SHOCK!!!

 My worst fears for this election.

Dan and I are in shock and we fear for the future of this country.

I am taking a hiatus from blogging until the New Year and then will assess whether to continue to be a blogger.

postscript - a quote from John Lewis I read in the Americans for Conscience newsletter

Do not get lost in a sea of despair. Be hopeful, be optimistic. Our struggle is not the struggle of a day, a week, a month, or a year—it is the struggle of a lifetime. Never, ever be afraid to make some noise and get in good trouble, necessary trouble. – John Lewis

Waiting ...

 Just waiting today.

Tomorrow is the big day.

I get to play a role by being a ballot clerk.  Either I will check in voters and hand them the ballot or check them out and collect the ballot. I'll be there from 8 am- 1:30 pm.  Polls close at 7 pm and then another set of people come to count.

But today I'm anxious and just waiting and hoping and praying that we can put a woman in charge!

See the video that Tom posted here.

Please vote!

P.S. Here's a great article on NPR about how to avoid spreading false election information.

It's Friday!

From The Washington Post

November 1, 2024

by Jennifer Rubin.

What caught my eye

I like democracy’s chances this election. Ignoring the polls that are all within the margin of error (and the incessantly inane chatter about small, statistically nonsignificant changes) has its benefits; one can step back to assess the performance of the two campaigns and candidates. Vice President Kamala Harris has been doggedly working swing states; giving interviews to Black, local and mainstream media; slamming her opponent’s racism and fascist ambitions; and driving a large early vote (including a Democratic senior surge). She has come across as warm, sincere and quick on her feet. (She has about a 10-point advantage over former president Donald Trump on favorability.) On Tuesday, Harris held a mammoth and uplifting event on the National Mall in D.C. Standing in front of the illuminated White House on the very spot felon and former president Donald Trump summoned the mob to attack the Capitol, Harris called for unity, vowed to be an inclusive president and implored us to reject another “petty tyrant.” The contrast with Trump’s Madison Square Garden event — a grotesque and vulgar display of racism — could have not been starker. As the campaign has gone on, Harris has become more confident, eloquent and, yes, presidential; Trump has become more crass, unhinged, angry and scattered. I concur with Jill Lawrence’s assessment in the Bulwark that Harris’s campaign is one of the best organized, most effective and most enthusiastic in history. She has elevated the tragic results of Dobbs, put criticism to rest by setting out a robust domestic agenda, made a considerable effort to reach out to Republicans and run to Trump’s right on national security. All of this is even more remarkable when you recall she only entered the race in July. Trump, by contrast, has maintained a leisurely schedule, spent time cultivating the same group of voters and made one offensive comment after another. He seems determined to offend just about everyone (women, minorities, Puerto Ricans, retired generals) outside his base. In the last week of the campaign, his schedule is shockingly light. (Is he exhausted?) He wastes time in uncompetitive states such as California, New York and New Mexico. He lacks a decent ground game to turn out the vote (having outsourced that effort to inept billionaires) and hides from mainstream news outlets. He finally is getting the scrutiny he deserves. This does not mean the race is “in the bag” for Harris, merely that she and her team have done everything humanly possible to maximize the chance of victory. If the Harris voters show up at the polls in numbers the campaign expects, democracy will survive a near-death experience. I also remain optimistic about any post-election fight. Republicans’ pre-election litigations have consistently failed. Unlike 2020, voters in 2024 can rely on a reformed Electoral Count Act to provide further protection against a coup (e.g., empowering governers to issue the certification, raising the threshold for challenges in Congress). In addition, the Justice Department and local law enforcement are prepared for any violence (on Election Day and on Jan. 6, 2025). And certification refusal is not the magic bullet MAGA Republicans imagine. Despite Republican disinformation, the election system is safe, secureand accurate. And outside the swamplands of right-wing media, Republicans cannot overturn results in court without replete evidence of widespread fraud. Americans need to retain perspective, muster up patience, let the vote counting proceed, avoid bestowing MAGA legal challenges credibility they do not deserve and insist on bipartisan recognition of the winner. We can do this, America.

Distinguished person of the week

At a time when so many White evangelical church leaders have jettisoned any semblance of religious values to justify supporting Trump, we got a full-throated, deeply passionate denunciation of hate from the archbishop of Puerto Rico, Roberto O. González Nieves. He responded to the vile insult uttered at the Trump festival of hate at Madison Square Garden, writing: “Puerto Rico is not a floating island of garbage. Puerto Rico is a beautiful country inhabited by a beautiful and noble people … More Puerto Rican soldiers died in the Vietnam War as part of the United States military than soldiers from any state of the United States.” He emphasized that Tony Hinchcliffe’s remarks provoke “hatred” and “do not have a place in a society founded on ‘liberty and justice for all.’” Most importantly, the archbishop demanded: “I call upon you, Mr. Trump, to disavow these comments as reflecting in any way your personal or political viewpoints. It is not sufficient for your campaign to apologize. It is important that you, personally, apologize for these comments.” Trump, of course, will do no such thing. He has consistently refused to denounce white supremacists, violent militia and abject racists in his circle. (Indeed, he lionizes the violent felons who attacked the Capitol on Jan. 6, 2021.) However, the archbishop serves to remind Americans that Trump is responsible for all of this — the hate, the violence, the misogyny, the cruelty. He cannot pass it off as a “joke” nor pin responsibility on others. He is the fount of the disgusting discourse. He and those who support him (or enable him by silence) cannot duck accountability for the bile he spews into our politics.

