Pleas and Testimonies

 So, I slept in this morning.  Well, that's if you call starting to rise and shine at 0630.  

Lily was restless last night; I had to let her out twice.  Now she's sleeping on the sofa in the writing room, and when I go downstairs for coffee, she gives me one of those looks that try to guilt me into thinking I'm disturbing her. She should know by now that doesn't work.  Tomorrow's her birthday.  She'll be 9 years old.  That means cake and ice cream.  I know that even if I tell her today, tomorrow it will still be a surprise.

A few years back I bought a Lenovo tablet that came with a charging dock, rather than a plug.  It looked great, and sounded great, and could definitely handle the tasks it was intended to do; however, it was a terrible purchase.  It needed to be perfectly vertical in the dock for it to charge.  Since the dock was made to let the tablet sit at 2 different angles, charging didn't always take place and the battery life was about 4 hours.  The table was cheap, but it was also a piece of shit, and I ended up using it as a clock.  Yesterday, it died.  The bezel separated from the back cover by almost 1/4 inch.  Piece of shit.  Now it's trash.

I've put The Elden Ring onto the back burner, while I liked playing it, I prefer games in which your experience levels you up.  So, I bought a copy of Cyberpunk 2077, it's an RPG / shooter.  The game was released too soon, there were so many glitches, CD Project Red was forced to give refunds.  That was over a year ago.  Quite a number of patches have fixed the game.  For those of you on the naive side, this is the game which starred Keanu Reeves.  Sadly, one of the patches fixed the glitch where you could have sex with Keanu.  Disappointment was felt by all.  Oh, and this is what video games look like now.  Warning to you sensitive types, this clip has language and violence.

Rudy Giuliani testified yesterday for 6 hours and all we get is silence.  Nobody's talking.  They say it's because it's a Grand Jury, so there no count of how many times he used the 5th amendment, or how many times he cited attorney / client privilege.  Silence says a lot.  I wouldn't be surprised if Rudy struck up a deal similar to the one Weissleburg worked out with the AG in New York.  Weissleburg's going to admit the Trump organization is guilty of 15 years of tax evasion, through the use of lies and deceit.  He's not blaming Trump or the kids, however, everyone else in the organization is taking the blame.  Those others who are now going to be indicted?  They're the ones who will nail the Trump family mafia.

And Brian Kemp, the governor of Georgia, is trying to quash the investigation down there.  Must be because there's an election coming up and the Republican party has that 'pinch your nose stench.'

And duffer Eric Trump has said that there is no longer a Republican part, it is now the party of Trump.  While that might assuage his old man's rabid ego for a bit, a growing number of Republicans are stepping back and saying WTF.

Sydney and the stolen election data

 I'm heading into a work free week beginning today.  The store will not see my happy, smiling face again until Saturday, and then only for 6 hours.  The department has been rather understaffed lately.  I've helped by giving up some of my free time, something I'm not fond of doing.  They still have to hire a specialist to replace the one who gave his notice, and then showed up for a few hours on his last day.  Another associate, as I mentioned before, fell off a roof.  He's scheduled to be back at the desk on Thursday, with his shoulder in a big cast; that's going to put a damper on his texting.  The Haitian we hired to be an evening aisle associate has also stopped showing up for work.  He told us he followed his own schedule rather than the one written for him.  I do hope his personal schedule lets him know he's being terminated as a 'no call, no show.'

They were predicting rain for yesterday, and what we got was the occasional shower.  So, last evening I was out with the hose watering my plants.

When I got home from work yesterday, my neighbor's brother was at the house.  Since they're going to be throwing everything out, I wouldn't be surprised if he wasn't picking through things.  As I'd said, Dirty Dawg had been there on Saturday to give them a quote and evidently it was more than they were wanting to pay, otherwise that house would be empty.  It will be interesting to see how the family proceeds.

And Rudy Giuliani is going to be indicted, at least that seems to be how things are playing out.  He's before a Georgia Grand Jury today.  I wonder if he's going to be sweating hair dye.

Oh, and evidently the FBI also confiscated 3 of Trumps passports, though he admitted one of them had expired.  Let that sink in.  3 passports.  He doesn't have dual citizenship with any other country.  I have one because, as a US citizen I only need one.  But he had 2 passports he could use.  Something smells a bit fishy.  The fact that they took them implies they see him as a flight risk.

And I do believe that Lindsey Belle is supposed to be testifying today as well.  He is probably not sweating hair dye, bullets?  yes, hair dye, no.  I wonder if any of those NDAs he had his escorts sign become null and void if his ass gets indicted.

