The Reds Have It

Well, the heat is gone.  A front moved through the area and we've been left with cloudy skies and drizzles.  If you're in Central PA and had plans for a big Memorial Day weekend bash, they're going to be washed out.  the rain will be hanging around until Monday.  Temps will not climb into the 70s (F).  We have returned to sweatshirt and sweatpants weather.  I have no problem with this. The hot days of summer are going to be here soon enough.

And yesterday sort of fit into the pattern of the last few Wednesdays.  I did chores: laundry, dishes, and some yardwork, but mostly I did nothing.  I did spend a lot of time thinking, something I enjoy doing regularly.  Too many people don't think.  They don't like to ponder.  I do think that too many would rather subsist than participate.  They prefer a life filled with the doldrums, where the slightest breezy thought might make them consider something.  Thinking might actually be rapidly becoming a lost art.  The don't like news that upsets them, so what they do watch or read has been candied down into something less substantive than salt water taffy.  Me?  I'll take the peanut butter brittle any day.

I am scheduled to work today, but to celebrate the autumn-like weather, I've decided to stay home and fry up some latkes.  

I took this pic on Tuesday.  As you can see, all of my reds are... well red; the rose in the foreground and Howie in the background.  

Just because yesterday was a slow day doesn't mean that I spent the time scrolling endlessly through social media.  I did do some research on primary elections, and who can and who cannot vote.  In PA, we have a closed primary.  Democrats can only vote for Democrats, and Republicans can only vote for Republicans.  Those registered as Independents can't vote at all. This means that 1.4 million Pennsylvanians can't vote in the primary.

The same is true in Kentucky... somewhat.  Registration is cut off a month before the primary and you can't switch parties.  So, if you're registered as a Republican and you hate what's going on in Washington, you're still going to have to vote Republican.  The 11% who are registered as Independent or nonaffiliated could not vote for Massie.

And Georgia is different from both Pennsylvania and Kentucky.  

So, primary elections are not the bellwethers that some believe them to be.  For example, we'll need to wait until the midterm in Kentucky to see if those 45% who voted for Massie and the 11% who couldn't vote, will vote for Orangie's personal choice.  Primaries provide us with the candidates, they do not give us a hint as to who's going to win in the General Election.

Here come the roses

 And Wednesday has arrived.  Ours will be cool and breezy with the high climbing to the low temp of around 69 (F).  That's not bad, mind you, as we are less than a month into spring.  Long range forecasts have our temperatures hovering in the mid to upper 70s (F).  That would be nice, however I doubt if it's a realistic forecast.  Weather patterns change to easily, sometimes on a whim of Mother Nature.  

My new schedule has me continuing in an old pattern, working Saturday, Sunday, and Monday and then having the rest of the week off.  That's fine with me.  I don't mind having those 4 days in a row to do whatever I want.  I wouldn't mind of it stayed this way for the rest of my tenure at the big, orange retailer.

I have yet to hear from Companions of Peace about picking up Biggie's ashes, so I will give them a call later this morning.  

There are a few peaches in my peach tree; I wasn't expecting many this year since I cut it back so hard.  there are many shoots coming up around the base one of which will form the new trunk.

And my roses are really beginning to come into their own.

Yesterday was election day.  Republicans did not fare too well.  Jacksonville, Florida, in a major upset, now has a Democratic mayor.   In fact, Ronnie D's endorsements didn't do well in the state he wants to turn fascist.  

In Pennsylvania, Democrats held the House of Representatives.  This is frustrating the Hell out of the Republicans; their message is not getting through to the masses.  It is only in rural Pennsylvania where they have a strong foothold.  That will never change.

The Gift that Keeps on Giving

 I slept in this morning which is becoming a Friday morning trend.  And I didn't stay up late.  Just played a little of Assassin's Creed Odyssey.  What can I say, I like looking like a Greek god.  Island hopping from Mykonos, to Lesbos, to Kefalonia is fun!  

Yesterday was slow at work.  There was a meeting of the Fun Committee, on which I do not sit, but my connections tell me their plans for creating fun in the store.  A holiday / Christmas part is in store for us, the first since Covid.  Once again, everyone in the store will be gifted with a hoodie or a sweatshirt.  I say again because they have become the standard holiday gifts for employees.  You have no idea how many hoodies and sweatshirts I have that are emblazoned with the orange retailers logo.  I told one of my connections that this year a large can of mixed nuts might be nice.  The committee nixed the nuts and went for the outerwear.

That loud shrieking nose you heard yesterday afternoon was me getting my monthly email from PP&L, my electric supplier.  There was a large increase in my monthly budget.  Big Time.  One of the problems with being on a budget plan is simply paying the balance without checking the bill itself.  Yesterday, for the first in months, I looked at my bill.  The dramatic increase was because of the KW I used this past summer, after I installed the new, little A/C unit in the computer room / gym   It might be little, but it sure as hell sucks up the energy.  That's the last summer for that sucker.

