I've always found that rather morbid, sitting through a memorial service in front of an open casket.  Some people have this really odd belief they need to get one last look at their loved ones before internment...  even if they look about as real as either Ken or Barbie.  Sorry, but memories should be based on our younger years, before age begins to slowly take toll, before there are wrinkles, and grey hair, and bald spots.   I do that a lot at work, look at older people and wonder what they were like in their youth, when they could dance the night away.  Not that I have any problem with aging.  I'm going to blow through my senior years with as much excitement and energy as possible.  This is what life is supposed to be about, not worrying about your cholesterol, or blood pressure.
I just read through some interesting reports about stents and by-pass surgery and how they really don't do anything to extend your life.  They do make doctors and surgeons a lot of money though.  Oh... sorry for the bad news Bernie.
And I thought I'd model another pair of socks for you.  These are my Bigfoot socks.

Snazzy, huh?  I'll  be wearing these in about 10 hours on my evening ride.  And doesn't my leg look awfully fat?  It isn't.
And I saw the Idiot Jerk's administration has decided to go against International Law by giving a big 'thumbs up' to settlements by Israel.  This is once again something geared towards his minority Conservative base.  There's some sort of prophecy which states that the 2nd Coming will happen after all Jews have returned home.  That's never going to happen.  If you look at the emigration stats of Israel it's fairly obvious that while new kids are moving into their block, even more are moving out.  The Conservative religious grip is growing tenuous.  People don't want to raise their kids in a war zone, neither to they really like the mandatory military service.  Of course, you try telling that to the Crazy Christians in this country and their eyes just go blank.  Those words don't even register because they don't jive with their personal beliefs.

Supposedly

It's Thursday!!  Well, maybe not for you, but it is for me.  Tomorrow is my Friday!  Should I start my happy dance now?
My Uncle died on Saturday.  I haven't seen him in at least 5 years.  He was elderly.  Interestingly, neither of his children notified us, rather it was my cousin Robin who sent my brother and I texts.  She later sent us information regarding the service... without providing the day.  At least I didn't get it, my brother did. When I queried her on it, she explained she had been busy multi-tasking when she texted me and overlooked that crucial piece of information.  We were never really close to that side of the family so I guess that's an acceptable reason.
I asked my brother to send flower from he, my sister, and myself.  He still owes me money for his Elton John ticket.  I'm a nice guy... but not that nice.
Going through my archival pics, I found one of me from a Christmas Party I went to in 1999 - that's right this baby is 20 years old.  The vest was a forest green paisley.  My one flirtation with a pattern which never looked good on me.  I'm more of a flannel man.

As you can see, I could never really grow facial hair...  which has always been one of my biggest regrets.  

Oh, and the Idiot Jerk stopped by Walter Reed on Saturday to, supposedly, begin his annual physical... about three months early.  Purportedly they took blood...  for testing.  That seems like something his personal physician... or personal nurse... or even one of his trained lackeys might do at the White House.  Why fly him over to Walter Reed?  Of course, suspicion is rising since this is so out of the ordinary.  But then, we never know, maybe he blew out half of his rectum during one of his recent shit explosions over the impeachment inquiry.  It must be a terrible burden on him to realize over half the country wants to see him jailed for eternity.  

Dine on this

It's Sunday and those Thanksgiving sales people have already started wondering into the department.  They always ask which carpets are going on sale, or which laminates, or luxury vinyl planks.  The answer is always the same  "NADA."
I had one customer yesterday who told me he had purchased flooring from us 2 years ago at some ridiculously low cost and wanted to know why we weren't doing those kinds of discounts anymore.  Well, he was wrong.  No deep discounts in flooring for Black Friday.  Had he actually purchased from us 2 years ago, I could have pulled up his order and proven him wrong.  I was nice,  I didn't.
There was another customer who had purchased vinyl planks last year and questioned the price increase.  He want to purchase more.  I just looked him in the eye and said "China."  His face hardened a bit.  That was something he didn't want to hear because the American Consumer, according to the Idiot Jerk in the White House, is going to face the brunt of his tariffs.  I could have told him that once these tariff wars are over prices are not going to be coming back down, but that would have been rubbing salt into his wound.  The truth is... they're not coming back down.
Anyway, I saw where Louisiana re-elected their Democratic Governor.  Another off cycle election and another loss for the shit bag in the White House.  Anne Marie said it best: "everything he touches dies."  His base is... I suspect, staying home, away from the polls.  They're not going to vote him out of office, they're just not going to vote for him.  They are withering on the vine, so to speak.
On a brighter note, I got my dinosaur socks.

