Nothing Is Close

 Tuesday.  I don't work.  Daytime temps over the next 3 days are going to hover in the mid 80s (F).  Today's the only one of those three that I have off.  I'm going to try and make the best of it.  I can hear yardwork calling my name.

Yesterday's retail world was slow, though I did manage to get 3 measures.  I only need one for the week.  I have some old quotes that I'm trying to cancel, since there's no response from the customers for over 3 weeks the assumption is made that they're not going to be forking over the bills to pay for the install.  A small problem has cropped up with this, however, corporate wants them to stay active for 90 days.  Sorry, I am not going to be harassing people for 3 months by leaving them voice mails and sending them emails.  I can't think of a better way to lose a future customer then by trying to contact them every 3 days.  

Last night when I got home from work, I spent some time talking to my neighbors.  She hates it here.  They're from a town called Lititz, which is 45 minutes away.  She doesn't know anybody here, and doesn't seem to want to go out of her way to make friends.  Her husband is another story.  He talks to people.  Walks their dog around the block.  She stays inside with the blinds drawn.  Because they come from a small town, they think 45 minutes is a long drive, it isn't.  It usually takes me 20 minutes to get to my sister's house, and she lives on the other side of the river.  Traveling distances increase when you move to a small city, and Harrisburg is well on its way to being a medium-sized city.  Nothing is close anymore.

I have baby peaches!  And baby spiders!

Trump's trial resumes today.  Will we once again get to see him sleeping his way through another day of testimony?  There is a good likelihood that's going to happen.  Rather than have rallies on his three day weekend, he decided to go golfing instead.  You wouldn't think that would be exhausting, knowing how he cheats, but I'm sure to his addled brain it must be torturesome.  

And word came out that Noem included the story of her shooting her dog to appeal to the Orange Anus.  That, in itself, tells you how screwed up these people truly are.  She evidently didn't realize how such a heinous act would impress upon America just how big of a loser she is.  Of course, she doubled down on her story, again, and again, and again, because to do otherwise might show weakness, and there's no way Trump would choose her for his VP if she demonstrated a lack of a spine.  She is a loser.

Squeaky Clean

 Yesterday we got up to the upper 70s (F), the thermometer in the car listed the temp as being 77 (F).  Today we're back in the mid t0 upper 60s (F) and if the long range forecast is correct, we're definitely going to be seeing closer to normal early spring temps.  That doesn't mean everything that has started to bud and bloom is going to stop.  It's too late for that to happen.  Today, showers are expected.  

I was watching Death is in the Details on Hulu on and off for a while.  Last night I watched the last episode and was disappointed.  The reveal of who the villain was intended to be a shocker, I thought it was a cheat.  There was nothing clever about it.  I read that the producers were optimistic about a 2nd season, let's hope they're wrong.

The invalid old lady downstairs is doing fine, by that I mean Lily.  I suspect her biggest problem is the boobly cyst on her wrist, which is swollen, and pains her to walk.  Other wise she's alert, watching me constantly when I'm at my writing desk, and eating.  She has a good appetite, and drinks, and goes outside to do her business, but then it's back onto the sofa in the writing room where she perches herself on pillows to rule the world.  An email (with pics) has been sent to the mobile vet who's on vacation until Monday.  What I find surprising is there's only one in the area.  I'm definitely not living in a "All Creatures Great and Small" area.

Thanks to the warm temps and the rain, things are budding and blooming.  The peach tree I cut back wioll soon be filled with blossoms.  The nectarine?  Dead as a doornail.   Here's a pic that I took.

And I just got a news flash, probably the same one a lot of you just received.  Fanni Willis can stay on the case down in Georgia, but she's going to have to dump the Chief Prosecutor.  She's a smart cookie, so I'm sure she and her team were prepared for all possibilities.  That being said, I also have to admit that she wasn't smart enough to manage her hormonal urges.  Honestly, I did believe someone in her position would have realized that when dealing with any Trump related case even the slightest appearance of impropriety could be catastrophic.  You would have though she'd have realized that with these trials being so high profile, squeaky clean was the only way to go.

Also, Trump's porno suit has been delayed for 30 days, too.  Whispers say that a bit of evidence has been unearthed proving Cohen to be totally unreliable.  Again, that wouldn't surprise me.  Even though he's been telling anyone and everyone that he's cleaned up his act, let's face it, he worked for Trump, doing his dirty work, for years.  He will never be squeaky clean.