This song was released a year ago, but has started to get a lot of airplay quite recently.  Grab your tissues.

Yesterday the Republicans, who may end up with a five seat majority laid their plans for when they take control:  investigations and possible impeachments.  Totally lost on them was the fact that there was no 'red tsunami' because of Trump, and because of this rhetoric.  One can only ask if they are really that stupid, and the obvious answer is yes.  They are going to beat themselves into a bloody pulp.  Good.

In Central PA:  Josh Shapiro won the governorship by 14%.  The last time that happened was in 1946.  John Fetterman won his Senate race by close to 5%.  Because of this the PA House is almost ensured to turn Blue.  Democrats owe a lot of this to Donald Trump.  It turns out that for Centrists and Liberals, he is the gift that keeps on giving.

And, finally, Nancy is retiring.  Some people liked her, others didn't.  She became the most powerful woman in United States history.  She set a path and stuck to it.  Without her Democrats will have no saint.  Some Republicans might cheer, but our loss is their loss as well, a loss they will never understand.

Mail in Voting Update

 Well, it's Monday, and while I do have to work this afternoon, it will only be for 6 hours.  After that, I'll be off until Saturday, where I once again work for 6 hours.

On Thursday our appliances go on sale.  As a reminder, this will be the biggest and bestest appliance sale of the year, if you need to pick up a new washer, or dryer (like me), or a refrigerator for that matter.  Even chest freezers will be on sale.  Not flooring, though.  That's what I tell people when they stop by the flooring desk and ask what our Black Friday special is.  I politely tell them that they need to stop by appliances and buy that LG dishwasher they're been eyeing.

Something I've noticed lately when I take my slow runs, YouTube has buffering problems.  A small rectangular box pops up in the lower left hand corner that asks if I'm having issues.  This never happens on any of my other laptops, tablets, on my gaming PC. Yesterday, I clicked on it and got a display showing internet issues in Cumberland county.  I've high speed internet, so I really shouldn't be having a problem.  However, that little laptop runs on Windows 11, everything else is Google (or whatever it calls itself now), and YouTube, I believe, is owned by... Google.  Coincidence?

And I did bake a pumpkin pie yesterday.  I used a spring-form pan rather than a regular pie pan.  That was a mistake.  The sides do not hold.  Of course, that doesn't stop it from being tasty.  My, my, my, it sure is that!  Here's what pie prep looked like.

Election day is soon to be upon us.  From everything I've seen so far, early voting is heavy!  That's good for Democrats.  Mail in ballots are heavy to, and again, that bodes well for Democrats.  In Pennsylvania, over 777 thousand have been received. Republicans hate this shit.   We just might hit the million vote mark.  The issue in PA is that they will not start counting the ballots until 7 PM on November 8.  Our Republican controlled legislature could have changed that, but they chose not to, most likely because they didn't want disheartening news leaking out.  This means that on election day the people in this state will have to wait to get the complete results.  While I have no problem with that, you know that when blue votes start stacking up higher than red votes, the Republicans are going to shriek voter fraud.

 

The Sunny Day

 My Thursday workday has arrived.  I have a 6-hour shift beginning at 1 this afternoon.  Can you feel my excitement?

Outside, the sky is overcast.  There's only a 40% chance we will get rained.  Temps are supposed to climb to the mid 80s (F).  Checking the map on Accuweather, shows all of the substantial showers are passing us to our south, so before I leave for work, I'll have to water the little garden.

I baked sugar cookies yesterday.  First time with this recipe, which called for a heaping tablespoon of batter per cookie.  I showered them with rainbow sprinkles for a little extra sugary Pride.  They got big.  Really, really big.  They are very tasty.  I know there are some out there who will say that size is important, but... these sweet cakes are bigger than I was expecting.

Over in the UK, the Torys are looking rather shamefaced.  BoJo, the tousle-haired Trump wannabe has resigned.  Brought down by scandals, the latest happened when one of his cabinet members drunkenly groped another man.  A blustery sensationalist, BoJo seemed to be constantly demonstrating his inability to govern.  Conservatives are a selfish lot, and in his brief tenure as Prime Minister, his selfishness was apparent.

Oh, well, the sun just came out from behind the overcast skies.  Hello sunny day.

Yesterday, up here in sunny PA, a group of Republicans, including former officials, came out in support of the Democratic candidate Josh Shapiro.  Yeah, you read that right.  Republicans are telling Republicans to vote for a Democrat.  They said that Mastriano's Cracker Jack Crazy evangelical extremism makes him unfit to run the state. This group of Republicans is doing a very good thing.  They understand the MAGA movement brings only destruction.

