The GOP Health Crisis

 Republican Senator from SC Lindsey Graham dead at 71 after a sudden and brief illness according to reports.  Is 84-year old Republican Senator from KY Mitch McConnell dying?  More mystery than answers.  The 80-year old POTUS Donald Trump's brain rotting from the inside out unless you're a fan.  Ancient folk still working.  Also Iran has vowed to assassinate Trump.  He couldn't just bomb Iran he had to take out their Supreme Leader.  How many assassination attempts can Trump survive?  After a while the odds turn against you.  This is the real world not a John Wick franchise.

WTF are we doing?

I kind of like the environment

 

We have enough malls ya know?  People passing you on the escalator instead of enjoying the ride.  Gosh I don't even remember where this was exactly.  From an old photo album.  Got salamanders in my backyard.  No obvious water source.  I'm thinking aquifers.  The occasional deer too.  The wilds of Yonkers. 

But as always discuss what you like.  It always comes back to Trump. 

Take a walk on the feral side

 Northern Water Snake - Rye Lake, Harrison NY

Common Snapping Turtle - a back road by the Muscoot Reservoir in Somers NY

Both have rather cranky dispositions.  Don't mess with 'em.  Fishing years ago from a rowboat in Rye Lake and got fairly close to the serpent with a Pentax.  Only film back in the day.  The Snapper I saw crossing the road sometime during the summer.  Must've been the breeding season.  They do that.  Probably not good for your tires.  Some public beaches in the area when a snapping turtle is spotted in the water lifeguard yells "everybody out!"

Part of my amateur herpetological journey.

Dealing with a MAGA-ite

 Friend keeps saying on our drive home aren't you glad Trump is president.  I guess I come across as less than enthused these days.  He says he's disappointed though Trump didn't take out the Iranian regime.  I had to school him on the Strait of Hormuz situation.  He doesn't drive.  I'm the one who has to pump gas into my car.  Republicans facing the midterms.  Trump is a businessman.  Geopolitics is complicated I said.  Also he told me Sean Hannity is training to be a martial artist.  The things I learn.

The Marriage.  I try not to get caught up in the latest pop culture crap.  Friend and I both said there's gonna come a time in the marriage when Travis wants to try something different.  They'll be in bed together and he'll try to slip it in option #2.  Taylor: "What are you doing?"  Stepping outside your comfort zone.  He has to drop subtle hints around the dinner table and make it sound like it's her idea.  Olive oil. The beginning of problems/issues.  TMZ will pick up on it.

Everybody's in such a big hurry these days.  People passing you on the escalators instead of enjoying the ride.  The mall rats seem a little tense.  Thoughts on mortality.  Nobody knows how much time they have.

Ancient folk still working

 A labor trend I've noticed for quite some time now.  Not talking about the recently retired who have decided to come back for 20 hours a week which is allowed but the group I'm talking about if they passed away a week from now it wouldn't shock.  Could be a combination of factors from the usual can't afford to retire to they just love the work experience so much and like being around other people.  Some of them come back as consultants.  Consultants on what old age?

Just drop your 2 cents in the fountain.

They'll get divorced after a few years and she'll write a revenge song about him

 That's how she rolls.  Most other artists - Olivia Rodrigo, Dua Lipa, Sabrina Carpenter, Olivia Dean et al. - do their thing but don't court this kind of attention.  Taylor Swift takes things to another level.  Most of us can't afford to get married at Madison Square Garden.  Hell many of us can't even afford to go to a Knicks or Rangers game.  Special event being held at MSG from today through July 4th.  Several blocks closed in midtown Manhattan to accommodate the nuptials although the New York Post reports Swift and Kelce have already married in private.  Getting married some old-fashioned way NOT.  I was never a Swiftie and now feel fully vindicated.  A mountaintop is too good for them?  She thrives on cheap publicity.  It's like oxygen to her.

What saith Trump?

Trump/Hegseth still killing fishermen in the Caribbean

 Happy 250th Birthday America!  Trump and Hegseth still committing war crimes at sea.  Kind of on the back burner now what with the festivities and FIFA and all.  So yeah this ain't the movies you can't just go out and kill people you suspect of trafficking drugs.  Extra-judicial and illegal under international law.  

Those DOGE and tariff checks you were supposed to get?  Gone to the military/industrial complex.  The moral depravity of the Trump Administration is breathtaking.

Having said that enjoy your 4th.

Federal judges won't let Trump be Trump

 Lost count of the number of times I read on my phone a federal judge has just ruled that Trump can't do this or that.  The King has been stripped of a lot of his power.  His is a hollow scepter.  At this point he probably couldn't name a new plant or animal or planet after himself.  At Mt. St. Michael Academy in the Bronx we learned in history class we're supposed to have three co-equal branches of the government.  Don't know what that means anymore.  Judges seem to have the final say in everything these days.  Proof of citizenship to vote doesn't seem to me to be all that radical.  At least give him a crumb or two.