You do have to admit that bombshells seem to be dropping daily now.  The Washington Post dropped this one yesterday.   Treasonous Sydney Powell and her group of traitors hired a computer group to breach sensitive voting machines in 3 states:  Georgia, Michigan, and Nevada.  That's a criminal felony.  These charges will no doubt make Sydney a flight risk.  Ouch.

Oh... Fudge

Once again the weekend is upon us.  These are the days that I work.  Six hours are scheduled today.  I'm taking a salmon steak in for lunch.  Maybe douse it with a little lemon to give it a little twang. 

We might be busy at the store, and than again, maybe not.  We're still in the winter doldrums as far as carpet installations go.  That doesn't mean we might not get any window treatment customers.  Honestly, I have so little patience when I deal with them, mostly because so many of them come across as indecisive when it comes to just about every decision.  Color:  Snowstorm white, or pearl white?  There's not a lot of variation between the two.  There are literally twenty different shades of white and some customers will spend up to an hour trying to decide which shade they like best. Corded or cordless?  Corded are less expensive but cordless are easier to operate and safer, especially if you have cats or kids.  As a result, I usually try and hand these customers off to one of my fellow associates. 

As some of you know, when I include and actual location in my stories, i.e. the French Quarter in The Body in Repose, I learn as much as I can about the place without actually going there.  I've been doing the same thing with Mackinac Island, which is renowned for it's fudge.  And, since one of may characters is a candy maker, I decide to order some fudge.  To put it mildly, This Stuff Is Freaking Great!  Believe me when I tell you I could live on this fudge, of course, I'd end up being the size of 5 or 6 houses, but I wouldn't care.  This stuff hits all the right neurotransmitters.  I bought it from Murdicks.

Evidently Rudy the Geee, didn't like Eminem taking a knee during the half-time show, so Stephen Colbert put together a little response.  This is more than a little amusing, and I'm betting Rudy said more than 'oh, fudge.'

And I something amusing about Melanoma Trump squeezing out some pissy moan about how the media was handing her a never ending river of fudge no matter what she did.  Take the issue with her setting up a a scholarship fund for Foster Children.  She when to great lengths to point out this was not a tax exempt group.  And, as usual, Loser #45 weighed in with a sentence or two before he started complaining about the fudge, and how the media kept claiming his samplers were rancid.  This loser will never stop.

 

Donny Has a Bad Week

 Another slow Sunday has arrived.  I don't have to work today, so I'm going to lunch with some friends, and then it's a stop at my neighborhood Giant supermarket.  I put gas in my car.  $40 worth of gas.  I think that's way too much even if it is less than what they pay in the EU.  Of course, Big Oil spits out the same excuse over and over again... supplies are down.  That could be.  The true reason gas is so expensive is American Capitalism.  Big Oil does need their 5% growth every year.  They don't care if it screws you over.  They don't know you from Adam.  All they do know is that they need to keep their investors happy.  And Americans will piss and moan, and look for someone other than Big Oil to blame.

I watched "Encanto" last evening.  Very nice.  I saw the trailer multiple times and had no idea it was a musical.  I also watched several episodes of "The Book of Boba Fett."  That's good, too.  It was rated TV14, which means the violence might be a little too intense for the kiddies.  Honestly, the show isn't meant for kiddies at all, but you know there are stupid parents out there who will permit the 4 and 5 year old kids to watch the show because nothing says stupid like a parent using the TV as a baby sitter.

And of course, we all know that Donny had a bad week.  I truly wish that could be an understatement, but it isn't, mostly because I suspect there are many more bad weeks yet to come.  Thanks to the Supreme Court Mitch McConnell packed, information that had been sitting stagnant is now flowing.  The January 6 committee now knows so much.  People are beginning to anticipate.  They're wondering if Ginni Thomas' ass is going to get thrown on the Barbie to roast, if Ivanka Danka's going to to stab daddy'o in the back to save her own stinky ass, if Giuliani is going to have a jail cell named in his honor, to name just a few.  And the New York Attorney General is humiliating his constantly, dousing his lies with facts and setting them afire.  I liked the bit about his apartment in Trump Tower that went from 30,000 square feet for tax purposes, down to 10,000 actual square feet.  Wow, I can smell the smoke and see the cinders from here.

Masterclass

 Can you believe it's Saturday?  So soon?  Days just seem to be flying by, don't they?  or maybe it's just me because in another 3 weeks I have another Staycation booked?  Time tends to grow painfully slow when we think about a group of multiple days off and we say things like "it can't get here fast enough."

I set the bread machine timer last evening and woke up to the smell of freshly baked Italian bread.  That is really nice.  Of course, I'm actually going to have a piece of peach cobbler for breakfast.  Yes, I know, it's loaded with fat calories and the carbs are stretching from here to hell and back but... well, somebody has to eat it.  I'll just have to put in a little more time on the bike... or the treadmill.  Easy peasy.

