Aging dogs

Sorry, I forgot to publish this yesterday, so y'all are getting it today.

Sunny days are here again!  At least for the next 5 days.  Temps are predicted to climb up into the upper 40s (F), with the occasional venture into the lower 50s (F).  This is quite acceptable.  As far as I can see, with these temps and this amount of sunshine, the grass in my lawn might start to grow.

Much of the grouting in my large backsplash was finished yesterday.  There are a few odd spaces.  They will be completed next week.  I'm also ready to start caulking.  That won't take long.  And the, and I will admit this, I'll have to begin work on the floor.  When I think about going down on my knees, the word ouch does no justice.

In changing up the training / computer room to make space for the rower, I removed the wall shelf that held the sporty laptop.  It was a big of an eyesore, jutting out for the wall.  Still, I needed either a shelf or a desk for the laptop, so I ordered a small standing desk on wheels.  Space is important.

And the NYT had an article on dogs and how long most of the actually live.  It's probably the most precise list I've ever seen. For all you dog owners, here's the link.  Normally, when talking of dog's lives, the number of years we can spoil them is generalized.  Thanks to this list I now know that Boxers usually live 11.3 years.  Lily is 10.5.  Now the spoiling really begins.

And Trump's DC trial has been pushed back indefinitely because the courts have yet to decide if he's immune.  This was the Orange Anus's intention all along.  It's been his MO for decades: sue / delay, sue / delay.  The only time he wins is when someone else caves, so he hires attorneys who specialize in making plaintiff's cases fail, mostly by dragging them out into eternity.  In the scheme of things, he has always been a loser.

I did find it amusing that Trump did have some sort of mini-rally with a phony UAW group.  Yep, that's right.  He bragged another lie, said he was meeting with union workers and then staged it because... well, the UAW wants nothing to do with him.  And the president of the UAW is going quite public, showing America how once again Trump has jumped into another pile of shit.

 

The Rainy Day

 The best way to describe yesterday is Rainy in so many, many ways.  

We had drizzly, misty, on and off again showers until late in the afternoon.  They are great for the garden and great for the lawn, but they tend to put me into a rather torpid state.  No ambition.  Instead, I waste time and snack.  No treadmill time.  No dumbbell time.  No cycling.  I did do some laundry, but most of the times was spent on the computer reading bits and pieces of semi-newsworthy opinions in anticipation.

Lily has a small lump on her front leg.  Boxers get lumps, especially as they get older, and that little lady is going to be 9 years old in August.  Biggie has them.  He's had one on his rump for almost 5 years.  His vet wasn't worried because, well, Boxers get lumps.  So, Lily's lump will be under observation.

I did run to Giant yesterday morning.  I'm going to be baking lemon, oregano potatoes this afternoon and I need some chicken broth.  I stopped and looked at my dahlias.  They're going to be stunning this year.  Here's a pic of one I took 2 days ago.

And, of course, it was a Rainy Day down in Washington.  The extremist Supreme Court, even as gun control was moving through the Senate, made things worse.  There are many other words in the 2nd amendment than "the right to bear arms," yet every decision they make is solely focused on those 5 words.

It was a Rainy Day for Jeff Clark... actually his showers began with a pre-dawn raid on Wednesday morning.  This is a man who desperately wanted to be a tool of Trump.  I understand the DOJ took all of his electronics, including his phones.

Scott Perry, from PA, had a very Rainy Day.  I almost spit out a little guffaw when his Tweet "why don't we work with the Italian Government," was projected on the screen.  The fact that his desperate mind could not understand how 'patently absurd' the YouTube video was says a lot about his mindset.  Oh, and he was the one who first took the nefarious Jeff Clark to meet Trump.

And, of course, there were Rainy Days for Jim Jordan, and the other 42 Republican members of congress who voted against the impeachment.  The fact that he was asking for a blanket pardon, which included himself, of course, illustrates how he felt he needed to protect his ass.

And then there's Matt Gaetz, who was evidently pushing for a pardon from back in December.  I'm suspecting his Rainy Days are never going to end.  I am surely not the only one who feels his pardon was to cover more than his involvement with the insurrection, don't doubt for a second he wanted his crimes with little girls to be included.

Hello Summer

 So, when I got home from work last evening, I found the butter dish lying on the living room floor.  Licked clean.  Both suspects were happily wagging their little tails when I walked in the door, no compunction there.  This is what happens when you have big dogs who have no problem standing up at the kitchen counter.  Mostly it tends to be Lily.  Biggie is too big to stand on his hind legs for long.