And tomorrow, Pat Cipollone will sit down and do a recorded interview with the January 6 committee.  He knows what questions they will ask; they know what his answers will be.  Everything has been arranged.  Will the American people be shocked by his testimony?  You can bet your ass they will.

The temps are predicted to climb into the mid 80's again tomorrow with a 0% chance of rain.

 

Cracked

 The first day off of my mid-week weekend and the weather is cool and overcast.  We'll be lucky if the high hits 70 (F) today.  

Usually, I begin my weekends playing the part of the Laundry King.  Not today.  Hey, I haven't even sorted the whites from the colors, and the towels are still hanging on the rack.  Am I changing up my routine?  Nah.  I have a plumber (expensive) scheduled for this morning.  You see, I have a crack in my pipe.  Now, I know that sounds bad, and it will be if the pipe breaks, but that's not likely to happen.  There are still a few, small sections of caste iron pipe still remaining in the house.  This section, which is about 5 feet long, is attached to the PVC drainage piping put in decades ago.  Water from the bathroom, kitchen, and washer drains through this pipe.  Today the pipe is getting replaced, and I'm not kidding myself, it will come with a hefty price.

My peaches are the size of walnuts already:

An interesting turn of events is happening in the Pennsylvania GOP primary.  Dave McCormick, who is losing to Oz, the seemingly impotent, by less than 1000 votes is suing to have mail-in ballots counted.  What makes this so very interesting, is that McCormick is one of those candidates who has been pushing the The Big Lie.  Yep!  He's hoping those voters who mailed in their ballots will now save his phony political ass.  At issue are those ballots which don't have a hand-written date on the back of the envelope.  That little bug-a-boo kept ballots from being counted during the 2020 presidential election.  Ouch!  Isn't it funny ho0w that endorsement from the Orange Anus didn't automatically Oz, the impotent, directly into the winners circle.  Mail-in ballots?  Who'd have thunk?

And it appears that an endorsement from Trump isn't nearly what it's cracked up to be.  Take Georgia, in which David Perdue is expected to lose badly.  Now, let me be perfectly clear, there is no way I want to see George go red again, but having the opportunity to watch the Orange Anus and his endorsement basically used as shit paper by Brian Kemp is... somewhat pleasing.  It's kind of like watching him stick the pointy end of the ice cream cone into his eye repeatedly.

Lie and Cheat

 Sometimes my weekend begins on Friday, and sometimes it's just another day off for me.  Today, my weekend has already begun.  I slept in.  I enjoy that.  So do the dogs.  Around 0600 Lily had to go potty outside, but after that we both went back to sleep.  Today might be busy.

While back at work yesterday, I told several people how I had said "shut up, you old bitch," to a fellow associate.  Every response was the same.  They all laughed.  Not one person chastised me.  No one said, "wow, maybe you shouldn't have done that."  This says more about the person I yelled at, rather me, which is a shame.  We should all try and respect everybody's opinion, however that's difficult when they have no respect for any opinion but their own.

My new mouse came yesterday.  In case I hadn't mentioned it, I bought myself a new Razer gaming mouse.  It's nice.

I also bought a copy of Elden Ring.  It's a video game written by George R. R. Martin, the same guy who wrote the Game of Thrones series, which means it's probably all the same violence with all the same sex.  Most of the trailers are 'age restricted' on YouTube, this is the only one that wasn't.

And here in Pennsylvania we are heading into a recount among the Republicans.   If you remember backto the General Election of 2020, recounts were never kind to the Moral Degenerate, Trump.  He always lost votes, never coming close to gaining all the votes he lied about losing.  Yesterday was the 2nd day he advised Dr. Oz to cheat.  No surprise there.  This doesn't say much for those Christian Nationalists believe the Orange Anus was sent by God.  Ouch.  

Let's be honest here.  If the deity I believed to be omnipotent had sent Donald Trump to build the socially conservative America I was praying for, and Donald Trump's advice was to Lie and Cheat in order to achieve that dream, I'd become a little suspicious of that omnipotence.  Holy Shit.  Omnipresent and omnipotent are not really as powerful as they're cracked up to be.  Or.... maybe they are, just not in this universe.

Leaf Curl

 After a number of days of being very productive, I have to admit that yesterday was not.  There were a number of things on my agenda, but few were completed.  Mostly, I blame the candy.  I never buy candy, however yesterday morning, while at the store, I picked up 2 bags to take to the store.  Big mistake.  I was fine for about hour after getting home, but then temptation reared its ugly head and I ripped open the bag of Payday candy bars.  It was all downhill from there.  I ended up chowing down on candy bars, watching the news, and taking naps. I have not stepped on the scale this morning as I am certain it will break.  