The central air just kicked in.  Outside the temps are sitting in the mid 70's (F).  They're supposed to climb towards the 90 degree mark today.  Beginning tomorrow, they're supposed to ride a wave of 97 (F) for several days.  That's hot enough to make Charo dance.  For those who don't remember, Charo was a popular cu chi cu chi girl who was married to a gent named Xavier Cugat for a while.  She was very popular on the late night talk show circuit.  What many didn't know then, and still don't know, is that she is considered a great classical guitarist.  Here's an example of what is considered 'masterclass' guitar.

And sometime this coming week criminal charges are going to be filed against the Trump organization, probably just the first of many such indictments.  Will the Orange Anus himself be indicted.  I someone don't think so.  He's always been smart enough to dupe others into doing all the dirty work, like that dufus Giuliani.  Of course, if Giuliani flips... well, then there's no telling how many heads are going to roll. 

Finally, I understand Loser #45 has his first super-spreader event this evening, at least I believe it's this evening, or it may be next Saturday.  I don't really follow his calendar of evil.  Anyway, if someone attends and gets infected by Covid and ends of dying, guess who's responsible?  Not that it really concerns the failed president.  The only reason he's doing this tour is to push The Big Lie to his base.  This is how you kill a party. 

In Loch Adair

 Saturday.  I suspect things will be busy at work since the weekend is now official.  Live goods are coming in by the truckload as we ramp up for spring.  Right now we have drizzle.  Tomorrow a more steady rain is expected.  Of course, I'm scheduled off.  That's fine.  Right now most of my time at home is spent finishing up The Body in the Loch.  I do enjoy the process, the research, developing the plot, putting the words into the computer, however there is a point when, like a very pregnant woman, you just want it to be over.  For those interested, I have about 60 pages to go until the final edit is finished.  Yippee!!

And, of course, spring is just a few weeks away.  My brother asked if I thought we were going to get anymore snow.  There's a dusting out there now, but the temps are going to hit the mid 50's (F) again so... no, I don't think we're going to get any more snow.

Deciding how I'm going to set up my garden is one of the things I need to work on.  Last year I attempted potted tomatoes... and got very little fruit.  The potted peppers, on the other hand, were abundant.  So, I'll need to think about what I'll pot and what I'll just stick in the ground.  One thing I was happy with last year was the fact that the dogs didn't eat the peppers, a problem in the past.

For those who are interested, the lyrics from this song made the cut in the final draft.  Now, all you have to do is wait to find out how they fit into the discovery of a body floating in Loch Adair.

I sent my brother a text yesterday regarding the golden statue of our loser president and... he replied saying he's done with Trump.  We have not had a serious discussion on the subject, but I'm suspecting the attempted coup attempt on January 6, may have had something to do with it.  Or perhaps it was the image of Giuliani's sin bleeding from his pores.  You know what I'm talking about.  We thought he was having a bad hair dye day, but to a devout Christian who believes in signs... they saw his corruption running down the sides of his face.

 

Dominion over the Truth

 How good it is I wasn't anticipating snow...  The Weather Channel is broadcast on a large screen TV at work, one of the few channels permitted on the HD Network, and they have been shrieking out forecasts of an impending winter doom and while it's snowing in Chicago... and Nebraska we, however, have an extremely thin dusting... if you want to call it that.

And today begins my weekend - 2 consecutive days off.  Simply lovely, I think.  I had thought of sleeping in, but after sleeping for around 10 hours the bladders of big dogs are quite full.  You listen when 180 pounds of dogs tell you they need to go outside and pee.

I have a number of cycling DVDs I bought back when I was using my Cycleops Trainer which have been sitting on the shelf unused for years.  Since I'm doing my running / jog thing several days a week on the treadmill, I thought I might get some use out of them again.  Unfortunately, I have no DVD player.  I  gave that away a long time ago.  So I bought an inexpensive one I saw on Amazon.  A Jinhoo.  It had good ratings, and it doesn't work.  It will begin to play and then starts to spin so badly it vibrates and the vibration is so bad the little thing sounds like a washer going into spin cycle.  In the troubleshooting section of the manual it actually says that if this happens the player was probably damaged during shipping which is a good indicator this must happen quite often.  It's getting returned today.

And what about Dominion suing Giuliani for $1.3 billion?