Waiting for the Big Guns

 Finally, my 3 day work weekend is over.  Not that I find that time at the store stressful, mostly the passing minutes are slow and tedious because customers in the flooring department are few and far between.  I did design an $8,000 order of blinds yesterday.  Yeah, read that dollar figure correctly.  Honestly, I'd need to have far more disposable income than I could ever dream of to spend that kind of money on blinds.

Since I did work, I didn't get to enjoy the beautiful day, sunny with a bit of a breeze.  Today there is the possibility of rain (read that rare showers).  I'm pretty much going to ignore that forecast.  When it comes to precipitation our local forecaster's accuracy has be rather unpredictable.

Chores are planned for today, as they are for everyday.  As well as a trip to my local Giant supermarket.  And, of course, Lily gets her walk.  That's something she loves.  We didn't get a lot of walks in when Biggie was still alive because it was a chore for him to just get around the block.  Don't get me wrong, he loved those short walks, but once we were home he'd just lay done and pant for a while.  Now, Lily and I go daily.  She will be 10 in August and she's still bouncy as hell.

Here's an update on my peaches.  If I've counted correctly there are 4 on the tree, a big difference from the 100s I used to get. Here's a pic of one.

And the GOP presidential race is beginning to really heat up.  Mikey Pence announced.  Today Chris Christie is announcing.  Both of them are going after Trump.  Nikki H is also lobbing small hand grenades towards the Orange Anus, none really strong enough to actually make it explode.  Supposedly there is open warfare between Ronnie D and Donnie T, though to my mind it's only small arms fire.  I'm waiting until they both decide to bring in the Big Guns.  I suspect that will happen once Donnie T gets indicted for espionage... or some other crime against Democracy.  When that happens they're going to try and verbally nuke each other.  Who loses in this approaching shit show?  Why the GOP.  Every aspect of their political machine is going to be damaged.  All the "anti legislation" is going to take a back seat at the back of the bus because no one is going to care except their petty base.  You know, those rarified individuals who live in Magadonia.

 

Par for the Course

 Well, Thursday has arrived.  The temps are supposed to be warmer today then they were yesterday, that'll be nice, and hopefully it won't be as windy.  Yikes, yesterday you really needed to hold on to your hat if you happened to wear a hat and went outside.  I'm not a hat person.  They make my ears stand out.

One of the things I find amusing about going to Planet Fitness is the individuals who walk around with large water bottles filled with either a protein shake or hydration drink (most likely water), especially the drinks since they're now way they're going to sweat out a quart of bodily fluid walking around looking at the exercise equipment.

I'm picking up Biggie's ashes this morning and later this evening I'm getting rid of that dog bed he never used.  People ask me how Lily's doing, if she's going through any grief.  Now and then she will stop and look around, so she knows he's gone, but I've been keeping her very busy.  Dogs do have time issues, that's why you can walk out the front door, stay outside for two minutes, and when you go back into the house they treat you as though you've been gone for years.

I do have peaches on those branches that are still on my peach tree.

Evidently Trump and his minions were told more than once about his handling of secret documents and, par for the course with him, he ignored what he as told.  This information is being sent to the DOJ and the Orange Anus has up until May 26 to file an appeal.  He will file, probably on the last day because that, too, is par for the course.  I also understand that the attorney in charge of this matter quit right after this information was made public.  People are wondering if it was because he got fed up with Trump lying to him, or just got fed up with not being paid.  Either way, he should have known this was par for the course.

Trickle Down

 Okay, so this is the 4th of July weekend.  Last night one of my neighbors fired off a single firecracker.  Someone is a little overanxious.  I like fireworks, I just hate dealing with the traffic in order to get to a place where I can see them.  Oddly enough, I can kind of see them from my attic window, of course that would mean standing in a unairconditioned storage room where the temp can be 20 to 30 higher than outside.  While I enjoy fireworks, I don't enjoy them that much.  

Yesterday was hot.  Forecasters were predicting a likelihood of rain.  Didn't happen.  Today's they say we have a 55% chance of experiencing some form of precipitation.  I'm going to water the garden because that % is really nothing more than a medium good guess.   Temps are fine.  90 (F) is not bad.  We are in summer.  I'd rather have that then temps in the triple digits.  

I froze another 4 quarts of peaches yesterday. This is yummy, tasty stored away for the winter.

