The Burrow

We're on our way to seeing a more grown up version of this and feeling all the love like this:  It's going to be a great looong weekend.

Sir Keir Rodney Starmer  couldn't get a word in edgewise  as FFOTUS blathered on and around and about the wonderful new deal the EU had made with the USA. Problem is, Europe is not altogether pleased with the proposal.  The European Commission President was left to defend the plan, saying it was the best she could do. The deal requires the approval of the member states and the European Parliament (according to Google's AI which will not let me search any deeper) which will happen after the details are hammered out.  This is not a finish by the end of the trip process.  This will take months. In the meantime, here at home the tariffs themselves are the subject of lawsuits whose outcomes may make the whole deal thing moot.  And who knows what the TACO president will come up with next?  Will someone leak incriminating photos of him doing who knows what? So, for now, I'm going with No Deal.  We shall see.

I am certain that all of you have been following my lead and my suggestions and have been calling your Senators and Representatives and local elected officials on a regular basis, sharing your thoughts and opinions in a polite but pointed manner. Perhaps, like me, you have begun to sound like a broken record.  Don't defund NPR/USAID/Medicaid/National Parks/NOAA/etc.  It gets a little old, a little difficult, to find something fresh to say.   The talking heads are stuck on Epstein, and he's always good for a poke.  But they've not given me anything else to chew upon, nor have  1440 or Politico or The New Republic.   But I have come up with something to get us through the next 5 weeks.  During those 5 weeks your Congressperson will not be in DC, since the office is closed.  I propose that we each call everyday and ask this simple question: Now that the Congressperson is not in the office, can you tell me when he will be available to meet w...

Most of the books James Patterson co-authors have recurring characters.  These characters have love interests, personal foibles, messy pasts, and complicated situations to resolve.  Those situations are usually resolved within the confines of one book.  The casual reader might miss some of the nuances in the back stories, but the plot can thicken quite nicely anyway.  Mike Lupica 's prose is sharp, pointed, not sentimental even when tears are involved. He creates people you might meet in the grocery store or in a line up or at a serious doctor's appointment.  The friendships he describes feel real, as so does the loathing. That's all well and good, but Hard to Kill  seems to have forgotten that time has passed since I read the first book in the series, and that I've read lots of other books in between.  I vaguely remembered the dastardly defendant, but the ins and outs of his comings and going and intersections with law enforcement and victims and sibl...

Juan Ciscomani's phone answerer in DC cannot speak for the Congressman  so she couldn't tell me if he was planning to meet with his constituents during his 5 weeks at home.  I rolled that around in my head as I pushed my cart through the grocery store this morning.   I was looking for artichoke hearts.  I found the vegetable aisle where, I assumed, the jars and cans would be arranged alphabetically.  Foolish me, the marinated mushrooms were closest to the end cap, right above the peas.  As I continued to the shelves, I passed a woman of a certain age.  She had a red and white cane with four rubber feet in her cart,  a handheld, white, 5" in diameter magnifying glass in one hand and a can of green beans in the other. I found the artichokes, stood on my toes to reach them, and turned to put them in my cart.  That left me staring straight at that woman, who was moving the can back and forth, side to side, obviously trying to read the label....

It's too hot to be outside much past 8am.  The soil is too warm to nurture most seeds.  Our big rain helped the thought-to-be-dead trees, but couldn't bring the sunflowers to life again.  I removed the dangling dead leaves so the garden doesn't look too raggedy, but I'm leaving the sunflowers to feed the birds before I cut them off and bring them to the school garden. The green leaves are being nibbled around the edges.  If you don't like pictures of bugs, stop scrolling after the zinnias with the arrow below. I walked past with my snips, looked down, and jumped.  What the f*** is that pink thing?? By the time I got the camera the sun had shifted so he looks pale if not white, but rest assured this beastie was light pink and hungry. Need a closer view?  You can see him eating away at those juicy leaves. AI failed to enlighten me.  It may be an albino grasshopper.  I'm pretty sure it's not an exoskeleton since the thing was chewing away,  a pr...

We met in junior high, where we each had a crush on the boy who's been her husband forever.  We've gone from bar mitzvahs to grandparenting, keeping in touch enough to maintain a 62 year friendship..... which is both a terrifying and a gratifying number.  She's published lots of books which have garnered lots of praise , all of which I have thoroughly enjoyed.  She writes about everyday people living everyday complicated lives.  I recognize characters from our childhood in cameo roles; I do enjoy a wicked laugh every now and then.   She's taught writing at prestigious places and talked about writing in interviews.  I remember (I'm pretty sure) a conversation we had many years ago, where she said that she listens to conversations on the subway and while waiting in line for coffee or a movie and (more important to me) she carried a notebook in which she wrote them down.   Reading her books is like stepping into real life.  There's nothing ...