In the lower corner, you can see one on my left foot.  Those are not eyes looking at you.  They're chewy chompers waiting to take a bite.

Time

Another Friday night and another concert.  Not Elton John.  My brother in law called about a week and a half ago.  He had bought tickets for he and my sister to see Grace Potter.  My sister decided she didn't want to go, so I was offered her ticket.  I said yes, of course, not because I knew who she was but... well, she was at the Forum which is a very nice venue in downtown Harrisburg.  She was very dynamic.  I had listened to a few of her songs to familiarize myself with her music.  She used to sing with a group called The Nocturnals, now she's solo.  I'd recommend giving her a listen if you get the chance.

Anyway, now I'm running a little behind. 
I've started approving and disapproving comments while at work.  I use my phone.  It makes it nice and simple.  They don't really want me using the store computer for personal use.  I should be using it to sell product.
And of course, during testimony yesterday the Idiot Jerk opened up with a volley of hate Tweets.  Evidently the GOP had been going to treat Marie Yovanavitch with at least of some the respect she deserves... and then the Idiot Jerk started throwing Twitter acid on her, at least that's how one media outlet phrased his attack.  He is such a dumb shit.  I wouldn't be surprised if there weren't a number of Evangelical leaders laying their hands on him as he launched yesterday's attack.  The think he was sent to give them what their craven hearts so desperately want.  And while his base might have started spinning in giddy little circles of delight, a majority of Americans said "what the fuck?"
Oh, and Roger Stone was found guilty on all 7 charges.  Prepare yourselves for not only a pardon, but a tiny fingered Tweet about how the Idiot Jerk can do whatever he wants because he was sent by... Pure Evil.  They have no idea how fast their time is ticking away.
Here's a vid from a Grace Potter concert in 2015.  The song is Timekeeper.  Her performance last night included a lot more percussion.  Oh, and better lighting.

The Ride

It's Monday!... well for me anyway.  Can you feel my excitement?

My deep fryer arrived yesterday.  I made spring rolls - tasty.  That's what I'm taking for lunch today.

The dog's Christmas presents also arrived yesterday.  That's the only thing I really like about the holiday.  Something I learned a long time ago: it doesn't matter what it looks like, as long as it squeaks it's the best toy in the world.  Balls are good, too.  Lily loves running around with a lime green tennis ball in her mouth. They each get three.

So, I went for a 12.5 mile ride yesterday and set up my Gopro so you can see what I see.  When I try and explain it to people they say "yeah, okay," but I know they don't realize what I see.  This little ride is in Warm Springs Oregon.  If you enlarge you can see the boxes clearly.  The bottom one on the right is my route, the top one on the right show energy and cadence.  On the left, the bottom box shows my speed, how fast I'm pedaling.  The box at the top show's how far I've traveled and how many miles are left in the route.  The bar across the bottom shows me elevation, the darker the orange and red, the steeper the hill.  The sound you hear is the chain going over the sprockets. Also, I recorded this at the beginning of the ride before I hit the 11% grade hill - didn't think you wanted to hear me panting.

And the Idiot Jerk has gone to the Supreme Court because he doesn't want to release his tax information.  He's stacked it with Conservatives so he's hoping he can keep his crookedness secret.  There's a very good possibility they're going to tell him that this is not something you take to the Supreme Court.  Let's be honest here.  There must be something truly horrible about his tax returns for him to go to such lengths.  That's to be expected.  What a foot.  He thought getting himself elected was going to be an easy peasy ride, you know?  He'd do what ever he wanted.  Make himself a tinfoil dictator.

Oh, and by the way, I saw in Reuters when John Deere is beginning to lay off workers in the mid-west.  Tariffs are to blame.

