A Tsunami is Coming - A Blue One - Ride It or be Crushed, Your Choice

Beware Fellow Travelers! (and Salutations!, of course)

 It's coming in November. A tsunami, a blue one.  Overturning free elections and allowing the SCOTUS to be as partisan and corrupted as every other branch of Government is the dubious accomplishment of the new Republican Party.  Careless?  They couldn't care less.  Empathy?  They'll steal from your parents.  Duty?  Responsibility?  Honor?  That's for suckers.  Women's rights?  They don't have any.

Empathy and accountability are on the mid-term ballots.

It looks as though if you care about others, the animals, clean water and air, the choice is pretty clear.

Remember Gordon Gecko (Michael Douglas) in 'Wall Street'? "Greed Is Good" ?  Not so much now.

I believe Russia is responsible for war crimes in Ukraine.  I also suspect Trump likely had interactions with Putin that produced negative results for the US.  Every day, we hear about a new low he has gone to - and thank God we no longer have to go with him through whatever sewage he's chosen to wallow in.

I've had both brain cancer and Covid (vaxxed 4x!) so I know something about avoiding "taking the "Long Dirt Nap" and I'm telling you there is scary stuff coming out and there's probably more to come, much more!

I now see we're about 1/2 way through the story.  It's kind of gross, but I'm all in, I have to see what happens next...

One of my Favorite Things - No, not Jimmy Dean Breakfast-On-A-Stick (that's a hard NO), But A Teeny Tiny Mystery- Good News for Everyone!

 Hello Fellow Travelers!

One Hint This Was NOT My Order

The other day I was unexpectedly alone.  I'm rarely "on my own" for lots of reasons.  And that's probably a good thing - I'm pretty oblivious to anything going on when I'm online and wary/watching the rest of the time.  When the PS is around, I feel more or less secure.  But when I'm alone, I start checking locks and death tolls around the globe.  My default has always been to see the darker side of everything and still find perfection and artistry in humanity.

Case in point:   Yesterday, I was alone and there was a knock.  It's usually a delivery of some kind and I never open the front door - but eventually I peeked and saw a delivery had indeed been left in my doorway, but it wasn't some bubblewrapped whatever from Amazon.  It was a crate of very perishable grocery items, eggs and meats and a wrapped case of  forty 16oz water bottles.  My task was to get the perishables into the refrigerator ASAP!

 I cleared a path to the kitchen, cleared space in the freezer and dragged the water and the grocery crate indoors. It was a Herculean effort!  I was fierce!  I was unstoppable, single-minded in my purpose!  GI Jane?  Try GI Jan! Then my PS arrived.  Apparently I had inadvertently received an order from Sam's Club (Walmart) and didn't realize it until I saw a chuck roast.  I know how to break down a steer, but I can't say where a "chuck" is.  There were other clues that this "mysterioso" gift was a little more Grub than Hub:  The strawberry-lemonade that I thought was soooo thoughtful was in fact, on closer inspection, a cheap, syrupy knockoff of Tropicana Lemonade.  Another sign?  Nobody we know eats Velveeta -n- Shells.

So after tolerating a flood (and still trickling in) of Redneck jokes from my child and the PS, I made pearls out of chum and donated everything to a foodbank.  The hungry get the food the people who ordered the food get refunded and we are able to feed a few people.  And I won't have to eat anything with a face.  Everybody wins!

A Great Spot In The High Desert - Clean, Safe AND Free Belgian Waffles- Prepared, Served and Cleaned Up By Others! Five Stars!

 Hello Fellow Travellers!  (literally)

In May of this year we went to Arizona.  We always stay at one hotel, the Prescott Hampstead Inn.        It's a good place for many reasons:  Good prices, good amenities, very clean.     As always, it's the small details that make it stand out.  They installed pocket doors that ensure privacy and economy of space.  This hotel is located next to a Costco and is close to both downtown and the highway.  I'm able to lure the 20something kids to pop in and experiment with the waffle maker and all the assorted possibilities.  They are near a fairly empty high end mall and they have free Wi-Fi.  We have a niece that owns a house South and my BFF lives slightly north.  We've stayed there exclusively for years.  As time has passed, they've changed, improved.  I've stayed at most hotels/resorts in Northern Arizona and this Inn is a little oasis in a fairly barren hotel landscape.                                                                                      

Breakfast!   Belgium Waffles Made, Served and Cleared By Others - Bonus!

It has been recently (and correctly) brought to my attention that lives and careers can be affected by negative social media.  That presents a big challenge for a snarky-yet-oddly-chipper-Doomsdayer such as myself:  I've chosen to write about the happy discoveries I come across in my few travels,  what makes the United States the Greatest Democracy, what makes our people resilient, strong.  I liked the Dark Side, "The Scary Bits" since I was young. Looking for great things and happy places is unnatural to me.  I'm a lot closer to Morticia Adams than a Charlie's Angel in my writing style but I think the planet is in grave danger and if my tiny contribution to the ethos can add a teeny bit of positive, I gladly take up the challenge!  Any bony with a laptop can complain about something.  It will be a real test to find the springwater in this cesspool.  Let's see what I can uncover...                                                         

Did Someone Say, "Social Distancing" Or "Psychotic Paranoia"?