It's hot and muggy and cloudy and the outdoors is not at all inviting. The talking heads have said all that can possibly be said about the latest kerfuffle surrounding FFOTUS and they keep on saying those things over and over again. We've watched some remarkable television ( Nobody Wants This ) and lighthearted movies ( The Intern ).  I've read lots of library books. None of this is providing fodder for my fingertips.  I'll try to do better tomorrow.  

It's hard to muster much of a crowd in Tucson in July, especially if the venue is outside, even if it starts at 7am.  It's that to which I am attributing the sparse turnout for today's John Lewis tribute protests.  I refuse to believe that people have stopped caring; I don't think there are a lot of tourists or residents sticking it out here in what the interweb is now calling high summer.   I set my alarm for 6:15, was in the car by 6:35, and standing on the sidewalk with our American flag before 7.  I wasn't the first one there.  Once again, I was surrounded by my generation and a smattering of younger, LGBTQ supporting folks.  I found my friend ( I live across the street; it wouldn't be right not to come.)  and his chair and we spent a companionable hour or so waving flags and signs and greeting people we knew. I left and drove across town to the concert stage at the same big park whose environs hosted past sidewalk protests.  Parking was ...

This was not a sprinkle, inviting you outside.  This was not a short lived micro-burst, intense but fleeting. This was thunder and lightning and water water everywhere. It started in the late afternoon with darkening skies and ionizing air.  It whipped itself into a frenzy after the sun set.  The lightning was so bright it woke me up in the middle of the night.  The rain on the roof was soothing in the early morning; TBG slept in for the first time in a long time.   The rain thwarted my plan to swim before breakfast.  I'm not sorry about the blueberry pancake at The Crying Onion , though.  It was clearing up as we splashed through puddles to get to the car, and the sun was out by the time we got home.   Everything growing outside is suddenly happy.  The drooping zinnias are now upright.  The two iron wood trees I'd given up for dead have sprouted leaves all over themselves.  The sago palms' fronds are no longer touching th...

I've managed to winnow my political emails and texts down to a few, local groups.  I unsubscribe to all the Democratic candidates from Idaho and Nebraska asking for my money.  The DNC has many ways to infiltrate my inbox; very few slip by once I've unsubscribed from their lists.  Surprisingly, my Legislative District's Democratic Committee is a useful source of information; I can always count on them for a bottle of water and a suggestion for signage at their regular protests outside Rep. Ciscomani's office.   I follow specific events, like No Kings! and Hands Off! Those give me information about where to go and when to be there, always ending with some version of Thank you and keep the faith.   There is no annoying bloviating, no preaching to the choir, no wasting my time with nonsense. But I learned today that I have to read these event announcements carefully. The word arrest  was in the header, but I paid no attention.  The where and when were...

I'm not sure why the Epstein brouhaha is the straw that broke MAGA's heart and created a noticeable rift  within the cult.  I'm not unhappy that some people are waking up to the fact that their Dear Leader has feet of clay, even though I find the substance behind the anger somewhat ridiculous.   The world is falling apart and these people need to know who was screwing under age girls.  I'm happy to assume until proven otherwise that anyone associated with the man is tainted.  The truth will remain elusive, punishment rare, and reputations tarnished but ultimately redeemed in true American fashion. I'm happy to assume that MAGA hats can agree with this entire paragraph. So, if not the substance, then what?  It's the broken vow. There's a page of answers to a search for FFOTUS/vow/broke .  Whatever the reason, I'm glad that some who'd been following the evil have come to ask the same question I've been asking forever:  Is he constitutional...

Honey Bunny's little brother now has a blogonym, thanks to his big cousin,  Giblet. The baby's the 4th in a long line of men whose name ended in son. His cousin watched the video Queen T took of the little one's first giggles, prompted by Grandma's dancing fingers and gentle belly tickles,  and came up with the nickname on the spot.  I do have the most amazing grandbabies.  I'll be back tomorrow with something of substance.  Tonight,  I'm flying home.   Have a wonderful Bastille Day. Remember, it was a group of outraged women who stormed Versailles and started the French Revolution.  There is power in numbers,  even small numbers. 

The New Republic sent me a newsletter.  It details all the horrible messes coming from the White House - FFOTUS didn't know that Liberia's national language is English as he complimented their President's vocabulary; any contract to aid Texas flood victims over $100,00 must be personally approved by the Sectetary; Tom Tiilis is surprised that RFK Jr lied about vaccines.  Then it shares a short piece on my junior Senator, Ruben Gallego, and his trip to the Iowa State Fair. Testing the waters for a presidential run is not unusual. Doing so when you've been in office for seven months and ten days seems like jumping the gun.  When I was working,  it seemed that six months passed before new hires were fully functional. I suppose that once he figured out where the bathrooms were located and how to get a quick lunch and what reports were needed when and by whom he has turned his sights to bigger and better things.  I'd like to see him act more like a Senator and less l...