One of the things that amazes me about people is that so many seem to have long term memory problems.  I always thought there were little gray cells which specialized in documenting and possibly even categorizing things that happened for future reference.  Here's an example.  When I hear people say that Trump is responsible for the greatest economy the country has ever seen, I wonder how they could have so easily forgotten that the Republicans, under George W, also voted for big tax breaks for corporations, aka Trickle Down economics.  The economy flourished.  The stock market boomed.  Because Wall Street was going like gangbusters, the GOP started throwing out suggestions on how Americans could be moved from Social Security to something similar to a national 401K program.  There was talk, not only about how this was going to be managed, but who might manage the accounts, surely not a government agency; no one would make any money if that happened.  People don't remember this.  They do, however, remember Bush's version of Trickle Down economics failing.  Corporations began laying off people who had gotten mortgages they couldn't afford, mostly those without a fixed interest rate, and the housing market began collapsing, leading to the Great Recession.   Based on Trickle Down economics, Trump's great economy was doomed from the start.  Perhaps a more important question might be: did he know this, and is that why he wanted people to die from Covid to brace up an economy that had failure written all over it?

Earthshattering

 Shall we say hello to Tuesday, and the beginning of my first weekend?  The temps are supposed to climb into the mid 80s (F), which means today is going to be a good day to mow the lawn.  I will probably be picking more peaches as well.  Is there a peach cobbler in the near future?  I'm suspecting the likelihood is strong.

When I got home from work yesterday, I waited by my car for a neighbor walking her Irish Wolfhound.  As she passed, I said 'hi.'  She nodded.  Heading slowly towards my house, I told her I'd wait until she was past to go inside because my dogs were going to be loud.  She nodded, and smiled, and said, "ah, yes, the Boxers."  That made me chuckle and wonder how many people in my neighborhood know Biggie and Lily as simply The Boxers.

I've been sorting through one of the boxes I have of old photograph.  Some I will give to my sister, others to my brother, quite a few I'm simply throwing out because they have no relevance.  You might be surprised to learn that I've taken quite a few irrelevant pictures in my day.  At least now they seem irrelevant.  Their only worth right now might be in deciphering how my brain works, or perhaps I should say worked since I'm fairly certain those little gray cells have changed their functionality several times of the years.  Anyway, when I got out of the Navy, we held a big party, lots of people, lot of beer, and balloons.  It was a celebration of my returning to civilian life.  Here's a shot of me from that night that I only vaguely remember taken when I was rightly toasted.  I loved that flannel shirt.  Oh, and I'm 22 years old, on the verge of turning 23 not 14 heading into my 15th birthday.

Yesterday, as I was preparing to end my shift, my sister called and asked if I had seen there was going to be a surprise witness and today's abruptly called hearing.  My sister has never been political, until now, and I do not doubt that her interest is so peaked because my brother-in-law is a raging MAGA.

I was hoping one of the key players had flipped.  John Dean Tweeted that calling an abrupt hearing witha surprised witness needed to be something earthshattering.  It turns out the witness is Cassidy Hutchinson, a top aide who worked closely with Mark Meadows and Trump.  We shall have to wait and see how much ground she moves.

Call a Liar a Liar

 Say hello to a quiet Sunday.  Well... maybe.  I have to work an 8-hour shift today.  Business might not be too slow early in the day, then, there might be a mini rush when the after-Church crowd arrives, but later this afternoon it will be slow.  I'm getting paid for 8 hours whether the store is busy or not.

Yesterday the temps around here peaked at 91 (F).  This is not the first time we've been in the 90s, though this is the first time since summer has officially arrived.  Compared to many other parts of the country, that's not too hot.  Being aware of this, I played a little game with customers by saying "I understand it's hot outside."  To hear their responses, you would think the temps were so high the heat was practically sucking the breath from their lungs.  So, I added that it was much hotter in Texas and their eyes would glaze as dumbness reigned.  When did so many people turn into non-thinking sheep?

I did freeze several bags of peaches yesterday.  I even went so far as to cut out all the little, itsy-bitsy worms.  I get enough protein in my diet; I don't need anymore.

More of my dahlias are getting ready to bloom.  I have at least 3 (possibly 4) more plants in this little garden, with marigolds sprinkled among them.  Color is simply great!

Maureen Dowd, who can at times sound dated, has an interesting piece in the NYT regarding Clarence Thomas.  She does mention how he is anti-contraceptive, meaning he's against birth control.  This is interesting since Ginni, his wife, has never given birth.  She married Clarence in 1987, when she was 30 years old, quite a fruitful age for making babies.  Remember, he is supposedly a devout Catholic, which is why he's anti-abortion and anti-contraceptive, and yet he and Ginni made no babies.  If she wasn't on the pill than God must have damned her to be a barren wife... or maybe, they just don't have sex.