I stepped on the scale this morning to see what my Summer Weight was and saw the price I'm paying for all of those damn sugar cookies.  And when I got to work yesterday, I discovered several more boxes were waiting for my addiction.  And I'm not talking about the teeny-weeny sugar cookies you buy at your supermarket; I'm talking about PA Dutch sugar cookies.  They're a lot like little cakes.  

Outside, the skies are overcast.  We've got a 50% chance of rain today.  That goes up to 80% tomorrow.  Last year we had a fairly wet summer.  Predicting the weather has always been iffy, though if we get another wet summer next year, I'd have to say rainy summers are trending.

I was watching to see if Republicans would condemn Eric Greiten's decision to sell MAGA licenses to hunt RINOs in a political ad and did not see many congressional representatives speaking out.  This party keeps veering sharply to the extreme right.  Look at Texas wanting to secede from the United States.  This is what happens when you have a bunch of fools trying to put their single cell brains together.

Evidently Trump is whining about Kevin McCarthy's decision to pull Republican representation from the January 6 committee.  I'm fairly certain he thought it a smart move back when the committee was being set up, when he thought his stupid attempt at a coup was well hidden.  There is a reason why this man takes so many to court, he makes a lot of terrible decisions and then tries to blame someone else.

And finally, I saw where Mike Pence has said he has never known anyone to lie as much as Joe Biden.  Stop laughing!  Seriously, should we put any credence in what's being said by a man who looks like he's still auditioning for Stranger Things?

State's Witness?

 Hello Friday!  I'm almost always happy on Friday.  I'm unavailable to work any Fridays, so this will always be one of my days off.  I am scheduled to work tomorrow, and Sunday, and Monday, but... there's a snowstorm expected to roll into town sometime late Sunday afternoon.  People at work were pissing and moaning about it yesterday, not that we're supposed to get snow, rather they were all 'het' up because 'total accumulations' were changing.  We were 4 days out and they wanted to know how much snow we were going to be getting.  Damn!

My cover artist and her husband have Covid, just sent her a text to check in on them.  At work, we now have 3 people on their 2nd go round because getting it once doesn't mean your done.   Sly little virus, ain't it?  One of the associates who was in the ICU came back yesterday, quite a few pounds lighter and no longer on oxygen.  He was one of those who kept claiming it was no worse than the flu.

I took this pic of the dogs on their sofa (operative words being 'their sofa') last evening while I was working on the rewrite.  You can see the ugly shade I bought to keep direct sunlight from hitting the aquarium.  Biggie had a bit of a fall on the kitchen floor a little earlier.  In case you didn't know, bounding big dogs don't bounce, their feet slide out from under them.  Even though he was fine, he still felt he needed to be medicated with a few biscuits.

As you all know, the Supreme Court shot down the vaccine / mask mandate yesterday.  No one should have been surprised.  The Conservatives got their way.  I have no problem with that,  On a good day about 1200 unvaxed conservative voters die from Covid, on a bad day for them even more die.  This doesn't mean you can get out your party hats and noisemakers, but make sure you know where they are.

Oh, and eleven Oath Keepers were arrested for sedition yesterday.  One of those taken into custody was Stewart Rhodes, their big gonzo.  Against his lawyer's advice, he had been talking to the January 6 committee.  Some sort of plea deal wouldn't surprise me.  I just wondering how many will agree to turn state's witness and offer to testify against sitting members of congress.

The difference between Covid and the Flu

 And so we begin Sunday, the quiet day.  Almost as if knowing this is a day of rest for some religions, Mother Nature has bestowed upon Central Pennsylvania freezing rain.  Forecasts predict up to a quarter of an inch.  This is her way of saying "stay at home, don't go anywhere."  Will people listen?  Many will, but there is always that group of dummies who will get in their cars and drive to MacDonald's for breakfast.  These people with unfettered brains will be the death of themselves, and possibly others as well.

I'm scheduled to work from 3 PM to 7 PM, if I look out the window and there's a glaze on the sidewalk, I'll probably take some personal time.  "Better safe than sorry," I say.

I took this pic of the dogs yesterday.  Doesn't it look like they've just finished reprimanding me?  Of course, all I have to do is say "biscuit" and it's smiles all around.

