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.

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.

Gravely Disappointed

 Evidently Fall arrived during the night.  The temp this morning is a cool 52 (F).  How happy I am not to be disappointed.  I've checked several temperature readings, both online and in my house, and I'm pleased to say there is no evidence of temperature fraud.  That 52 (F) is accurate.

My schedule has been posted for my first week of part-time employment.  I work 3 eight hour days, Thursday, Saturday and Sunday.  Thursday and Saturday I start at 0900, so I may be the opener.  Total hours?  24.  I don't find that disappointing in the least.  That was my goal.  Timely hours that allow me to have more 'me' time at home.

We did receive another couple of inches of rain yesterday.  Some found its way into my basement, not much.  In some places, maybe 1/4 of an inch, while other areas stayed bone dry.  I'm not disappointed by that at all.  Hopefully, I will be wrong and Climate Change will not turn us into a Tropical Rain Forest.  Personally, I think that would be a winning situation.

Oh, and remember that Arizona Audit, the one in Maricopa County?  The results are going to be published today.  A draft of the report has been circulating.  Fasten your seatbelts people, the results are going to be devastating...

for Republicans.  You see, the truth is the Orange Anus lost by even more votes than previously recorded. That squishy sound you hear in the background?  That's what 130+ congressmen in the House squirming around as they shit in their shorts.  One of the articles I ready said "Republicans are going to be Gravely Disappointed."  That's an understatement.  But don't worry, they will try to obfuscate The Big Lie.  They will start to shriek that 'inconsistencies' found mean they need to overhaul the voting laws.  Nope.  The time has come to hold this liars accountable for their actions.  Take the power of their lie away from them.  Vote them out of offices.

Henri's here

 Well, this is another day off for me.  I had been planning on driving down to York to have lunch with my friend Betsy, however Henri has chosen to dump a shitload of rain on Central Pennsylvania.  While I like to believe I'm a cautious driver and have no problem driving in rainy conditions, you and I both know there are terrible drivers out there who are more focused on the important things in their lives like diddling with their radio, or talking on their phones, or reading texts, rather then focus on safe driving in inclimate weather.  So, in a bit, I'll give her a phone call and postpone.  I'm off for the next 3 Sundays, so getting together will not be  a problem.

And what will I end up doing on my day off?  If you read me only occasionally, that should be a no-brainer.  Laundry.  I don't know why, but there's always a load of laundry to do.

Outside, the steady rain has not stopped.  This is what is usually called a 'soaker,' which is not what we need.  As I've said before, this has been a very wet summer here in Central PA.  As a result, the dogs no longer try and hold there business until the rain stops.  I guess they both decided to put on their big puppy panties.  Now, unless we're having a torrential downpour, they have no problem going outside in the rain to do their business.

I saw where Phil Valentine died from Covid.  He was a Conservative, anti-vaxxer radio host who changed his tune about vaccines after he was hospitalized.  This is just another case where 'better late then never' simply does not apply.  The frequency with which these cases are happening is, well, almost amazing.  A day doesn't go by in which some GOP pundit, some GOP elected official, or his spouse, has died.  This means, and excuse my bluntness, but everyday there is one less Republican voter in America.  Who ever would have thought so many would end up voluntarily sacrificing their lives for The Big Lie?

 

Who Cares?

 On the last day of my weekend, I have so much that needs to be done.  How much gets accomplished?  We will have to wait and see.  

I did talk to the  radiology dept. at the VA yesterday, and yes, they were calling to schedule an appointment... for next year, June of 2022.  They do plan in advance.  My next physical is already scheduled, as well as the bloodwork, for next May.

My ride yesterday took me to Barcelona, along the shore.  There were so many people, though the ride is not nearly as bad as Amsterdam, where dodging tourists becomes a sport. The video was definitely shot pre-Covid.  They have bike lanes, which is really good, since the route wends it's way down some high traffic streets.

Temps today are forecasted to hit the upper 80's (F).  That's fine with me.  According to Accuweather, there are more days where the thermometer is going to hit the high 90's (F).  There was an article on Climate Change, NYT, I believe, where the comparison was made between the west coast heat and the east coast rain.  They don't have enough rain, we're getting a bit more than normal.  Same thing happened last summer.

Here's a pic of me in my chili pepper cycling socks.

