Cray Cray

 I cannot even wrap my head around these 'proposed changes'. Who comes up with these things? Let me tell you who. Rich people who need workers, and are completely willing to break your children to do it. End meal breaks? 14 year olds working overnights? What about school? MAGA, my ass. 

Today we worked in our kitchen doing the tiling. We got the long wall done while listening to the live updates on the stock market. After a long morning, Tim said, "What was it he said yesterday? This is the Golden Age of America?" 

Yeah. That's what he said while he was gleefully making his announcements. 

Nuts!

To quote a sage, "Nobody can believe it!" 

He has a new book out.

But enough about this sad state of affairs. 

Did I ever show you this? It's right inside the front door. My brother in law made the hat rack.  

I came home and repotted three plants. I'm sure they'll be fine, although they appear a bit bedraggled right this moment. Plants aren't the most grateful life forms I've ever known. 

I broiled a chicken breast and sliced it up and made a grilled chicken salad for supper, which hit the spot for both of us. 

We figure that we will spend a half day up at the new house tomorrow and be able to finish the tiling. We'll come home, clean up, and head out to see Lou Gramm in Erie. 

Then: 

Now: 

Wonder if, all these years later, it still feels like the first time? 

Anyways...the old fogeys are headed out...and yes. I have earplugs. 

Let's end on a laugh: 

Oh gees. I forgot one: 

Today

 This morning was an odd morning. I woke up, and I couldn't get back to sleep to save my soul. I had a tiny headache, but it didn't seem like enough to keep me awake, and then my mind started wandering from one thing to another like it does. I finally got up and took something for my headache, came back to bed, and managed to fall asleep, only to be jolted awake by my cell phone alarm. I shut it off. Why it was set? How did it get set? Who set it? I assumed that it was for something, so I got up and logged into my computer portal to check for appointments. I had none. I had one for tomorrow, but nothing today. 

I finally decided to go back to bed, but I couldn't fall back asleep because I kept thinking that there had to be something that I was missing. By the time it was actually time to get up, I was bleary eyed and short sleeped. 

Tim wants to build a shed to store his 'stuff'. He'll drive me crazy, the pack rat, but I figured I'd just let him go build his shed. 

That's the nice thing about working on only one project. If I want to take a day to do laundry and get groceries and the like, I don't feel like a terrible person. I absolutely did not feel the slightest bit guilty about not helping him build a shed for stuff he really should be thinking of getting rid of anyway. IMHO. 

So I got up when I felt like it, and had my coffee and breakfast in front of the computer. 

A memory popped up on facebook from this day back in 2017: 

I woke up to Tim standing beside the bed in holding his work gloves, saying, 'I can't believe that I overslept today, of ALL days...' Half asleep, I looked at the clock and it was 2 AM. I sat up in bed, confused and realized that Tim was sound asleep in bed, snoring gently.  

Eight years later, it made me laugh again. 

Anyways, so it was one of those days where there is nothing to report. Laundry is done. I got out and got a few groceries. The cat is tickled that I bought cat food. I stopped at Goodwill because I need a couple planters to repot a pothos that is surely rootbound and in need of dividing. They didn't have any planters, but that didn't stop me from having a bit of a nosey. I found a pile of plates, those collector type plates. Probably a dozen of them. They were painted with birds of all different kinds. One with cardinals. Another with blue jays. Blue birds. Robins. Chickadees. Gold finches. Birds I didn't know. And they were really beautiful. $1.49 each. They had the hangers. I picked them up, looking through and I was so tempted. Sooooooo tempted. Except we're downsizing. And where would I put them? I stood there holding the plates. 

I turned to a woman standing nearby. "Do me a favor, will you?" 

She looked surprised but said, "If I can..." 

I said, "Look me in the eye and tell me that I do NOT need these plates. Say it in a firm voice, like you really, really mean it." 

She said, "YOU. DO. NOT. NEED. THOSE. PLATES." She sounded like she really truly did mean it. 

I put the plates back and said, "You're absolutely right. Thank you for pointing that out." 

She was laughing as I walked away.

I ran my errands in a downpour. In the west, the lightning seemed to jag straight down to some unfortunate piece of ground far away behind the mountains and the thunder echoed across their peaks. It was a doozy of a storm, and I do love a good thunderstorm.

I found two planters, nice ones. Ceramic, and on clearance for $5.49. I consoled myself that $11.00 was not too much to spend on something that I really did need, especially since I had been so brave about not getting the decorative plates. 

I felt quite virtuous by the time that I explained this all to Tim when I got home. 

He did not look convinced. 

"And look! I got you Twizzlers!" I said. "The big bag!"

Anyways. 

I put together a nice supper. I had a half pound of sausage that I needed to finish off. I browned it with onion and peppers and mushrooms and some rosemary and thyme and a dash of cayenne. I added chicken broth, some diced tomatoes and simmered it together with lentils. 

It was one of those 'no recipe' hits. 

So that was today. Tim ran out later on his daily trip to Lowe's. 

They are really getting to know us there. 

He's still talking.

 And this is what we need to see, right here. 

It's not only that he's talking, but that he's speaking eloquently. He has not had a bathroom break. 

I'm not sure why the link I shared yesterday changed to private. He has held the floor for 23 hours and 50 minutes. If he holds it for another half hour, he will hold the record for the longest speech, beating out Strom Thurmond at 24 hours and 18 minutes.  (Late Edit: He has done it!)

But it is not about that. It's not about records. It is about galvanizing our government to stand up and resist the unconstitutional activity we are seeing unfold before our very eyes. 

I sent another e-mail to John Fetterman and Glenn Thompson, suggesting that they see Cory Booker as the role model. This was what they were elected and sent to Washington to do. 

I am watching this now, and I know that I am witnessing history. I know also that when these awful days are done, Cory Booker's name will be writ in the history of our country. 

Today, we met at the lawyer's office. Bless the man, we expected to go there and tell him what we wanted, and go back next week to sign a contract. He had it all laid out on his desk. He wrote in a few pertinent details, asked his questions, and wrote the contract out today. Mia was not prepared for it. Neither were we, but we walked out of there with the signed papers. 

She said, "I was so sure that I was going to get here and find out that this was an April Fool's joke." It wasn't, of course. Her family is meeting up at her house to celebrate with pizza today.

Happy Stories

"This is not right or left. This is right or wrong." Cory Booker, March 31st. 

Cory Booker is filibustering on the floor of the senate right now, and vows to continue as long as he is physically able. 

https://www.newsweek.com/democrat-talking-long-hes-physically-able-protest-trump-2053378

Back the video up to the beginning to listen, otherwise it will take forever to buffer. 

Please stop what you are doing and go here to thank him: 

https://www.booker.senate.gov/contact/write-to-cory/form

We got the sink cut out of the counter top.  Tim stressed mightily about this. If he would have screwed it up, it would have been a $400 loss. He measured, and measured again. I measured and measured again too. Finally, there was nothing left to do but to cut. He did. We set it all in place, dropped the sink in and it was perfect. The putty is curing right now. 