One of the things that has bothered me is the fact so many are afraid to can a religious extremist an Extremist, or a Zealot.  We are dealing with a radical group that is constantly labeling centrists as fascists.  They call Democrats Communists and those people who believe 92 (F) is hot believe them.  Too many people in this country think we have only 2 choices, taking the high road, or taking the low road.  There is a middle road called standing up for your rights.  When a religious zealot, like Marjorie Taylor Green calls us fascists she needs to be called out loudly.  We need to loudly begin labeling these people as Extremists, and we need to do so loudly.  We need to tell America who these people truly are.

Susan Collins' failure was exemplified by her saying Brett Kavanaugh misled her.  Misled her?  No, he didn't, he lied to her.  Told her straight to her face Roe v Wade was settled.  She would have done more to save her face by just admitting that he lied to her.  Do not dance around the truth.  Every congressman, every senator, every time they get in front of a microphone need to remind the American people that Brett Kavanaugh, and Neil Gorsuch, and Samuel Alito, and Clarence Thomas lied to congress.  These people misled nobody.  They lied.

"It looks bad for Trump"

 This afternoon, we here in Central PA are going to be celebrating summer with severe thunderstorms.  Supposedly, these storms will be bringing heavy downpours, so they've put us into an areal flood watch.  Right now the temp outside is 71 (F), with a high sometime this afternoon of around 87 (F).   That's quite a bit cooler than many southern parts of the country.  If our long range forecast hews even close to predictions, cracking 90 (F) is not in the cards.  However, we all know the accuracy of long range forecasts.

I've got a boatload of peaches again this year.  My tree has grown so tall I'm going to need to get out the big ladder to reach those near the top, unless I want to lean out of my 2nd story window to harvest.  This pic was taken at ground level.

I saw where a video has surfaced of Herschel Walker saying God has multiple personalities: the Father, the Son, and the Holy Spirit.  I'm suspecting he read this in the Book of Herschel.

And, I was planning to do 2 miles on the treadmill, but I only managed to finish one; the January 6 committee hearing was more important.  The testimony was quite riveting at times.  Rusty Bowers from Arizona?  He may be a Republican, but I have to admit that man has cojones!  I, personally, might have taken a shotgun to those individuals driving around his neighborhood using speakers to broadcast that he was a pedophile.  His quote from Giuliani stating that Team Trump had "lots of theories but no proof," was damning as Hell.

The phone call between Trump and Raffensberger?  Ho Ly Shit!  That conversation is a great illustration of why Georgia is going to send the Orange Anus to jail.  Listening to it, I couldn't help but think that this loser is making shit up on the fly.  And whine.  Hell.  There was nothing thinly veiled about his threats.

Of course, the testimony of Shaye Moss and her mother Lady Ruby.  That was devastating.  I cannot even begin to imagine what it must have been like to have Trump call Shaye a 'vote scammer and hustler.'  May he rot in whatever country he runs to when the indictment comes.

Finally, I did have to laugh when I saw Neil Cavuto of Fox News saying it "looks bad for Trump."  That is an understatment. 

At the Border

 After one day off, I get to return to work today.  My next day of is July 4th.  I can't remember ever having off on this particular holiday.  Normally the store closed around 7 PM so people could do the 'fireworks' thing with their families, but not this year.  That's odd.  

Yesterday was really hot here, 97 (F), though not nearly as insanely hot as Portland, OR.  Around 0900, I went out and mowed my lawn.  Can we talk about being sweaty?  My lawn is not that large.  On a bad day it'll take me half an hour to mow the entire thing.  Yesterday was a pretty good day, only about 20 minutes, and I needed to take a shower afterwards.

I also got a ride in.  Nice.  

In fact, I accomplished so much yesterday, I was rather pleased with myself.  Peaches were frozen, about 4 quarts worth, laundry done, the fish tanks cleaned.

And also connected with some of my Navy friends on a Zoom call.  One of them hates Democrats.  Literally.  He attempted to bring politics into the conversation and got shot down.  Good. There are certain times when you need to keep your politics to yourself.

I understand our failed presidential candidate wannabe fascist dictator is going to be in Texas today.  He's going to the border.  Nope, we're not kicking him, though there are quite a few who would be pleased if that were to happen.  It seems the slimy governor, a loser named Abbott, has started a 'go fund me' to build The Wall.  I wonder how much money the loser's going to donate?  Probably none, unless his failed accountants can use it as a tax deduction.

And what about that MAGA governor sending 50 National Guard troops to the border?  Their all expense paid trip is being paid for by a Republican Mega donor.  That part is so filled with hate.

Harvesting

 The temps are a bit chilly, willy outside this morning, with the thermometer sitting at a collectively cool 50 (F).  The dogs love these temps.  I don't mind them, since I like wearing comfy sweatshirts.