The Petulant Whiner

It's Thursday, or, since I'm retail, today's my Sunday.  Starting tomorrow I get to work 5 days in a row before I get another 2 consecutive days off.  After that?  Son of a bitch.  Consecutive days are off the schedule for at least 2 weeks.  I hate that.  I have the joy of working 6 days straight, and then my day off is Thanksgiving.  I mean, I shouldn't piss and moan, with holiday pay I'll get paid for 48 hours that week.   Still....
My apologies for posting responses to comments in such a scatter-shot fashion.  You'd think I was taking shooting lessons from Jim Jordan trying desperately to hit at least a part of the target.  That's not quite right.  My comments are posted regularly.  His comments yesterday at the first public impeachment hearing were... well.  You can tell the Idiot Jerk in the White House has left them very little to work with as far as a defense.  Since he had nothing of importance to defend, Jordan used a phony Mr. Rogers voice and ended up coming across as a condescending, petulant whiner about not hearing from the whistle-blower.  This is funny because it was the Republicans themselves who put those rules protecting whistle-blowers into effect.  This is their Karma, to constantly shit in their pants.
As I said yesterday, I was going to set up a little spread sheet for my Rouvy rides.  Here it is:

This is page one.  The distance is in miles not kilometers.  As you can see, the type signifies if it's a flat ride or a hill, I didn't include the difficulty rating, most being 2's or 3's with the Cote de Holm Moss ride having a difficulty rating of 4.  There's also a date column since I try not to repeat rides too often.
Finally, I guess the impeachment hearings continue tomorrow.  Yippee! 

Fry This

And so my weekend begins!
As have so many of you, I have enabled comment moderation in order to eliminate the public platform our disruptive, little spammer so desperately requires.  Will he even notice?  Nah, he's a shallow copy and paste loner who requires a reactionary response. 
The dogs Christmas toys have been ordered.  They're each getting three different toys.  They don't really care what the toy is as long as it squeaks.  The squeakier the better.
I also ordered myself a deep fryer.

Now, I know some of you are scratching your heads and thinking "but he eats healthy, and deep fried food is really nothing more than a heart attack hiding in peanut oil."  Well, you can eat fried food as long as it's fried the right way.  When I was much younger, my Mom used to dump 3 large cans of Crisco into our deep fryer.  When she was done cooking, she'd let it solidify.  She used the same Crisco over and over again.  After a while, she cleaned out the deep fryer and dumped in more Crisco.  That's the wrong way to cook and eat fried food.  Of course, people didn't know any better back then.
And, of course, public testimony for the impeachment of the Idiot Jerk in the White House begins today.  Prepare yourselves for Twitter Hell.  I understand the GOP had some sort of SECRET CLOSED DOOR SESSION on Monday with Jimmy Jordan taking on the role of Adam Schiff in an attempt to prepare themselves.  They are doomed to failure.  Why, you ask?  Because for years they have been attack dogs.  Rabid Dobermans are more civilized.  They are going to go for the throat right out of the starting gate.  Instead of trying to get to the truth, they are going to blame.  And from his hate room in the White House the Idiot Jerk is going to be Tweeting out snarky, little names for those people testifying.  His base lives for those little names.  And all the while those Centrist Republicans in the suburbs will find deepening frowns spreading across their faces.  This ugly hatred is not what they voted for, and if the GOP thought this past election cycle was bad (and they got their asses whipped) 2020 is going to be the year their tinfoil aspirations get fried.

The Dog at the Top of the Stairs

Today is Tuesday and it's my little Friday - little because it's at the end of a 3 day work week.  Tomorrow my weekend begins.  This means my next 40 hour work week starts on Friday.  Which is going to be a bit of a groan day for me.  My brother-in-law bought tickets for a chick concert on Friday night for he and my sister.  She doesn't want to go, so I got her ticket.  Someone named Grace Potter, no relation to Harry as far as I know.  I watched one of her videos and there wasn't a guy to be seen, hence my calling it a chick concert.  I'm not saying there aren't going to be men in the audience, just that we might be a minority.
Of course, after seeing Elton last Friday, comparisons are going to be made.  There's no way of avoiding them.
Outside right now we have drizzle.  The temp is going to drop as an arctic blast sweeps east.  Hopefully Thursday will be warm enough for me to mulch my leaves.  Coming home from work yesterday I was stopped by one of my neighbors who remarked on my amazing ginkgo leaf drop.  "It looks like a golden blanket on the ground," she said.
Last night as I was heading up to bed I saw Lily standing at the top of the stairs, with a toy in her mouth, so I took a pic.  My mind immediately flashed on that old thriller "The Dark at the Top of the Stairs."