Tomorrow we meet at the lawyer's office with the woman buying our house. Hopefully, once our lawyer knows what we need, he will be able to draw up a contract fairly quickly. I know that Mia is chomping at the bit to get started. Tomorrow, we will go over to the house with her. We're going to mark the wiring for her, so that she knows what wire does what. It will make it easier for her. She also wants to do some measuring and get some numbers. 

It's also a big day for our new tenant as well. She is officially moving in tomorrow. We'll have to meet up with her as well at some point. 

Daffodils are out! 

We all need happy stories. Feel free to add your own happies in the comments.

And finally, just for laughs. 

Plugging along.

 We did not get a lot done today. I put the finish on the countertops. We used something called Rubio Monocoat, which is something Tim's cousin gave him the last time that we were at the Hardwood Mall in Emlenton. Like, 4 years ago or something. I think he forgot he had it. It was just a small bottle, but I rubbed that in, and it brought out the grain beautifully. It's not shiny, but it gleams. Tim's sold on the product. 

Tim has the sink marked out but he wants to cut out the countertop outside to avoid raising all the dust inside. Just about the time that decision was made, the skies opened up. It was raining cats and dogs and showed no signs of letting up. 

We unpacked the range hood, and he's pleased with that, but he did not like the wall mounts with the kit, which would require another trip to Lowes. 

We do get in trouble at that store. Friday we spent $600. Yesterday we spent $300. Today, well...as long as we were going to be there...Tim wanted subway tile instead of the square tiles. (Inconsequential side note? We have 3 boxes of the square tile in the basement.) But he wanted subway tile with black grout. Picture below has nothing to do with our actual kitchen...just meant to show you the look he's going for. 

Don't know how or when that popped in his head, but since we have a black composite sink and the appliances are stainless with black, well, it kind of works. Browsing around last night, I discovered that they had the subway tile he wanted. 4 x 12 for 79¢ each, which by my calculations, we would need about a hundred to do the job, which is kind of economical. As long as you don't consider the 3 boxes of square tile that we have in the basement already, which we actually paid nothing for. Someone had the boxes in their garage for years, and weren't going to use them, so we picked them up because we could use them. Well. We could have if Tim hadn't got an itch about the subway tile. Anyways, so we picked up another $100 worth of stuff today. 

I said to Tim on the way out the door, "We need to stay away from Lowes for a while." He cheerfully said, "We can do that. We've got everything we need for the kitchen." Which is very cool. 

We are still working on the raised beds. 

 I've dropped down below the milestone weight I was struggling to reach. I was dropping weight and then sort of 'plateaued' a few ounces above that milestone. I ran out of lettuce for my evening salad, and didn't have time to get more, so I had a small helping of the regular supper I had for Tim (venison roast with vegetables, lots of vegetables). I had small suppers for the next couple days until I got to the store, and much to my surprise, I lost two more pounds last week, which dropped me under that loss. It is my second 'milestone', so I'm pretty happy with myself. 

My appointment is Thursday, and I will be interested to see if the A1C has dropped from that 6.4. December was my first high reading. With the weight loss, I think that I'm proving that I am serious about this. I haven't had dessert since January. No sugar in my coffee. Two meals a day. High protein, low carbohydrate, and lots and lots of water. 

I didn't watch the news today, at all. I did catch that JD and Usha went to Greenland. The trip was supposed to last from Thursday to Saturday. However, once Greenland got wind that it wasn't just Usha coming, it was JD and an entourage, the invitations were revoked one after another. They could not find anyone that would host the group, and so they went to the only place they could: Pituffik, an American Space Base. 3 hours later, they head home 

(DOGE? DOGE, can we talk about government waste?) 

It appears that the EU and Canada are standing strong. European citizens are being told to stockpile 72 hours worth of food. (Experts are advising that this should be the minimum.) They are preparing for crisis. Because of us. Because of the aggression of the United States. 

I cannot tell you how unbelievably sad this makes me. 

For everyone out there wondering what is wrong with the United states, remember this: Only 17% of Americans approve the Gaza plan, 18% approve the annexation of Canada, and 19% approve the president's plan for Greenland. I hope that's a little comforting.

https://www.livenowfox.com/news/new-polls-little-support-us-takeover-canada-greenland-gaza

While we're on the topic of government waste that somehow DOGE has missed, there's this:  Trump has spent 26 million dollars flying to Mar-a-Lago to play golf every weekend, and he rakes in significant amounts of money by from the government for meals and rooms at his club for his security team.

https://www.theguardian.com/commentisfree/2025/mar/17/trump-golf-taxes

https://www.pennlive.com/news/2025/03/trumps-golf-habit-costs-taxpayers-millions-author-says-there-is-a-dirty-secret-about-the-president-on-the-links.html 

Elon is supposed to be leaving DOGE in May. I find that hard to believe. We'll see. 

Now we're cooking....

 No pictures today, sorry. But the kitchen is taking shape. We hung the upper cupboards. We set the lowers in place. We have the counter top in place, but not yet attached. 

The countertop comes with a story of its own, and you will see what a hard ass I can be. We were looking at countertops at our local big box store, and I saw what I wanted...live edge teak. 

While I saw it displayed with a price, I could not find the product. Tim liked it too, so we thought that we'd ask about it. Perhaps it needed to be ordered. How long did a special order take? So we tracked down an employee who couldn't look the product up on his phone, so we followed him to his desk. He looked the product up and said that it was not available and that it couldn't be ordered. 

Disappointed, I said, "Well, I don't know why they would show it as an option." He shrugged and said, "I agree with you." 

Now we had already told him that we intended to purchase countertop that day, but he made no move to assist. Shifting 10 foot sections of counter top requires employee assistance, but he leaned back in his chair, his hands behind his head and so I said, "Well. Let's go pick out something else, then." 

We went by ourselves, and we settled on our next choice. I didn't like that nearly as much as I did the teak. Perhaps we could locate the product on line, but really, we just want to make forward progress, and really, so I gave in. It will need to be finished. (Feel free to hop in with suggestions). 

So...we still needed to get it loaded on a cart, so we headed off once again. I found two employees who tried to direct us back to the other employee (still sitting at his desk with his hands behind his head). "No," I said firmly. "He's not interested. I'd prefer to stick with someone else." They both looked surprised but they said, "Sure..." and off we went. 

I have the receipt, and the two of them will get good customer feedback. I will not give negative feedback about the other employee. Who knows? Maybe he was having a shit day. It happens. But, credit where credit is due.

Today, I watched my kitchen take shape. and it was pretty exciting. 

We went back to Lowe's afterwards. I want shelves instead of upper cabinets in the corner, and I knew the brackets I wanted. 

We also wanted to look at range hoods. Not necessarily to buy today. We still have the backsplash to install, and so...we thought we could wait on that. We just wanted to find one that we both agreed on. 

We did too. 

We both liked it. 

It was also $180 off. 

And it was the only one left.  

It's been kind of a spendy-spendy weekend. 

But...I'm excited about the kitchen. 