Is that a freaking hoot, or what?  A few hours after Dominion filed their suit, Rudy Gazooti said Biden and Harris won.  Dominion has already filed against Sydney Powell.  Both are considered to be major players among Conservative Crackers.  However, because both have continued their unsubstantiated, baseless lies about voter fraud Dominion is going to do a little dance on their bank accounts.  I would not be surprised if the Idiot Jerk, himself, was not sitting in the bullseye.  This is just what he needs, another lawsuit.  Now, don't that gladden the cockles of your heart?

 

Flakes

 Well, the work week begins... again, but only for a day.  I'm scheduled off on Tuesday and Wednesday.  That's nice.  I do like my time off.  Temps are supposed to be cold.  That's fine, too.  I have heat, as well as two thermal canine units warming the bed at night.  

The decorating of the 'all season' tree continues.  Right now I'm putting on white and silver snow flakes.  Winter, you know?  I've kept one of my Chewy boxes and have designated it Winter.  I have other ornaments that I'm holding onto because they're old, from when I was a kid... and that means they're very old.  

Oh, and Rudy Gazooty's in the hospital with Covid.  He's 78 and it wouldn't surprise me if he had a whole host of health issues.  This is what comes with being a flake.  With him sidetracked for at least 2 weeks, the Idiot Jerk needs to rely on Jenna Ellis (?) to lead his baseless fight of fraudulent claims.  Not surprisingly, she has no legal experience regarding constitutional law, however, she is a bottle blond and flakey, and that's always a major plus for the Idiot Jerk in the White House.

And Rudy isn't the only one who's 78, so's Streisand.  I don't know about others who are approaching their senior years, but that seems so odd to me.  I can remember Alan Light, back when I lived in Fairview Heights, exuberantly talking about her, in fact it was at his house that I first heard her sing "Sam, You Made the Pants Too Long."  That was 54 years ago.  I have difficulty at times comprehending so many years have passed.  Son of a bitch!

Gone

 Crap, I got up this morning to find I had a comment from the Russian Call Girls.  Gone now.

Yesterday was a lazy day.  I did nothing that was taxing or strenuous.  The dogs were walked and several loads of laundry done.  I wrote, I napped, I set up my dumbbell workout in my Gym Genius since I'm not longer going to the gym... until sometime probably in the Spring.  I played some Valhalla.  Four hours into it and I'm still in Norway.  Yikes, I'm still in the prologue.  The actual game doesn't start until I'm forced south to the British isles.

Did everybody see the clips of Giuliani sweating so much his hair dye ran down the sides of his face?  All of that sweating?  That's the sign of a liar.  For those who didn't, here it is:

Today is going to be chock full of business.  I'm going to my neighborhood Giant this morning.  Just because I'm going to be spending Thanksgiving with the dogs, doesn't mean I can't eat well.  Oyster Stuffing's on the menu.  Green Bean Casserole is not.  For years, I've been expected to make Green Bean Casserole.  This year?  Nada.

Temps here are supposed to be up in the mid 60's (F)  There is a bit of yard work that's needs to be done, as well as some painting.  And a ride on the bike.

And not too surprising, Georgia was called for Biden.  

And I saw where the investigations into the Idiot Jerk's finances are expanding.  It seems as if consulting fees were paid to Ivanka Danka by the organization she works for and then used as tax deductions.  Will she be joining Daddy in Moscow?  I wouldn't be surprised if some family compound was in the works.

Finally, the Idiot Jerk has invited 2 members of the the Michigan Legislature to visit today.  Stupid, aren't they?  He's going to demand they help him steal the election.  When they don't bow down and grovel before him, they will see his rage.  Republicans have always been overly consumed with their grasping need for power.  They have a really big problem.  If they cave into him, they will be seen as scumbags from Hell.  They have no idea how ugly this is going to be.  They will look bad.  And the next time they are up for election... they will be gone.

 

The Legacy

My Friday has arrived.  I'd say I'm ecstatic, but relieved is a more fitting description of how I'm feeling.  I had having split days off.  Starting Friday, the real one, however, I'm scheduled for split days off into December.  Son of a bitch!

And yesterday was an odd one at work.  I was the only Specialist scheduled.  Only one aisle associate was scheduled, so after he left at 2 PM, I was left by myself until my shift ended.  While not being retail appropriate, I was lucky because business was slow, most likely because the temps are dropping.  And it was windy.  Many, many of my leaves blew away yesterday.

And I mentioned to a fellow associate, a supporter of the human failure in the White House, how interesting it was that since he lost the election many Republican Governors were now mandating masks.  I am not alone at recognizing this.  The WP is one of several of the 'lamestream' media outlets reporting this.  Guess who looks bad?  Not the Blue states which have managed to somewhat control the virus.  Nope!  It's the Red states, the ones who's ICU's are filling up as I type.  For those how haven't realized it yet, the Idiot Jerk's legacy will be Covid 19 and his total refusal to deal with it.  His party doesn't understand the mantle they are cowering under will stain them for history. 