I did discover what's wrong with my nectarine tree.  I have leaf curl. And it's not only on my nectarine tree, my peach tree is infected, too.  Leaf curl is a fungus.  Normally, it's dormant until you have long, drizzly days when the rain lasts for more than 10 hours.  Well, we've had that.  We had that last year, as well.  The only treatment is a copper spray which needs to be applied in late winter, before spring rains arrive.  Well...it's a bit too late for that one.  I did mark my calendar to buy some in late February.

And, of course, a number of states held their primaries.  A lot of people are cheering that Madison Cawthorn lost is primary.  Me?  I'm thinking maybe he should have squeaked out victory and then let a Democrat take him out in the General Election.  Now the Democrats of North Carolina will have to deal with a candidate who comes across as more normal.

In Pennsylvania?  We have big John Fetterman as the Democratic candidate to replace Pat Twomey.  The Republicans race is too close to call, and there is a good possibility it may force a recount, which is never good for a candidate since breeds hostility.  Barnette, who lost, has already told the press she will not support another candidate, so the bloodletting continues.  This is what happens when you build a party of selfish individuals who refuse to compromise.

For Governor, the Democrats have Shapiro, who has handily won every campaign he has waged.  He'll be running against the Cracker Jack Crazy Doug Mastriano.  Doug is a radical MAGA, to say the least.  He was in Washington on January 6 and has pushed The Big Lie extensively.  Many in the GOP are of the opinion is too much of an extremist to win.  An example:  Last evening he claimed that Jesus was behind his victory.  No separation of Church and State in his playbook.    

Candor

 My first weekend of the week begins today.  I'm pleased.  The sun is shining.  The temps are predicted to climb into the upper 70's with low humidity, so I'll be spending some time outside.  Thanks to the rain we've had my lawn needs a mowing which will happen either today or tomorrow.

I lost my temper at work yesterday with an associate.  Most of the time I can hold my tongue, but there are instances...  Me and another associate were discussing the million lives lost to Covid, when another part-time associate spoke up saying "well, they didn't need to die.  Doctors had all these modifications, vitamins and treatments that would have saved lives and the government wouldn't let them."  Is that statement enough to let you know she's a Fauci hating MAGA?  And, of course, I'm at the point where I've had it up to my earlobes with shit like this, so I let loose... sort of.  I said, "shut up you stupid, old bitch."  She didn't take that lightly and retorted.  "You probably voted for Biden."  She also said Covid wasn't that bad because she didn't get it.  Rather than resort to fisticuffs, we ended the conversation.  

Later, knowing I shouldn't have lost my temper, I approached her and said, "I apologize for my candor," knowing full well she had no idea of the definition.

Today is primary day in Pennsylvania.  Tra-la-la-la-la.  The Republican bloodletting is about to begin... or, since it is nearly 0800, has already begun.  Doug Mastriano, a state senator who marched in Washington on Jan 6, will probably be the Republican nominee for Governor.  There is a horse race for the Republican nominee to replace that loser, Pat Twomey.  Too Close to Call.  Barrnett has said that if she doesn't get it, she will not support the candidate that does.  Now, how is that for being a team player.  Both she and Mastriano are considered unelectable.  The GOP is beside themselves. Perhaps if their candidates had more candor, instead they proffer the public nothing more than lies and deceit.

Primary This

 A happy Saturday to everyone out there!

I am scheduled to work today, and tomorrow, and Monday.  Full eight-hour shifts, too.  The temps are forecast to hit the high 60s (F) today, so I sure our garden department will be busy.  This is the season of mulch.  We sell tons of it... literally.  I don't use it, possibly because my mom, using what I believe was an attempt at a French accent, always referred to it as 'mulsh.'  She did the same thing with charcoal, so when we grilled, we grilled with 'sharcoal.'

Weather wise, today is predicted to be nice.  Tomorrow?  Rain is supposed to come to town. 

I picked up Biggie's prescription for gabapentin and there was a price increase: 2 cents a capsule.  Everything goes up in cost, the income stays the same. 

One of the things I am truly grateful for is owning my home.  I have friends who are in the upper 60's who rent and are not going into semi-retirement because they will need to be paying rent for the rest of their lives.  I don't think renters ever realize that rent payment is never going to go away until it's too late for them to buy.  

And, of course, Primary season is approaching, taht wonderful time when voters decide who is going to run in the fall midterms.  In Pennsylvania, we have 2 out-of-staters vying to replace that loser, Pat Toomey.  Who will garner the nomination?  The Cracker Jack Crazy Thompson?  Or the Trump backed wonderful wizard of Oz?  Oh... wait, I'm wrong, it's Mehmet Oz.  The wizard wants nothing to do with this.

