The Expendables

 Well the  forecasters were sort of right yesterday, we did have rain in the late afternoon, drizzles and showers throughout the evening.  We have the same forecast for today, and tomorrow, and into the middle of next week.  Will we get rain every day?  I don't doubt it.  Summers are not the same as they were.  We did have a bit of a heat wave in early June, those used to occur in late July and August.  Of course, we're still early into summer so things may change.

Yesterday was one of those, "well, I'm not going to get a lot done today," days, mostly because of my appointment at the VA clinic in Lebanon.  I did have plans for when I left, however there were delays.  My consultation started 20 minutes late and then we spent 15 minutes talking about my bloodwork.  Then it was decided that I should have an EKG since it's been 8 years since I had the last one.  Tomorrow, I'll go in and check out that report.  I also had to sit through a detailed instruction on colonoscopy prep.  Crap, two days before the procedure I need to stop eating everything I normally eat. 

Anyway, I didn't get home until after 3:30 PM, so as far as I was concerned the day was pretty much a waste.  Wait, that's not quite right, I did finish Intermezzo 2 in The Body in 4/4 Time.  That's right, this book will have both chapters and intermezzos.  There's even an Overture.

I did start growing another carrot.  I planted the other one I'd started outside.  Evidently that's what you're supposed to do when it starts growing roots.

And you have to admit that Orangie's failure to deal with Epstein is... remarkable.  That moral degenerate is so desperate he's raised the tariffs on Brazilian exports to 50% in the hopes of getting people to talk about something else.  Lucky for us tariffs and Tacos are synonymous. Previously such an announcement would have sent the Dow plummeting, but not anymore.  Orangie is a now a broken record when it comes to tariffs.  

Remember when Orangie said he was going to get rid FEMA?  That money could best be served in giving himself and other billionaires a tax break.  Well, it seems that Puppy Killer Kristi Noem waited 2 days to activate FEMA's Search and Rescue Team after the horrific flood in Texas.  This is her way of telling those victims "you're on your own, baby!"  Whether they understand it or not, this is what those Texans voted for, of course no one ever told those parents whose children were washed away that their lives had now become expendable.  Surprise! in the eyes of billionaires, everyone who isn't one is expendable.

Truth

Here it is Sunday and I have the day off.  I was going to sleep... dogs, however don't understand days off.  Nature calls, usually at the same time every morning.  I decided to make good use of my time.  The 2nd load of laundry is in the washer.  My cycling shorts, and shirts, and socks have been gently washed and hung up to air dry.  That's the best way to handle their delicacy.  There are a few more chores on my agenda before I head down to York around 10 AM.
Instead of a direct hit on Mar Lago, it looks as though Dorian is going to slowly tear his way up the eastern seaboard.  I suspect destruction will abound.  And if I remember correctly, the Idiot Jerk in the White House has decided to pull $150 million from FEMA to help build his racist wall.  You do know, don't you, that the government is going will need to borrow more $$$ to cover disaster relief?
More of the Idiot Jerk's tariffs are kicking in today.  I understand there's no grace period, meaning that if the products have shipped they will be immune from price increases.  Nope.  Last night at midnight prices began climbing upwards.  I don't know how much flooring is going up, I do know that for the past three weeks we've received quite a number of pallets of vinyl planking.  Be prepared to say "oh... shit!"
And there was another mass shooting down in Texas yesterday.  Five dead, and 21 injured.  In Texas.  I do believe that state now has the most liberal gun laws in the country.  Be prepared, like the prices, the numbers are going to be increasing.  2nd amendment people actually believe that in situations like the one that happened yesterday, these incidents happen too fast even the most skilled person to think "gee, I should pull out my gun and fire back."  Especially when the shooter is driving around in a vehicle targeting random people.  They don't even have enough time to think "oh... shit."  They don't understand that bullets are moving at a speed of 1400 - 1500 feet per second.  That's faster than the blink of an eye.
"The Body in the Well" is moving along quite nicely.  I'm approaching the halfway point in the first draft.  I'm already thinking about how I'll vary the beginning, since it's one of the most important chapters.  "The Body in the Tower" began with a celebration of cycling.  "The Body in the Lawn" had that ominous first word paragraph, Darkness.  "The Body in the Well"  also begins with a one word paragraph which is totally dependent upon what you believe, what you've taken to heart as being certifiable.

Truth.

Here comes Irma

Well, today is Wednesday and I get to go back to work after a single day off.  I do really hate having my days off split, two in a row is just fine with me, however split days off is a lot better than working 8 days in a row.
My knew trainer arrives today.  That little green machine should be waiting for me on the porch when I get home this evening.  The credit for the bad one, the CycleOps, has already been issued to my Amex.  Amazon is very good.  The online retailer who shipped it to Amazon to sell?  They're blaming the whole thing on... you guessed it, Amazon.  For those who don't know, when something gets returned to Amazon, it does not go back on 'the shelf.'  Returns are shipped to separate facilities where determinations are made regarding possible resale as used merchandise.  Used merchandise sent to Amazon as 'new' but which is either defective or used will either be destroyed or sent back to the online retailer with a charge being put on that retailer's account.  How do I know this?  The husband of one of the guys I work with works at one of these facilities.
And how about Irma?   I feel sorry for those people down in Florida because FEMA is just about out of money.  If this hurricane goes up the center of Florida, as some are now predicting, the destruction will be catastrophic.  Florida is flat as a pancake.  The only good thing that might happen is that Ann Coulter has a home in Florida, right alone the Eastern Seaboard, and with a little luck... well, you know, that if it gets destroyed that Peroxide Blonde, White Supremacist Pin-up Girl is going to be demanding Aid from the Federal Government.

Maybe she ought to just suffer a little.
Finally, I saw where some member of the GOP are concerned that the Idiot Jerk's decision to shit on DACA might lose them Latino Voters....  Do they really think that losing those 37 people who voted for the Idiot Jerk is really going to matter?