Wednesday, January 7, 2026

Not the most cheerful post

 I think our little blogging circle has a lot of blogs in common, but for anyone who doesn't know, please stop over at Oddball Observations and leave a kind word for Bruce. The link is in my side bar.

Went to the gym today. It is a bit surreal watching gray heads bobbing along with Led Zeppelin's "Whole Lotta Love." Don't know why it should. I am one of those gray heads. I mean, we grocery to that music these days. Anyways, they were very friendly and several of them tried to get us to join them. Maybe I will. 

There are a lot of little stories to be seen at the gym. The old man who shuffled determinedly across the gym with his water bottle and his cane. I thought it was sweet that people set up his place for him. Bring the weights and resistance bands and the steps. Etc.

The woman who worked quietly alone doing her stretches. 

The obese woman who had to stop several times to lean against the wall. 

The man in the weight room who looked so done in that i actually stopped to make sure he eas okay. He assured me he was and eventually headed to the treadmill. 

We were all there for the same reason, I suppose. A refusal to go gentle into that good night, but the first time that Blue Oyster Cult's 'Don't Fear the Reaper' comes blasting out of those speakers, I will have to go lean against the wall and have a good laugh.

I cannot even begin to say one thing about today's events. Just awful. And still their are Americans who thing it is all justified. Other people who don't believe it has anything to do with them. 

I will say this one thing: Family Life Radio is the Fox News of the radio airwaves, churning out pure propaganda.  

Also: Christian Nationalism has nothing to do with ChristiNity.

That's it. That's all I got.

Tuesday, January 6, 2026

Deep doodoo

 PS: 



The White House has  opened a website blaming police for January 6th. 

I don't even want to talk about Venezuela.

Blog note: from now on, if you come to my blog to challenge me, but don't have the guts to use your name, your comment will simply be deleted. I think you are a coward.

Tim and I got Y memberships. When we lived in town, there were a lot of places to walk. Here, not so much. The highway has very heavy semi truck traffic and I don't feel comfortable. 

Tim does not own sneakers. He wears boots. Working boots, hiking boots, muck boots, dress boots. Boots are not good for the gym. A bit of shopping was required for him. But we got him a comfortable pair of sneakers.

This morning. I got up and headed out. I did a solid hour work out. Tim did not go with me today. He decided his comfortable sneakers would be more comfortable if they were a half size larger.

Sounded suspicious to me too.

But I am glad to be exercising again. Something that I have noticed is that I am seeing a lot of obituaries of people younger than I am, which is a little sobering. I have also begun to notice that a lot of people my age are looking pretty rough. 

Use it or lose it. 

My weight loss was a good start. But I need to stay the course and I need to keep active. I walked the track today, and watched people playing pickleball. I don't know that my knee would take that lunging and twisting, but we will see. Everything feels possible.

I had a couple errands to run. I did them as quickly as I could, because they were calling for freezing rain. I decided to use the restroom before I left. I nearly collided with an elderly woman struggling to open the door while managing her walker. 

I held the door for her and she left quickly saying her daughter had left her in the car and would be concerned if she had finished her shopping and returned to the car only to find her mother gone. 

I felt that little fear as i watched her struggle: use it or lose it. 

I turned to enter the bathroom and it was literally covered in excrement. The toilet seat, the tp holder, the floor. Even the sink. I turned right around and left. 

A young mother was approaching with her toddler. I said, "Listen, you do not want to go in that bathroom. It needs attention." 

Her daughter was potty training. I said, "There is a family restroom at the back of the store, but you seriously do not want to use this one."

I let them know at the service desk, and felt very sorry for whoever got assigned to that. I checked out and headed to the car. I figured that my bladder could stand the 20 minute drive home. 

Off I went. About half way home, a little car suddenly jerked out into my lane to pass one of those semitrucks that I was telling you about earlier. On a curve. In a clearly marked no passing zone. 

It was a close one, but my bladder held.

It is raining like crazy here, but the good news is that it is too warm to freeze.

Monday, January 5, 2026

OH CANADA!

 


BREAKING NEWS OUT OF CANADA --


OTTAWA — Canadian officials held an emergency press conference Sunday after Prime Minister Mark Carney accidentally revealed the existence of what he called “The Moose Accord,” a decades-old contingency plan designed to weaponize Canada’s natural politeness in the event of foreign aggression, trade disputes, or Americans “getting a little too confident.”