And if you think the Pennsylvania primary interesting, you'll simply love the North Carolina primary in which Madison Crawford is running to keep a failed political career alive.  I understand there is a video with Crawford's male scheduler groping Madison's crotch.  No, I haven't seen it, not that I think it matters.  While I would love to see him notch up the nomination for what would be a sure win for Democrats in November, I'm fairly certain he has racked up enough irreparable damage to lose.  Of course, we are talking about North Carolina republicans here, so at this point anything goes.

The non-debate

 Rain is in the forecast for today.  Temps will reach the mid 60s (F) and then begin to drop. We will be chilly for the rest of the week.  That's fine.  I will turn the heat back on probably since highs are only supposed to be in the mid 50s (F).  That's cool.

Yesterday was busy.  Lawn got mowed.  2.20 miles on the treadmill.  Olive oil cake baked.  As well as the garbage being taken to the curb, several other things made it there as well, including a very old shop vac.  As usual, the pickers passed down the street overnight and many of the 'other things' were moved from the curb to the backs of pickup trucks.  Except for the shop vac.  Someone took the top vacuum section and left the bottom cannister section.  Very Interesting.

Here's a picture of the cake.  I skipped the lemon and added ricotta cheese, dried cherries, and almond extract.  It's tasty, but I should have used cream cheese rather than the ricotta, which made it overly moist.

The Republican candidates for Pennsylvania senator held a debate last evening.  Two things were apparent: 1. all 5 of them believe attacking the other candidates was more important than talking about either credentials or policy; 2 now is not the time to move on from the 2020 presidential election, though McCormack did say Biden is the problem.  Evidently Oz frequently mentioned he Trump's endorsement.  He was also the one most vehement about Trump losing Pennsylvania, so I'm guessing he had to bow down before Trump and swear eternal allegiance to The Big Lie in order to get that endorsement.

And, finally, yesterday Ron DeSantis signed a bill creating an 'election police force,' meant to ensure the integrity of elections. I don't doubt for a second that this is the Republican equivalent of the Gestapo.  You see, Ronnie wants to run for president in 2024, however his chances of success would be far less likely if he loses in his run up for a 2nd term as governor.  His every action has one purpose, to unite the Republican base in Florida.  To do that he has attacked Disney's Right of Free Speech, calling the woke.  He has also eliminated the voices of 2 voting districts whose majority was black.  He is going to do everything within his power to keep minorities away from the polls.  You see, he believes that is the only way he can win.  Prepare yourselves for The Big Lie (part 2) when he loses.

Good Tidings

 Monday has arrived.  Work is scheduled... maybe.  Plants I ordered for the tanks are supposed to arrive today... that's if the tracking is correct.  They're coming from Aquarium Co-op, a company I've used several times before, however this is the first time I've ordered plants during February.  There is a heat pack included, but I have no idea how long that will keep the temps in the shipping package warm enough to keep the cold from killing everything.  The last thing I want is for them to sit on the porch for 3 - 4 hours when the outside temp is 40 (F).  Believe me, I don't mind take a personal day to save the verge.

And even though The Body in Repose has just begun to be proofread, the first sentences for The Body Under Ice have been put to paper.  Blame it on the part-time hours.  I mean, it's not like I can shut down my brain.  Even while I'm sleeping - sometimes, I will roll over and wake-up, or at least it seems like I wake up, and realize I need to either add something or change something.  Lucky for me, I don't forget things when I fall back to sleep.  Of course, maybe the whole thing is a dream and I'm just remembering it.

And, since there are no cars permitted on Mackinac Island, my protagonists, Eli and Max, will have to get around using either skis or snowmobiles.  Oh, and there is the horse drawn taxi that will take them from the airport to the B&B where they are staying.

I received a text yesterday from a friend, Jack, telling me that a mutual acquaintance had died.  I think he was expecting me to be upset.  Unfortunately, all I could muster was a 'that's a shame' reply, since I've not talked to this person in over 3 decades  What makes this even more odd is that I have not spoken to Jack in almost 8 years.  I've called and left him messages, he never responds.  Time is not always friendly to friendships.  Perhaps he just needed to be the bearing of bad tidings.

And here's a bit of humorous bad tidings.  After a closed door meeting, the RNC of Pennsylvania has chosen to not endorse a Republican candidate for Senator.  Indications are they're concerned about endorsing someone Loser Trump doesn't like.  Of course, the one person the Orange Anus had endorsed, Sean Parnell, had to pull out of the race because he was an abusive husband and parent.  Anyway, this is really bad tidings for the large field of candidates who will soon be going for each other's throats.  It is, however, good tidings for the state.