And finally, we're all seeing how Covid cases are rapidly rising among the unvaccinated.  Who Cares?  Is the predictable even noteworthy?  Governor DeWine, (Ohio), is again pleading for the Republican voters of that state to get their asses vaccinated.  He doesn't understand that his embracing The Big Lie is insidiously tied to the Anti-Vax movement.  There is a raging fire of infection in his state, and he's coming up with contests.  At this point, nothing is going to help.  Even if he began telling the truth, not of his constituents are going to be believe him.  Tough shit.

Taking the temps

 And so today I reach the end of my 4 day work week as many of you begin yours.  Ain't life odd sometimes?  My lunch / dinner is cooking in a small crockpot: chicken, with olives, tomatoes and basil.  I threw in a handful of white grapes to give it a bit of pizazz.  And yes, if you're wondering, I cook my lunch everyday, and always with fresh vegetables.  

Today the mercury is supposed to climb up to 94 (F).  I don't know if anyone says that anymore, but that used to be a rather common phrase.  There was a time when people used mercury in thermometers, even the ones in stuck beneath your tongue to take your temperature.  Once, when I wasn't feeling well at school, I bit one and broke it; the school nurse was not pleased and had me spit out the pieces.  Now, just sit back and imagine that, me, with mercury in my mouth and having to spit it out.  For those who don't know, mercury is poisonous.  And we used it in thermometers.

For those who don't know, the Tour de France in now racing it's way through France.  Interestingly, I learned about the big crash on Day 1 from people at work coming up to the Flooring Desk and asking if I had heard about it.  Two associates gathered around as I pulled up the videos on my PC.  Until I began talking about the race, and watching it, they wouldn't have given the Tour a wit of thought.  The crash everyone was talking about was caused by a fan, shoving a sign bearing the name of her town out into the peloton.  her stupidity raise the temps of  the Tour's racing officials and now they're going to sue her ass.  More power to them.

And a Republican committee in Michigan rebuked The Other Guy and his Big Lie.   That's right, they found no fraud, saying he lost fair and square, not that the truth is going to sit easy with his base, or that they'll even consider it.  Nope.  Their hatred is hot.  The truth is Republicans have always been rotten losers.  Always.  This is why 'voter fraud' has been their favorite whine for years.  It's easier for them to believe that then the fact that Americans really don't like either them, or their politcs.

Father's Day

 Sunday.  This is my Hump Day.  I'm excited.  Hitting the halfway point is always exciting.  After today, everything will be moving downhill and I have Wednesday and Thursday off.

I did ride the San Remo route yesterday.  14 Miles.  Slow and easy.  I used to compete with myself, racing to beat my previous times.  Not any more.  Speed doesn't necessarily contribute to a good workout.  One of the reasons I ride is for heart health.  Cardio is great for so many reasons.  My sitting heart rate is in the low to mid-50s.  That's pretty good.  On more than one occasion I've had a medical professional look at me quizzically and have had to explain.

Today's Father's Day.  I remember my dad well, just not the year he died.  I've never been good with dates.  For years, I had had his birthdate wrong, and would call him a day late.  Never once did he correct me. That was once, but I do wish he would have corrected me. Not once did he tell me he was born on March 20 rather then March 21.  I don't know if that's a good thing to say about him or not.  It's one of those questions I will ponder from time to time.

An old pic of my Day holding me when we lived in Mississippi

There is an interesting article in The Guardian and their subservience to Trump.  The truth is that these people are Zealots who are still believing the Big Like imitated by Reagan, that the country is religiously conservative.  Well, America is Centrist.  Our Founding Fathers wrote a Constitution to keep it that way.  Republicans want to rewrite the Constitution.  We need to stop them.  White Evangelicals believed God was acting through Loser #45 to give them what they'd been praying for ever since Ronnie Reagan had his landslide win.  This means they need to believe The Big Lie, other wise they would need to come to terms with the idea that God let them down.  How do we keep these Zealots at bay?  We vote them into obscurity.  We need to treat them like the minority group they are.

The Very Big Stick

 Well, it's Friday.  That means absolutely nothing to me.  While my weekly schedule covers days, those days have no names.  One is the same as the other.  For someone who likes to have his life fairly well organized, this is a pisser.  Routines organize, and routines require specificity.  The only things specific in my life are the hours I work: 10:30 - 7:00.  Time off is not guaranteed.  I work with an associate who is almost daily requesting days off - he's trying to write his own schedule.  As you might guess, he is also a Republican and a supporter of The Big Lie.

