inna shop

I 

The car is in the dealership for repair of some sensor in the wheels causing caution lights to appear on the screen. Had an appointment for 900am yesterday which I appeared for early.  Met with friendly service advisor only to be told that this time was only to meet her and fill out paper work.  It's the next day and they still have the car.  It's a problem that the dealers technicians must fix.  Need the car for a doctor appointment today.  BP is up because I have been worried about this all night.  At some point, it will be resolved.

I watch with rapt attention morning news feeds to see what Trump will take away today.  The latest seems to be no disaster relief for Arkansas; they overwhelmingly  contributed to his reelection last year.  And now, he has new merchandise declaring defiance of the Constitution's 22nd amendment by running for at third term which is clearly prohibited.  You can purchase a Trump 2028 hat for a mere 50 bucks, what a bargain.  

In my recent walks in the warmer weather,  took some shots of the local flora and fauna. Spring has finally arrived.  

Reconnected with an old friend from high school and beyond recently haven't seen him in 57 years.  All of our lives have had happiness and travails.  Looking to see him for a lunch soon. 

thats it

 

Sad Passing

 

Trying to think of something profound to say about the passing of Pope Francis, the Catholic Pontiff. But I am at a loss.  I believe he was a very  good human being and an approachable leader; above all else, a humble man.  I must admit that I  got a little chocked up when discussing with Judy this morning. He was the reason I considered rejoining the church after many years of being away.  I am saddened by his passing. He will probably be replaced by some conservative theologian that is lost in doctrine but removed from his flock.  

Had a nice Easter with most. of. my crew, lots of good food and laughs.  Shannon was a full participant even helping me shake up the eggplant initially covered with flour with the egg wash and bread crumbs to follow.  Andrew's lasagna with homemade pasta was spectacular and I still have some leftovers to enjoy. Note the meager candy basket.  DOGE has downsized the look.

Missed seeing Jon and family this year but got a phone call late in the day.

It's a normal Monday for us and the kids are back at school and track.  Making the usual dinners  and a trip To Trader Joes.

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Grand Dog Frank

My entire day is mapped out by daily measurements of my relative health.  Measure blood glucose, blood pressure and hear rate.  I don't measure how I feel emotionally or  physically at any given moment.  Initial mood is colored by these measurements.  I question what I did wrong on the previous day. What did I do that was correct?  Is there a pattern? All gets recorded in a book.  I have volumes these records going back years. Nagging anxiety is my constant companion.   

This is my new grand dog Frank.  We visited him yesterday.  After a berserk greeting, he finally calms down.  I have to greet him seated, lest I be knocked to the ground.  He loves you to the point of injury.  I have never been kissed so much in my life.  in my lighter condition, he really overpowers my and initially, I have to protect myself like a boxer in the ring. 

Dropped a small glass dish on the floor followed by my favorite glass yesterday afternoon.  This tile floor is not forgiving and the glass shards went everywhere.  The cleanup took about 30 minutes and I hope the tiniest pieces were retrieved.  

Growing my beard back, mostly to hide my sagging face.  It's also my f*ck you face to these criminals running rough shod over our Republic.  These tariff wielding,  red tied criminals,  have made us the pariahs of the world.  The head man is telling the SCOTUS to f*ck off regarding prisoner sent to EL Salvador in error.  For me, this action has no precedent.

that it

Today

 

Its Sunday.  We have had Miss Sweetums for the last couple of days, in that Stephanie and Andrew have been out of town.  We went to the Madison Heights nature center to enjoy the sunny and temperate day.  I need to work on my core strength.  I found myself leaning forward as I walked and struggling to retain my balance.  This leaning problem caused me to fall a couple of times, with disastrous results.  

I watched the first three episodes of "The Handmaids Tale" having been a devoted viewer since the show came on in 2017.  Its dystopian view of the future society always fascinated me.  The presentation of America as a theocracy is a terrifying prospect.  When the show premiered, Mike Pence was the Vice President.  I could only see it as his view of the world.  Coming back after nearly 3 years, gave me the experience of returning to a book put down long ago.  Lo and below, I am in the same spot and having the same feelings.  This time,  however, the females have broke the shackles of oppression and are bravely fighting back.  For me, it is good to see tough,  courageous women fighting back.

Some stuff planned for today, a trip to Trader Joes, cleaning and a quick cut on the front lawn.  Did the backyard yesterday and aside from some aches and pains it felt good to be moving again.

thats it

 

 

April 5

 What initially struck me at Saturday's "Hands Off" protest was the amount of old people participating, particularly, senior women.  These were women of no style that came to speak up about the state of our country under this regime.  They are the "what the fuck are you gonna do to me" crowd.  Have to be proud of these women.  I was inspired standing amongst them. 

I wrote to my cousin Bela in Debecen Hungary about the event and sent him so photos from the Ferndale rally.  He replied today.  This is what he said in reply:.

Hi Jerry, I’m proud of you! We’ve been living in this autocracy for a decade and nothing seems to be strong enough to stop it. Our PM owns the media, feeding undereducated people’s minds with propaganda. If you go to the streets, there’s a law created the following day to ban such demonstration. Freedom of assembly, freedom of speech are seriously confined. I hope you show other nations what democracy is about.

I felt compelled to talk about this today.  Hungary has been living under the oppressive thumb of Viktor Orban for some time.  He came into power after he moved the Russians out in the sixties.  Trump emulates this guy. We need to stand up and save our Republic. 

thats it