Snake Bit

Well, we got drizzles.  Our high temp for this afternoon was supposed to be in the low 80s (F), now, however, it appears we'll only be in the high 70s (F).  That's fine.  I'd like to save on the cooling expense until it gets hot enough to be essential.  I also see that the mini-heatwave we had last week has now arrived in the UK.  These weather anomalies are going to become more and more frequent as the climate crisis continues to grow.  

Yesterday was very productive.  My lawn, front and back, was mowed.  Shopping was done.  Gas was bought for the car.  $46.00!  And that was with 30 cents off of every gallon.  I got a nice 9 mile ride in on the bike in Fausto, Italy.  It was so boring.  I will never ride in Fausto again.  In the evening I played some Crimson Desert.  It's interesting.  I'm not impressed with the combat.  That may change.  

The Bluetooth keyboard I use with my writing laptop stopped working.  Actually, it might still be working, I just couldn't get the Bluetooth to connect.  I tried a 2nd keyboard and had the same problem.  It might be the drivers.  I may spend some time putzing around with it this afternoon, but not much, the laptop  keyboard works just as good.

And since my roses have started blooming, I thought I share a pic of the peach colored climber I have by the front porch.

In today's segment of "aren't numbers fun":  Of the 18.7 million registered voters in Texas, only 855,00 showed up to vote Paxton or Cronyn.  Think about that.

And on Orangie's 3rd physical in 13months?  Seniors with serious medical issues are going to have frequent physicals because they can go downhill so very fast.  They are desperately trying to keep him alive for as long as possible since there's no one as charismatically evil to run the cult.

Yesterday, RFK Jr put out a video of himself playing with snakes. This is video without relevance.  He was bitten, and that grinning sack of shit stood there... grinning.  I had to laugh because you do know that so many of his followers, the ones that drink the raw milk, are going to run out and try the same thing... and get themselves snake bit.  And some of them might die.

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.

The Beauty of Roses

 Outside the temp is 63 (F) and inside the house it's 71 (F), and it's going to get warmer both inside and out.  Our expected high for this afternoon is 87 (F).  The actual heat doesn't arrive until tomorrow and Tuesday when our daily highs will be in the upper 90s(F).  While my ground floor will stay comfortable in this type of heat, my second floor, which is usually about 8 - 10 degrees warmer, will be cooking.  I don't doubt that at some point in the next 2 days I'll be turning on the Central Air.  Beginning Wednesday, the temps are going to fall back down to what's considered more seasonable.

I worked yesterday.  It was slow.  Our garden department was still hopping.  Memorial Day is next week and customers are still dipping deep into their credit to enhance the curb appeal.  Patio sets are flying off the floor.  Unless I had mucho grande cash to burn, I'd never invest in one.  I don't spend that much time sitting out on the veranda, so I wouldn't get much use out of it.  

Since temps are going to be so warm tomorrow, I'm thinking that I might take a personal day.  I do need to have at least one reason to use that personal time.  And there are outside chores that need to get done.  I don't really mind the heat.  Can you tell I'm trying to convince myself that taking off is a good idea.

While Howie was out this morning, I took a pick of one of my rose bushes.  

I like roses.  So do the Chinese.  They also know how to insult with panache.  Putting Orangie on a lower chair so he'd have to look up to Xi was cute.  Having him walk up a super long staircase so he'd have to pause to catch his breath?  Priceless, especially for someone who likes to brag about how fit he is.  I do believe, however, their best insult was to give him rose seeds as a parting gift.  The White House rose garden was formally established in 1913.  A place of beauty, the garden was renowned for it's roses.  Orange dug it up and put in a patio.  Orangie also put in patio sets, chairs and round tables with umbrellas leaving no space to plant rose seeds.  And that's all Xi gave Orangie, no deals to grift from, no commitments for... well, anything.  All Xi offered were insults on the world stage and the words that the world sees America as a country in decline.

Full Bloom

 Not surprisingly, we have rain.  We also have rain in the forecast.  Temps may climb up into the high 50s (F).  That's not very warm.  Nope, we're back to sweat shirts and sweat pants weather.  Next week, if the forecasters are correct we should warm up into the 70s (F).  That will be nice.  And... we're even supposed to get more than two days of sunshine.

