A Visit

 

Went to Jon and Kelly's  this Friday to see the family and go to dinner at Roasted, a restaurant owned by Jamie Clark and her husband John.  It's a friendly sports bar in Walker, Michigan.  They have owned and operated it for about 2 years.  Our grandsons Paxton and Everett are doing fine in the 3rd and 1st grades.  Jamie has been a friend of Katey's since they were little and we lived on Orchard View in Royal Oak.

I have been watching PBS concert for Memorial Day.  It. includes dramatic presentations from notable male actors reading aloud the experiences from the Viet Nam war and others; real stories from combat.  Along with being moved, I reacted with dismay that it took nearly fifty years for these soldiers to be recognized for their bravery.  They fought in an unpopular conflict that had little support from their country.  This was a war that couldn't be won. And still they fought on.  I made the decision to attend college and got a student deferment.  At that moment, it seemed to be the correct choice. Not proud of that decision.

Struggling to be the 9 fingered typist.  Things are much slower.  There are numerous corrections along the way.  I still have something to say;  Katey, along with her colleagues on DHS have still not been paid since Feb 14th.  All these folks need to pay bills, buy food and everything else.  Still they are required to show up for work.  This is not right. 

Election

So happy for the citizens of Hungary with their defeat of the tyrant Viktor Orban yesterday.  I have cousins in Debrecen there that I communicate with regularly after meeting them in 2020..  Bela Salaman, my 2nd cousin was brave enough to tell me about this guy in detail last year.  Equally, I am impressed that the vanquished leader conceded the election to his opponent and congratulated him on the win.  That is what we used to do here.  

There was a participation rate of over 70%.  My cousin in Melbourne AU took a 3 hour train ride to get to a poling place to cast her ballot.  The 45 year old winner, Peter Magyar,  is from a centrist Tisza Party which is a center-right pro European formation. 

My roots on my father's side run deep in Hungary.  His parents came to this country around the turn of the last century.   

Going to PF this morning to work out some of the kinks in my old body.  

nine fingered typing

 

Struggling to write with one bum finger.  A little finger on my left hand is not positioned correctly and The A is difficult to hit properly.  Still have a lot to discuss considering the current state of affairs.  Democrats are calling for his removal.  He has been impeached twice to no avail.  Calling for the 25th amendment to be enacted will not work since the effort needs bipartisan support and we know that is not going to happen.  So the Democrats are going to waste more of the taxpayers money making speeches that will accomplish nothing.  feeling stuck in this quagmire with no real way forward.

Weather here is traversing back and forth; warm and cold, sunny and rainy,
all quite tiresome.  The war we started is going along quite nicely according to the leadership. Daughter Katey was supposed to finally get paid today, but alas another lie from the leadership.  These folks have bills and have to buy groceries.  Kids need clothes and shoes, but still more empty promises. Incidentally, where are the checks from the tariffs? Regular citizens have only achieved higher prices.   Oh wait, Congress is still on vacation cruising on their boats and relaxing at their vacation. homes.  

My cousin in Hungary and his countrymen are having a national election today hoping to unseat their authoritarian president, Viktor Orban.  The middle of the road opponent is 42 years old and said to be poling well before the contest.  Vance went over to pitch for the incumbent.  Europe awaits the outcome.

Not really feeling pleased today for a lot of reasons.

goodby

 damaged my left hand in a fall last week and cannot type so this is goodby. for awhile

Pants?

 So I got these jeans while I was still working.  I left that employment more than ten years ago.  The pants have served me well but it's time to let them go.   

A hole has developed from wear and the bottoms are frayed, thus they have to be discarded.  Old guys like me look bad with worn out clothes. younger men can get away with looking distressed.  My apparel distress is real not implied. But, none the less, they have to go.  I am not troubled, I have others.  

There are supposed to be "NO KINGS" marches all over America today.  Many citizens are displeased with the regime in charge for more reasons than I can list.  It is my hope that they are loud but peaceful.  

We have a tiny new member in our family.  She? is a hamster named Cookies and Cream.  She resides in Maries's room.  Seemed not like herself last night.  Judy warmed her in her palms and we placed her cage in our room under the heating vent.  These creatures are nocturnal, feeding at night.  The food was gone this morning which is a good sign.  Just what we needed, something else to worry about.

As a Homeland Security employee, Katey is still not being paid.  So called congressional leaders can't seem to find agreement and have completely discarded these constituents.  These are real people with monetary needs, not some principles to save their version of the country.  Soon, they will  be off on there spring break enjoying families with opulent holiday meals, while these unpaid workers visit food banks and try to pay their rent. 

These protests today should also cover the abject failure of these speechmaking legislators not just and unbalanced chief executive.

my piece

No PayCheck

Amidst the squabbling between those that represent us and the leadership at the top of our Republic, There are thousands of government employees that are expected to work for free in the hopes that the disagreements will be solved.  Namely, they are the operational support members of DHS and TSA agents among others.  All of these citizens have bills to pay and mouths to feed.  They have house payments, car payments and insurance payments.  Many are visiting and utilizing food banks to supplement their lack of income in order to feed their families.  They have been told to file for state unemployment benefits. Some of the TSA officers have been forced to quit their employment because money has. run out and they need to find jobs.

Back in Washington, the speechmakers on both sides of the aisle have demands the opposition will not meet.  THERE IS A REAL COST to all these employees.  Needs are unmet because of their so called principles.  While they are dining at upscale restaurants,  these folks are standing in food bank lines.  All of the speeches don't mean a thing to average citizens.  When you work for a company or a government agency,  it is done for fair, agreed upon compensation.  These elected officials are failing their constituents. 

Went to a nurse practitioner in dermatology yesterday which filled me with dread.  People my age have had years of sun damage, no sun screen and baking at the beach working on their tan. The last time I made such a visit, I had MOHS surgery to remove cancer cells from my face,  not a pleasant experience.  This time, not so bad,  only had some freeze treatment and some cream, a much better outcome.

Still cold out there, noticed frost on the windshields when I went out with the garbage. I am not happy but resigned. 

 

Ive always loved pickles

 I woke up this morning thinking about pickles.  Mostly because I love the flavor and texture of the dill variety as well as the smell of the herb in its just grown state.  My mother Dorothy made pickles which all of us enjoyed.  For all those reasons, I am gonna give it a try.  

I viewed a couple of online tutorials today and methodology seems pretty simple.  Cucumbers, vinegar, water, garlic, and stalks of dill in Mason jars and thats it. My plan is to construct some and add pickled cauliflower to the repertoire.

I abandoned the beard for a mustache like I had before.  The goatee just did not feel good on my face.

not going to bitch about our latest invasion and war invention by our leader.  Nor am I going to complain about gas going to over 4 bucks a gallon in our area.  Apparently, this is what America wanted in a leader.