Today is the first day of my weekend.  And, surprisingly, I didn't stay up watching some show on Netflix, or Amazon Prime, or Paramount +.  Instead, last evening I busied myself around the house.  Most of my laundry has made it's way through both the washer and the dryer and is now either folded or hung in preparation for the coming week.

The peach harvest will begin in earnest today.  I do suspect there is at least one peach cobbler waiting for me in the not too distant future, that will take of some of my peaches.  Other's will be frozen, or eaten.  I'd like to attempt a jam or a jelly, but that's small challenge which will have to wait.

Oh, and in case any one is wondering, it's not just peaches I'll be harvesting, my peppers will soon be ready for eating.

I've given a rough draft of the first chapter of The Body in Repose to one lucky reader, and even before he had read a single word, I had already begun making changes.  That is how it works.  Yesterday, we had rain up here in Central PA and I checked out the weather map and was pleased to see the line of storms stretched from New York all the way down to New Orleans.  Could there be a predominant weather pattern in the book?   Well, I will tell you up front... there is no hurricane.  Oh, and in case you're interested, there's no Mardi Gras either.

From what I understand, Covid cases are on the rise in the unvaccinated, MAGA states; the Delta variant is more popular among that group then hotcakes with maple syrup.  You know, the more super spreader events Trump holds, the faster his anti-democracy base will cull themselves out of the voting booths.  This is fine.  Culling is an important piece of the evolutionary puzzle.  In fact, it's a lot like harvesting, though I can't think of anyone who's going to want to put MAGA jam on the menu.

Halleluja!

My Friday has arrived!

Yesterday work was tedious.  I spent most of the day at the Flooring desk fixing and correcting problems.  Issues do crop up from time to time, sometimes they're the result of an error on our part, other times it's a problem of the customer's creation... meaning, no matter what the facts prove, we're responsible for the mistake.  This is one of the many reasons, I do not doubt, retail employees are leaving their jobs in record numbers.  We deal with a lot of people who do nothing but fluff themselves up with self-entitlement.  This is why I'll be singing a special song once September arrives.

I'm harvesting peaches tomorrow!  Lots of peaches!  

Yesterday, Carl Nassib, a resident of West Chester, PA, and the first active player of the NFL came out as gay!  I was going to send him a note on Instagram telling him to expect his free toaster oven, but decided not ruin Bob's surprise.

Finally, according to the CDC, thanks to the new variants, we should see a spike in Covid infections this fall.  Of course, the vast majority of those getting infected are going to be the unvaccinated; evangelical Christians, social conservatives, Qanon heretics, and the anti-vaxxers, or, if you feel the need to just lump them into one category, Republicans.  This will happen because so many of them are in denial, thanks to the failed president they worship.  Truthfully, most of us who have been vaccinated, or are in the process of getting vaccinated don't really care.  The common attitude I find towards these fools is 'more power to them.'  Which is a quiet way of singing hallelujah. 

Harvesting

 So, Day 1 of my Staycation was fine.  I had lunch with my friend Betsy, teased her with the first chapter of The Body in the Loch, and ended the visit with a trip to Dairy Queen where I had a large Drumstick Blizzard.  As I commented to Bathwater on 6/8 I love Blizzards. 

The rest of the evening was spent in relaxation, not doing anything... well, that's not quite true, I did run the dishwasher, but that isn't really work.

I packed away the medical thermometer given to my by my employer, the large Orange Home Improvement retailer.  Hopefully, I will never have to use the damn thing on a daily basis ever again.  Unfortunately, I still need to complete the Associate Health Check before the time clock will let me punch in; I can't wait for that to disappear as well.

Here are some of the character names from The Body in Repose:  Cookie Lindquist, Raj Beneh, Sheila Caine, and Antoine DeGuerre.  Character names are very important.  It's not unusual for me to spend several weeks choosing them.  I guess, in a way, it's a lot like naming your children, which is odd, since why would you want to give a good name to a character you know is going to be bad?

The harvest has begun on my peaches.  Some of them are fairly sizeable, some not so, being the size of walnuts.  

Oh, and it case any of you didn't know, Bibi Netanyahu got his ass fired.  I saw where he's spitting his own version of The Big Lie.  Not only is he a corrupt politician, he's a bad loser, almost as bad as the Orange Anus.  And I saw where Putin defended Russia's action against his political rivals by calling them dissenters and claiming we did the same thing...  you have to remember, he's talking specifically about the Republican party, and even more specifically the Orange Anus.  He's going to create a Civil War in Russia... and he's going to lose.  I will harvest peaches and he will harvest failure.

The Horseshit Extravaganza

 Well, I begin a 5 day work week today and crap, wouldn't you know it, I forgot to set my alarm clock and slept in until 0600.