That very old Logi keyboard I was using, the one that replaced the two other keyboards that died?  Well, it too died this morning.  I'm now using the laptop keyboard which works.  My immediate reaction was to plan on rushing out to buy a new keyboard this morning, but I think I'll hold off.  I just paid off the four new tires that I had put on my car and a new keyboard is not inexpensive.  

Yesterday was sort of an odd meh kind of day.  I did some cleaning, got a really good dumbbell workout in, but I also didn't want to do anything, so I did take small naps on and off throughout the day.  I know the workout was good because I've a little muscle soreness today.  The naps?  I took those mostly because I was feeling bored.  With this crappy rain, today might be a redo.

Yesterday morning, when it was still sunny, I went out and took a picture of my roses.  So many of them are in full bloom.

Wow, how unprecedented is it for the president of the United States to go through two very crushing breakups in public?  Elonia is fuming, at least on Zitter and in Legacy Media.  He's wailing about Congress not taking DOGE seriously enough to pass legislation, I think that's for the cultists and some very naive Republicans.  DOGE was less about cutting waste and more about finding funding for the tax breaks Elonia and the other 1% want.  And don't forget all of those regulators who'd been hassling Elonia who were fired, and the contracts he signed, and all of the personal data he filched.  Don't doubt for a second that Elonia didn't make a killing.

And then there is the Putin putdown.  I don't doubt for a second that Orangie thought he and Vlad were going to be ducky dandy forever.  Hah.  Rather than being Prom King, Orangie's finding himself used and abused.  He whined about helping Russia so much, only to find himself playing the cuck.  This is what his desperation for being important has gotten him, and it wasn't even Vlad who did the jilting.  Nope, it was a lesser evil, Medveded (sp) who was dispatched to put Orangie in his place in a press release to the world.

The Late Entry

 And yes, it is late because I had to be down at the Lebanon VA clinic at the crack of dawn... well, a little past the crack, for my final CRT scan.  A long time ago, I used to be a smoker, however I can't remember just when I quite... was it 18 years ago, or 20?  Anyway, my primary car physician, the one who retired under apparently mysterious circumstances, decided that I should have a series of year scans to ensure my lungs didn't start growing something.  Well, they didn't.  

As for the mysterious circumstances, I received a letter last February informing me he had retired as of December 31.  I now have a Physician's Assistant until my next doctor joins the team in late November, early December.  Her comment to me was that she was busy cleaning things up with my former physician's patients.  Another odd thing was that last June, after my last scan, I got a call from a support group for people who had just quit smoking.  When they found out how long it had been since I was a smoker, they were surprised; way too many years had passed since I'd been a smoker for me to be part of the group.  Still, my doctor had sent my name to them...  as I said, mysterious.

Yesterday was boring at work.  I had decent sales, but oh, how the hours stretched on.

Two more of the buds have bloomed.

As expected, Hunter Biden was found guilty of lying when he bought his gun.  Dumb ass.

And Martha-Ann Alito evidently has been going full MAGA vocally, screeching about how she'd like to see all Pride flags burned because she can see one from her house.  This woman is filled with sinful hatred.  It wouldn't surprise me if she was praying for another inquisition, one in which she could personally, torture and killed those her unchristian heart despises.  I'm also betting she doesn't ask for forgiveness too often; how could someone who loved God as much as she commit sin.

More Roses

Let's say hello to an overcast Sunday morning.  There's much doubt if the sun will even break through.  That alone should tell you that I'm not working today.  Our forecast:  probably showers in a few hours. Temps will be falling within the upper 70s (F) to the low 80s (F) range.  Humidity will be fine.  So, if it weren't for the clouds, it would be a really nice day.

I worked yesterday.  It was slow, up until 6:45 PM.  Fifteen minutes before I was scheduled to leave customers showed up.  They'd bought blinds back in 2012 and wanted to replace them.  As you might expect, the type of blind they'd bought is no longer available.  I did manage to pull up their sales receipt which gave us the sizes of their windows.  And a few minutes later 2 different customers showed up, so I had 3 different sets of customers at 7, when I was supposed to leave.    There was no way I was going to stay an additional 2 hours to design blinds, so I politely explain to all of them I was the only one scheduled, and helped them all as best as I could, staying an additional 15 minutes.  They were all very pleasant.  