Dustup recently between Shaw and GeeeZ about Obama.  Entertaining read.  MEOW!!!  My friend still talks a lot about Obama.  When was the last time he was president?  On the positive side as far as presidencies go his was scandal free.  No talk about semen on a dress or cigars.  One mild criticism of mine is that Obama all too often comes across as pedantic.  All pedants are Smarter Than Thou.  Bruh we hear you no need to lecture.  The other thing is the solemn burial at sea of one Osama bin Laden.  What the actual f#&k was that?!? but I never hated Obama.  He always looked like if he wasn't president he'd have been an underwear model smiling back at you from a package of Hanes.  I drive the middle road between worship and hatred these days.  Too much on my plate.

Property tax season rolling around in the big YO.  Gotta cut back on my high living.  Few more years I'll be able to file for an exemption due to my age.  The word exemption is misleading here as it's simply a reduction.  You'll still be paying until your casket is lowered into the ground.

Have a good day;)

The controversy over the Reflecting Pool

 The algae is growing.  Maybe someday they'll allow bass fishing.  Trump is charging vandalism.  Arrests have been made.  Dunno.  Has the Lincoln Memorial ever had graffiti on it?  Kind of thin imo.  So this is what people are talking about which kind of summarizes what the Trump 2nd Term has become.  BORING.  Nothing of substance.  Nothing to get excited about unless you're Lindsey Graham who is creaming in his knickers at the thought of obliterating Iran.  WTH happened to this guy?

Woke up with a sense of urgency this morning.   Sidewalk grass is getting tall better do some mowing early before the rains come.  Trimmed the hedges for good measure.  When did the City of Yonkers become so anal about things?  I got enough on my plate.  The other day I put my garbage out for pickup forgetting it was Juneteenth.  Hope I don't get a warning in the mail.

Puffing on my pipe before.  Sitting on the front porch thinking is it time to call the gutter cleaning guys and mulling over my slower moving blog.  Time for some sort of post I said.

You had your two terms now ride off into the sunset

 This should be the fitting response when Trump finally leaves office.  The only reason he parted ways with buddy Bibi and signed a ceasefire deal with Iran is the price of gas and what that would mean for Republicans in the midterms.  No other reason.  He should never have started that war to begin with.  Trump starts the mess and then pivots all statesmanlike to make peace kind of digging out of his own hole.  The whole Trump term somehow reminds me of a Brady Bunch episode when they don't know how to do the laundry, a touch of a male Lucy then the MAGA-ites celebrate the art of it all.

Are we piling on Trump?  For sure but he who can dish it out should also be able to take it.

You work like an animal your whole life then retire with a bad back

 Looking up retirement videos on YouTube.  Contradictory chaos.  Everybody says something different.  I saw many videos that said retire early, retire now even if you can't afford it.  Others said never retire.  Many of these retirement vids are geared more towards the upper-crust white middle-classers even the wealthy with titles such as "Can You Retire On 500K?"  That's rough, that's shaky but I think I can do quite nicely thank you.  The average person maybe contemplating retirement can't relate to such professional advice.  I doubt many of the poor Yonkerites in my neighborhood even have financial advisors or portfolios.  Who are these YouTube content creators talking to?  Sampled a few of these and it all seemed a bit Trumpy to me.  Take a break go back to the Sasquatch video.

Excuse me I have to go put some cream on my hip right now.

Making the most out of the Trump Presidency

 Got a birthday card once from my late aunt God rest her soul.  No money in it just a greeting.  Kind of the same feeling I have about the Trump 2nd Term.  Getting the most out of a given situation.  Life gives you lemons make lemonade.  RFK Jr. as HHS Sec'y at least he got the petroleum out of pasta.  Trying to think what else.  So maybe we need to be philosophical about the Trump Administration.  With the latest inanities, calling inflation great and the UFC event scheduled at the White House maybe just see the Trump Presidency for entertainment purposes, some light froth in between serious Administrations.  You like Curly or Shemp?  Rubio is the only one who looks uncomfortable like he's trying to be a serious statesman amid the bufoonery.  When it's all over there will be a collective WTF was that?

And now a word from our sponsor;)

He's feeling no pain

 

I'm one of those shoppers who don't pay too much attention to prices.  I only buy a few items at a time now a little bit each day.  Just throw the items in the carriage and keep moving.  I'm not like the mamacita you see at the supermarket with five credit cards pulling two full carriages.  By my logic since I'm not buying a lot the grocery bill shouldn't be that high so why is the readout at the register always saying 50 60 70 or sometimes 80 dollars?  Oh wait when did coffee become so expensive?  Looking at the receipt again and Hefty garbage bags in double digits.  The cartons of Fancy Feast way too high but I already knew that so I buy the single cans more often now.  More variety that way.  Be that as it may I still won't buy toilet paper at the Dollar Store.  Your finger might poke through.  The POTUS is on record about not caring about all of this.  Hannity probably doesn't feel much pain at the pump.  Trump is the first president in modern times whose priorities doesn't include the economy apparently.  Depends on who you talk to.

