Trump Murders

 Temps got up into the low 90s (F) here yesterday.  With a 0% chance of precipitation there were no showers, no storms, and humidity was rather middlin'.  We have the same forecast for today.  Tomorrow, however, is a different story.  Humidity is going to creep back into the area and our chance of showers and storms goes up to 40%.  In fact that % is stuck in the mid 40 percentile range for the next few days, that is unless Chantal changes course slightly. 

I did get an 8 mile bicycle ride in yesterday morning before heading out to work.  It was fine.  I listened to a Linkin Park playlist.  They were one of my favorite groups until Chester Bennington drank half a bottle of whiskey and committed suicide.  Thinking about someone doing something so stupid pissed me off so much I stopped listening to them.  I think enough time has passed, besides, they have a new lead singer and she's rather good.

And, being that it is the weekend, I also worked.  For a Saturday, business was slow.  I did bring up the subject of empty spaces beginning to clutter up our shelves with several people, one of whom works in our garden department.  The main thread of all of these conversations was that the number of products we are able to sell is declining.  This is a direct result of tariffs.  The only trade agreement that has been signed is with Vietnam and what to we import from Vietnam? The Switch, a gaming console is our biggest import.  That's going to make the economy great.

Remember Harold Lutnick?  He's the billionaire jerk who was made Secretary of Commerce.  He's also the man who said cutting 600-800 jobs in the NWS (National Weather Service) was not going to hurt us.  It's estimated that and additional 1200 to 1400 hundred positions were cut in NOAA (National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration); weather forecasters who deal with hurricane predictions.  The decision to eliminate all of these jobs falls directly on the shoulders of Trump.  He is now a murderer, not that he wasn't before, and the body count is going to continue.

Cooking

 Well, it's going to rain again.  The drizzle has already begun.  The plants are growing, and my yard will soon turn into a rainforest.  Climate change is occurring.  NOAA says things are getting warmer... and wetter, depending upon where you live.  For us here in Central PA, we seem to be getting both blessings: higher temps and rain.  We are turning tropical.  That means mangoes, and lemons, and limes will be common.  Florida?  That state is going to cook.  So are parts of Texas.  That large migration south will soon reverse as the temps continue to rise.  Change is upon us.

The Baby's Breath in my tank is gone.  Replaced with Jungle Vallisneria and a Windelov Java Fern.  I think it looks much better.  The fish now have room to swim.  Oh, and the fish aren't mutating out of shape.  The tank's acrylic, so there are no framed corners.

Work is normal; beginning to slow down I believe.  While our garden department is hopping, our overall sales figures are not as high as they were 4 months ago.  As the country continues to slowly open up, this slow down will continue.  People no longer working at home and having to commute again are going to have less time on their hands.  They will have less time for home improvements and so those plans are being moved to the back burner.  This was to be expected, though a cursory look at our plan shows our corporate offices were hoping the spending would continue longer.  Instead, sales are becoming a steady simmer, which is good for a beef stew, but it's not like the rolling boil you want for cooking pasta.

As for politics, evidently a vast majority of Republicans want Loser #45 to remain active in the party.  They have no problem with the fact that his, and their, anger cooked over on January 6.  They are actively pursuing the belief in The Big Lie.  The reality that a sizeable chunk of Republicans changed their affiliation after the Insurrection means nothing to them.  For them, volume is everything.  Anger is the tasty sauce they lavish on their burgers after taking them from the grill... anger, and a lot of moldy cheese.

Growers

Can you believe it's Sunday already?  I can.  I work today.  Don't get too close, my excitement is contagious.
Yesterday was a beautiful day.  I accomplished much.  Three loads of laundry.  Groceries were purchased. A trip to Stauffer's of Kissel Hill for 2 new succulents.

They may look small, but you gotta believe me... these guys are growers.

I reorganized my silverware drawer... I have twenty-three forks... I am never going to need that many forks.  The same is true with spoons and knifes.  I have 18 steak knives.  There's no way I'm going to eat that much steak.

I got in a 10 mile ride at place called Lipon Lake in Czech Republic.  It was listed as a 26 mile flat ride...  Well, it is flat... after the 2 mile hill, the one which goes up to an 18% grade, that you reach 4 miles into the ride.

Oh, and then I baked a Swiss cheese, spinach, and mushroom quiche for dinner.

The crust looks a little rough because I used mostly whole wheat flour and olive oil, and I didn't want to spend a lot of time daintifying it.  I knew it wasn't going to grow fat and puffy.  It was only meant to be a shell.  Oh, and I didn't use heavy cream,  Whole milk does the same thing.

Oh, and I saw where NOAA has criticized some meteorologists for illustrating how bad the Idiot Jerk's use of a Sharpie was in his fake weather prediction.  Now we know someone in charge there has their tongue up his ass.