See Saw

 I'm on political overload right now. This whole Signal debacle, and today, I am hearing about Trump's executive orders re: the Smithsonian. 

https://www.npr.org/2025/03/27/nx-s1-5342914/smithsonian-president-trump-executive-order

Elon Musk is providing Starlink to the Whitehouse. 

https://www.techdirt.com/2025/03/19/casual-white-house-starlink-use-is-a-cybersecurity-nightmare-a-transparency-problem-and-a-weird-marketing-stunt/

I dunno, but I was pretty sure they had a secure system set up in place before this, so I don't understand why, unless, of course, you take into consideration that it is believed that Hegseth used Signal because he had the messages set to automatically delete after 2 weeks (which was later changed to 4 weeks). This allowed plans to be made without worrying about an inconvenient record of events to answer to later. 

(Signal was not only used for war plans. They've dug up accounts with a lot of eggplant emojis that are linked to venmo accounts. I'm waiting for the "official" explanation on this. Probably involve Italian restaurants and food delivery. 

The official investigation is unfolding right now, and what we can know for sure is that these people are, at the very least, bald faced liars. 

https://www.pbs.org/newshour/politics/watch-gabbard-questioned-on-participating-in-signal-chat-where-war-plans-allegedly-leaked

That's a lot, isn't it? I came upon this, which I found encouraging.

https://ishouldbelaughing.blogspot.com/2025/03/i-didnt-say-it_01442929915.html

Thanks, Bob. I needed that post. 

I have good things happening in my corner of the world. 

We signed a lease. 

The correct pronoun is 'she'. 

Good to know, good to know.

Her family is coming together for her, donating what she needs to get started, and her joy is touching.

We've been getting things around for the house sale. Being part of that story is a happy thing too. Her family has come together in a big, big way. I messaged her to ask if she needed a kitchen range. She has one. And a fridge. And cupboards. And the bathroom. She thinks probably the best thing to do is just rent a u-haul to get everything there. She's excited. Her family's excited. 

All my peppers and my tomatoes have germinated, and I get a little happy every time I look at that. 

I'm have my granddaughters' easter box ready to mail.

We're going to see Lou Gramm next week in Erie, courtesy of the youngest daughter who bought tickets for us for Christmas. The original concert was canceled due to the huge snow event there. 

Concert?

Happy about that. 

The fact that it isn't snowing?

Another happy.

That's it, really. I hope that you all have joys to counterbalance the chaos.

Mom Duty

 Yesterday, I had to run out and pick up some things. While I was there, I decided to look for a 'Bluey' t-shirt to go with the Bluey sunglasses I got for the youngest granddaughter's Easter. While I was looking, there was a new grandma shopping there as well. She has a grandson, and she was looking for little outfits. 

I smiled to myself, because I remember that. The 'new'. The joy of it. 

Before too long, she was joined by a huge guy, tall and sturdy. "What are you going to get your new nephew?" she asked. 

He answered that he did not know, and she urged him to pick something out for him and that she would pay for it. 

I found Bluey and looked for the correct size, and headed off and somehow found myself in front of the pair of them. I listened to the son say tell his mother that he had called off work. His mother expressed some amount of concern, but the son said, "I was worried too, but it occurred to me that I am the only night cashier they got, so they're not going to fire me." 

A person with any amount of common sense would see immediately that this is not true. The young man is not working 7 days a week, so presumably there is another night cashier. Most of these jobs (I've worked them) cut off hours below the 40 hour mark to avoid paying full time benefits. Normally they will cut you off just below 32 hours so that if someone calls off, they use you to fill in those hours while still keeping you from full time status. It's a racket. It is the racket of multimillion dollar companies who are more concerned with profits and shareholders than they are the people who work for them. 

So...I get it. 

But as they followed along, I listened to the guy bragging about his importance, about the fact that he has job security because it is a shit position that would be impossible to fill if it were not for him. He was doing the company a favor, and they would be desperate to keep him on, no matter what. 

The young man is in for a rude awakening. I'm not sure where his job was, but I'm going to guess that it is some convenience store or gas station. They go through employees like toilet paper. No one is indispensable. There is no such thing as job security.

I stopped to look at zip up hooded sweatshirts. They were getting rid of winter stock and had them on sale for $5, an amazing deal. Tim has 4 of them that he wears all the time. One has a tear, one has a broken zipper, and all of them are spotted up with paint or grease or something. It was a good opportunity to replace them. 

The little group walked past, the son still talking about how important he was to his company. I'm old enough to know better. So is his mom. Just seems like she had a duty to make sure that he knew how things work. He might not have paid one bit of attention, but it needed saying. 

Just Another 'nuther Day (and no one died).

 Oh my gosh. Was today a day! We had the chicken coop on the truck, and we had to unload it. It is heavy, made of rough cut, so it had extra weight because it is not dry wood. Just the two of us concocted a plan to hook it to a chain, and come-along it down a set of wooden ramps. Of course, the thing did not want to drag properly, and then suddenly, it was leaning precariously off the back of the truck, and I was begging Tim to get out of the way because if it were to fall, I would not be able to stop it. Which made him impatient, of course, because he was watching out.

I texted my brother in law to come quickly if they were at home, even as Tim was telling me not to do that. They were home, and they dashed right over, although by that time, the chicken coop had crashed from the truck to the ground and nobody died, which in Tim's mind, proved his point that I should not be texting for help when we didn't need it at all. 

We tilted it back up on its skids and Anna and Dave were able to admire how well built and sturdy it was. 

(Which we proved by losing it off the back of the truck. It bounced, but there was no damage.)

Sorry for using the same picture I used before. The unloading process was so frightening that I never even thought to take a picture afterwards. 

We finished building our raised beds. I did remember to take pictures of those, because I knew Northsider has been anxious to see them. They are not yet filled with dirt and fym and sawdust, but that will happen. Siding the house is on the agenda too.

]

All my tomatoes have germinated, and 9 of 12 pepper plants as well, which makes me happy.

Even though tomorrow it is supposed to snow.

Today, I watched The Remarkable life of Ibelin. If you have netflix, I do recommend it. Tissues are required. 

Just Another Day

 Some years back, I saw a set of these Fireking Peach Lustre dishes at GoodWill, for some ridiculous price. I think it was something like $16 for a four place setting - four cups, four saucers, four small bowls, four desert plates, four dinner plates. They triggered some sort of half remembered thing in my brain. I recognized them immediately. I had a vision of them coming in washing powder. Did my mother get them that way? While I don't remember her having a set of these dishes, it was interesting to me to find that they were given in boxes of soap. Perhaps my mother had them, but I don't know for sure, since I can't connect them to a specific place or person. They simply felt so very familiar.

These ones I do, remember, however, and I could even tell you that they came in boxes of Duz. I know that my mom had them for many years, and I remember the excitement of opening up the box of soap to see what dish we got. I remember the house that we lived in which would peg me at no older than 7.

But, I digress. I snapped those peach lustre dishes up and they've been tucked away. I don't have a lot of cupboard space here, and so I've never pulled them out, but I can use them at the new house, and I'm excited about that. My Corelleware will go in the pantry in the hoosier cabinet for times when we have company. 

Today, I got another 'want'. 

Silverware. 

Hampton Court, 1926, silver plate. 66 pieces for $30. They just were so delicate and shiiiiiiiiiny... Tim said, very sensibly, "You don't need them." 