Patterns

 Monday, and the weather is supposed to be icy.  I only wish the forecasters could get their times right.  Originally the icy / snowy mix was to begin this afternoon around 1300.  Now they're saying it has already started.  Well... not here.  They've also adjusted their total accumulation downward to about an inch of snow and a glazing of ice.  I do sometimes believe weather forecasting is still not a science, that predictions are made after pulling suggestions from a hat... or a box... or maybe they're using a big, spinning wheel.

My return to work was... slow.  There were some customers, but around 4PM they began to dissipate, like a spring shower that has just passed over.  Spring is on the way, in case you were wondering.  This means I'm will need to begin ordering spring ornaments for my seasonal tree.  This should prove interesting.

There was an interesting article in the NYT on how the Pennsylvania GOP is attempting to change the way judges are chosen in the state.  Right now the state supreme court leans liberal.  Now, as my friend Patty would say, "those crack-heads in Harrisburg so the less popular, very white rural areas have more power."  That's right, they want the more populated, more diverse areas of the state to have a weaker voice.  They no longer care about the people, just their narrow minded viewpoints which they desperately want shove down the throats of the majority.  I have no doubt their rule changes will end up going to first the state supreme court, and possibly the national supreme court.  I have no doubt this legislation will fail.  

Like a crappy summer thunderstorm, their power grab will fail as the state continues to become more and more diverse.  Their weather pattern cannot be sustained and they will back themselves into a corner somewhere in the Appalachians where inbreeding will leave them toothless and bald. 

The Recount

 Good Morning People!

Black Friday has come and gone.  There were no big crowds, though Garden (Christmas) and Hardware (Tools, Tools, Tools) did a bang-up business.  My department was on the slow side.  This is normal.  Most people don't go carpet shopping on Black Friday.  This doesn't mean we didn't get questions about what we had on sale.  Lumber gets them, too.  Like who in their right mind would actually think we'd run a special sale on 2 x 4's?

Grace the Spider has disappeared.  Does anybody know what happens to spiders in the winter?  Do they hibernate?  I'm off tomorrow, so I'll broom away her web, it is rather voluminous.

I'm at that point in The Body in the Loch (around 60,000) words where there is a moment of importance, an occurrence which kicks things into a higher gear.  In The Body on the Lawn it was a trip to a dance school in Baltimore.  In The Body in the Tower it was a candy incident.  So what is the moment of dramatic intensity unfolding in Dun Adair, Scotland?  You'll have to wait and see.  Oh, and for those of you wondering, I'm at Day Four.  Eli and Max always solve their murders in 5 days, so they are ready to hurtle towards the denouement. 

My 80 something reader is retiring, so I'm in the market for a third party to help with the proofreading.

And here in Pennsylvania a Republican judge, appointed by the Idiot Jerk in the White House no less, handed the Idiot Jerk another plate of shit yesterday.  The Court said they are not going to throw out several million Pennsylvanian votes on groundless conspiracy theories.  Of course, Giuliani and his minxy little Cracker Jack Christian cohort shrieked they were going to take the case to the Supreme Court.  The longer this continues, the more absurd the Idiot Jerk looks.

Oh, and that recount the Idiot Jerk paid for in Wisconsin?  They found more votes for Biden.  Ouch.

And my dusty Christmas Cactus is once again bursting into bloom.

Wiped Clean

 Monday, Monday, and I got a dental appointment this  morning.  The old choppers are getting cleaned.  I'm sure the experience will be almost new and not too exciting.  I have to call when I arrive and wait until they tell me to enter the building, at which point I will have my temperature checked.  Believe me, I cannot wait until the vaccine arrives... probably sometime in March.  When I said this to a customer, she replied, "not me.  I don't want it, but since I'm in the military I'm going to have to get it."  This is how our government works to help keep us safe.

And now for something pretty look at while I take a Dental Break.  I took this yesterday.

The store was very busy yesterday.  Not so much in flooring, Our wide aisles are filled with Black Friday merchandise because this year, because of Covid we're doing it differently.  While most customers wear masks, there is relatively little social distancing going on.  And lot of touching.  People pick things up and put things down.  Pardon my euphemism, but they pick up a lot of shit and then change their mind which is why we find things scattered all over the store.  Yesterday I found a nice cushy Christmas pillow tucked in among the grout.  Nice.

And I guess the Idiot Jerk is looking for a corrupt judge who will agree to throw out 6.8 million votes in Pennsylvania.  In case you didn't know, this is how evil works.  His team also released a statement saying Sydney Powell was not longer a part of his legal team, that she's now acting on her own.  She was too much of a wack-job, though you can believe the Idiot Jerk no doubt hangs on her every word.  I mean even Chris Christie is beginning to criticize this tinfoil dictator.  They're beginning to suspect the reason he's refusing to permit the transition to begin has more to do with covering up the shit.  My suspicion is that when Biden's crew finally get access they're going to find a lot of hard drives that have been wiped clean... if they haven't been destroyed.