Michigan was hoot yesterday, wasn't it?  Two Republicans were refusing to certify the election results because... they love to believe in lies.  Not surprisingly, their decision was met with an onslaught of anger and outrage.  You see, the Idiot Jerk lost Michigan by 140 - 150 thousand votes.  No small margin there.  When he heard about it, he Tweeted some sort of celebratory nonsense, however shortly after his Tweet those 2 Republicans reversed their decision, making him look like a fool.  

The Idiot Jerk also had bad luck in Pennsylvania where a Federal Judge as his Court Jester Giuliani what reason they had for trying to disenfranchise the state's 6.8 million voters.  Evidently Giuliani jingled his bells, while doing a little song and dance,  As have been so many judges dealing with this spate of fraudulent charges by the Idiot Jerk, this judge was unimpressed.

 For those interested, my Christmas Cactus is once again preparing to bloom.

The same definition

 Ah... Friday.  This is kind of my humpy day since I'm in the middle of a 6 day work week.  That's right, today's my third.  The weather's supposed to be cool, drizzly, possibly rainy, so that might keep the shoppers away.  If you are interested in stopping by, our Halloween stuff is flying out the doors.  Markdowns have begun.  Now when a customer walks into the flooring department and asks what's on sale, I can point to the front of the store and say "that big, green, inflatable monster."

I'm a little sore from yesterday's visit to Planet Fitness.  I suspect getting back into shape may take a little longer since I am now a little older.  That's fine.  There's nothing wrong with a little muscular discomfort if muscles maintain their mass.  Maintenance is everything.  

Ben Sasse, a Republican from Nebraska up for re-election, apparently trashed the Idiot Jerk in the White House in a phone call to constituents.  This was not simple criticism. Once again, we hear the word 'bloodbath.'

And what about those New York Post stories on Hunter Biden?  Social media is in the process of shutting them down for a number of reasons.  I do believe now their source is being classified as being tampered with by the Russians.  This was, I think, supposed to be another October Surprise.  Instead, Giuliani is being investigated for possibly helping the Russians.  Could a charge of treason be in his future?

And there was a non-debate last evening.  Dueling Town Halls, is what the media was the event (s).  Evidently Biden talked for long periods of time treating the time with voters as an actual Town Hall, even going over his allotted times spot.  As for the Idiot Jerk?  He was contentious and irritable. One headlines claims he "even forgot to attack Biden."  Ouch!!  He used a throwaway line to say he rather than forcefully deny white supremacy.  Oh, and he couldn't bring himself to denounce QAnon (sp).  You have to remember, this man thrives on the underbelly of conspiracy theories.  

Oh, and there are quiet whispers coming from Rupert Murdoch, a billionaire buddy of the Idiot Jerk, who's quietly prophesizing a "landslide victory for Biden."  Notice, he didn't say bloodbath... but in this case, landslide has pretty much the same definition.

 

No President is King

Okay, I was wrong.  Management did choose to drape thick, black plastic over our Black Friday Specials.  Some people find this quaint.  Yesterday an older woman asked me about the black, low density polyethylene so I told her "Black Friday."  She smiled because she thought it was cute.  Go figure.
Yesterday was slow.  Not excruciatingly, but those days are coming.  The same thing happens every year.  Sales have always been cyclical.  Of course, corporate doesn't let that get in the way of setting budgets.  The Sales Plan does go down, but never as much as the plan from the previous year.  In retail there is always an increase.  We have to keep those stockholders happy.
A judge has ruled that the Idiot Jerk in the White House can not keep witnesses from testifying.  The line that stood out most to me was "the president is not a king."  The sad truth is that the one MAGA elected wants to be more than a king.  He wants to be a dictator.  You can bet this decision is going to the Supreme Court.  This is why he tried to put in as many Conservative judges as possible, to protect his sorry ass.
And once again Rudy Gazooty said he's not worried.  He has insurance.  I'm wondering if that might be a copy of the Golden Shower Tape.  If not that, then some other juicy tidbit detailing how the Idiot Jerk compromised himself with the Russians.  He evidently doesn't seem to be too worried, so maybe behind the scenes he's talking to the Democrats about becoming a State's Witness.  That threat would no doubt sent shivers down the the Idiot Jerk's corpulent torso, shaking all of that jelly from Hell.
My Marlowe has arrived.

I set myself up for a subscription.  If I don't like it, I'll just cancel.  This is how life is.
Finally, customers began buying live Christmas Trees yesterday.  They want them up for Thanksgiving.  Impress the relatives, you know?  Look!  Live tree!  In 3 weeks they'll be hearing dead pine needles falling to the floor.  You only need one to start a cascade.  And in 4 weeks their floor will be covered with them.  Live trees belong in the forest.