My cat won't let me blog.

Since this is of some interest to people

 It is not a consuming issue for me though I am aware of it.  Talking about Bari Weiss the new editor-in-chief over at CBS News.  Not popular among many journalists at the moment.   Said to be right-leaning in favor of Trump.  Did shelve a story at the last minute that 60 Minutes was going to run about CECOT the notorious El Salvodoran prison where many of the illegals were sent.  Aired about a month later after being picked up by a Canadian streaming app.  So that was pretty much on the back burner for me until it took a harder edge the other day with the firing of longtime 60 Minutes correspondent Scott Pelley.  Now it peaked my interest.  Pelley had a kind of meltdown at a staff meeting ripping Weiss and his new executive producer a couple of new ones and was subsequently fired by Weiss for cause.  Lest this turn into an essay I'll save other thoughts about Mr. Pelley in the Comments section.

A quick google.  Weiss is liberal on social issues but more conservative even outspoken on other issues like woke and cancel culture and DEI.  Voted for Hillary Clinton in 2016 and Joe Biden in 2020.  Describes herself as "politically homeless."  Even if you subscribe to the conspiracy theory that Trump somehow put her in charge at CBS News that's only one network.  This hardly amounts to State-run programming.  Big snookers.

It's a story.  Worth doing a blogpost on.

Most of what Trump does doesn't benefit the average American

 From vanity projects to personal political vendettas.  The vomit of his own mind.  The presidency for him is nothing more than an extension of his own personality.  The wars.  So far the only country he has benefited is Israel.  Domestically the only thing he seems to care about is immigration.  Judge ruled he has to take his name off the Kennedy Center.  He wasted our time.  Has he made it easier for anyone to afford a home or buy health insurance?  War abroad and ICE coming to a town near you.  Throw in the settling of old political scores and this is about as broad and multifaceted a presidency as you're going to get from Donald J. Trump.  He's so bad he makes you want to stick a Vance sign on your front lawn.  Almost.

I was thinking of adding a ballroom to my house

 Not for entertainment but for security reasons.  Let's relive the Cuban Missile Crisis.  Gin it up.  You have to leave the country first to apply for a green card.  Tucker Carlson is a domestic terrorist.  Oh btw just saw a vid on YouTube.  The reason why you don't see Bigfoot in the open woods as much is because he spends most of his time underground in cave systems and tunnels coast to coast.

We are living in what I call the Post-Reason Age.

Financial thoughts while pipe smoking

 In between the Cavendish and Burley I tend to cogitate on money matters a lot during my pipe sessions.  Get a lot of solicitations in the mail.  Pre-approved personal loans, home equity, credit cards.  The big come-on with the loans is paying off high-interest credit card debt.  However if your minimum payment isn't that high to begin with I don't see how this holds you back.  How many loan sharks are okay with paying them back 80 or 100 bucks every month over the course of twenty years?  OK so you take out the loan or loans and wipe out your Visa and Mastercard obligations so now you owe monthly payments on the loan which is probably bigger than your minimum credit card payments were.  Now you get another loan solicitation in the mail to pay back your other loans.  The never-ending cycle of debt.  Also Tom Selleck wants to talk to you about something. 

Maybe go off the grid and live in a cave for five years?

Odd woman out

 I don't think she ever really fit in.  She always opposed invading Venezuela and going to war with Iran.  Talking about Tulsi Gabbard who just stepped down from her post as the Director of National Intelligence.   The cover story is that she resigned to be with her husband in his battle with bone cancer.  There are reports the CIA raided her office and took back some JFK and MK-ULTRA files about to be declassified and released to the public  There are other reports the WH forced her to step down.  Maybe a little of everything. 

I think Tulsi Gabbard was initially happy to join the Trump Cabinet because she supported the version of Trump that he campaigned on.  Must be a relief for her.

Cat people and dog people

 

Early on growing up we had mostly dogs.  An occasional cat but mostly canines.  My folks picked up a stray mutt on a street corner once.  Had Mickey for a while.  Had a couple of German Shepherds.  Beautiful animal, good for protection but don't seem to live that long.  Sometimes they have problems with the hind legs.  Then for whatever reason we shifted totally to felines.  They're low maintenance compared to dogs.  For the most part you don't have to housebreak them unless they have some type of emotional issues going on.  You don't have to walk them three times a day even in Arctic conditions.  They sleep much of the time and as a bonus help control the rodent population.  They're also cleaner than dogs.  We had a dog once and every now and then we'd put him in the car and drove to a wooded area.  If there was a dead animal around he liked to roll around in that. A cat would never do that.  Am I biased?  Maybe.  Dog may be man's best friend but but a cat ain't that much work.

It's a cat thing.

The elusive nature of Trump's greatness

 It always escapes me.  Driving my Trumper friend home the other day and he always brings up politics.  He said Trump loves America then he starts talking about Obama.  When was the last time Obama was president?  Welcome to the retro grievance department.  Of those remaining and dwindling few who are digging in their heels still defending Trump my question is 

WHY???