Is this a dream?

 Sunday, and I slept in an extra hour.  I had an odd dream about being a resident in some sort of house.  There had been a party with lots of food.  The time came for me to go to bed and I couldn't wait to wake up to see what food was left over.  When I woke up, everything had been put away.  No food.  So I made a pot of coffee and lit a cigarette. The dream was rather depressing, and when I checked the headlines on my phone this morning I saw the Idiot Jerk's campaign was asking for another recount in Georgia.  Son of a Bitch!

Yesterday was an odd day at work.  We were fairly busy in what my Mammy (yes, that's what I called my grandmother on my mother's side) the forenoon.  I cut a lot of carpet.  There were the odd questions.  I couldn't wait to leave, and when I got home I made egg salad.  Perhaps that was responsible for the food in my dream.  I didn't write anything, but did play more Valhalla.  I did win my first flyting contest.  Flyting is a ritual poetic exchange of insults.    There are some famous Norse poems involving the god Loki and flyting.  I never thought I'd be trying to verbally abuse someone with poetry in a video game.

Of course, a Federal judge in Pennsylvania smacked back at the Idiot Jerk's appeal to throw out every ballot in the state.  In response, the Idiot Jerk's henchies were hoping to take the case to the Supreme Court.   For those who don't know, this is how sedition works as he and his team constantly fuel the anger of his base.  This is why the Republicans packed the Supreme Court.  This is what evil looks like.  The blame for this falls directly on the shoulders of those who didn't vote in 2016, the ones who sat home.  By doing so, they opened the door to those who desperately want to destroy our democracy.

Finally, it's time for the dogs to get their walk in, and after that a dumbbell work out is on the calendar.  The exercises marked in orange are those on the workout.  Believe me, it's fun!

Adaptability

 Since the infection rate is climbing again here in Central Pa, I've decided to put my visits to Planet Fitness on hiatus.  There's no reason to put myself in jeopardy when I can do a solid dumbbell workout without leaving my house.  This is how we adapt.  Adaptability is the key.

Yesterday a couple was looking at our area rugs, and she questioned our limited stock.  I explained that we were going through a reset.  All of the signage has been taken from our rug bays because everything we have is on clearance.  "I need two rugs 8 feet by 10 feet, and I like this color," she said pointing to an old sample display.  I explained again about the reset.  She refused to understand.  Sometimes Central PA is the land of entitlement.  "But you have all those are rugs in the overhead," she said, waving her hand up at all of the new area rugs waiting to be set up in the display.  So I explained again, that once the reset is complete, those rugs will be brought down and put on display.  She just did not want to understand.  Adaptability is not part of her nature.

More and more Republicans are speaking out about what they now see as the inevitable.  Their white trash in the White House, the Idiot Jerk, himself, is going to be evicted.  This means they're going to try and do as much damage to incoming administration as is humanly possible.  This is the party of 'my:' my money, my taxes, my guns, my religion.  There is not one single drop of compassion among any of them that doesn't come with strings attached.  They are rigid and unyielding.  Adapting and evolving is a word that does not exist in their lexicon.

As for the Idiot Jerk?  He has lost most of his legal team in Pennsylvania as well as most of his complaints.  He's losing the state by almost 60,000 votes.  Ouch!  I understand many attorneys hired in an attempt to force his own personal coup are... taking a second look at his complaints.  Many know lying to a judge is grounds for disbarment.   They are adapting to the notion that he doesn't care if they ruin their careers or not, as long as they do what he wants them to do.  None of them want to be the next Michael Cohn.  And the Idiot Jerk himself?  He hates a truth he cannot write, but then he too is rigid and unadaptable.

Sea Change

 I start another 3 day stint at work this morning.  My weekend consists of Thursday and Friday.

Next Monday, I have an appointment to have my teeth cleaned.  It's been over a year since my last cleaning, Covid, you know?  My dentist no longer sees my mouth as one or two new car payments, having realized that at my age he's merely the maintenance man.  I don't see an value is spending my hard earned money on crowns and bridges.  Perhaps if I was independently wealthy and forty years younger, but at my age my mouth is mostly used for talking and eating.

Yesterday I surprised myself by doing 3 loads of laundry.  And I also walked through the leaves before the rains came.  They were, to be honest, disappointing.  There was this heavy rain warning and there were no downpours.  We had a high wind warning that had me hoping the rest of the leaves would blow off my gingko... nada.  Then around 6:30 PM we got the 'severe thunderstorm warning' which came and went without the sound of thunder.  