And he was right. 

But I did want them, and that's almost the same thing. (Kind of.) 

I went to look at them, telling myself that I didn't need them, but somehow they are sitting on my kitchen table even as we speak. 

$30 isn't awful, I told myself. I felt better when I looked on ebay and found that I'd gotten a very nice deal on them, which made me feel loads better because I truly did not need them. 

We showed the apartment today, and for the first time, we really had a discussion with a tenant about neighborhood safety. The house is on the quiet end of our street. We have three houses in a two block range, and we've never had to think about it before. 

The person seemed very nervous when I talked to them on the phone. Some people do have difficulties. We recognize that. I made the appointment for 1PM, and we got to the house, knowing that this was going to be a different kind of situation. 

We waited at the house, and right on schedule, the person showed up. The situation was much more different than we expected. They were a transvestitetransgender (thanks to Boud - I did not know. Now I do.) Very nice. Very nervous. They loved the apartment. They thought it was very well maintained. They loved the extra bedroom, and thought it could be used for yoga. Long distance runner. Mountain biker. The balcony was wonderful. The river was wonderful. (They are a nature photographer.)

I wasn't sure how to approach things, but decided to simply address the elephant in the room forthrightly. I said, "I want you to be happy here. I know that there are many LGTBQ supporters on this street, but I'm sure that you saw the T---P signs as well." Nervously, the answer was given. They don't drive. They walk or bike everywhere, and they use the bike trail (close to the house) every day. They've walked the street pretty much daily, and greeted the people they met, and no one has ever failed to greet them back. 

I was glad to hear that. In these times, it just seems like the ugliest voices are the loudest. I explained that the downstairs tenant was an ally (I ushered at his nephew's wedding some years back) and that the house itself was safe. 

They looked at me and said, "I've dealt with this before," and we all knew this was truth. They waited, anxiously, thinking that perhaps we would not rent to them. Which seems sad, really. We have protections. At least I thought we did. At this point, who can tell for sure though? 

They took an application, but I think that it is merely a formality. We know all we need to know. This one is not a 'moaning minnie' (to quote Bovey Belle). 

Tim picked up my chicken coop today, and we will take it to the new house tomorrow. 

I can't even bring myself to address the new bombshell: the bombings in Yemen. The fact that the planning was carried out over a public server, and that an unauthorized person (a reporter!) was inadvertently cc'd. That a CIA member's identity was revealed. My god. Can it possibly get any more ridiculous? I mean, this is national security we're talking about, from the same folks who screamed about Hilary Clinton's e-mails.

Anyways, it gives me my topic for my e-mails to congress tonight. 

Let's end on a laugh, shall we? 

Moving Right Along.

 There's my chicken coop. It has a door on the other side for the chickens to go in and out, 3 roosts inside, and the nesting boxes which you can access from the outside. We can put motion detecting solar lighting on it, so that if something comes prowling around at night, the lights will come on automatically, alerting us inside. It has a metal roof and it is on skids. We are going to start out with it probably 75 feet from the house until we get an idea of what sort of problems we will have with predators, and then move it some place else if we can get away with it. It is very well built and I can't see how anything could get inside. We paid $200 cash for it, a 150 gallon tank and a soft ball sized ball of lead that Levi and the boys melt down to make sinkers for fishing. 

Today, my brother-in-law drove over on his tractor to help Tim lift the tank into the bed of his truck, which was a big help. He has a 4WD tractor, which is better in the mud. 

The wind was so sharp today. We began building the raised beds but we no sooner got to work than it began to rain. We gathered up the tools and went inside. Tim finished hooking that gas up, and we installed my kitchen stove and tested it out. We really are pleased with the undersink cabinet. You really could not tell the difference between the old cabinets and the new one. The young Amish man has just taken over the business and I think he was worried that the it would not match, but it was perfect. 

So we puttered inside. The house was cold because we'd turned off the heat while the gas lines were being run. It was freezing. (Yay, spring! Note sarcasm) We'd turned the heat off in the house to work on the lines, so we finished up, relit the heat, and then just headed home. By then it was snowing.

So, that was today. We got stuff done, but not everything that we wanted to get done, that's for sure, but we're lucky we got anything done because Tim ran a nail through his hand. 

We watched Adolescence last night. Yowza. That was a powerful series. The four episodes were so powerfully acted that you could almost forget that it was acting at all. That's how real it seemed. It was done by Brad Pitt. Two things that struck me was that, firstly, the movie did not fade from one scene to another. It flowed from person to person, which is hard to explain, but it shifted from one character's perspective to another simply by having them pass in a hallway or have a conversation. Also, I read that it was a one take movie. Every scene was shot one time, and they went with it. I don't think I ever heard of that. I recommend the movie, but I can't say I enjoyed the movie. It was a heartbreaker, especially if you have a 13 year old boy in your life. 

My youngest granddaughter is a big fan of Bluey. I found these for her Easter basket. 

A Productive Day

I think it is pretty cool that you all were so pleased about our house sale. We all need some happy stories, some small reason to celebrate. Thank you for your comments. 

I messaged our buyer about the appointment with the lawyer. It seems as if her family is all pulling together on this. Her uncle donated a shower. She has a kitchen from her grandmother's house. I told her that we had some insulation for her to go into the cubicle where the shower fits. 

It is such a win-win situation: she gets a house, and we got full asking price. It is a happy story, and it makes me glad every time that I think of it. 

It was interesting that today, we got an email from the wife of the man who was so interested in the house. I think they were angling to negotiate the price. She is a realtor and offered her services to sell the house. It was a pleasure to be able to say that the house was sold. 

We also showed our apartment today. I've spent the last two days cleaning. This is a view from the living room thru the dining room. There is a balcony out the french doors. The bathroom is to the left. 

To the right, there is a small room that can be used for an office, a pantry, storage, whatever. 

It is a two bedroom. This is the main bedroom. It's a big room. Across the hall, there is a smaller bedroom, probably 8 x 12. 

We showed it today, and the woman was interesting. She walked into the bathroom and said, "Well. There's not a lot of storage here." I pointed out that it is a large bathroom and plenty of room to have storage if she wants to buy some sort of cabinet. She supposed that she could do that. She took in the living room, and made no comment on the vaulted ceiling with the beam. What she focused on was the gas heater. "Does that have to be there?" she wanted to know. Tim looked at her and said, "Well...yes." It's where the gas is run. 

She wasn't happy about the stairs. She has a bad back. She wasn't sure her baker's rack could be brought up the stairs. It was 32 inches wide. How wide were the steps? (Good grief, the baker's rack could be rotated. The stairs have plenty of head room!) Who mowed the lawn? (The tenants. We noted that the previous tenant had spoken with the downstairs tenant and a deal was struck.) "So I'd have to talk to him?" (Yes.) Did we have a mower here? (Yes.) Was the previous tenant leaving because of George downstairs? (Answer: No. She adopted a child and needed more space.) 

She waffled around helplessly. She liked the garage with electric opener. She was unhappy that there was no washer hookup in the apartment. (We have a free washer and dryer for tenant use in the basement.) She asked what utilities were included, and we told her: Electric, gas, sewage, water, and garbage. She stood there with her notepad and said, "So...I would just have to get the internet?" We told her yes.  