The briefing, held in a curling rink “for acoustic reasons,” began normally before Carney paused, sighed, and said, “Alright. We’re being nice about this too much. Release the moose.”


According to newly declassified documents stamped SORRY / TOP SECRET, Canada has spent the last 70 years selectively breeding a special class of hyper-intelligent moose capable of navigating terrain, bureaucracy, and social situations Americans find “confusing and upsetting.” These animals—known internally as Strategic Ungulates—are trained to disrupt hostile nations by standing calmly in the middle of highways, border crossings, and Home Depot parking lots until morale collapses.


“These are not normal moose,” said one defense analyst while nervously adjusting his toque indoors. “They understand traffic patterns. They wait for eye contact. And if provoked, they will simply stare at you until you apologize to them.”

The plan was reportedly activated after U.S. intelligence flagged unusual Canadian troop movements near the border, later identified as a “totally chill winter camping situation” involving 40,000 parkas, 12,000 thermoses, and one guy named Doug who brought a propane grill “just in case.”


American confusion deepened when satellite imagery showed Canada deploying what appeared to be mobile Tim Hortons units along key routes. Officials now confirm these are Tactical Drive-Thrus, capable of feeding and caffeinating entire battalions in under four minutes.

“Once Americans smell fresh coffee and hear someone say ‘no rush, take your time,’ resistance drops immediately,” said a senior NATO official. “Frankly, it’s devastating.”


The most alarming revelation, however, was Canada’s rumored control of the Polar Vortex Dial, a weather manipulation device hidden somewhere “north of where maps stop being helpful.” When asked whether Canada could selectively aim winter at specific regions, Carney shrugged.


“Look, we don’t like to use it,” he said. “But if someone starts talking annexation again, suddenly their truck won’t start and their driveway becomes a philosophical challenge.”

U.S. officials reportedly panicked after intercepted communications suggested Canada could deploy Weaponized Apologies, a psychological tactic involving excessive politeness delivered with surgical precision.


“They keep saying ‘sorry’ but in a way that makes you feel like you messed up geopolitically,” said one Pentagon source. “It’s disorienting. I’ve written three apology emails to Ontario and I don’t know why.”


The situation escalated further when Canada unveiled its final deterrent: Hockey Night Protocol—a nationwide ability to drop everything, unify instantly, and become extremely serious about something that technically doesn’t matter but absolutely does.

“If it comes to it,” one official warned, “we’ll turn the Stanley Cup into a roaming symbol of unity and mild menace. You’ll hear the anthem. You won’t know the words. We’ll know you don’t know them. That’s when it’s over.”


The NHL declined to comment, though sources confirm the Cup has been reinforced with “emotional significance and light intimidation.”


As the press conference ended, Carney reassured the world that Canada seeks peace, friendship, and mutual respect—adding only that “we’re very patient, very polite, and extremely prepared to wait you out.”


Analysts say the revelation confirms what many have long suspected: Canada is not aggressive, not expansionist, and not interested in conflict—but if pushed, it will respond calmly, efficiently, and with winter that lasts one month longer than you’re emotionally prepared for.






Sunday, January 4, 2026

The terrible, horrible, no good, very bad day.

 


Yesterday, we needed to take a quick run to Happs. I wanted to see what they had for coffee. It is always good to see what they have for dry goods. If you are lucky, you hit in on 'bread day' and pick up your Pepperidge farm bread for $1 a loaf. Since it is sold double wrapped it is good to stock up on a half dozen loaves for the freezer. I like their 16 grain bread.

So, anyways, we got ready to leave. I had just started a load of laundry and was waiting for a loaf of bread to come out of the oven. Tim went out ro warm up the car. 

He came back in. "I can't find the car keys." 

Now this does not make sense necause each vehicle (5, if you are keeping score) has its keys inside. He never brings the keys in the house.

I said, "How can they be missing, though?"

He said, "I don't know."

I said, "did you bring them inside?"

He said, "I don't know."

I said, "They have to be in the car."

He said, "I checked." 

"Did you put them in your coat pocket?"

"I checked," he said.