On being the butt of jokes

My zinnia seeds arrive today, as does a refresher for my strawberry flavored whey.  I have a subscription for the strawberry flavored whey.   That's going to change.  I'm not that impressed with the taste; not quite as strawberryish as I had hoped.   For now I'm going to stick with the chocolate / peanut butter.
Another one of my subscription deliveries is also going to be stopped.  I'm supposed to be having my Every Man Jack delivered on a regular basis.  The last to shipments were cancelled - not in stock. If I want I can pick it up at my neighborhood Giant supermarket.  Perhaps the company has grown large enough they don't need to rely on Amazon for their sales.  Don't know.  I might begin a new search for another small company to help out.
They're forecasting rain for this afternoon and evening.  Yippee.  I'm off Monday and Tuesday, the weather is supposed to be fine.  I hope so.  It's time to sow my bulbs.
In case you haven't heard, there's the possibility Brexit is going to be delayed... again, or at least there's an agreement in the works for a delay to some unknown day in the future, possibly after a snap election.  Big mouthed Boris is failing miserably at getting this divorce hammered out.  In fact, most of the Brexiteers appear to be nothing more than hot air balloons without the pretty colors.
Here, in the US, more people are going to be able to see the unredacted Mueller report.  For those interested, this is what most of us get to read.

You can bet the Idiot Jerk in the White House burped up burning mouthful of rancid Big Mac when he heard this.  In fact, a Federal judge legitimized the impeachment inquiry.   I wonder if Lindsey Graham's thin, little lips began quivering when he heard that.  Not only is his future life as an ass-kisser at stake, he's up for re-election and the Democrat planning on unseating him is raising big bucks.  He might get fired by the voters!  Oh... dear me... poor Lindsey.

Oh, and Rudy the G has been butt dialing reporters and leaving long, incriminating messages.  He can't even get a break from his ass.

Rudy the G

Tomorrow's a holiday... I think.  Columbus Day.  I have off work because I'm scheduled to have off, so it isn't really a special day.  The weather is supposed to be nice.  Yard work is planned, as well as couple other chores.
I had a customer yesterday who relocated to the area from Long Island.  She and I had a nice conversation.  I said, "big culture shock, eh?"  And she nodded, "really big."  She grew up 7 blocks from Queens.  When I asked her what her biggest challenge had been she paused for a few seconds and then said, "I was surprised.  Everything was so.... white."  I told her "we're changing rapidly."  Someone who grew up in a very racially diverse city was surprised by how vanilla Central Pennsylvania is... or was.  Eleven years ago, when I started working at the store, seeing a person of color shopping our aisles was rare.  Not so today.  Not only are we diversifying rapidly in regard to color, we are doing so with nationalities as well.  Some speak English well, others don't.  Patience is a wonderful thing.  I helped 2 gentlemen yesterday who were looking for what turned out to be a water heater.  We turned it into a bit of a game, which was fun.  This is what terrifies the Republican Party and the White Evangelicals:  humanity as a whole.
I put over 45 minutes on the bike yesterday.  Rouvy said I was riding in Warm Springs, Oregon.  Since that route isn't recognized by Tacx, I was listed as doing a Power Ride.  They also listed me as riding 13.14 miles.  That's nice, not very accurate, but then Power Rides are never going to match mile for mile those attached to a route.
Yesterday the Idiot Jerk in the White House had lunch with his Henchie, Rudy the G.  Can you imagine what that conversation was like:

Idiot Jerk:  Shut up!
Rudy the G:  Yes sir, yes sir.
Idiot Jerk:  I said shut your fucking mouth!
Rudy the G:  Yes sir, yes sir.
Idiot Jerk:  There's a pardon in it if you shut up!
Rudy the G:  Yes sir, yes sir.
Idiot Jerk:  Well then just shut up!

And they used to be sooooo close.

Hhhmmm.  In case you're wondering, that pardon already has a price tag on it.