She said, "Well...I don't know. I have to talk to my children. I'm not allowed to make decisions without talking to them first." I took all this in and found it fascinating that a 62 year old woman would say such a thing. I mean, I've got kids. I can't imagine being that dependent on them. I wouldn't want to be. They wouldn't want me to be that needy. (Actually, they would not put up with it.) 

I could tell that she was used to the world revolving around her, and tenants like that are exhausting. Complain, complain, complain. 

I said, "Well, you look around. I know that there are things that you are unhappy with here, but it's a pretty spacious place for a two bedroom. It's not perfect, but it is a nice place." 

Tim and I walked back home in the rain. I said, "I'm not sure she's what we want." We had a call from another person last night. A tenant talked to us about a possibly renting to her nephew and his wife, moving back from Washington State to take a job locally.  It is the first time that we've rented an apartment without advertising, so that part is interesting. 

The rest of our day was free. We loaded up and headed for the new house. It is a great thing to be able to focus on the new build full time, not trying to divide our time between the renovation and the new house. Luxurious, actually. Today we installed the gas line. Tomorrow we will hook up my new stove and test the hot water heater. 

We checked on the under sink cabinet the Amish built for us. (Levi's nephew, actually). That job is completed. We will be picking it up tomorrow. We stopped in to have coffee with Levi and Mattie. Tim had a homemade cinnamon roll. David showed me horses in his picture book. His father made him an ice sled model to hook to his little toy horse and he's quite pleased with that. 

Before we left their house, we made a barter. Levi built me a chicken coop. We will pay him $200, and throw in a couple pounds of lead and an old 150 gallon oil tank that he will cut in two and use as animal troughs. 

Yesterday was spring. Sunny with temperatures in the 70s. 

Today, on the first day of spring, it was windy as heck, and you could feel the temperature dropping by the hour. We turned the heat back on for the cats. We are back home now and the wind isn't dying down. I worry about the pine trees behind our neighbor's house. 

Late Edit: Is anyone else having problems replying to comments? 

Done Deal

 Today, we met up with the young mother and her father, and her little boy. I could tell that the father liked the house a lot. I kind of felt as if they needed time to talk, but they initiated the conversation right away. We all sat around the living room and discussed it. The practicalities. What we could do to help. What we could not do. What she could do. What she could not do. 

After all the cards were laid on the table, I was surprised when Tim laid out a plan that worked for everyone. 

We all mulled it over, and everyone thought it was a fine idea. I said, "Well...I guess that the only thing left to do is make it legal. We'll talk to our lawyer tomorrow." 

It turns out that their lawyer and our lawyer is the same lawyer. 

I said, "I think that we all need to be present to sit down and talk with Ken, for your protection, and for our protection too. We need to make absolutely sure that we are on the same page." 

And the woman said, "Make the appointment. No matter what time. I will be there."

So... today we sold a house, a young mother bought one, and a little boy loved his new loft bed. 

Entertaining Myself.

 Just for giggles, I responded to a truck for sale. It was a very new truck, a luxury model, all the bells and whistles. The pictures were listed under one name, but interestingly enough the email address featured another name altogether. 

They were asking $3700.

Any hindend could see that was a scam. But this hindend was looking for a laugh. FAFO. So. I did. 

I responded to the ad with a question: 'Where is this truck located?'

I received a response. 

Hi

Thanks for the email!The 2004 Chevrolet Silverado 2500 are available, price is $3,700  . Transmission: Automatic 4 speed ,mileage 123,370 , engine 6.0 gas Console, map lights, extendable folding rear view mirrors and sliding rear window.  Optional 17" factory rims with low milage Cooper tires. Folding side mirrors and roof top running lights. Great condition truck with low miles set to work for you and keep you comfortable. New Kenwood stereo and CD player pushes great sound through the factory Bose speakers.

This Truck belonged to my husband who unfortunately died, this it's the only reason for selling. Let me know if you are interested in buying them and I'll send you more details. A local pick is available if not, shipping isn't a problem. I can send some extra pics if you wish.

Because I do love a good laugh, I responded. 

Once again, I replied, "Where is this truck located?"

Hi again  
After my husband's funeral, I moved to my parents home in Billings, Mt, got a job here. The truck are already here in Billings and the transaction will be done through eBay. They will handle the payment and paper exchange. The truck are ready to be delivered in case a pick up is not possible. You will have free delivery (got a shipping voucher through them) and 5 days to test and inspect it before I receive any money.Attached you can find more pictures!

Thanks 

Of course I wasn't clicking on any attachments, but because I still loving a laugh, I responded: 

Well, no. We'd probably just fly out to get it. We've got relatives not far from there. It would be a nice visit and we could drive back. Address please? 

 Hi again  
 
If you want to buy it, please reply with your full name, shipping address and phone #. I will forward your details to eBay and they will contact you with all the info on how to purchase it.

Thanks 

Please note that this email address was already flagged as spam and I was enjoying myself: 

Surely you don't expect me to give you money for a truck before we have seen it, right?

And once again Mary Johnson responded with her same old tired reply:

 Hi again  
 
If you want to buy it, please reply with your full name, shipping address and phone #. I will forward your details to eBay and they will contact you with all the info on how to purchase it.

Thanks 

So...because this hindend was getting tired of games, I replied once more. 

But...if I fly there to see the truck before giving you the money, why does ebay need to be involved at all? I have relatives in Montana and could combine the trip with a chance to visit family. Bottom line: I wish to look the truck over before giving you the money. I have never heard of ebay working like this. Ebay provides a site for a seller to post things, but it is the seller who ships. Plus, I saw this ad on facebook marketplace, which is different from ebay. 

I guess Mary Johnson did not want to sell her truck. She has not responded for some time now. 

RUDE!!!

But anyway, I did actually get something done today. We were up at the crack of dawn (well...sort of...) and we scrubbed and spiffed up the apartment. I should take a picture of it. I washed windows and scrubbed walls, pulled out appliances and got underneath. I refreshed the floors. Tim touched up the paint. Tomorrow morning, the carpet cleaners are coming in at 9. I'll wipe down the oven while they're doing their thing. Tim is going to put a coat of polyurethane on the cupboards. I've got 4 more windows to wash. Then the apartment will be move in ready, which is good news, because the prospective tenant wants to see it Wednesday morning. 

The woman who wants the rehab so badly is coming to the house with her father tomorrow. Her bank has said she will need a co-signer, but she said her dad is quite excited to see the house, so that sounds promising. 

I told her about the furniture. She was excited about that, too and is coming over to our house to see it after she's done with her father. I told her to bring along her little boy too. 

She's so hopeful, and that touches both our hearts. I would love to see this work out. 

Weight and See

When you are eating healthy and steadily losing weight, it is very soul satisfying to step on the scale and discover that you've achieved a milestone. Today, once again, I got up and discovered myself to be closer but still not quite under that. Just ounces away...but not there. 

A1C is at fault for this big change. 