I understand the hand recount in Georgia is going quickly and they're discovering very few mistakes.  This was to be expected.  In Pennsylvania, the Idiot Jerk's most serious of it's baseless complaints, that Republican representatives weren't allowed to observe the counting of mail-in ballots, has been dropped.  Everywhere his legal team has filed complaints we're seeing Federal Judges deny them.  In PA, most of his legal team quit... they found the Four Seasons incident too embarrassing.  In truth, the longer the Idiot Jerk keeps trying to make his denial Front Page news, the worse he and his party look.  His baseless claims are awkwardly revealing the ridiculousness of the GOP.  I've said this before and I'll say it again, they love kicking their dead horses, except this time their kicking themselves in the ass.  Good for them.

There is a sea change coming.  While there are a few holdouts in the Senate (Jordan and Johnson) there appears to be little appetite in pursuing investigations into either Joe or Hunter Biden.  The country is changing and it seems that only the old, Republican guys don't understand.

The Great State of Pennsylvania (especially Philly)!

 Sunday.  My long, long weekend begins.  Today is also my birthday.  That means cake and ice cream this afternoon.  The dogs and I will take a walk this morning.  They love their walks.

Oh, and in case you didn't notice, I got a very nice birthday present yesterday.  I was cutting roller shades for a customer when my watched buzzed with a headline.  Glancing at it, I saw that Joe Biden had won the presidency.  Of course, since I had six more rollers shades to cut, I couldn't go dancing down the aisles.  I had to maintain normal chitchat with the customer, so it wasn't until I was walking back to the flooring desk that I realized there was a tiny tear hanging from the corner of my eye.  I always knew he was going to win, still the truth didn't sink in until I began to see the celebrations springing up all across the country.  After all those days of counting ballots, the great state of Pennsylvania  put Joe over the top. A funny thing about those 5 days in which ballots were being counted:  the state board of elections wanted to begin counting mail in ballots a week early since they knew there were going to be close to 2 million, however, the Republican legislature in the state said "no," that's why it took so long.  Perhaps in their dirty, little hearts they realized the truth.

And while the joy is overflowing, keep in mind, there are still 73 days in which the Idiot Jerk and his party of toadies can wreck havoc, and you can bet his crumby soul he's going to do his damndest... before he heads to Russia.

And on a more somber vote, a letter was posted by our timeclock informing us that one of our associates has Covid.  I suspect it is my Supervisor since he is still on the schedule, yet hasn't shown up for 3 days.  I was told he has a family issue and needs to be off for 2 weeks.  Lucky for me he spent very little time in my department.  Unlucky for the appliance specialists because he spent most of his work hours with them.

The leaves on my gingko tree are turning yellow.  I took a picture.  In a day or two they will all fall off at once... and then I turn them into mulch.

Surprise!!

 Wow!  My work is here already, it seems like only 2 days ago that my weekend began... oh (sadly)… it did.  Now I get to work for 5 days before I get my 1, single day off.  Then I have to work another 5 days before I start a long, long weekend.  4 days.  They're my birthday present to me.  

I don't think the store's going to be too busy over the next couple of days.  We're getting Zeta.

Here's a funny story.  I have this elderly customer, 84, who thinks he's smarter then everybody else.  He bought 2 sections of carpet (a remnant & a piece cut from a roll) to put into his basement.  Well, he and his son couldn't get them to lie correctly, he said there were lumps, so after some loud shrieking on his part we returned them.  He decided to let us install carpet.  On the day he paid for the installation, he wore his bright red MAGA hat, a mask with the Idiot Jerk's face, and a bold Idiot Jerk T-shirt.  I was very polite to him.  I didn't tell him only one of his installers was going to speak English (with an accent) and that the other was only going to speak Spanish.  I'm sure he will enjoy inviting a few immigrants into his house for a few hours.  Surprise!!

Yesterday I used up the last of my blueberries to bake a cake... with cream cheese icing.

I saw where the Idiot Jerk has pulled his advertising from Florida, letting the RNC take up the slack.  This is not a good sign since he's being outspent by Biden and the Democrats.  His campaign is instead focusing on 4 rustbelt states, Pennsylvania being one of them.  That's why he was here 3 times yesterday.  His problem is that he needs to reach out beyond his base and that's not happening.  The problem here is that we don't start counting mail-in ballots until election day, and we have almost a million and a half that are going to need to be counted.  Right now they're expecting an accurate count by November 6.  

On the really bright side, between 60 and 65 million people have already voted.  That is very close to the total number of people who voted in 2016.  Most of those votes are Democrat.  There are a lot of Democrats who are not voting by mail.  That method is still gaining in popularity.  Many will still head to the polls on November 3.  Surprise!