And, of course, there was a large Twitter storm yesterday concerning Neil Gorsuch's verbal faux pas.  People were outraged that while questioning OSHA's interpretation of Biden's mask mandate he said "hundreds of thousands of people die every year from the flu."  At least that, or something very similar, is what the transcript listed as his statement.  However, the transcript interpreted him incorrectly.  The transcript missed a comma.  He actually said, if you listen to the recording, "hundreds, thousands of people die every year from the flu," and OSHA doesn't regulate that.  Personally, his actual comment is far more damning since he's comparing well over 800,000 deaths to "hundreds, thousands."  This is the type of thinking we have come to expect from Cracker Jack Crazy Conservatives.  

Two Dogs on a Sunny Saturday

 I hope everybody is having a good Sunday Morning!  We all got an extra hour's sleep, or at least some of us did.  Neither of the dogs got up for a midnight pee break.  Let me tell you, that's nice.

Yesterday business was steady at the flooring desk up until around 2(PM), and then things began to slow down... until just about the time I was ready to leave.  I don't stay, in case any of you are wondering.  I exit the premises precisely on my scheduled departure time.  No hanging around for me.  

Tomorrow I have to go for bloodwork.  Can you see the excitement in my words?  This is because my sugar is borderline.  Honestly, I'm borderline glaucoma, borderline cholesterol, border high blood pressure.  You would think that at some point in time my doctor would realize that being borderline is normal for me.  My temp is normally 96.7 (F).  Normal body temp is considered 98.6 (F), so when I hit 98.6 (F) I'm running a low grade fever... just letting you know.

Yesterday I snapped this pic of the dogs.  I call it Two Dogs on a Sunny Saturday.  Don't you like the way Biggie is giving me his 'hell, not another picture,' look?

You'd think Democrats would be satisfied after Friday's infrastructure note, and most are, but there are those voices clamoring on how we as a party are not united.  To those people I say, no, we are not like Republicans, we don't march in lockstep, our opinions count.  This doesn't mean we should sit back and accept the silent Sinema, or the Maserati driving Manchin.  They are outliers who have too much power and seem to wield it by whim.  Don't worry, the voters of their states will deal with them.

What the Future will Bring

Okay, so it's New Year's Eve and I slept in this morning, in fact Biggie is still snoring on the bed.  In fact, I'm going to go rouse him now so he can go potty outside, otherwise he'll be prancing around like some 2 year old trying to avoid an accident.  Yesterday I did take a quick picture of both dogs on the futon.  Believe me, I have to be fast.  The minute they see me holding my phone up to take a picture they swarm.  They love having their pictures taken.  A friend of mine said that they own that futon... and they do.

So, everywhere we look over the past couple of days are memories and remembrances 2020, and all of them are telling what a shit year it was...  Someone needs to tell these people that they don't need to remind us... we were here... for the entire year.  None of us took a month long vacation to the balmy, hot springs of Venus just to get away.  Nope.

Rather then be like everybody else, I thought I might end this horrid year with bright, shining video of what is to come.  After I watched this, I couldn't help thinking that future is here.  Believe it or not, this kind of made my day. 

 

Hello Christmas!

Here's an interesting little bit:  Christmas is no longer a totally Christian holiday.  I work with Muslims and they celebrate Christmas... but not for religious reasons, and I work with Hindis (Harrisburg is truly a melting pot), and the same thing is true, and I work with  Jewish gent who says they do more than play dreidel dreidel.  Of course, there is a certain group of people who believe they own the holiday, well, surprise, they don't.  For many, now this is just a celebration: the end of one year as we head on into a new one. 

Anyway, here are some pics I took yesterday and this morning.  

Here's a pic of the snow on the hill behind my house before the rain came to wash it away.

A nap is called for after too much cake and ice cream.

My Fenix 6 arrived yesterday.  I had planned on using the stimulus check to pay for it, now, however, because the Idiot Jerk in the White House wants to stab Republicans in the back, that plan has been thrown into jeopardy.

The dogs got new toys for Christmas.  One each, since they already have a boatload of toys.

Biggie liked the pinkish orange duck, though Lilly has since taken ownership.  She's like that.

And finally, for those if you who received athletic gear as gifts, here's a little workout video.  If any of you try it, please, please, please take pictures.

I hope you all have an outstanding day, whichever variant of Christmas you happen to be celebrating.