The doctor is pushing hard to begin medication. When they call, they always push for that. "The doctor has reviewed your numbers and she wants..." and I always say, "Listen, I am not trying to be recalcitrant here but the thing is, I want to try to lower things naturally." They always try to say, "Everyone who takes this loses weight..." as if that is going to lure me over to the dark side. They talk about damage to organs, kidneys and eyes mostly. 

My A1C was never a problem until my knee made exercising more and more difficult. Right now, I am managing only a third of the steps I used to do. So. While I can't exercise more, I can watch my diet. 

Reading carefully about things, I begin my day with a high protein breakfast. Two hard boiled eggs, one avocado, one slice of wheat bread slathered with peanut butter, and plain yogurt with blueberries along with my coffee. That's what the diabetic diets all have in common - a high protein breakfast. 

While that sounds like a huge breakfast (and if feels like a huge breakfast), what it does is holds me comfortably until supper. I skip lunch all together, which is supposedly a big no no, but it seems to be working for me. Supper is a huge salad. That holds me until morning. 

When I went in for my last appointment, they were quite surprised at the weight loss. The nurse called it a 'significant' weight loss and noted that on my chart. I felt as if I had made my point, that they would see that I am dead serious about making this change. 

I continued on with my new healthy diet, and keeping myself just as active as possible given the knee situation. 

But when I took my glucose readings in, again, I got the call. "The doctor has reviewed your numbers and..." 

And I said very plainly, "No. I think I have demonstrated a strong willingness to change my lifestyle. I've got an A1C test coming up in April. I've got a knee replacement in May. We are going to see how those things shake out and then we will talk about whether medication is needed. I think it is fair." 

They are not happy with me. 

I feel badly about it, but I'm also seeing amazing things happen. I've dropped a pant size. Two pretty shirts that I bought last year were a bit too snug. This year they fit perfectly. Tim says he can see the weight loss. No one else has commented on it, so I can't tell if he's just saying that to be nice. But...I have lost a pant size. My old favorite jeans are now my 'work pants' and I wear them with a belt. So...maybe he can tell. Maybe the rest of the world just doesn't watch my ass the way he does. Dunno. 

My next doctor visit is April 3rd. If the nurse called my last weight loss 'significant', she will be happier yet with this one. This weight loss is greater than the last. 

 I always make Tim a supper, but I stick to my salad. He wanders out into the livingroom after supper eating a bag of potato chips. Or a ding dong. Or a bowl of ice cream. Sometimes he walks down to the Tim Horton's to get a donut. Sometimes he does multiple things. Sometimes multiple times. All in the same night. (This proves to me that life is not fair.)

I have been surprisingly untempted by this. Not sure why. But a couple nights ago, he was eating chocolate. The bag was on the coffee table, and every so often he helped himself. I was finishing a book and I found myself craving a chocolate. 

Just one. 

One wasn't going to kill me, right? 

So, I had one.

And then...I discovered that it wasn't nearly as good as I thought it would be, which was very interesting.

I'm not sure where all this is headed, and I'm anxious to get that next A1C. If nothing more, the new weight loss should prove to them that I mean business. By the time that appointment rolls around, surely, surely I will have ducked under that milestone weight. 

I really hate feeling like I'm a problem patient, but really, inside me there's this determination to avoid medication if I don't have to take it. 

I think that is fair. 

Long one

 The news has been awful this weekend, and I have no patience whatsoever with people who try to put tell me what what is happening is a good thing. Focus on some teeny little piece of things and defend that while ignoring the rest of the shitshow. I just do not have the patience for it. 

We have a president who is taking control of the legislative, the executive, and the judicial branches of our government. It is unprecedented and it is wrong in the most fundamentally dangerous way. 

I found it hilarious that he is threatening to take Greenland from Denmark, using force if necessary, but then this week he has asked Denmark to increase their egg import to the US. Denmark (to their credit) replied saying that they would continue to do business with their loyal and trusted partners, but they did not expect to have extra eggs to sell to the US. Hurrah for Denmark.

Canada continues to go toe to toe with him. Hurrah for them as well. 

Time for a little Robert Reich. He doesn't mince words. He doesn't sugarcoat it. But he finds reasons to remain optimistic.

 Friends,

It seems as if the horrendous Trump news doesn’t end — and it doesn’t. We’ve barely endured just over seven weeks of his scourge and every day brings new awfulness.

But the worse it gets, the more Trump, Musk, and the rest of the oligarchy reveal themselves. And the more they reveal themselves — the more they abuse their wealth and power, side with Putin, trample civil liberties, and ride roughshod over the Constitution — the stronger the backlash against them will be.

Here’s this week’s summary of 10 reasons for very modest optimism.

1. The Trump slump is worsening.

The first reason for very modest optimism is the current bad economic news. Americans voted for Trump because they thought he’d fix the economy. Many are now suffering buyer’s remorse.

On Monday, in retaliation for Trump’s tariffs on Chinese imports, China began imposing tariffs on a range of American farm products, including a 15 percent levy on chicken, wheat, and corn. This is already beginning to hurt the Farm Belt — mostly Republican states and Trump voters.

On Wednesday, after Trump’s 25 percent tariffs on all aluminum and steel imported into the U.S. went into effect, the European Union announced retaliatory tariffs on about $28 billion worth of products, including beef and whiskey — also mostly produced by Republican states (think Kentucky bourbon). Europe is also slapping tariffs on Harley-Davidson motorcycles, made in the Rust Belt.

In response this morning, Trump threatened a 200 percent tariff on all alcoholic products from EU member states. As a result, Trump voters — largely working-class — will be paying more.

Canada also announced new tariffs on about $21 billion worth of U.S. products.

What does this all mean for the economy?

In a Fox News interview that aired Sunday, Trump did not rule out the possibility that his policies would cause a recession. That possibility is growing by the day.

The stock market has continued to plummet. Yesterday, the S&P 500 fell 1.4 percent; the index is now down 10.1 percent from its peak reached less than one month ago and in a “correction” — Wall Street slang for when an index falls 10 percent or more from its peak and when investors worried about a sell-off gathering steam.

Other major indexes, including the Russell 2000 and the tech-heavy Nasdaq Composite, were already in correction territory.

The rest of the economy isn’t far behind.

Last Friday’s jobs report showed employers adding 151,000 jobs in February — half as many as in November and December. Leisure and hospitality jobs have declined in the past two months, suggesting that consumers are pulling back on discretionary spending.

The labor force participation rate also fell 0.2 percentage points, to 62.4 percent, mostly due to declining employment among men. The number of workers employed part-time who wanted but couldn’t get full-time work increased by 460,000 to 4.9 million, the most since spring 2021.

CEOs’ assessment of American business conditions is the lowest since the spring of 2020. The New York Times monthly consumer survey finds households feeling gloomy about their year-ahead financial situations.

The Federal Reserve Bank of New York reported Monday that Americans are increasingly worried about the state of their finances. The perceived probability of missing a minimum debt payment over the next three months climbed to its highest level since April 2020, when the economy was in a Covid-19-related freefall.

Egg prices, an emerging symbol of America’s affordability crisis, jumped 10.4 percent last month after a big rise in January.