Here's my version.  I call it "Dog at the top of the Stairs."

Cute, huh?
Anyway, I saw the courts handed the Idiot Jerk another defeat in regard to his taxes yesterday.  A day doesn't seem to pass without someone handing that scumbag more bad news.  Now, doesn't that warm the cockles of your heart?  If he hadn't been such a dirty crook all of his life he'd have nothing to worry about.
Oh, and I saw the Junior Idiot had to cut short some sort of book presentation because of protesters.
He actually said there was going to be no Q & A because people would weaponize his words.  I had to laugh at that.  I mean, he'd have no worries if he wasn't such a shit stain.  I'm sure the realization has set in for the Idiot Jerk's family.  Whereas when I look up the staircase I see a cute little Boxer with a toy in her mouth, when they look up the stairs all they see is deep, frightening darkness.

At the Bend in the River

Monday... another week begins.  Repetition is not the joy of my life.  Consistency is not necessarily a good thing.  Sometimes things need to be shaken up.  And underdog progressive has won the DA race in San Francisco.  This is just one more example of how the country is turning away from the rigid, conservative politics of the Idiot Jerk in the White House and his party of phonies.  One thing they have never learned and never will: you can't force your unpopular agenda down the throats of the American people and expect them to accept it.  They will repeat and fail, repeat and fail, until they no longer have a loud enough voice for anyone to hear.
Anyway... I'm changing up my cycling routine, aiming for shorter more intense rides.  This means more hills.... can you hear the joy in my words?
One of my little routines is to always make 4 taquitos when I get home from work and snack on them as read through the day's blog entries.  Last evening I didn't throw that paper towel away soon enough and Big Seig ate it.  Son of a bitch!  He has eaten them before.  They always come out in the end.  They are, however, not the type of roughage I want him chowing down on.
Oh, and today's Veteran's Day.  My personal opinion, not that it counts too much, is that as a Veteran for a Foreign War I should not have to work.  I should get the day off with pay.  Corporate America hates that idea.  Doing that would eat just the tiniest bit of their Profit Pie.  It's all about the money, you know?  Corporate America loves Conservatives - a group consistently trying to give them tax breaks.  Corporate America is not very patriotic.  They prefer banking assets rather than chipping in to help those less fortunate.  They do not care if the middle class is falling into destitution. That word does not describe their definition of the bottom line.  Unfortunately, about 88% of Corporate America is owned by foreign nationals.  That sucks.
Anyway... #2.  As I was walking to my car last week to go to work, before the temperature drop to 25 (F) I spied a little toad stool grown in my grass.

Since I thought it looks poisonous as hell, I left it be.
Finally, I began Chapter 29 last evening:  The Bend in the River.  The Bend has not always been kind to people.  In Chapter 1 there's mention of a body washing up on the rocks at the Bend in the River.  One can only wonder what our intrepid investigators find washed up on the rocks in The Body in the Well.  Hint:  It's not a Conservative.

Cracker Soup

Well, it's Sunday... and I get to go back to work.  For 3 days, and then my weekend begins.  My schedule for Thanksgiving week is crappy.  Off on Thanksgiving, working Black Friday and Saturday and then off on Sunday.  Nobody buys flooring on Black Friday.  That doesn't mean we're not going to get bubble-brained morons asking what are 'special' is...  I always point to appliances saying "go buy a $2500 refrigerator, that's where our deals are."  If you're interested in buy a washer, or dryer, now is the best time of the year - all of our others sales are mere shadows of what the discounts are now.
Yesterday morning I walked onto my front porch and saw all the leaves had fallen off my gingko.  Have you any idea how that feels?  Knowing your gingko is naked?  I took pictures hoping to drum up a little sympathy since... well... now it looks so... woody.