 

Biggie's Birthday and a little more.

 Well, what can I say, today's the 24th of December and it is a very, very special day.  Today is Biggie's birthday.  He is six years old.  Of course, he doesn't know that... he's a dog.  The cake and ice cream are waiting for this afternoon.  He will think of them as a most scrumptious treat.  And tomorrow he's is going to get a rubber chicken.  I can think of a better way to celebrate the winter solstice.

And for those of you who haven't seen this twisted little bit of the brain of Ryan Reynolds, have a laugh.

That's right, ignore the Idiot Jerk and his pardons, every one he grants shows how much Republicans love their corruption and their traitors.  How easy it is for them to stoop so low.

Swept Away

 Well, I got out of bed at my standard 0445 this morning.  This is how life is for me.  I'm a morning person.  I like to get things done as early as possible so I have the rest of the day to do what I want.  Managing your time is important, it is yours after all.  True, you have to give some to your employer in order to get a paycheck, but after those 8 hours are done it all 'your time' to spend as you wish.

I'm going to spend some of my time this morning by driving into Staples - I need some small tablets for making my grocery lists.  A walk with the dogs is also planned; early though, because of the heat.  Yes, it's still hot here, at least for today.  There is a 60% chance of thunderstorms.  Tomorrow the temps are supposed to only get into the low 80's (F).  Hopefully the hottest part of summer is over.  Just think, thanks to global warming, every summer will be getting warmer.

Yesterday, as I was walking down the stairs, I caught a glimpse of both dogs sitting on the futon in the living room.  Since I had my phone with me, I snapped a picture.

And, of course, for those of you who haven't realized it yet, those Executive Orders by the Idiot Jerk in the White to help benefit the (cough, cough) common man, were really designed to give him a boost in the polls.  It isn't going to work.  Believe it or not, most Americans have already made their minds up on how they're going to vote this November.  That, too, should not come as a surprise to you.  That decision began to solidify almost 4 years ago, when an electoral win put him into the White House.  The Second Republicans started saying "shut up, we're in charge," votes were already being set in concrete.  Rather than move to the center, they hardlined to the Right, all the while saying "we have the majority in the House and Senate."  Their inability to understand America, their need to force their Conservative will onto a Centrist country, is the reason the lost the House in 2018.  That lost was a real eyeopener for them.  America was not going to sit back and swallow their hatred.  They knew back then that the odds of the Idiot Jerk surviving into a 2nd term were shrinking daily.  And so they buckled down on tearing apart Centrist America believing all their changes were going to be permanent.  They don't understand.  Everything they've put in place is going to be swept away.

The Truth

Yippee Skippy!  I get to go back to work today!  Such a joy! ...  ...  well, maybe not quite.
I did check for Pennsylvania rides yesterday, for a hilly state, we don't really have that many.  I suspect because most of our population is in the eastern quarter of the state... oh, and there are Pittsburgh and Erie along the boarder in the western part.  The center of the state has a scattering of small towns, but nothing  large.  We have a lot of bear living there.  Bear you say?  Oh, hell yeah, and I'm not talking about heavy set men with bushy beards.
Anyway, I did find a ride in Highspire which is about 7 miles from where I live.  There's a local ride on Rouvy!  I find that a bit amazing. This means anybody in the world can ride through, or around, or past Highspire.  It's a short one.  Only 4.6 miles, and I'm thinking it may run along the river.  I'll ride it this evening when I get home from work.
Evidently the Idiot Jerk's administration gave some sort of briefing yesterday that was full of yadda, yadda, yadda.  Not a lot of factual information, but then there isn't a lot.  As I said before, this whole thing was political... to get his base twittering with the rah, rah, rahs.  It worked.  But then they've always been defensive of their tin foil dictator.  And then he lied about Iran standing down.  Was anybody expecting them to tell the truth?  Honestly, the info they had on the imminent threat was sketchy at best, the idea his henchies know what that country is planning is sketchy at worst.  Unfortunately for us, his propaganda machine is working overtime to spin this in his direction and his base is buying it.
And, finally, for those of you who have read "The Body on the Lawn," you might remember a short section where Eli sings "heavy metal broke my... heart," as he and the seven Von Trapp Family boxers do a little dance up a staircase.  I thought you might like to hear the song in its entirety.