Kissing Ass

So, I looked at the calendar this morning and saw that today's Friday.  My doesn't time fly when we're having fun? 
"The Body in the Well" is moving along nicely.  Over 54,000 words.  I'm prepping to write the next snakey part.  I know a lot of people reading the title don't exactly know what a well looks like, at least not the one I'm talking about.  They think of either a pipe sticking out of the ground or a round, stone well in which you might toss a coin to get a wish.  Nah.  One hundred and twenty odd years ago, when they dug a hole in the ground and ran a pipe down.  People used a hand pump to get water.  Sometimes when they abandoned these wells they covered them up.  Sometimes they didn't.  The well I'm talking about looks a lot like this:

I guess the Idiot Jerk in the White House held a rally in Minneapolis last evening.  His crazies showed up.  He shrieked something about 'Biden knowing how to kiss Obama's ass.'  Yeah, he did, to an audience that's almost entirely white.  Let me tell you, they are all quite angry.  Their little tinfoil dictator is teetering on the edge.  Everyday seems to bring new, and culpable evidence of his corruption.  Yesterday they arrested 2 of Rudy's henchies.  They had one way tickets out of the country.  You know, the two who bragged openly about their connections with the Idiot Jerk in the White House?  And... oh... dear me... Rudy also seems to have been involved with Turkey... and a gold trader.  You know?  Turkey, the country that just invaded northern Syria to kill our allies...   Yeah, you know who I'm talking about.  The country that just took delivery of a missile defense system from their ally Russia (bet Vlad made some big buckos there).  As more evidence is revealed, we  now know Rex Tillerson was not fired so much for his ineptness, rather he seems to have been let go because he refused to kiss the Idiot Jerk's ass.  Rudy does that well.  Rudy's in big, big trouble.  And you can bet the Idiot Jerk is nervously wondering if Rudy might flip to save his skinny ass.

In the Ukraine

It's Saturday morning and I'm sitting here writing this and eating my breakfast.  For those interested, my breakfast is always the same thing:  oatmeal.  Not plain and simple, mind you.  I include a tablespoon each of:  almonds, walnuts, unsalted sunflower seeds, dried cherries, and chunky peanut butter.  What can I say?  Basically it's fruit and nuts.  This is me.
Oh, and coffee.  I make a pot of 6 cups which ends up being 3 large mugs.  There are those who can only drink decaffeinated... I feel so sorry for them.  They get jittery.  I remember a long time ago, when my sister was around 12, my Mom let her drink coffee... on occasion.  This is because my sister, rather then get jittery, would end up dusting everything in the house... without being told.  I can also remember a time when drinking coffee in the evening guaranteed a few sleepless hours.  Those days are gone.  Now I can drink a pot and go right to bed with my only concern being how many times I'd need to get up to pee.
I see where there a whistle-blower issue with the Idiot Jerk.  No one knows exactly what the scumbag did, though allegations are beginning to surface.  Something to do with the Ukrainian Prime Minister and a politically motivated request for dirt.  Oh, and Rudy Giuliani, who's substrata of intelligence is evidently shifting again was the contact person.  You'd think the Idiot Jerk would know that Rudy's little gray cells are all flippy-floppy.  Of course, we also have to remember the Idiot Jerk loves his liars.
Am I like the only one who's noticed that the Phony Humans, the Republican Party, no longer sing their praises of Family Values?  It's kind of difficult with the Moral Degenerate in the White House.  They will get worse, you know?  They have that craven need for power.  Shut them up and shut them down.  That's the only way.
Now, if you'll excuse, I've got 180 pounds of dogs needing to be taken for a walk.

And then there's Honeysuckle

Here it is Monday and I'm on my 4th day of work  I work tomorrow, have 2 days off, work 3 and then there's vacation.  I can not wait.
The weather here was cold and shitty.  Our temp topped off at around 66 F - mostly rainy,  misty and overcast.  Not the type of weather you would normally expect in June.
I saw where the Idiot Jerk's toy lawyer Rudi Gazuti farted out some nonsense about how the President can pretty much do what ever he wants - sort of like a dictator.  He can end any investigation he wants, pardon anybody, even himself, should he feel the need... oh, except pardoning himself just might lead to impeachment.  However, once he's impeached he becomes fair game.  So, why would Rudi float this?  Most likely because he sees it as a test balloon.  If he feels enough people agree with him, well then the Idiot Jerk is going to fire and pardon at his own shit stained discretion.  You know?  If he feels he's getting a positive result then actual impeachment might not happen.  This selfish president, and selfish party, could care less about the country.  Tearing it to shreds means nothing as long as they are in charge.
Anyway, besides having tons of roses, I have honeysuckle spreading over the back fence as well.  Two complete different fragrances:  roses and honeysuckle.  One is full and rich, the other light and airy, the sweet and sour of the perfume world.  Here's a pic of mine.

I can't wait for the whole fence to be covered. 