Oddly enough, I got a nice compliment from the Specialty Manager earlier in the day.  Our supervisor was just promoted and the manager asked me who I thought might be a good replacement.  We had a nice conversation.  It's nice to be recognized, of course, a few hours later I only stayed an additional 15 minutes instead of 2 hours which show just how deep my dedication runs.

I just ran out and snapped this picture of pale orange roses growing by my front porch.  Nifty, huh?

There wasn't a lot of political news yesterday, except for Israel and Gaza, and I've chosen to avoid that topic.

Otherwise, it seems as if Biden's beginning to climb in the polls.  That felony conviction is going to hurt Trump more than his cultists want to believe, but then they believe so little.  His lies are better than the truth to them.

And there are elections being held in Europe today.  For the most part, they've been quiet.  While regionally there may have been some serious contention, it's not managed to cross the Atlantic and fill up space in our media machine.  For me, I think that's a good thing.  I would rather have a stabilized European Union, then the red and blue conflagration we have in the states.

Hope?

 Well, I hope everybody's planning on having a busy Saturday.  This is the weekend some of you work for, though the weather here in Central PA may not be specifically what you want.  The skies are overcast.  The temps are down.  We'll be lucky if we hit 60 (F) today.

Since the weather is not conducive to home improvement shopping, foot traffic at the store will probably be down.  Not that it bothers me.  For the first time in ages, I was given a Saturday off, one that I didn't request.  One that no doubt jabs at a fellow associate in the Flooring and Decor department, since he always requests weekends off.  He's one of those who came to retail without understanding that Saturday and Sunday are the days we have the highest sales.  He came from a job where he had weekends off, and even though he's been an associate for over 5 years, still complains.  When I was in HR, I always told people, if you don't like your job then get another.  He will not do that, too much effort.

Yesterday was I got a lot done, and yet I didn't.  The weed wacking I wanted to do on Thursday was done yesterday, though I wanted to get in a dumbbell workout, and didn't.  For some odd reason, all I wanted to do was nap.  This past week was the 2nd in which I worked on Wednesday and Thursday afternoon, so maybe it was the total hours that made me so drowsy.

I did go out into the drizzle and snap the first roses of the season.

And, of course, yesterday there was one of those heart stopping moments during Trump's election interference trial that usually only happens in movies:  Hope Hicks broke down in tears.  A Trump loyalist, she broke with him after January 6.  Hope is helping the prosecution and lot of little tidbits came out, like the fact that Trump lied to her, saying that Michael Cohen has paid Stormy the money out of his own pocket.  According to Hope, Cohen didn't do anything  on his own without broadcasting it to every one he saw in hopes of getting a compliment.  For him to do so and not brag, and not expect others to generously praise him, would have been so out of character, she knew Trump had to be lying.

Can Hope be trusted?  Geez.  It seems as though everyone in Trump's inner circle lied constantly.

Loudly Boiling Over

 Welcome to Funday Sunday!  Is it going to be fun?  Heck if I know.  Lily went out for her morning pee in 30 (F) temps, so I suppose it steamed a bit.  Our afternoon temps are supposed to be in the mid to upper 40s (F), which is probably right for this time of year, we are, after all, less than a month away from winter.  One good thing to keep in mind is that immediately after our winter solstice the days begin to get longer.  

The store was busy yesterday morning and early afternoon, but around 3ish the crowd began to thin out.  I did get a measure, so that should keep mgmt. happy.  Sales were so, so in flooring.  Our appliance show room is hopping.  I always tell people that if you're going to need to buy a washer, or dryer, or refrigerator, this is the time of year to make your purchase.

I got over 7 hours sleep last night.  The same thing happened the night before.  Normally, I'm up a lot earlier.  All this sleep?  I hope it doesn't mean I'm coming down with something.  There's always the possibility I'm doing more than I used to do during the day and making myself super tired, though I haven't change my regime, so that's probably not the reason.  Maybe I'm just more tired than I used to be.

And, probably thanks to Climate Change and Global Warming, my yard is filled with winter roses.  I took this yesterday before work.