On Christmas

Well, it's Christmas Day.  Ho Ho Ho.  I hope everybody out there is having a wonderful, relaxing day.  Remember, don't sweat the small stuff.  This is a holiday.  Enjoy.
The dogs have not, I repeat not, been given all of their presents yet because... they're dogs.  Their toys will be divvied out during the day.  They will look at them and decide if they're going to be 'forever toys' or 'forgettable toys.'  Children are the same way, they either love their toys or they don't.
As a lot of you know, I was stationed on the USS Constellation while in the Navy.  One of my buddies posted this picture of the flight deck this morning.  This gives you an idea of how big an aircraft carrier is:

Touch football on the flight deck

I'm planning a ride, maybe in Turin, for this afternoon... after I eat some ham.  I will give the dogs the fat, part of their Christmas day celebration.  This is supposed to be a day of celebration, you know... after the harvests are in.   This is the time we prepare to cozy ourselves into our warm houses during the sleepy time of winter.

One of the many bright spots in my own little abode this season is my Christmas cactus.  It's blooming:

Now, ain't that nice?

And I've just given the dogs their first toys.  Lily is almost in rapture over her green, squeaky inchworm, and Biggie is laying on his orange, squeaky squirrel... that way Lily can't play with it.  Ah, the joy of dogs.

What's Mikey eating?

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

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

Late!

Today's entry is late because... no, not because of my planned bike ride, that has been delayed because... after eating breakfast I decided to lay down for another couple of minutes and was out like a light... for 2 hours.  Hell!  And when I did get up (late!) I decided to take the dogs for a walk in the park.  It's cool out, mid 60's (F).  While there, we were stopped by a woman who commented on Biggie's size.  As I've said before, he's very big for a Boxer.  And it isn't that he's fat, it's just that he's big.
I'm off today and tomorrow... on the legit, scheduled days off, in other words.  Since I missed my window of opportunity for a ride this morning, I've rescheduled for tomorrow, though later in the morning.  This morning my route was going to take me over to Highmark, but there will be a lot of traffic that way tomorrow so I'll shift back to my old route up Tower Road, fewer cars, less chance of getting bumped off the road by some asshole talking on his / her phone.
I guess the Idiot Jerk is at G7.  I just had some sort of news flash where there was screen shot of him dozing off next to the Japanese Prime Minister.  I guess he agreed "in principle" to sign some sort of trade deal.  Translation:  Don't count on it.  This fool has a terrible record of following through on commitments: he thinks contracts have as much value as toilet paper.
Yesterday I rode halfway through the 27 mile Bow Tie ride, in other words 13.59 miles.  I stopped because my butt was beginning to hurt.  I'll ride again this afternoon.  It's gotten to the point where I'm riding almost every day of the week, which is fine with me.  I changed the battery in my HRM and readings are back to normal, no more sections where it says my heart is beating 230 times a minute.  Right now I'm averaging between 124 and 133 which is not bad when you do it for 45 minutes.  It's not going to be an option this afternoon.  Nope.  Lily was 6 years old on August 19 and today we're going to celebrate with cake and ice cream.  Yum.

Through an Open Window

Today is my Friday, the end of my work week.  I know there are a lot of you out there who wish they could say the same thing.  Starting Thursday, however, my schedule fritters around all over the place.  Because I'm scheduled off on 9/1 there is the tease that I'm going to be off on Labor Day... as though that would actually mean anything to me.
And, of course, everybody was talking about Epstein yesterday... did he or didn't he?  Did this administration substitute Mrs. Danvers for one of his guards... someone who very kindly "opened a window for him?"

And even though the Idiot Jerk is trying to stoke the fires of conspiracy, this is just one more tawdry episode in the shit show that is his administration.

So, I'm beginning to harvest the fruits (or I should say vegetables) of my tiny plot of a garden just below my kitchen window.  First up is a butternut squash... to be truthful, everything I planted turned out to be a squash.  Anyway, I'm looking for suggestions.   What do you do with a butternut squash that's this tiny?

I mean, it's cute... however if I had known I was planting single portion vegetables I would have had second thoughts.  And, in case you are wondering, my hands are rather small.

As I was focusing on taking a snap of the the squash, I looked over and saw Lily posing pretty as a picture.  She usually doesn't sit still, so I snapped her too.

Doesn't she look tiny?  She weighs in around 60 lb.  She has a birthday next Monday and that means white cake and vanilla ice cream for everybody.  Yummy.