Anyway, my new phone arrived yesterday.  It took me about an hour to set it up since this was the first time I've ever gone through the whole process by myself.  I picked the Pixel up at the store and the clerk took care of the activation.  Last night it was just me.  The only thing that didn't copy over were my apps, everything else, notes, pictures, videos, transferred smoothly.  While the sim card in the old phone no longer works, there's nothing wrong with the phone itself, so it has now become my permanent alarm clock.

And, of course, It's honeysuckle time.

So, Liar #45's blog died... How painful that must be to know his MAGA base didn't sign up.  I suspect the just don't like to read... or can't.  

And he's still beating the drum for The Big Lie.  Republicans all across the country and spewing that falsehood.  They need to.  I was reading this morning that we should expect phony audits to reach a fever pitch this summer.  So many lies.  They are so desperate to dictate and control.  These dumb shits don't understand they are playing with fire... and they are going to get burned.  I read in the Washington Post that if a Republican candidate doesn't shriek wildly about the audits, he / she will die in the primaries.  America is watching.  These dumb shits don't understand, we, the Centrists, the Independents, the Progressives out number them greatly.  And we have a very big stick.  We also have no problem with using it to beat the crap out of them.

The Truth Terrifies Them

 Sunday Funday.  Kind of, kind of not.  I am off work.  I also slept in late because I stayed up late (very late) and watched the final episodes of Star Trek, Discover, season 3.  I enjoyed it immensely.  Now I'm waiting for season 4, which is supposed to begin streaming in November.

The large, orange home improvement retailer I work for is going to keep us masked until further notice.  Our Governor, Tom Wolf, said more restrictions are going to be lifted on May 31.  As you might expect, there whines rising from the Republicans.  

On the garden scene, the rose in my front yard is beginning to burst into bloom.  Interestingly enough, the color seems to have changed from an orangey coral, to a reddish coral.  I have no idea how this could happen... perhaps something in the soil?

I'm going to my brother's farm this afternoon for some sort of belated Mother's Day gathering for my sister.  I was going to bake a golden cake with fudge icing until he asked if I could bring either macaroni or potato salad.  So, rather then making something delicious from scratch, I stopped by my local Giant Supermarket and picked up a gallon of each.

And, of course, people are noticing another big Republican hypocrisy:  they shriek and moan about how the left is cancelling things they don't like, while at the same time cancelling the voices who call them out for being frauds and liars.  You don't have to think long to realize this has always been the truth.  Their whole political movement has supported one lie after another while simultaneously attacking all criticism.  Let's be honest hear.  The Big Lie actually began with Reagan's landslide re-election, they decided America was actually Conservative, not Centrist.  For decades they looked for another Reagan and found... no one.  Instead of re-evaluating his win, they turned into the Tea Party, which mutated into the MAGA base they now have.  The Big Lie now blames everything on massive election fraud.  It's so much easier for them to believe that, rather then the simple truth that they're nothing but a group of sore losers.  The truth terrifies them.

The Charioteers

So I slept in again this morning.  This was mostly because the sun chose to hide behind a blanket of clouds.  There's a 60% chance of rain today.  Last night, around 10:30 (PM) it rained like hell.  Many, many bolts of lighting lit of the sky.  For around half an hour there was not one second when the rumbling of thunder paused.  Not a lot of wind.  

And I had odd dreams last night:  I was a colonist sent to a new planet in suspended animation, when we got there we had to walk everywhere and I was surprised a vehicle of some sort hadn't been included in our trip.  In a later dream I was a telephone repairman.  I was stopped by two lesbians with a lot of cats who wanted me to sign one of my books for them.  Since they only had the Kindle version, they printed off the cover page for me to sign.  It was a strange night for dreaming.

Yesterday, while looking for some Egyptian Belly Dancing music, I stumbled across this video of them Golden Pharaoh parade last week (Treaders had mentioned it).  I'll be honest, there is a lot of spectacle here.  I kind of got a bit teary eyed when the charioteers came riding down the boulevard.  I mean, when was the last time we actually saw charioteers?

Evidently Loser #45's fiery speech this past weekend was not what wealthy GOP donors wanted to hear.  You would think that by now the truth of his negativity would have knocked some sense into them.  Nope.   They wanted to hear about a bright future for the GOP and got slapped silly by his dead fish of a Big Lie.  According to the article, applause was sparse.   They are beginning to realize he is an horrific detriment to their party, as well as the upcoming elections.  Also spent a bit of time complaining about Saint Biden, and the current administration.  He will never understand the charioteers he's waiting for are never going to arrive.  He will never get his parade.