Accountable

 Hello Friday.  Hello Sunshine.  Hello temps in the 70s (F).  The good news is that this weather is supposed to hang with us for the next week.  The bad news is that all this sunshine will make my grass grow.  Without a good shot of cold air the leaves on the trees are staying green, for the most part.  They are beginning to fall, but there are no brilliant yellows or reds around my neck of the woods.

Yesterday was a somewhat busy day.  I wanted to get the front room tank cleaned.  Well, that was a bust.  I did get in a short ride on the bike.  It wasn't nearly as long as usual because Howie left the room and I got worried he might leave a deedle or drop a doodle  in the house.  That's a big priority right now in getting him house trained.  It is lucky for both of us that the temps are going to be nice, and my hours fairly short at work, to teach him that his business needs to be done outside.

This morning my car gets inspected.  They've changed the way things are done: the work you have done is basically a la carte.  You pick and chose what needs to be done, like an oil change (necessary) or air filters changed (unnecessary).  I'm putting the purchase of new tires off until next year.  I don't drive that much, and the tread is still fairly good.  Everything is so expensive.  Hopefully, this will only take about an hour.  I'm doing what I normally do, taking along a hard copy of my latest book, The Body in History, and working on a rewrite of the first draft.

And, speaking of the weather.  If this is correct, temps will remain warm here again this winter.  This will be the 3rd winter in a row.  For those who don't know.  This is what Global Warming looks like.  If it stays this warm this winter, imagine what the summer is going to be like for those southern states.

And all the details about Trump's involvement leading up to, and including what he did, on January 6 are going to be released for public consumption.  His appeals have been denied.  This is a good thing.  Some are saying that this is the October surprise, though we have to be honest here, there have already been so many ugly surprised for the Republican party this October.  He's tried to get people dancing.  His Univision town hall was a complete failure, as was his town hall with women.  He's cancelling appearances, one of which was with the NRA.  And today details are going to be released to the press of how truly malevolent he was on January 6 when his cultists attempted a coup.  He has been angling for this moment his entire life, and don't, for a second, think he will have any regrets.  It will be his out and out rage at being finally held accountable that will pop his brain.

America's Sleeping Giant

 Our temps hit 100 (F) yesterday, for the first time in a long time.  We didn't break any records, so it's a pretty good guess that we've gotten that high before.  I went outside on a couple of occasions.  Believe me, it was a great day to dry clothing outside.  Two loads!  My savings from not running the dryer went to paying the Central Air expense, which seemed to be running constantly.

I got a text from Tammy, the neighbor living across the street, asking me why I didn't go to Eileen's Memorial Service on Saturday.  A month and a half ago she had told me part of the service was to be done at the A-Frame Eileen and her husband had built, and then the group was going to move to a spot near the river for spreading her ashes.  Her and her deceased husband's wedding bands were then supposed to be floated down the river on a tiny boat, and after all of that, people were supposed to meet at Dukes (a restaurant on the river).  I had told her I had no idea where the A-Frame was and she told me not to worry.  On Saturday, Tammy left early without saying anything, and I thought it would be rude of me to miss the service and just show up at Dukes for the food.  It's a lot like skipping the wedding and going to the reception, if you know what I mean.  When I reminded her of this she texted back, "oh, I should have told, there was a change of plans, everybody just met at Dukes, the service was done later."  Holy Crap.  Not that I was really upset.  Eileen was a good neighbor.  She took care of my animals when I went to France, and my decision to go to the service was just a nice gesture.  Still, there seems to have been a lot lacking in organizational skills.

And, as one might have expected, quite a few people are mocking Trump's bandaged ear, especially since this was the first time anyone has seen it.  The joke in this picture is that cultists will wear fake bandages to honor the Spawn of Satan.  Sadly, this turns out to be more than a joke.  They are selling fake mini-bandages at the convention that you can buy for just $5 a pop, bandages you can fold around the top of your ear.  This is what cultists do.

So far, there is still not medical report to prove the bullet actually winged his ear.  I'm betting that's never going to be forthcoming.  

The unity he called for disappeared completely on the second night of the Republican convention as people shouted, "Fight! Fight! Fight!"

However, the decisions made by this conservative Supreme Court have cursed the GOP.  Flipping Roe v Wade is sending millions of women to the polls and they're not voting Republican.  Their decision on presidential immunity, to completely remove accountability has pissed quite a few people off.  There's a saying, waking up the sleeping giant will make the whole world tremble.  That used to refer to China.  But there's a sleeping giant in this country made up of women, centrists, and every kind of minority you can think of.  Republicans simply do not understand this.  They have convinced themselves that all they need to say is "shut up, we're in charge," and the nation will bend at the knee.  They are going to learn what happens when America's sleeping giant awakens, and then Republicans will be gone.