Dogs and Duck on Bed

Wow!  I got quite a lot accomplished yesterday... like my whole list.  I mowed my lawn and then I whacked my weeds, and then, for good measure I pulled my weeds because sometimes it's fun.  Five loads of laundry?  Done.  A six mile bicycle ride was included in the afternoon.  All in all, I'd say it was a good day.
Today I'm going to take a personal day... I  need to rest up after yesterday.
Frank Bruni zeroed in on one of the Idiot Jerk's biggest problems.  While he's focusing on how the Idiot Jerk treats the LGBTQ community, in reality this is how he treats women, people of color, immigrants (legal and illegal), politicians... everybody except his adoring fan base.  He will give them anything to maintain their "ardor," at the expense of every other human on the planet.  He desperately wants to be worshiped...  He is two-faced.   And those who praise him?  They are a minority.  His approval rating sits at around 40%.  A large number of people don't like him.  Losing the popular vote and getting elected with only the Electoral College does not give you Carte Blanche to do what ever you want.  This has, however, long been a problem with Republicans.  Their attitude as for too long been "shut up.  We're in charge.  We're going to do what we want, so screw you."  Their mantra has always been:  My Money, My Taxes, My Religion.  The time has come to treat this minority they way they treat everyone else.  They need to be taught that they have not been Chosen.
Anyway, we had rain last night, so it's a good thing I got my yard work done yesterday.  My nectarines are beginning to ripen and I have either squash, or cantaloupes, or both, growing along the side of the house.  More dahlias are budding, which means more pictures soon.  If it weren't going to be hot and humid today, I'd take the dogs up to the park for a walk.  Of course, that doesn't mean they're not going to have fun.

That's them this morning... on the bed... with their once yellow duck.

Power Shift

Well, it's Thursday, my 2nd day off in a row and I... slept in.  I had set the alarm for 0430, however Biggie got me up at 12:30 and 2:30 to go out... he seems to have a lower digestive tract disturbance; something he ate... no doubt.  Everything looks tasty to him.  Anyway, I turned the alarm off and laid back down and... slept in.
Yesterday I got a lot accomplished.  Groceries? check.  Haircut? check.  Around mid-morning FedEx delivered the outside storage box I had bought - it looks like a big bench.  That was assembled, tools were stored in it, the grass was mowed.... and I got a good 45 minutes of cardio.  Even the dogs were tuckered out.

And it's official now, Biden is running for president.  He's old.  If he wins he will be oldest president ever elected.  Biden scares the shit out of the Idiot Jerk in the White House because he is Centrist and the country is overwhelmingly Centrist.  The Idiot Jerk represents the radical right, those wanting a dictatorial president.  Biden needs to choose his running mate wisely.  As most people already know, as does he, his will be a one term presidency.  He is going to be the transition back to sanity.  He will stand for ethics and values, those attributes the Idiot Jerk shit away decades ago.  My money says he will choose a woman for his running mate and the Republicans will go ape shit.
This will get ugly as the GOP realizes they will need to do something to keep from losing women's votes.  You can bet the Idiot Jerk's strategists are already whispering about dumping that white sinner, Mike Pence for some nice, white Evangelical woman.  Unfortunately, the Idiot Jerk's base is shrinking...  The more they realize this, the more hateful they will become, and at some point they will just stop voting.
In 2020 1/3 of the electorate will be minorities.  That number is only going to increase.  In 2045 minorities will make up 1/2 of those casting ballots.  Power will shift into their hands much sooner then that. 

A little head?