I baked a loaf of Italian bread yesterday and decided to mix in some olive oil.  Big mistake.  The bread tastes great, however the loaf turned out very moist and extremely crumbly with a fairly thick, crunchy crust.  It tastes great, but you can't slice it.  Chalk this up as a lesson learned.  I'm thinking I might mix it in with a beaten egg and some whole milk and then fry the mixture into some sort of French Toasty thingy.  I have maple syrup, which makes just about anything tasty.

And yesterday, in 93(F) heat, I mowed my lawn.  Very humid, but it needed to be done.  My tomato plants seem to be doing a bit poorly.  I have tomatoes but haven't seen a flower in what seems to be weeks.  The plot where they're planted might be too wet.

I've put a link to The Body in the Loch on the top of the page.  They do let you sample read the first chapter for those out there who are curious.  And while I haven't officially begun the next one, I'm accumulating tons of notes.

I also have tons of peaches, in fact, way too many.  Some are only the size of walnuts, others the size of tennis balls.  How do you eat a peach the size of a walnut?

In case you haven't heard, Loser #45 is going to be doing an arena tour with Bill O'Reilly.  Can we talk about a horseshit extravaganza?  I wouldn't be surprised if the warm-up act isn't a MAGA hat choir singing the Hallelujah chorus.  While this seems humorous, even outright funny to some, it needs to be taken seriously.  In case you haven't realized it yet, Loser #45 doesn't care if people die, because people don't count to him.  And his party?  With him, they believe they are something, without him, they are nothing.  This is why we need to make their beliefs obsolete.  They do not understand, our patience is wearing thin.

The Destroyer

 My Friday has arrived!  This means I have that 'attitude.'  What can I say, I'm only human.

The forecasted temps over the next 4 days are more suitable for late June.  Upper 80's (F) are nice, but the Central Air was turned on this morning in anticipation.  Since the front and side of my house get direct South East sun, I usually keep the bedroom drapes drawn during the day, otherwise the ceiling fans turn the upstairs into convection oven, even with the air-conditioning on.  All that glass is a magnifier.

My treadmill is a bit inoperative right now.  The belt curled up over the edge while I was doing an adjustment.  I sent an email to Horizon... no response.  Since they haven't gotten back to me, I've been watching YouTube videos.  As seems to be the case these days, the manuals included with the treadmill are not quite as accurate or informative as the individuals posting helpful videos online.  Rather than rely on Horizon, I will fix the issue myself.

Work was steady in the morning yesterday, but as the afternoon arrived things began to slow down.  This is fine with me.  We've made lots and lots of money thanks to Covid.  Being constantly busy is not an ideal I strive for, pauses between customers are fine.  Your workday doesn't need to be non-stop.  My motto is rapidly becoming 'take a few moments and relax.'

My peach tree is full of peaches!

I had a bit of a chortle yesterday when I saw Lindsey Graham muttered to the press that "Biden won the election and the party needs to move on," or at least it was something like that.  He refused to talk about Arizona, most likely because he knows the shit-show out there makes them look bad.  And, of course, in a few weeks, the Biggest Loser of All is going to begin his Caravan of Lies, taking his deceit to a city near you.  The longer his party embraces The Big Lie, the more unpopular they become.  They are losing moderate voters.  Good.  Many are beginning to realize Trump wasn't sent to give them what they want, he was sent to destroy them.

Diving Deeper

 Holy Crap!  It's Tuesday!  Don't time fly.  Seems like only yesterday my weekend began, and now it' over. Still, I will admit to getting much more done then I had been expecting.  I even managed to get the lawn mowed.  This is the 2nd time I've mowed it during a drizzle.  And, let's be honest, it's not as though I need to worry about shrinking.  I was sanforized a long time ago.

Another loaf of wheat bread was baked yesterday, and once again it's delicious.

A few more aquarium plants are arriving today.  The rest of Baby's Breath is going to be tossed into the compost bin.  There was nothing in the description about the plant overwhelming a tank.  Nor was mention made of how that mass of teeny, tiny leaves gathered large amounts of uneaten fish food.  The last one I pulled out weighed in at 12 oz and was about the size of a basketball.  This one is almost as large.  Soon the fish will have more space to swim.

And I have lots of baby peaches!

And isn't that Liz Cheney a pistol!  One of my news feeds called her a pain in the GOP's side, they were being kind.  The far, ugly right hate her.  She's refusing to bow down and worship the sphincter of Loser #45.  Don't be confused, however, she's not speaking on behalf of Centrists, and Independents , and least of all Democrats.  Nope.  She is the voice of that 9% of Republicans who broke away the Insurrectionists.  Without those votes, while they might win local elections, they'll never get into the Big House...again, and that sets their butts on fire.  Ouchy.