I saw where a Class Action suit has been filed against Madonna.  People are fed up with paying good money for a show and having her show up 2 hours late.  Her comment was "the queen is never late."  Someone needs to sit her 61 year old ass down and remind her she's doing 'smaller venue' shows because ticket sales from her last arena tour were... lackluster... yeah, lackluster is a good word for her ticket sales.  Her die-hard fans will always show up, but they're getting older and their patience is beginning to wear thin.
I saw where the Idiot Jerk in the White House went to a college football game in the deeply red south and was... cheered.  At this point in his failing Republican political career this is to be expected.  I know this is going way back, but the same thing happened after Nixon's failed re-election extravaganza.  The Republican Party became highly regionalized.  Only in the deep south, scarlet red and highly Christianized south did they stand of chance of winning elections.  This is happening again.  However, this time they have a problem.  The deep south is diversifying far more quickly than their Conservative white minds can comprehend.  They're going to realize there might not be enough crackers down there to make a decent bowl of soup.
And finally.  A lot of us have experienced the single brain celled antics of troll.  Mildred was right when she pointed out how hysterically this person is in his desperate attempt to be disruptive.  Right now I'm simply deleting the comments.  That's what this person deserves... to be deleted.  If it continues I start moderating the comments.  Eliminating them before they see the light of day is no skin off my back.

Vacation Entry #4 Farewell Yellow Brick Road

So, on the last day of my teeny, weeny vacation I went to see Elton John in Philly.  Had I used my infinite wisdom, I would have purchased the tickets when the went on sale, I didn't.  As it was, I paid a much higher price than their Face Value.  IT WAS WORTH IT!
Our seats were great!

Almost 3 hours of music and memories.  He told about how when he and Bernie were just starting out without any real hit to their names, their producer called to tell them a singer was covering one of their songs on her album.  The singer:  Aretha Franklin, and she recorded "Boarder Song," a song he doesn't do often in concert.  We heard it last night!  He did a number of songs which aren't normally on his set list, like "Take me to the Pilot," the song that launched his career when he played it at the Troubadour in LA back in 1970.  He played "Indian Sunset" from "Madman Across the Water," a song he rarely plays in concert.

You'll notice his piano moved from one side of the stage to the other so everybody got so seem him perform.  All of his hits were covered... oh, and there was a lot of thunder and lighting  and fog introducing "Funeral for a Friend."

Without a doubt, this was one of the best concerts I've been to.

Traffic, however, was not so kind:  rush hour going into Philly and then construction as we left.  It took over half an hour to cover the three miles leading to the Conshohocken exit.  Son of a Bitch!

Today will be a rest day.  

Oh, and I need to get my ass on my bicycle since I didn't get a ride in yesterday.

Vacation Entry #3

Ah, it's Friday, November 8.  For those of you who don't know, today's my birthday.  About 45 minutes ago I turned 67.  I find that number amazing.  Not because I've achieve it, rather, I have to admit I never really put much thought into getting old.  Now that it's happening it's kind of like... well... fuck.  I'd say "what do I do for an encore," but have chosen to save that line for when I turn 90.  A word of advice, if you have to get older, and most of us end up doing just that, it is a lot better to do so gracefully... and opinionated as hell.  I find a lot of joy in telling people what I think.
I rode 12.56 miles yesterday.  I was very pleased.  You see, the last time I rode that route it took a bit over 54 minutes.  Yesterday I did in just a tad over 48 minutes.  That's right, I knocked 6 minutes off my time.  The record is a bit over 24 minutes.  I will never hit that, but I would like to get my time down into the mid 30's.  We'll have to wait and see if I can knock another 11 or 12 minutes off my time.
And rather than buy a store bought cake from Giant like I usually do to celebrate a birthday, I baked one.  Most of us buy our cakes, and our cookies, and our pies; baking just takes too long.  Our palate has deteriorated to such a degree that when we taste store bought cake we say..."hhhmm, the icing is good."  While I did spread a light, peanut butter frosting on my cake, the real flavor buster was the cake itself.  Holy Crap!  I could not believe the flavor of that cake, all moist and deliciously golden.  Even the dogs liked it!
And yesterday, while I was letting the dogs out into the drizzle to do their business, I saw I had another rose.  On November, 7 my roses were still blooming!  I took a picture.

Now, wasn't that a pretty gift?
I saw where Michael Bloomberg is testing the waters for possible presidential run... without going debating one single person.  A word of advice to Michael: don't even think of sticking your toes into the water.  A run by you could well destroy the unity the Democrats have been building.  You're a businessman who thinks he can run the country the way he runs his business.  You're wrong.  We don't need another damn billionaire in the White House. 