Today is Super Bowl Sunday - I only work until 4:30, so I'll be home, but... I won't watch.  Duh.
I got a call from the delivery people while at work yesterday.  Wednesday's the day for delivery.  They will call me Monday or Tuesday with a 3 hour window.  I'm off.  The temperature is supposed to be in the mid 40's (F)... what could be better?
This guy named Northam, the governor of Virginia may (or may not have, depending upon which of his stories you want to believe) while back in college.  Was that him in the picture?  Maybe.  Was it a stupid thing to do?  Definitely.  Are we going to publicly punish every one of those students in that yearbook?  Nope.  Except for Northam, they're all going to go about their happy, happy ways.  You can bet some of those students matured into very conservative Republicans, Northam, on the other hand, liberalized his views and became a Democrat.  A lot of Democrats say he should resign.  A lot Republicans are saying the same thing, not because they find his prank racist, but rather because they want to stake a Democratic Governor.  He says he's not going to.  Me?  I say we should let the people of Virginia decide.  Democracy is for the people and by the people.  In the next election the voters of Virginia will decide if he's racist or not.  They will look as his record.  Is it Liberal or Conservative?  Has he been a good Democrat?  The calls for him to resign are well taken, they show we hold our own accountable, unlike those Republicans who voted for Kavanaugh.  At the end of the day, however, we need to let the Virginians choose.  It's their right as Americans.
The AI on my Galaxy 8 is acting up.  Yesterday, as my alarm was going off, Bixby said "today's going to be a good day for a picnic."  The sun did come out, but the temp only made it up to 33 (F).  This morning Bixby said "today's going to be cool and cloudy," and the temp's are supposed to go up to 44 (F).  Oops.
The other day, as I was laying in bed, Seig rested his head upon my chest.  For those who don't understand... this is not a little head.

Birthday GirlLily an

We have a quickie today - I slept in till 0600 because that's what I wanted to do.  The dogs are just as lazy.  We have a drizzly, rainy day outside - temp is supposed to hit 79 (F) maybe, right now it's 66 (F).  The back door is standing open.
There is all sorts of Idiot Jerk news.  He said something racist yesterday (what else is new) and his party stayed... silent.  They don't want to criticize him lest they make him angry.  Not doing so is going to cost them more and more seats in the house.  They are terrified they're going to lose power if he Tweets against them.  They are the perfect example of Catch 22:  damned if they do, damned if they don't.  They just cannot get the thought through their heads that as a party, they are damned.
Today is a bit of special day.  Both my brother and his wife have a birthday.  I always kid him because today is Bill Clinton's birthday, too.  Being Evangelical Christian Conservatives, he is the 2nd worst human being every to have sat in the White House, the worst was Obama.  But that isn't what makes today so great.  Today is Lily's birthday as well.  She is 5 years old, and the perfect little Lady.  On my way home from work I'll pick up white cake and vanilla ice cream so we can have a party.  Of course, she doesn't know today's her birthday.  But that's okay.  She's a dog.  I don't expect her to remember little things like that.

Lily and Seig

The closeup, the wall, & a skanky old mattress

For some of you, today is the beginning of your weekend, for me?  Mine is on the cusp of ending.  My schedule is odd for the next week, work 2 days, have a day off, work 2 days, have a day off, work 2 days, have 3 days off.  I've set myself up for the 32 hour a week stint again.  Goody.
Yesterday was hot and sticky humid.  Weather choices were:  showers, thunder showers, and torrential rains with high winds.  The rose I had ordered arrived, and is not planted by the front porch.  While I did get a lot accomplished, I still felt much of the day was wasted.
The dogs wanted to go out, however they refuse to do so during a full monsoon.  I did get a nice close up of Biggie.

You can see why he gets nose butter treatments

And my syn is now on the wall, waiting for the new crank to arrive.  The X6 is on the trainer so I can get a ride in today.

There was an interesting bit in Reuters this AM about Nestle and how an American Hedge Fund is trying to force it down a path they believe would be much more profitable for investors.    Little secret here:  the public sector always loses when investors win.  You see, they're aren't concerned about fair dollar value.  Nope, their main goal is to make as much money as possible, as cheaply as possible.  If Nestle doesn't fulfill their greed, these investors will move on and find another company to ruin.

And, speaking of greed.  Scott Pruitt resigned.  That's important, you know?  There's a difference between getting fired and quitting.  Where as Jim Jordan represents the moral failure of conservatives, Pruitt fully fleshes out their need for greed and power.  Just like the Idiot Jerk in the White House, he wanted to be a dictator.  Epitomizing the worst aspects of the 'me' generation, everything needed to revolve around him:  his sound proof phone booth, his security, his wife's job, his need for a used mattress...  Mattress?  That' right, he had one of his aides call one of the Idiot Jerk's luxury hotels and inquire about buying a USED mattress.  For 11 years I worked in the accounting department of Interstate Hotels, Inc., a company which ran success Marriott franchises, and I can tell you, with all honesty, there is no way I would ever want to buy, let alone sleep on a  skanky hotel mattress.  Wanting to do so, is a clear indicator that there is something terribly wrong with Scott Pruitt.

Oh, and in case anybody is interested, the forecast for today is showers and thundershowers.  Yippee!