 Hello Fellow Travelers!

Putin looks like the rabid rodent he is, but I'll give him his due, he does have consistently horrible taste.  This creatively long and tacky conference table says everything.  He's getting more desperate, more isolated.  And he attacked Ukraine. Huge mistake.  The Ukrainian people are strong and creative.  They bear a strong resemblance to us.  They're fighting oppression.  They have a sympathetic leader with sad eyes and a killer backstory.  President Zelensky is a hero.  The Ukrainians look and sound like us, we want to help them.  The Russian Oligarchy and the Soviet Union have been evildoers for generations.  Stalin   I grew up with "Trust but verify" and "Mr. Gorbachev, tear down that wall!"  I remember "Boris Badinov & Natasha" from the Bullwinkle cartoons!  (Yes, I'm that old)

I don't blame anybody.  I do, however, hold certain craven, cowardly, evilmongers responsible for this war.  One made-up smearing, combover cretin springs to mind...

I'm not alone in seeing a distinct connection, a parallel demeanor between Putin and Trump.

I follow all international news, it's very sad but completely riveting.  This Ukraine invasion has everything:  life,death,honor,bravery,heroes,villains.  "Ukraine" soon to be a mini-series on Netflix, starring Jeremy Renner as Volensky.  And Putin?  I have an idea -  what's Kevin Spacey up to?

War should only remind humans not to allow war.  No sane leader seeks war.   The war "experts" say that the Ukrainians are doomed to failure, they will be overwhelmed.  I'm inspired by their sacrifice.  They are dying for their country, what do I have to complain about?

Not much.   I thought we fought this battle already.  We elected a new guy.  #45 was sleazy and evil.  And a f%$#ing moron.  We owed a really big apology to the world so we can move on.  We elected a new guy.  But like the canine excrement that he is, Trump is stuck to the bottom of our shoe, and he smells!  A whiny, loser who is too stupid to figure out he's been dumped, he won't leave!

I, and millions of other Americans do not believe living in the past is good for this country.  Watching those traumatized Ukrainians fighting to survive is the quintessential American story.  I'm a brain cancer survivor who has limits.  Here's a "red line":  Some dead-eyed Russian thug threatening me and mine with nukes is one huge log on "The Bonfire O'Stress" I will NOT add.  Threaten the world?   Really?

Not having a good week? Trump called the Russian Invasion, "genius", that's when it was lost to Putin. It is a foregone conclusion.    The Ukrainian leader is a hero.  A legend.  "Person of the Year".  And Putin?  Somewhere, someday, my grandniece will investigate some barn or empty hangar for antiques and come across an absurdly long table, free to anyone who will take it.  A sorry end to a sorry story.

The USPS - It Might Be "The Snail Mail" But It's OUR Snail!! Terminate Louis Dejoy! Biden Can't But We Can!

 Hello Fellow Travelers!

This is a representation of a holiday in my mind.  I'll never have this exact picture but it's a fair image of all my memories of past and current winters, or maybe this is my aspiration for the future.  Everyone has one, all are individual and perfect.  There has been another attack on America that effects ALL Americans.  Like a dumped paramour who refuses the restraining order.  Like doggy poo on a Lebouton pump in Paris, Trump appointed some sketchy, stenchy thug that just sticks to the bottom of our collective shoe and stinks!  Lawrence De Joy is a ham-handed cretin who has cost our beloved USPS dearly.  In these uncertain days we need our USPS to be more.  More reliable, more dependable, more American.

I thoroughly enjoy, appreciate, respect every aspect of the holidays.  Any holiday, all winter.  Holidays remind me that people still care about each other!  Because, let's be blunt, winter is long, dark and cold.  So for me, anyway, mailing in an efficient, reliable manner is essential!  A Postmaster General that intimidates citizens, sabotages USPS equipment, and has publicly bragged he would "slow down" mail delivery, needs removal.

Fortunately, many fellow Americans have also concluded DeJoy is yet another cancerous leftover, a parasite that must be surgically detached (wear gloves, for God's sake!) from the host (us).

DeJoy is a low-life who has publicly claimed "he can't be fired" and we'd "better get used to him".  No. I have had to "get used" to  a lot, mostly irritating.  I'm an American and have a fundamental right, nay, duty to show this clown the exit.   Just Google "how to get rid of dejoy" and see how many sites pop up.  I discovered  many, many, Americans want him gone.

  A lot of registered voters understand De Joy needs to be removed.  I've spent a considerable amount of time and money mailing letters, cards and packages at the US Postal Service.  My mom knew precisely when her mail carrier was coming and my husband's mom, brave and generous soul that she is, mails cash!  Americans rely on the USPS for essential medications, checks, and anything else that an individual might require to survive, in a pandemic.

I've groused about the "snail mail" as  much as anyone but, of course, the USPS is ours.  The US is us!  We love the Postal Service - snails and all.

Google "How to get rid of DeJoy"  and get him off our national shoe!