Vacation entry #2

I think the title is funny since I'm only off work for 4 days. 
Yesterday I did nothing.  Well, not quite, I did do some laundry and worked on the The Body in the Well.  They're forecasting a drizzly day and thus creating limitations as to what I can do, should I plan some outside activities.  One of the things is set the directions for the Wells Fargo Center in my car's computer.  It's been 4 years since I've driven in Philly.  I had to go to a paint seminar in Cherry Hill back when I was managing the Paint Desk.  Now, doesn't that sound exciting.
As for that wine cooler I bought?

This is what happens when the importance of Gatorade supersedes the importance of wine.  At least I'm putting it to good use.  Oh, and in case you didn't notice my Gatorade, just like my politics, is blue.
And, speaking Blue, I guess the Idiot Jerk had another rant rally last evening in Lose-iana for red MAGA heads. That's how they pronounce it, you know?  Not Louisiana.  One of the last things the residents of Baton Rouge, and Shreveport, and Lafayette want is to live in a state named for the King of France.  And that rally?  His vitriol is unprecedented!  He called Democrats radicals and said we were deranged, and that white audience cheered, oblivious to the fact that their party was badly burned in Tuesday's off year election.  Of course, his fan base will never understand, their ears are stoppered to normalcy.  Independent voters in the suburbs are growing more and more dissatisfied with his hateful antics.  Not his base thought, all he need do is say the word and they will happily drink the Kool-aid.

Vacation Entry #1

Slept in the morning.  Got up, made coffee, read the news.  Fun stuff.
In Cumberland County, Republicans still won more races, though not as many as usual.  This area is Uber Conservative.  Lisa Grayson lost.  She was the only faux Democrat on the ballot as far as I know.  Kentucky now has a blue governor Virginia went Royally Blue.
My brother and I are driving down to Philly on Friday to see Elton John and the Wells Fargo Center.  It sits where the Spectrum used to be.  I saw a number of concerts at the Spectrum, include, back in July of 1976, Elton John.  This might be what they call going full circle.
The bar of Dr. Squatch soap lasted me for 10 showers, which means I'd use about 4 - 5  bars a month.  That's pricey.

Election Day

It's Tuesday.  Here in Pennsylvania it's election day.  Celebrate by going to the polls and voting Blue.  Remember, voting straight ticket here is a vote Republican liars like Lisa Grayson.  Put your vote to good use.  In Cumberland County vote for Susan Pickford, she's an Independent, a human being who hasn't sold her soul to the moral degenerate in the White House.
While I was riding my bike last evening, the chain popped off.  This is an easy fix, but when something like that happens it throws me out of sync:  I have to unclick my shoes, get off the bike, pull the rear derailleur down and put the chain back on the sprockets.  Chains are greasy and that gets on my fingers and... well... son of a bitch!  As a result, I only rode 8.4 miles (or there about).  The only good thing to come out of it was I realized I need to buy more latex gloves...

You didn't really think I was going to get my fingers greasy, did you?

I saw where the Idiot Jerk is once again supposed to release 10 years of taxes.  Of course, he's going to appeal that decision to the Supreme Court.  No one thinks they are going to halt the release.  So, will he comply?  This will be interesting.  There is so much dirt in those taxes.  Lies and fakery abound within those deductions.  You can bet that Stephanie Grisham is going to sing how it takes a genius to find so many varied ways of cheating the government.  She has to praise him, you know.  We all know.  The only way to keep your job is to bow and genuflect whenever you're in his presence.

Oh, and he was in the land of Kim Davis last evening pleading for the MAGA heads in that state to vote their governor in for a 3rd term.  Kentucky is supposed to be deeply red... so... why was he there.,, pleading.  Oh, wait, it seems that Matt Bevin, the sure thing, is in trouble.  Andy Beshear is tied in the polls.  Hence, the reason behind the Idiot Jerk having a rally.  Today's election day in that state... we'll have to wait and see if it goes blue. Could be the Idiot Jerk knows his fat ass is soon going to be in the fire poppin' and sizzlin' for all the world to see.  