Ashes

Another Friday and another day to work... and tomorrow as well.  Sunday I'm off, starting a 3 day weekend. 
As far as I know, my neighbor's sewage issues have been rectified.  Everything is drying out on my side.  The only saving grace was that their drainage pipe was on a shale substrate which acted like a giant filter. 
Oh, and my day's kinked up just a little.  Internet was down when I got up.  Unfortunately so much of what I do depends on accessing different websites.  I even track my weight sessions on a tablet that links to an online app.  This morning everything was 'red.'  Things didn't come back online until around 6:30 which put me really, really far behind.
Celine Dion has a new video out - "Ashes,' the theme from Deadpool 2.  Now, I'm not a big fan mostly because for about 8 months straight you couldn't turn around without her singing that "My Heart..." whatever, from Titanic.  This means I suffered through a bit of trepidation prior to watching it.  I was surprised.  While some may find it funny, (well, it is at the end) I found it rather touching.  The juxtaposition of Deadpool dancing next to Celine for a few moments became 'art.'  My only wonder is that when she sings it at the Oscars next year, will Deadpool be dancing next to her.

As for the Idiot Jerk in the White House... holy... shit.  His entire life he's depended upon his attorneys for fixing his mistakes, and for the most part everything was done in private.  Not any more.  Everything is playing out on Main Stream media.  And none of them are on the same page, except for blaming... Main Stream media.  "Fake News," they shriek, and then lie.  Giuliani's lies contradict those of the Idiot Jerk who keeps changing his story.  The whole administration is going down in flames, and while Deadpool will rise from the ashes, the Republican cinders are just going to be washed away by the Blue Wave.

Other things and... the plug

At this point around 74% of Americans are accepting the fact that Donald Trump is our 45th president - that doesn't mean they like that fact, just that they are accepting it.  As time has passed since that fateful night more information has been made apparent.  This is a good article from the Chicago Tribune.  She won the popular vote, but by less than 1/10th of a percent, if you look at all votes cast.  The Clintons like to do what they want, even if it might be questionable, and they don't seem to understand that if it's questionable their opposition can easily hammer it into a negative perception.  Her private server is a perfect example.
And then there's Trump who played his hand well.  Millions believed every word he said... except....
Now the "Wall" may not be built.  We may get something that has a similar effect, which is probably going to be more boarder patrols.  Evangelicals voted for him a big way.  He got more white Evangelical votes than George W. Bush.  On the campaign trail he was the most socially conservative candidate in history... except... he wants Rudy Giuliani as his AG and Giuliani is... Pro Choice.  Oops.  And Trump has never been as stringently anti-gay, what were they thinking?  They needed to look at the way he's treated contractors, signed contracts and then reneged, and filed for bankruptcy to get out of paying just about anything he didn't want to pay.  He told them what they wanted to hear.  They haven't hit their WTF moment yet... but it's approaching.
And then there's the plug.  That new lamp I bought?  Well, it has a rubber plug on it.  Not plastic, rubber and Big Seig thinks he has to chew it.  Twice so far.  Last night I got home from work and he had pushed the table and my Morris chair out of the way to get to it.  The cord was still attached to the lamp, however I found the plug on the sofa.  He got yelled at, and a swat on his butt, which, when you're a 108 pound Boxer is nothing.

And he looked at me with the big brown eyes and even though he can't talk I knew he was saying "oh I am so so sorry and I promise never ever ever to do it again," all the while his little stub of a tail wagged back and forth ever so slowly.  So, of course, I had to forgive him.  Am I easy or what?

A saucy vacation & Trump buffoonery

Well, yesterday was the first day of my 7 day vacation.  I always take a week off in August because on September 4 is my anniversary date and all of the vacation I've been accruing for the past year rolls over.  Yippee.  I've already scheduled 2 days for September - my friend Betsy is coming up and we're going to see Elton John.  Yippee!
I managed to get quite a lot done here on day 1.  Two need cabinets installed in the kitchen, and I made tomato sauce with my very own tomatoes - the ones the dogs didn't eat.  They love their fresh vegetables and fruits.  I had to fence in my pepper plants because they love green peppers, even the hot ones.

Adding white wine to the sauce makes it delish!

Of course there was a big uproar because Giuliani, seeking Trumplodite knighthood, bragged that there had been no Islamic terrorist attacks in the US before Obama.  I wonder if dementia is a requirement in the Trump campaign since ol' Rudy tried to skid his way into the White House using 9/11... which happened in W's first year in office.

And I read about Donald's "extreme vetting...."  Did he like.... well, buy a ticket to boohoolaland?  He didn't say who's going to be in charge of this process but I'm sure he'll have no problem setting up his version of the Gestapo... nah, that's probably a bit too harsh, he'll model his secret police force after his buddy Vlad's, they'll be Putinesque, you know?  I mean, they're already paying for his campaign, aren't they?

Anyway, I'm going to see if I can mow my lawn this morning.  We've been having thunderstorms daily, torrential downpours included, so it's very, very wet, and still very, very green, which is odd for the dog days of August.