Oh, and one of the things trending on Reddit this morning was "Josh Hawley is Pro-Hate Crime."  This is a party that's in a pond of deep shit, and instead of trying to get out, their simply diving deeper.  

Fever Pitch

For those who don't know, today is the longest day of the year.  Summer officially begins... or began... a few hours ago.... or maybe it's later this morning.  I'm not that precise when it comes to either equinoxes or solstices.  I'm sure if I wanted one, I could purchase a watch which linked to some atomic clock somewhere, and chimed the instant the summer started.  Personally, I think that would be going a little overboard.

Yesterday was Juneteenth.  One of the most striking things I read was that the Idiot Jerk in the White House was unusually quiet on Twitter.  I was always told that if you can't say anything nice, or good, don't say anything at all.  His silence in no means indicates he has finally achieved some level of common sense.  Most likely he was practicing some herky jerky moves for his Ding Dong Rally this evening.

I think it's rather amusing.  He is defining the Republican Part for the world to see.  Now we know they don't care about human life as long as they can get their hair or nails done.  They have no problem separating children from their parents.  They have no problem blackmailing others to keep themselves in power.  They lie a lot... daily.  They don't like people with dark skin.  I know I'm missing many things because their disassociation from America is so totally overwhelming.  They are in their own separate, little world... and, not surprisingly, they don't understand they are a minority group.  They like to call themselves the party of Lincoln, yet they would vote stridently against the Emancipation Proclamation were it to be written today. True, their party is old, but it is no longer grand and has not been for quite some time.

Anyway, their Idiot Jerk is going to have his Ding Dong Rally tonight in Tulsa because his ego demands human sacrifice.  For you and I, having to sign a waver promising not to sue, would give us reason to question the wisdom of attending.  Not to his base.  They see it as a joke.  An inconvenience at best.  Temperatures are supposed to be taken.  Realistically now, does anybody think they're going to stop anyone from entering that arena because they're running a fever?  They will chalk it up to an Adrenalin rush, anticipation of the fever pitch initiated by the Idiot Jerk shrieking from center stage.  Prepare yourselves, he will go off topic... a lot.  He has miles of bile to spew.  He is a bitter, bitter man who is beginning to understand how much he's hated.  He is going to be fired by the American People.  He deserves everything he gets.

And finally, for those who are interested.  I have peaches!

They were early last year, too.  I don't mind.

His Little Nazi Boys

It's Monday and I have the day off.  Then I'm scheduled to work for 5 days in a row, 8 hours a day, 40 hours altogether.  Getting back to a normal life will be interesting.  Three weeks later they have me back to my 8 - 1 schedule, and the following week I believe I scheduled some vacation time for myself.
Yesterday one of my fellow associates called off so I was by myself until the closing associate showed up at 1:30 PM.  I was busy.  No wackos.  No assholes.  Time when very fast.
I was talking to my friend Betsy last evening and I asked her who Lara Tramp was, I mean I knew she was a Tramp by marriage but I didn't know if she was one of those Tramps who was married, and then divorced but still considered herself a Tamp.  Not that it makes a wit of difference, once a Tramp always a Tramp. I saw where she was being supportive of Tara Reade, who is also a tramp but not by marriage... yet.  I do not doubt Tara has aspirations to be an Upper Class Tramp.
During our discussion, I pointed out that in regard to Covid - 19 and couples, married or otherwise, when one is infected it's almost a sure thing their partner, spouse, or what ever... roomie even, ends up getting infected as well.  Viruses like when you sleep together, you know?  Don't you fine it interesting that Stevie Miller's pretty new wife shows symptoms and test positive and little Stevie doesn't?  I do.  Of course, one can not help but think about the Idiot Jerk's poor valet, a strapping sailor-man he doesn't know, who also tested positive a few days earlier...  Hhhmm.  And they're the only 2 with symptoms who have tested positive in the West Wing.  Could Stevie's marriage be one of... convenience?  I, for one, would not be surprised if he was far more interested in his little Nazi boys.
And I have baby peaches!

And baby nectarines, as well.  My cucumber seeds have sprouted as well.  Yum.  And tomatoes, too.