Yesterday or Today

Monday, the beginning of a new seven day stretch.  Notice, I don't say week.  That implies having a 'weekend' which, for so many people, no longer exists.  Interestingly enough, the days of the week normally don't exist in our entertainment.  Oh, sure, they get a mention in music every now and then, but mostly to talk about the wonders of the weekend, or dismally having to get up and go to work on Monday morning.  They never get a mention in movies, or plays, or television.  No Marvel superhero is ever going to have the line "it's Tuesday morning and by my calculations Thantos will begin destroying the Universe on Thursday."  That would be too much reality, you know?  Complicating things even more is that some believe the week starts on Sunday while there are others who say it's Monday; they love their fixed work week.

I saw a humorous article in Bloomberg yesterday by a comedian who claimed the Idiot Jerk in the White House was on track to be re-elected.  He said polls tell you nothing.  When it comes to the ballot box voters will ignore everything else and vote for the economy.  He pretty much declares morals have no value, that people will always vote with their wallet.  No doubt, this was written by a Conservative, one of those flawed individuals whose life revolves around his portfolio.

Interestingly enough, there was another article in the NYT in which the author stated that the more the Idiot Jerk plays to and radicalizes his base, the less likely his chances of being re-elected become.  Plainly speaking, the more he alienates Independent voters, the less likely they are to cast their ballot for him.  By playing only to his base he not only ignores the Independents, but incites them to vote for someone less volatile.

And I saw Chris Wallace had a little chat with Kellyanne yesterday.  He brought up all of those closed door hearings Republicans had regarding Benghazi.  Here retorts was something like "well, that was different. they weren't trying to impeach the president."  All of that peroxide she uses to bleach her hair has done more than burn her roots.  In case you didn't know, that's how the Idiot Jerk plays to his base not the Independents.  At least she didn't say something really stupid, "like he's a great political genius."

Finally, I saw that the Idiot Jerk has waded into British politics.  He said things like "Brexit needs to go through in order to insure great trade deals," and "we will buy more from the UK than they sell to the EU."  If that's true, the British laborer is going to take a big hit.  We buy so much from Asia because they have cheap labor and prices are lower.  People in the UK, think about what this moron is saying.

Essential Scrutiny

Well, here we are... it's Sunday and the first of a 3 day stretch at work.  I'm off for 4 starting on Wednesday.  I can't wait.  While I don't mind working, I can't wait until I can cut it back to 4 days a week.
Yesterday I rode 17.5 miles down Cow Creek.

I have no idea why it's called Cow Creek... I didn't see a single cow, though there is a creek, as well as some serious lumbering.   The record time for this ride is 29 minutes, that's an average speed of over 27 miles per hour.  Mine was 19 miles per hour.  I see a challenge coming up.

As always, whenever I go for a ride, the dogs bark.  Now and then it's because someone walks by the front of the house, though occasionally it's because there's a bunny in the yard.  Yesterday, as I was going over my post-ride stats, they started.  Walking into my front bedroom, I looked out the window and saw Jake Miller getting into his car.  Jake is the Democratic candidate for Treasurer for Cumberland County.  He's getting my vote.  What was he doing at my house?  Leaving me info on all the Democratic candidates for the election this Tuesday.  What he didn't leave me, and what came in the mail was something on Lisa Grayson.  She's one of those phony Democrats I was warning you about.  You see, Lisa is a Conservative Republican who registered Cross Party.  That's right.  When you go to vote Tuesday, Lisa is going to be listed on the ballot as both a Democrat and a mud sucking Republican.  Not only is she a mud-sucker, she's a dedicated supporter of the Idiot Jerk in the White House.  Read the info the Democrats are handing out.  Scrutinize your ballot.  Those lying bastards will use any trick possible to stay in power.

These pretenders are so evil, so much worse than snakes in the grass.  At least rattle snakes give you warning.  Not these guys.  All they want to do is poison the world you live in.