And, here in Central PA, there are a number of people talking about ousting Scott Perry from Congress.  A former newscaster for from the local NBC affiliate, Janelle Stelson, has already thrown her hat into the ring.  There's even talk of Republicans backing a Democratic candidate depending upon how Republican opposition to Perry looks.  Over and over again, you're hearing that he does not represent his constituents.  For those who don't know, Perry is a Trumper, and is still clinging to the election fraud lie.  The DOJ is in a fierce legal battle to access contents of his cellphone during the time leading up to January 6, and the days after, leading many to believe Perry is dirty.

And Trump was seriously booed in South Carolina yesterday when he attended The Palmetto (?) Bowl.  There are a number of videos out there of the long incident, and it was pointed out that his handlers are good when it comes to arranging for small crowds, however, once he gets out in the open, the hatred for him loudly boils over.

Laughable

 So, here it is Tuesday, though I thought it was Wednesday until I looked at my work calendar on the refrigerator.  This week is out of sync because I didn't work Monday, so in my mind Sunday would have been my Monday.  It seems as though it's not the days of the week I remember as much as the days days that I either work or don't work.

There's a steady breeze shaking the branches of the river birch outside my window, and you'd think the leaves would be ripping themselves off since we've had some cold mornings, but nope.  Temps are predicted to climb up into the mid to upper 50s (F) again today.  While our overnight temps can drop down into the low 30s (F), our daily highs are always in the mid 50s (F).  This is a nice autumn.

The cabinet doors got their first coat of paint yesterday.  One more before they get hung, and then a 3rd around the top and on the front just to add a bit of toughness.  Remember, paint is a finish and needs to be treated like one.  The more coats, the more durable it is.  That's a problem with those "one coat" paints people use because they're too lazy to do 2 coats.  One coat is easier to scratch off.  

Nestled in among the leaves, here's another rose from my garden.

And yesterday something laughable happened; the Supreme Court decided they were going to follow a code of ethics followed by lower courts.  While many applauded this, there is one tiny little fly in the ointment:  they're going to police themselves.  We know how well that's gone so far, what with Clarence Thomas accepting every bribe tax free donation and grift gift his Sugar Daddy teases him with, only a fool would think he's going to stop or even try to change.  I'm not alone in thinking that this Band-Aid is going to be ripped off the first time Clarence gets an offer. 

It's also rather laughable that the news media is attempting to make something newsworthy about Halley and DeSantis are probably going to be the last 2 candidates standing, other than the Spawn of Satan, Donald Trump.  I really do with they'd begin putting Democracy first, rather than clicks on the internet.  I also find it laughable that they're treating the Orange Anus as a legitimate candidate.  You'd think they'd realize that by doing so enables his cult.

The Very Good Thing

 Let the Weekend Begin!  Well, I suppose that for some people the weekend began at some point yesterday afternoon, but not me.  But then I always work on those days people like to designate as the weekend, which means that this afternoon I'll be going to work.  Yippee! (Well, maybe not so much yip as EE).  The weather's supposed to be nice, with temps reaching the mid 50s (F) with full on sunshine.  In fact every day for the rest of the week, the forecast is the same, no changes.  

Now that the birthday is over, it's time to start working out again.  I don't know, but for some reason, last week I was... well, rather lethargic.  Perhaps that was the result of some undisclosed depression about being another year older... or, and more likely, I was just feeling very lazy.  That happens, more often than not.  

I made cream of cauliflower soup yesterday since the temps were on the chilly side.  It's quite tasty.  It's one of the recipes that came with that Mediterranean Diet thing I signed up for that turned out to be a bit of a scam as their focus was to basically sell you as many supplementals as possible.  Believe me, I have no problem taking well researched supplementals, however the vast majority of them are crapola.  If you do choose to supplement you diet, keep in mind this will be a long term regime, at least 3 - 4 months before they even start to do what they're supposed to do.  They are not magic bullets!

And here's another picture of my white roses that I took yesterday.  With this warm weather, I have no idea how long they're going to be lasting.