2. Trump’s support continues to tank.

The consequence of all this for Trump’s political support? It’s tanking. In the latest Emerson national poll, 46 percent of voters say his policies are making the economy worse rather than better, while 28 percent say the opposite (the rest had no opinion).

In a new CNN/SSRS poll, almost three-quarters of Americans view the current economic conditions in the U.S. as poor, 51 percent of the public say they think Trump’s policies have worsened economic conditions, and just 28 percent say that his policies have improved things.

In the same poll, the share of Americans saying they expect the economy to be in bad shape a year from now is up 7 points since January, just before Trump took office.

Fifty-five percent of Americans surveyed say they fear Trump’s cuts to federal programs will negatively affect the economy, and just over 50 percent say that they will negatively affect their own families or local communities.

In a new YouGov poll, 48 percent of Americans think the economy is getting worse, up from 37 percent at the start of Trump's second term. Forty-seven percent expect higher inflation in six months — more than twice the share six months ago.

In the latest Quinnipiac poll, 54 percent disapprove of Trump’s handling of the economy; only 41 percent approve.

In a new CNN poll, 56 percent of voters disapprove of Trump’s handling of the economy — higher than at any point during his first term. In addition, 61 percent disapprove of tariffs.

I don’t have huge trust in polls but when all major polls show the same thing, there’s reason to believe them.

3. Musk’s claimed savings don’t exist, and his businesses are going down the toilet.

Musk continues to claim big savings from his DOGE effort to take a chainsaw to government. But so far, the actual savings have proven to be tiny.

Soon there will be no way to tell, because Musk and DOGE have just stopped providing identifying details about the cuts — so there’s no way to fact-check them. Not only is this a major step backward from Musk’s promise that he’d be “maximally transparent,” but also it makes his claims of savings nothing but unverifiable propaganda.

DOGE has refused to answer Freedom of Information Act (FOIA) requests from journalists and watchdog groups. On Monday, though, a federal judge ruled that DOGE is likely subject to the FOIA — a win for journalists, watchdogs, and researchers who have demanded greater transparency. On Thursday, another judge ordered Musk and DOGE to turn over records and answer questions in response to a legal complaint filed by Democratic state attorneys general.

Meanwhile, Musk’s growing political power and his shift to the political hard right are damaging his businesses.

Consumers are boycotting Tesla. More than a dozen violent or destructive acts have been directed at Tesla facilities. Tesla’s stock has fallen by more than 35 percent since Trump’s inauguration; it’s down 50 percent since December.

Musk is so alarmed by this that he got Trump to hold a White House promotional event for Tesla this week — where Trump essentially read a Tesla sales pitch and lied that consumer boycotts are “illegal.”

In Germany, sales of Teslas plummeted 76 percent in February compared with a year earlier, according to figures released Wednesday.

Antipathy to Musk is also denting sales of his Starlink satellite internet business.

Musk raised alarms this past weekend when he wrote on X that Ukraine’s front line “would collapse” against Russian forces if Starlink were shut off.

Radoslaw Sikorski, Poland’s foreign minister, suggested that his country “will be forced to look for other suppliers” if Starlink is “unreliable.” Musk later told Sikorski to “be quiet, small man.”

Andrius Kubilius, the European Union commissioner overseeing defense and space, talked of quickly replacing Starlink if necessary.

Italy is having second thoughts about awarding a $1.6 billion contract to Starlink.

Over the past week, shares in Eutelsat — the French rival to Starlink — have more than tripled.

4. The FBI is moving to criminalize groups like Habitat for Humanity for receiving grants from the Environmental Protection Agency under the Biden administration.

I’m including this as a reason for optimism because it so clearly demonstrates just how absurd and extreme the Trump regime has become.

On Wednesday, Citibank revealed in a court filing that it was told to freeze Habitat for Humanity’s bank accounts, at the FBI’s request. The reason? The FBI alleges that the group is involved in “possible criminal violations,” including “conspiracy to defraud the United States.”

Habitat for Humanity, you may recall, is the group that builds low-income houses in America’s communities. Jimmy Carter worked with them for decades. What did they do to earn the FBI’s ire? They received a climate grant from the Biden administration’s EPA.

Other nonprofits also being targeted by the FBI for receiving climate grants include the Appalachian Community Capital Corporation, the Coalition for Green Capital, and the DC Green Bank.

Yet these groups’ applications for government grants for environmental work were fully reviewed and accepted by the Biden administration’s EPA.

This is not fraud. It’s targeted harassment. And it will be viewed that way by most Americans.

5. Trump’s “beautiful bill” is stranded.

Trump apparently believes that fees from his tariffs when added to savings from Musk’s budget cuts will enable him to finance another large tax cut mainly for big corporations and the wealthy.

Even if he’s correct (which seems extremely doubtful), those tariff fees are financed by American consumers who will be paying higher prices for imports and who’ll also be losing services because of Musk’s cuts. They are are largely working-class Trump voters. Talk about reverse Robin Hood.

Meanwhile, Republicans in control of the House and Senate are divided over the size of spending reductions that should accompany their pending tax cuts, which budgetary yardstick they use, and whether a debt-ceiling increase should be attached.

The Senate still hasn’t agreed to the House strategy to pass one bill that would address the fiscal matters along with border security, after months of debate over whether to split Trump’s priorities into two or even three party-line bills.

Until these questions are resolved with an agreement between House and Senate Republicans, Congress can’t unlock the door to the fast-track “reconciliation” process that circumvents Senate Democrats. And until they unlock that door — which could take weeks or months — Trump’s “one big, beautiful bill” is stranded.

6. Bernie is rallying the Democrats

On Friday night, Bernie Sanders drew a crowd of 4,000 in Kenosha, Wisconsin, in what he calls his “Stop Oligarchy Tour.” On Saturday morning, another 2,600 in Altoona, Wisconsin, a town of less than 10,000 residents. Then 9,000 in suburban Detroit, where United Auto Workers President Shawn Fain introduced him.

Each stop has been in a swing House district represented by a Republican.

Rep. Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez will join Bernie on the road in the coming weeks. She’s also planning solo appearances in Republican-held congressional districts in Pennsylvania and New York and other districts where Republicans have declined to hold in-person town halls because they might face protests.

Elizabeth Warren and Greg Casar headlined a 3,500-person rally in Austin, Texas — the heart of Musk’s business empire.

Tim Walz and many House Democrats will host town halls in GOP districts where their Republican congressmen are avoiding town halls.

Bernie is showing Democratic lawmakers and prospective candidates how hungry Americans are for a strong counteroffensive against Trump and Musk — in contrast to Democratic political operative James Carville’s suggestion that Democrats “roll over and play dead,” and Minority Leader Chuck Schumer’s willingness to surrender to Republicans on the budget resolution.

7. A coalition of 21 Democratic attorneys general has sued Trump, and the federal courts are becoming even more active in stopping him.

On Thursday — two days after the Education Department fired more than 1,300 workers, purging people who administer grants and track student achievement across America — a coalition of Democratic attorneys general sued the Trump regime, saying that the dismissals were “illegal and unconstitutional.”