The Target Market

Well, here it is Tuesday.  I'm going to bake bread today... and begin the painting of my stairwell.  I have chosen a nice, calming color,  soothing to the eye, imbued with hues relaxing and tranquil to quell the trembling of my battered aura... it's called Zen.  Shit!  Maybe I should switch to Romance Novels.
So, while the movie theaters are still open, I went to see "The Invisible Man" last evening.  It dragged at times.  The first half works really hard to make you sympathize with Elizabeth Moss... and I didn't.  She claims to be running away from an abusive marriage...  I tend to be very cynical about people who make generalized claims without be able to site specifics.  In the original, Claude Rains ran around naked to achieve full invisibility, this was not the case with Oliver Jackson-Cohen.
I did get some rather sad news yesterday.  My store is considered "essential."  That's right, we are not going to close.  This is because a number of contractors, plumbers and electricians, and so on, shop our store for their needs.  Personally, with Covid - 19 preparing to run rampant through the country, I would not want some stranger in my house.  I picked up my paint yesterday and there was a woman there with her kids... cause schools are closed.  And she was browsing paint colors.  Can we talk stupid here?  She has absolutely no clue it is going to be people like her who are going to be spreading this virus.
When I go back to work on Thursday, I will need to find out how they are going to deal with people like me... since the virus has designate people over 65 as part of its Target Market.
And I guess yesterday was also the day when the Idiot Jerk in the White House finally understood how terribly serious the situation is with Covid - 19.  He is going to be remembered not for the economy, but for how atrocious he was handing this pandemic.  Projections for the amount of deaths in this country are dire.  This moron now knows he's going to go down in the history books as the worst president in the history of this country.  Blame those who put this monster into power.
And... finally, to end on a nicer note.  Blossoms are sprouting all over my peach tree.  This is what spring looks like.

Welcome Spring.

I was wrong! Sort of...

So, evidently the terms in the US / Mexico agreement had been agreed to by both countries weeks before the Idiot Jerk in the White House began shrieking about tariffs.  Fool on me for believing this Moral Degenerate had successfully managed to badger a foreign country into submission.  On the other hand, we all now know for certain this little shit charade was aimed directly at his racist base.  They squeal with delight every time he puts on one of these little dictator masquerades.  They will never understand his administration is nothing more than a two bit funhouse filled with cheap trickery, just like his life.
Anyway, it's Sunday.  I'm off.  I'm going to see "Rocketman" this evening.
Oh, and I have to mow my grass this afternoon - tomorrow it's supposed to be rainy.
Cori, the woman who does the artwork for my books, has lived on farms for most of her life.  She tells me my big, black snakey friend has probably been living here for some time.  My catching a glance of him on my back sidewalk was extremely rare.  That's fine with me.  I'm tired of having to put mousetraps out every fall.  This is how nature works, you know?
And my peaches are maturing:

There are only seven peaches on the tree, but I guess that's just fine for the first crop.  Here's a closeup of one:

The only problem is that they're small... about the size of large plums.  I thought it was a full size tree, but it's a dwarf so I guess this is about as good as it gets.

On the other hand, my nectarine tree has 17 nectarines.  It is not a dwarf, so will grow to between 15 and 20 feet in height.  This means I'll end up with baskets of nectarines.

Peachy

It's Tuesday... and I'm off work!  Happy Dance!  Happy Dance!
As usual, I have lots of things planned.  I want to hang a shelf beneath the big screen TV to hold my PS4 and my Xbox One.  This will eliminate a small table in my living room.   Space... it's all about space.  I don't like clutter.  I don't want to be completely surrounded by furniture.
I thought it was interesting how the Idiot Jerk's administration pushed back after Pelosi said that if he lost by a small margin, he would try and stay.  She's right, of course.  The only way he and his spawn can avoid jail time is to stay in power.  Personally, I believe he'll lose by a rather large margin.  A much more likely scenario will be his being helicoptered from the White House to a nearby airfield where a waiting plane will whisk him off to...  Moscow, maybe?  I don't know.  Where do ex-tyrant wannabes go?
Why do I think he's going to run away?  Because of this:  when you have this many Federal Prosecutors saying if he weren't president he would have been indicted, it's bad.  He is going to everything possible to save his orange ass from going to jail.  That cute one hour conversation he had with his blow bro Vlad?  I'm sure his buddy said "don't worry, we have your back in 2020."  This is going to get ugly.  His base will rally...  What they don't realize is that those cute little, red MAGA hats they wear are not going to keep them safe from a good wack upside their heads.  When the smacking starts to happen they're going to stomp their feet and scream terrible words!  Let's be honest here, without his Twitter account the Idiot Jerk in the White House is nothing more than a spineless sack of shit.
Finally, pictures!  No, not of the royal British / American baby boy.  Something better!  My peach!

And the really great news is that I have more than one!  Now, ain't that peachy!