And what about those yak head Republicans in Ohio?  Wait, I probably shouldn't say that, it's insulting to yaks, and as far as I know they're quite friendly beasts, so maybe I should just call them scumbag Republicans.  For those who don't know, this past election the citizens of Ohio overwhelmingly voted to enshrine abortion protections in their state constitution.  Republicans in the state, however, have come out and said they're are not going to abide with this decision.  That's right.  They don't give a shit about what the majority of people think.  This is what authoritarianism look like.  Thanks to this election, however, they cannot enact and restrictive legislation without it going to the Supreme Court who, thanks to Alito, said this is the state's responsibility.  This is a lose, lose situation for Ohio Republicans because if they try anything they're going to be voted out of office.  That would be a very good thing.

Enrichment

 Friday has arrived and the forecast is for cloudy skies with the possibility of showers.  Temps should climb into the low 50s (F), which isn't bad if you're trying to save money on your heating bill.  I'm on the UGI budget plan and I'm heading into December with a credit on my account because the days have been so warm.  No heavy heating so far this year.

Yesterday Lily and I finished off the cake and ice cream.  That little old lady loves ice cream, French Vanilla.  Her Chewy food order will be delivered today.  Besides the canned food she loves, her Cosequin is also in the order; a supplement that helps with her joints.  She's been getting 2 every day for years.  I don't know if it helps or not, but she looks forward to those 2 faux chocolate treats every morning.

Supposedly my "ticket" has been escalated in regards to Starfield.  At this point, I don't know what they can do to help.  With only 5 save slots, and with no way off the ship, I'm pretty much screwed.  Losing 28 Levels and over 70+ hours of gameplay because one of my files got corrupted sucks.  Normally using Quicksave is a way to help you get through difficult situations, however for me it seems to have turned out to be a curse.

And here it is, November 10, and I still have roses here in Central PA.

Yesterday Joe Manchin notified the world that he was not going to run for re-election.  For those who don't know, Manchin is a 76 year old, faux Democrat from West Virginia.  Rumors are that he wants to run against Biden for the Democrat nomination.  He claims to be a Centrist, though votes Conservative most of the time, and... did I mention that he's 76 years old.  Crimeny!  He evidently doesn't pay attention to current complaints about old, and older candidates.  Some think he's going to run to ensure Trump wins the election and Republicans take control of the government again.  That would suit Manchin because he's wealthy and we all know that greed is at the heart of all Conservative politics.  Their agenda is always geared around enriching themselves.  

Not your Standard Bush

 Temps today are supposed to break into the mid 70s (F).  I'm hoping the forecast is accurate since the past few days it has been what I call unseasonably cool.  Now, I understand we're right in the middle of the season, but warmer temps would be nice.  I'm anxious to get into my summer wardrobe of shorts and Tl-shirts and not much else.

I did get myself a pair of flipflops.  I don't do the sandal thing but flipflops are alright.  I also ordered a new belt, which arrives today, because my pants keep falling down and I'm too old to be a sagger.

Biggie came home yesterday.  Rather than put him up in the cupboard with Gertie, I took both urns downstairs and put them on the lower shelf of the sideboard.  Gertie's urn is much nicer, a small cedar chest; Biggie's was made in China, I think that's all that needs to be said.  I may buy him something nicer.

And, as I've said, my roses are coming in full.  I have a bush (es) out front that is two in one: a yellow climber and a red rose that is your standard bush.  I have no idea how the two have become intertwined, but they have, the result is both yellow and red roses that look as though they are the same rose bush.

If you live in Florida, you got some disheartening news yesterday.  Disney is not going to build a planned billion dollar complex in the state, but has chosen instead to keep it in California.  That's a big blow to the state's economy.  Ronnie D, in his whiny best, said their decision was political.  Now tell me, isn't that a laugh?  Especially since he was the one who initiated this fight solely for political reasons.  Little Ronnie seems to think he should be called Teflon Ron, but that ain't going to happen.  

And Nikki Haley welcomed Ronnie D into the fray, not doubt because she thinks that if she makes a good enough showing he'll offer her a spot VP spot on the ticket.  She's a dumb as he is, but then we've all known that for some time.

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 Party that never thinks

 Wow!  We got a lot of rain last night.  Around 0130, I woke up to the sound of a downpour pounding on the roof.  Outside, it's still a little overcast.  I'm certain that will change as we're under a high wind warning.  That's going to dry things out.