The coalition is seeking a court order to stop what it calls “policies to dismantle” the department.

Meanwhile, Judge Beryl Howell of the U.S. District Court for the District of Columbia condemned Trump’s executive order punishing law firms that have had Democratic clients, such as special counsel Jack Smith — denying their attorneys access to federal buildings and stripping them of government contracts.

On Thursday, U.S. District Judge William Alsup ordered federal agencies to rehire tens of thousands of probationary employees who have been fired by Trump. Judge Alsup described the mass firings as a “sham” strategy by Trump’s Office of Personnel Management to sidestep legal requirements for reducing the federal workforce.

Alsup ordered that probationary employees across DOD, Treasury, Energy, Interior, Agriculture, and the VA be hired back “immediately.” Alsup also lashed out at the Justice Department over its handling of the case, saying Trump lawyers were hiding the facts about who directed the mass firings.

Another federal judge has blocked the deportation of Columbia University graduate student Mahmoud Khalil, whose green card was voided by the Trump regime and was then imprisoned for his political views.

8. Oligarchs are revealing themselves for who they really are.

This week further revealed how the American oligarchy is using their wealth to curry favor with Trump. Some examples:

Jeff Bezos has decided to stream all seven seasons of Trump’s former reality show, “The Apprentice,” on Amazon Prime. Trump was an executive producer and is likely to receive royalties from the agreement. He even plugged the deal on Truth Social.

Bezos’s Amazon is also paying $40 million for a documentary about the life of Melania Trump. According to The Wall Street Journal, she’s set to make $28 million from the deal.

Bezos has also washed his Washington Post clean of any op-eds critical of Trump (leading to the resignation of some of its top opinion writers, such as Ruth Marcus) and refuses to carry ads critical of Trump.

Meanwhile, Musk, the wealthiest person in the world, who spent more than $250 million to help elect Trump, is donating an additional $100 million to help further Trump’s agenda.

9. Other nations are uniting against Trump, and the global right is losing ground.

It’s also become apparent this week that Trump is, ironically, the great unifier of Europe. Trump’s policies have helped leaders who were struggling with stagnant economies and rightwing opponents. Facing down American tariffs and drawing together to confront an ally that is behaving more like an adversary has proved to be good politics.

British Prime Minister Keir Starmer’s whirlwind of diplomacy — trying to marshal a European peacekeeping force for Ukraine while also working to salvage the alliance with Washington — has won him praise across Britain’s political spectrum. Starmer’s poll numbers have bounced back from what was a dismal first six months in government.

In Mexico, President Claudia Sheinbaum has won praise and stratospheric poll numbers for her coolheaded handling of Trump’s tariffs. Mark Carney, a former central banker, was catapulted to the leadership of Canada’s Liberal Party with 86 percent of the vote on the belief that he can manage a trade war with the United States.

Carney’s party, which lagged the Conservatives by double digits under the premiership of Justin Trudeau, has recently closed the gap, putting the Liberals within striking distance of a victory in an election that Carney is expected to call soon. The Conservative leader, Pierre Poilievre, has struggled to regain momentum, and Liberals have been quick to paint him as a Canadian Trump.

10. Americans will soon feel the effects of the Trump-Musk chainsaw.

Most Americans don’t care terribly much that government workers are being axed, but they do care about government services being axed. They’re about to feel those effects very soon. This is also cause for modest optimism because the sooner most people feel those effects, the stronger will be the backlash against the Trump regime. Consider, for example:

— Weather. The National Weather Service produces lifesaving forecasts, but Trump is cutting 20 percent of the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration — hobbling weather forecasts.

— Food stamps. Millions of poor families, many in red states, rely on Supplemental Nutrition Assistance — food stamps — to have enough to eat. The Trump regime is making substantial cuts and wants states to make up the difference. Most red states cannot.

— Veterans benefits. Over 9 million veterans depend on benefits from the Veterans Administration. But Trump’s cuts at the VA have disrupted medical treatment, ended studies involving experimental treatments, forced some facilities to fire support staff, and created uncertainty amid the mass cancellation of hundreds of VA contracts. The VA serves a constituency courted heavily by Republicans. Veterans, including Republican-leaning vet groups, are fighting back against Trump’s VA cuts.

— Measles. With lower rates of vaccination against measles and a vaccine skeptic at the helm at HHS, we’re witnessing significant measles outbreaks in Texas and New Mexico that have infected more than 250 people — many of them unvaccinated school-age children — and claimed two lives; a flu season that led to record numbers of hospitalizations; and the potential for a bird flu epidemic.

— Tuberculosis. Americans are vulnerable to communicable diseases that exist in other nations, such as tuberculosis, which kills more people worldwide than any other infectious disease. But since Trump ordered the freeze on USAID, the entire system of finding and treating TB has collapsed in dozens of countries across Africa and Asia.

— Education. On Tuesday, Trump and Musk fired half the Education Department, purging people who administer grants and track student achievement across America. Education cuts will hurt red states in particular: States that voted for Trump last November, on average, use more federal funding in their education apportions than states that voted for former Vice President Harris.

— Social Security. More than 100 million Americans depend on Social Security. But Musk’s DOGE is now combing through Social Security databases to flag suspicious payments. Musk describes Social Security as rife with fraud and repeats the conspiracy theory that Democrats have used it as a “gigantic magnet to attract illegal immigrants and have them stay in the country.” Earlier this month, he referred to Social Security as “the biggest Ponzi scheme of all time.”

This week, DOGE tried to eliminate Social Security’s phone customer service, only to scrap the plan after massive public backlash (although DOGE is still cutting phone options for direct deposit changes).

I offer you these reasons for very modest hope not because I want you to deny the awfulness of what’s occurring, but because I want you to see we are not necessarily doomed. Not all is lost. There are reasons to believe that the vast majority of Americans are catching on. And if that’s the case, the scourge will be over. We may even be stronger for having gone through it.

 We had an interesting day here, weather wise. Tornado warnings for most of the afternoon, thunderstorms, Our neighbor (the red house - and yes, it is a two story) has huge pine trees in her back yard, three of them, easily 60 feet tall. The wind made one snap in half. 

 That 25 foot section crashed down on to another neighbor's trampoline, and really, 

it was fortunate. If the tree had fallen the other way, it would have landed on a house. 

Anyway, a thunderstorm came through and knocked power out for 3 hours. 

It was kind of nice to enjoy the quiet. 

We showed the house again today. The couple seemed enthusiastic about it, and said we'd be hearing from them. We'll see. She was excited because they have everything they need to put the kitchen in. They bought their grandmother's kitchen cupboards when she replaced her kitchen. 

I meant to show you this:

This is the copper fender for the fireplace that Tim found in the basement just a couple days ago. He was pleased. It is pretty. It will prettier yet when it is shined up. 

Another happy thing? My tomatoes are germinating. 

Tomorrow, we will got up to Grand Valley to work on the new house. Tim is running to Titusville. I will use the time to start assembling my flower garden at the front of the house. I will be moving stone and bricks, and planting bulbs that will not bloom until next spring. I'm looking forward to it. It seems almost relaxing to be able to work on just one project: the new house.