I got a horrified feeling. "You didn't put them in your pants pocket, did you?"

"I don't know," he said.

I heard an ominous clinking sound, and stopped the washer. I grabbed a tote and began to pull out sopping clothes. No keys. But i did find 60 cents. Probably from  my pocket, truthfully.

While I was sorting through the laundry, he headed to the mailbox remembering that he had parked the car and then walked back to the mailbox. 

I was starting to feel sick. If he dropped the keys, he had plowed that morning. They could be crushed. They could be scooped up and buried in the banks on either side of the drive. Would the sensor even work after being buried in a snowbank? I mean, we bought the car used. It only came with the one key. 

He came back into the house. "I didn't see it. Let's go. We will take your car." 

"But Tim..." I started.

"It will turn up," he snapped.

Now, I knew he was mad at himself. He felt stupid. I did not want him to feel worse but I did want to find that key..

I went outside and opened the car door. He irritably told me that he had already looked, so I shut the door and followed him to my car. He was mad, and I was frustrated too. I sure did not need to exacerbate a situation that we both were already frustrated about. 

The trip to Happs was a wasted trip. I have never seen the shelves so bare. 

We headed back home. He took his metal detector out in the fading light. Nothing.

So. A quiet night. We did find that we could get a key made, but it was kind of pricey. It made the problem a solvable problem, though. Made both of us feel a little bit better.

Last night, I was tired, but for all of that. I kept waking up. I would fret about the key until I fell asleep.  But  when I woke up this morning, I knew exactly what had happened. I had no doubt. I waited for it to warm up and then went out to the car. Slid the seat back and fished the key out between the console and the seat. 

Tim was astonished and very very pleased. 'How did you know?' I said, 'you never take the keys from the car. I just kept coming back to that." 

"I looked though..."

"You looked on the driver side. It got bumped out when we were bringing the groceries in. I figured it out in my sleep."

He understood right away. He problem solves in his sleep too. 

So today is a better day than yesterday.

This Venezuela thing is sickening. Just last fall the heads of the Armed Forces met to discuss the military response to possible unconstitutional orders given by Trump.  And yet...here we are. 

This is pretty awful.

Greenland gave a response to Kate Miller's social media post showing our flag over their country with one word: 'Soon'. 

Trump himself said his next target is Cuba. 

What in the actual fuck is going on here? 

A trump relative has floated the idea for mandatory military service for young men. Easy-peasy. Except not one of the young men will come from their family or their rich friends. Everybody else's sons are expendable.

This is awful.

A smile:



Saturday, January 3, 2026

For Marcia



Houdi and Freddie.

Freddie.

Houdi.

As far as bringing snow in for them, gz, not necessary. They go to the door  stick their noses out, and then back away from the door. They have got snow figured out. They have figured out that they don't like it.


I woke up last night and the sky looked like something out of Stranger Things. 

We have 16 inches of snow on the ground but not for long. Temps are supposed to get up to the low 50s this week. This is just the craziest winter. 

The tree comes down tomorrow.


Friday, January 2, 2026

Begin Again

 First of all, I want to say that I am having one heck of a time commenting, on my own blog and everyone else's too. Please know that I am following along on your adventures. Even if I can't leave a comment.

We have a more than foot of snow on the ground and it still falling gently but steadily outside. Fred and Houdi have been fascinated by the big fluffy flakes and sit side by side at the sliding glass doors watching them, one orange and one gray head bobbing alertly as they watch the snow falling.

As for us, we have been snug as two bugs in a rug. Last night, Tim and I curled up to watch the old movie 'Starman' with Jeff Bridges and Karen Allen. Tim had never seen it. I had forgotten what a lovely piece of escapism it was. 

We do have to go out today. That will give me a chance to pick up a bag of onions and some instant yeast. I have a craving for French onion soup.

My aunt died on the first day of the new year, my father's oldest sister. I got my middle name from her.

The holidays are over and this is the last weekend for the tree and lights. We will savor the dregs of the holiday as we eat the holiday left overs: sauerkraut and pork, venison and roasted vegetables or ham and spinach quiche...take your pick.



Not the most cheerful post

 I think our little blogging circle has a lot of blogs in common, but for anyone who doesn't know, please stop over at Oddball Observati...