I am entering my 3 day stint at work.  That's fine.  Installations should start to pick up, though how mush is anybody's guess.  Sales are pretty much back to our pre-covid days.  Anyone who didn't expect this is a dummy.  It does seem to me that more people are applying for credit cards.  That's not a good thing.  I think they've surrendered to the philosophy that they're going to be paying off those balances for the rest of their lives, so it doesn't make a difference how much they charge.  That's just wrong.

With the warm temperatures and the rain so come the buds and the sprouts.  I'm waiting to see how my peach tree does after that massive trimming I gave it last fall.  The idea was to see if I can get it to grow more vertically and less horizontally.  The few remaining branches to have buds.  And the roses?  Well, take a look.

And, as everyone knows, TPAC is going on right now.  Some of you know it as CPAC, that Cracker Jack Crazy Convention where phony Christians gather to trumpet their hate of everything they have passed judgement on. Turn out is... slim.  Pervy Max Schlapp, better known as The Fondler, is there.  DeSantis isn't, though, neither is Youngkin, both of whom want to make a run for the presidency in 2024.  Videos posted online show how empty the audience is.  These are the core Trump supporters.  They will only vote for him.  And, in case you doubted it, will put in an appearance and he will spit out his usual rant about the stolen election.  He is tearing the Republican party apart.  This is fine.  They should have expected this when they sold him their souls.  Unfortunately, Republicans never really think.

Twitter and the Hate Mongers

 Let the mini-summer begin!  Or, as some call it, Indian Summer since, for the next few days, temps here in Central Pa are going to be in the mid to upper 70s (F).  Unfortunately, starting Wednesday we're going to be back to seasonal weather.  I have no problem with this unseasonably warmth.  A little respite from the heating bills is always nice.  Honestly, I find paying utility expenses such an unfair expenditure of my money, especially since utility companies have decided they want to be major players in American Capitalism.  

Take electricity.  I received an email from P. P. & L. my provider, that beginning in December rates for the average family using 1100 kwh per month will increase by about $22.  That's a big jump.  I immediately checked my bill to see how many kwh I use in a month.  As a single person, I use about 550 kwh, so my bill will only increase by around $11.  I like using my air fryer, but that little oven burns up electricity like it's going out of style.  From now on, I'll probably only use it for hamburgers and French fries, foods that only take about 10 minutes to cook.  Everything else will be cooked in my gas oven which is a lot less expensive way to cook.

Here is one of my autumn roses. 

I saw Bibi Netanyahu won the election in Israel by the skin of his teeth.  What a shame.  The country was making some very nice advances in it's approach to the Arab states which surround it.  I don't see that lasting since he's a hardline conservative.  There will be no compromise, a word conservative despise.

Isn't the Elon Musk's Twitter fiasco entertaining?  Instant layoffs, corporate advertising pulling back, people complaining about having to pay to be certified?  That $8 monthly charge is pissing people off.  Verification used to be related to certification, ensuring you were not a bot.  Now, if you've read what the Chief Fool has said, it's totally dependent on your paying the fee, meaning everyone who pays will be verified.  I suspect that's really what's pissing off the advertisers; Subway doesn't want it's ads sandwiched between Tweets of raging racism and hatred.  The Chief Fool doesn't understand this.  Only the foolish will pay that fee.  Everyone else will move to another platform.  There is a good possibility Twitter will become a lot like the fiscally underperforming Truth Social, catering mostly to hate mongers.  Note to the Chief Fool, hate mongers rarely click on ads, they're too busy foaming at the mouth.

Pure Republican Horseshit

 Well, here we go, another Sunday funday.  For those who don't know, I work almost every Sunday.  This is fine.  The store is usually slow in the afternoon, especially when one of the local teams is playing:  Baltimore, Philly, or Pittsburgh.  Thank you football, a sport which fails to impress me.  A number of years ago, someone associated with 60 Minutes decided that they should do a segment about football, the idea being that if you knew about the game, first downs, goal to go, and shit like that you'd find the sport unbelievably fascinating.  If that were even remotely true, every sport would have zillions of fans.  My theory:  football's popularity has a lot to do with the amount of beer being drunk.  I went to see the Philadelphia Eagles play the team that used to be called the Washington Redskins and the lines to the beer vendors was constant.  After the game, as we were driving out of the parking lot, I reminded our driver that all those drunks are now on the road.