Apologies for my spotty attendance here.   There are small people requiring attention and their needs are a priority.  So is sleep.  HoneyBunny isn't thrilled to take her nap; she'll understand the wonderfulness of a mid day siesta when she's old.... like Grandma. Queen T and I started watching Missing You, Netfix's version of Harlan Coben's novel. Unfortunately,  we started this binge at 9pm.  The show is great, but 2 episodes, much deep conversation, and a phone call from TBG pushed the start time of the third episode to 11:30pm.  Since I promised Big Cuter that his lovely bride would be in bed by 12:30, we put off the last 3 episodes until tonight. But the show lived on in my head and falling asleep was a challenge.  A small face atop a small body stood in my doorway at 7. My body cried NO but my heart got me up and out of bed.  Brushing teeth with a toddler involves sucking off the miniscule amount of toothpaste Grandma applied, then foll...

 I'm in Marin, with the littlest grandkids.  As always, it's wonderful and exhausting.   I took the weekend off from politics.  It feels great.  Family is much better for the soul.

This is how I feel about America right now - droopy.  But there was a time when I felt hopeful, even enthusiastic about our standing in the world.  That's when I originally wrote the post I'm reprinting below the sad flag.  I'm going to let those memories take me back in time for the 4th of July. The sky is pure blue,   painted that way  as G'ma said every time she looked up.  The occasional fluffy white cloud drifts by, and I'm hearing G'ma remark on that, too.  The flag in front of the house is swaying, the pole wedged between the base and the capital of one of the front columns, secured with thin, silver, crafting wire.   It's an elegant solution to TBG's reluctance to put holes in his house;  I feel like Daddooooo every time I wrap another ring around the post. Daddooooo was big on ingenious remedies to intractable problems.  He was also big on flags and the 4th of July.  We always went to the beach.  We always st...

I can't find a title for this.    I'm embarrassed for my country.  I'm appalled that there are human beings in the Senate who cheered for the passage of a bill that will kill people.   What in the world does FFOTUS have on Lisa Murkowski?  She talks about her  fear of retaliation from the Administration in this rather self-serving Politico article .  She cried when talking about her vote.  She's not up for re-election until 2028, and she beat a MAGA acolyte in 2022. Yet, she accepted the carve outs that were offered to our 49th and 50th states, the carve outs that Hawaii's Senators rejected because that wouldn't be fair to the rest of us, and voted AYE. I suppose her constituents are happy.   Paramount joined the ever lengthening list of companies that have caved to FFOTUS's power tripping.  I suppose their shareholders are happy. There's a chill in the air, although the thermometer read 106 today.  Familiar faces are mis...

The Big Ugly Bill seems to be stalled in the House over a procedural motion.  My sources (ooo-la-la, I have sources!) tell me that these Representatives are flippable.   If you or someone you know lives in one of these districts, it behooves them to make a phone call asking What's The Rush?  Only one person wants it done by July 4th, and he's not the only one in charge.  Ask your Congresshuman to have a heart and reexamine this bill that benefits no one but billionaires and private prisons and hurts everyone else. It's a republic, if we can keep it.  Do the work, reap the rewards.\ Thanks. REP AZ-06, Juan Ciscomani CA-22, David Valadao CA-40, Young Kim CA-41, Ken Calvert CO-08, Gabe Evans FL-07, Cory Mills FL-13, Anna Paulina Luna FL-27, Maria Elvira Salazar IA-01, Mariannette Miller-Meeks IA-02, Ashley Hinson IA-03, Zach Nunn MI-07, Tom Barrett MO-02, Ann Wagner NJ-07, Tom Kean Jr. NY-17, Mike Lawler OH-07, Max Miller OH-10, Mike Turner OH-15, Mike Carey P...

Rep. Ciscomani's Tucson office was open for business this morning.  A lovely woman answered the phone, basked in the wonderfulness of it all with me for a moment, and then asked what she could do for me. I lit into my Vote No on the Big Ugly Bill rant, hoping that when it returns to the House my Congressman will remain true to his promises and protect Medicaid and SNAP.    She responded with a real statement.  Let me tell you what the Congressman has written and asked us to share .   Although it was the same nonsensical blather about waste and the worthy poor and scam artists and having the welfare of all his constituents in mind, I have to give them credit for reading the room.  They are now prepared for the onslaught of comments on the issue.   He has to know that his MAGA voters are with him and the rest of us don't trust him.  He made no attempt in his statement to appeal to me, on any level.  He's firmly in FFOTUS's camp and ha...

Excuse me, but where did June go?  Yesterday it was Memorial Day and now it's 4th of July.  I thought I was paying attention, but apparently I was not.  That's weird, because there are so many family birthdays and events in June and I notice the arrival of those dates.   And anyhow, why would a month start on a Tuesday in the middle of the summer?  Who at my age is paying that much attention to a calendar (unless there's a doctor visit on the horizon)? I've written a more substantial post which I was ready to publish.  Then Blogger showed me the date and my head exploded. I feel like my 4 year old self who was furious at my parents for letting Captain Kangaroo announce to me that it was 1956, rather than preparing me themselves by having me practice my 6's.   I'm bemused.