Beginning of a Trend

Well it's Kid Workshop Saturday and I'm off.
Outside the temps are a chilly 34 (F).  That storm we had on the 31st dropped 3 inches of rain in about an hour.  Many, many roads were closed for a while because of flooding.  As a result, in Enola at least, Trick or Treat for the kiddies was held last night.  Things have changed.  When I was a kid, if you were younger than 6 you stayed home, you weren't old enough to go Trick or Treating.  In today's world, if you're 6 years old you're approaching the senior side of Trick or Treat time scale.  Parents love taking their 4 and 5 year-olds door to door.  I treat them by letting out my BIG dogs who have BIG barks.  Here's one of my BIG dogs with her yellow duck and purple squirrel.  Lilly is half the size of Biggie.

I saw last evening where Beto has finally decided to drop out of the race.  Like so many of the 'contenders,' he should never have thrown his hat into the ring.  People may love him, his ideas, his philosophy, the fact that he's Latino but... he needs more experience in dealing with those on the dark side.  Exemplary ideals are simply not enough when it comes to facing off with the hate on the right.

So, the Idiot Jerk in the White House had a rally in Tupelo.  He barked at a large crowd.  This is deep in the heart of his Base Country:  Crazy Christians, Crazy Confederates, and the KKK.  Why hold a rally in this deeply red state?  It's a sure thing, right?  Sorry, but there's a smudge of blue threatening to turn the state purple.  Republicans know this.  I see the beginning of a trend.  As the impeachment process slowly continues, so does the slow erosion of his base.  The Idiot Jerk is desperately trying to keep his loyalists from being disheartened.  Any second now he's going to start sounding like that Idiot Reagan shouting "stay the course! stay the course!"  Prepare yourselves for any lie.  Both he and the Republicans hate the Constitution.  That document keeps him from being the shitty, little Tinfoil dictator he wants to be... and he knows his Blow Bro Vlad will reject him if he doesn't achieve that status.

There's an election in some parts of the country this Tuesday.  Vote Blue.  And remember, in some states, like PA candidates can cross register into both parties so don't just vote straight ticket.  To kick their asses out of our government vote for Democrats or Independents. 

November

It's November!  My favorite month of the year.  This is my birthday month.  I'm a Scorpio... can you tell?  I do have a bit of a temper that every now and then rears up and bites off nearby heads.  When that happens, my rule is to shrug and say "So what... this is me!"
Here in Central PA we had a steady rain most of yesterday afternoon and the temps climbed into the mid 70's (F).  Then, last evening, around quarter to 7, the skies exploded with thunder and lightening.  Wind screamed through the maple trees on my hill behind the house, rending leaves, and twigs, and sticks free to send them shrieking into the maelstrom.  Rain crashed into my house like waves upon the shore, sounding like dying hands pounding on the windows.  My freaking phone was crying out high wind warnings, and tornado warnings, and then flood warnings every few minutes.  This went on for almost an hour.... and then silence.  Hell, I have a half an inch of water in my basement.  I would have to say that in all of my years, it was a Halloween night to remember.
In a bit of lighter news, the impeachment proceedings took a baby step towards public hearings.  As might be expected, voting was partisan as hell.  This is what we expect from Republicans.  Their grubby, little mitts are clenched tightly to the Idiot Jerk's shroud.  For them to let go, they need to admit he is a scourge from Hell and we know that will never happen.  He will drag them into purgatory, where their souls will be lightly crisped before he snacks upon them.  Yum yum.  That moment can't happen soon enough.
Here's another bit of fluff.  The Moral Degenerate is moving his legal residence to Florida.  He loves him his winter golf.  Personally, I think this transition is more political than anything else.  He won Florida in 2016, however...  Things are a bit different.  His henchies have no doubt told him New York is going to go royally blue and Florida is edging in that direction.  Florida has a lot of Electoral Votes.  While not a sure shot, the best way to keep those votes from changing color is to move to his castle on the beach.  He's going to give up his snowbird status.  Of course, I might be wrong.  The Idiot Jerk might just be planning on building the largest retirement community for old and dying Republicans the country has ever seen.
As for that little thing called the impeachment inquiry.  The GOP is rapidly pulling their wagons into a circle in an attempt to hold out until the cavalry comes to save their sorry asses.  Oops. I guess no one told them how much they've alienated the cavalry by calling their heroes cowards and traitors.  Their mask is off and he is the face of Republican Party.  They've given us their trick for long enough, soon... so very soon, they're going to be getting their long deserved Treat... and it ain't a Snickers bar.