The temps today are supposed to climb into the high 60s (F), and I'm debating whether I should wear a long sleeve shirt to work, or just take a jacket.

This late in the year, it's only my dahlias that are blooming.  I still have roses.  This is the 3rd time they've bloomed this year.

Yesterday was fairly quiet, politically speaking.  Everybody was still a Twitter about Herschel and his badge, and his view that if you eat right you shouldn't need insulin.

Biden's approval rating continues to inch up.  This is good for Democrats and bad for Republicans, who are scared.  How do I know?    Well, when Republicans go negative, they go negative.  They're airing a clip of him standing behind a young girl with his hand on her shoulder.  They, of all people, do love to shovel the shit.  If it weren't for lies, they'd have nothing to hold on to.  When I see them on Twitter, I just give my standard response.  It works so well, believe me.  While some prefer wordy diatribes I like 3 simple words.  Pure Republican horseshit.  Every now and then I use a slight variation, Tom Fitton's Tweets for example.  For him, I always preface those 3 little words with Tommy Traitor's.  He never reads the responses, others do.  All Tommy Traitor, and Ronna McDaniel, and the rest of their Republican ilk care about are retweets. The more retweets they get, the happier they are.  This election season, are job is to make them unhappy.  We want them to lose.  

MAGA world has a bad day in Georgia

 Well let's all say 'hello' to Mittwoch, or Wednesday as the English say.  We are in the middle of the week.  Outside, the skies are cloudy.  We have 40% chance of rain today.  Rather than gamble of a stray shower or two, or a thunderstorm which will drop much less rain than needed, I'm going to water my little garden.

Yesterday was one of those ho-hum, why not spend a few hours being a slug, kind of days.  I did get my haircut in the morning.  This was the second time I'd had this barber and she is a rambler, whatever subject managing to flit into her head becomes the topic of conversation.  Really, all I want my barbers to do is cut my hair as quickly and as decently as possible.  I'm not there for the idle chit-chat.

I was going to go for a bike ride... and didn't.  I packed in a lot of garbage food on the Fourth, so I'm thinking my lack of energy had more to do with the slow burn of the carbs working through my system.

I was surprised to find that one of my rose buses is blooming!  They are like a little bouquet.

There was an interesting read in the Five ThirtyEight newsletter this morning.  The premise seems to be that the working class swung to the Republican party and Trump 5 years ago for a number of reasons, but mostly because Republicans are the party of white voters.  This idea was put forth by Rep. Jim Banks, from Indian.  Race and Culture, he says, are what now define the Republicans and that Economics now have nothing to do with it.  Banks also says he believes this shift is permanent.  If Mr. Banks, a Republican, is correct, then he needs to start telling the rest of his party that it's not about the Economy.

And for those who missed it, Lindsey (aka Pittypat) Graham was subpoenaed by the Fulton County Grand Jury.  I'm betting it too Miss Pittypat all of 2 seconds to reach for her poppers smelling salts.  Supposedly this is in reference to his asking Raffensberger to throw out thousands of mail-in ballots.  Giuliani was also invited.  My, isn't that man popular?  He seems to be getting one of these invitations every time he turns around.  Also on the guest list was Cleta Mitchell.  There is so much hatred in that old, white woman for minorities.  I've been saying for some time, the January 6 hearings will have a big effect on the November midterms.  We all need to turn to Georgia if we want to see Trump's ass fried.

Versatility

So, I begin a 3 day mini-vaca today, if that's what you want to call it.  I will be back in the store on Black Friday, from 11-4... selling appliances.  That's a safe time.  Our appliance sale has been going on for a few weeks now; no Black Friday specials.  We tell customers that so they don't hold off on buying their next stove or refrigerator.  

I walked over 12,000 steps yesterday, about half of that on the treadmill at 2 miles per hour.  The back is feeling better.  I'm anxious to get back on the bike and start riding again.

The Xbox Series X is arriving today.  I've got to reset the Series S.  It didn't take long to find a buyer, since they're like hen's teeth.  I work with a woman who's a collector.  She has a number of vintage gaming consoles, some over 30 years old that are now worth a fortune.  If I had realized back then that my Nintendo would bring big bucks today, I'd never have thrown it into the trash.  Of course, we never think: "hey, if I hold onto this, in 30 years I can sell it and rent a chateau in France for a month."

Yesterday I posted a video of The Band Camino and Sixpense thought they sounded similar to Kings of Leon (they don't), here's another video by them which demonstrates their versatility. 

I saw where Loser #45 has had his Super Pac polling states regarding a second run by him for president.  Will he or won't he?  Is this just a way to welch more cash from the brainless MAGA hoards?  And just think, we all know how faulty polls are close to the election, how bad can the be 3 years out?

 

All the Daves

 Well, here it is Sunday.  This isn't going to be a day of rest for me.  Eight hours of work have been scheduled.  My last full work week is upon me, starting tomorrow.  I am satisfied.

At work we're going through our Bonus Celebration.  My last full time bonus will be my best ever.  That's nice, too.  Today they're brining in the ice cream truck.  Home made ice cream.  We can get to choose what we want.  Yummy.  Yesterday we had personal pan pizzas made by a local Mom & Pop, they were delicious.

Here's a little known fact:  There are approximately 180 associates in my store.  Thirteen of them (13) are named Dave.  Whether we are all 'Beloved' is difficult to say.  Yesterday, while I was eating my personal pan pizza, I was talking to Dave K.  He's 87 years old and works part-time for something to do during the week.  Another associate, sitting at another table asked me about my back, and Dave K asked what's wrong.  I replied, "arthritis."  He looked at me for a surprised second and then said, "you, you're too young for arthritis."  When I told him how old I was he made a face and said, "well, you look good for your age, I thought you were around 55."  I'll take that.

And it's not only my dahlias that are blooming.  There are still roses on more than a few of bushes, too.

I did read an odd opinion regarding the Republican run states which provided a supposition as to why their governors should be so against masking and vaccines.  Personally, I'll have to qualify this as fringe writing, the thesis being that hospitals filled with sick and dying Covid patients are breaking the economy, and Republicans see a broken economy as a win, win situation when it comes to the mid-terms.  There are 2 problems with this rationale:  1, the economy is slowing down, not breaking, because this is not a national occurrence; 2, the governors of the states where this is happening, are spouting the same dribble as the Orange Anus, and this is the same dribble his base voters want to here.  Most likely, these governors believe, and possibly rightly so, that the MAGA base will ignore these hospitalizations and deaths.  Honestly, that seems to be a more likely possibility.  I say, more power to them, and if you're still alive by the time the mid-terms roll around vote blue.

And you get a new voting machine. And you get a new voting machine. And...

 I know it seems to happen every day, but today is my Friday.  Aren't you glad I'm not responsible for calendar updates?  If that were the case, every day would be Dave's day.  Of course, that would be confusing as hell since half of the time I, myself, don't know what day it is.

While there are many who still wear masks when they come into the store, there are many who don't.  Those of us who are fully vaccinated, believe most of those maskless shoppers haven't been within a mile of vaccination station.  Everyone I've talked to so far, hopes they get sick and spend 2 weeks on ventilator.  As more people get vaccinated, the chances of that happening go down since there will be fewer infected people wandering the face of the earth.

An Italian group named Manneskin won Eurovision.  I listened to the song.  Meh.  I suspect this year's competition was rather weak thanks to Covid.

My cucumbers and cantaloupes have sprouted!  Hopefully this year I will get some fruit.

And sine of my rose bushes are in full bloom.  I did send another picture of my roses, but either Gmail is having a problem, which wouldn't surprise me, or my phone didn't send them, which also wouldn't surprise me.

So, does anyone know how you turn a Red state Purple?  Or a Red state Blue?  The answer's rather simple.  First, you let the Republicans of that state vote to have the ballots audited. Secondly, you watch as they hire Cyber Ninja.  After that everything is easy peasy.  All you need to do is look at Maricopa county in Arizona.  Or, Fulton county in Pennsylvania, for that matter.  You see, Republicans can not believe they're losers, no matter how badly they lose an election.  They are so caught up in the wonderment of their own bias, anything other then victory has to be fraud.  And so they lie to themselves, and look for bamboo slivers.  They don't understand that is not the scent of truth they smell, rather, their corpse is beginning to stink.  I never thought I'd end up taking my mask off to smell this.  Of course, those states will all need to buy new voting machines.  We are all going to pay the price for their stupidity.