 

Getting ready for trick or treaters

Three pumpkins to decorate. 

The big one is carved into a jack o'lantern.  I cut off the bottom then carve the face.

The other two I used magic markers to draw on faces.

345 pieces of candy giving out two each that's enough for 172 children and teens. Our first Halloween here in 2021 we had 137 +/-.  Since all the children in the township come to the Flat where the houses are grouped closely we get a lot of kids.  I imagine some come from the neighboring township too.

I also participate in Teal Pumpkin - passing out non-food treats to kids with allergy issues. This year I have pens to give out.

I'm ready!

What will Halloween look like where you are?

First Dusting

 

Went to bed last night after reading the overnight forecast of snow showers. Didn’t think it would happen but it did.  As I write more flakes are coming down. 

Silent Movies

 Our church has a music series generously endowed by a late member. Friday night the program was two silent movies with organ accompaniment. 

The first was this one, a very funny Buster Keaton. The organist is behind the screen and improvised the music while watching his iPad. 

Here’s part of his introduction before the first movie. 

The second movie was much longer - The Hunchback of Notre Dame with Lon Chaney. Another movie we’d never seen. 

It was a great evening of movies over 100 years old. 

If Only tRumpites Would Read Jennifer Rubin.

from The Washington Post October 25, 2024 by Jennifer Rubin What caught my eye Trump dressed up in a McDonald’s apron and pretended to work at a store (which had closed and enlisted supporters as “customers”). He spouted inanities in a Black barbershop; asked about getting health foods into their neighborhoods, Trump rambled on about Robert F. Kennedy Jr. “So, Bobby Kennedy, right? Everybody likes Bobby Kennedy. And he’s so big into the healthy food and women things. Everything. He wants to do things and the environment, and he endorsed me.” Trump also turned down interviews where he might be pressed to answer serious questions. What is striking — aside from the horror that a candidate this unfit could actually win — is his reversion to reality show actor. He is playing roles that convince himself and his cult followers that he is more authentic and adept than his opponent (who did work at McDonald’s, does have real policies and has done a batch of mainstream interviews). I recently interviewed Susanne Craig and Russ Buettner, authors of “Lucky Loser: How Donald Trump Squandered His Father’s Fortune And Created The Illusion Of Success.” They reminded me that Trump’s wealth (exaggerated by false property valuations, according to a civil verdict earlier this year) is due almost entirely to his inheritance and a heavily edited reality show designed to make him appear competent and successful (plus the marketing deals that followed). His time in the White House was just as contrived. Even as president (who reportedly did not show up for work until late morning after “executive time”) he did not do the job (devising legislation, problem-solving, negotiating with allies, facing a pandemic head-on) but rather made appearances, posed, preened and soaked up the pomp and privileges of the office as if they were personal tributes. His “accomplishments” were fictional (I built the wall! Best economy ever!). Totally unequipped to govern — and impeached twice for violating basic precepts of his oath — he left in disgrace. Now, he plays the role of candidate, but not very well. (He lacks a skilled editor.) He faltered in the debate, unable to hold his ground against a serious opponent. He has made no effort to devise rational policies, preferring to fake his way through answers on issues such as health care, child care and the national deficit. Instead, he seethes with anger, lacks control over his vulgar impulses, incoherently rambles and rarely shows he can string together logical thoughts. (He could not even complete a Q&A at a town hall, preferring to rock to music for nearly 40 minutes.) He wants to “play the Garden,” although it echoes the infamous Nazi rally in 1939. And he lies over and overand over again. In lieu of tangible success, his delusions, fakery, grandiosity and denigration of foes (every accusation appears to be a subliminalconfession) feed his insatiable ego. But without the trappings of the president (as he had in 2020) or “The Apprentice” illusion as his introduction (as he had in 2016), the stage management falters. The signs of strain and decline are impossible to conceal. As Joan Walsh wrote for the Nation, “Mainstream news organizations suddenly became more blunt about Trump’s decline — and derangement.” It is about time. With his bizarre behavior now front and center, each new erratic and unhinged episode should prompt us to ask: Without any competent, responsible adults left inside Trump’s inner circle (all such people were cast out once they spoke up to warn America about his fascist inclinations and mental unfitness), who would really be running the show in a second Trump term? One comes to the uneasy conclusion that Sen. JD Vance (R-Ohio) — more cunning, more ideologically extreme, more inexperienced, more openly misogynistic and, hence, more dangerous than Trump — will be driving the train with Project 2025 as his guidebook. I am hard pressed to think of anything more frightening than a figurehead Trump free to seek revenge on his enemies while Vance steers the country toward fascism. Distinguished person of the week

The Harris campaign has no shortage of effective surrogates. But Mark Cuban, a true billionaire, has become especially adept at talking bluntly to businesspeople about their excuse for voting for Trump — the economy. He has conducted tutorials on tariffs. He has laid out in simple terms how disastrous they would be, not only for consumers, but also for small businesses that cannot eat the added cost. This week, Cuban also told small business owners they would make more money under a Harris administration than under Trump. The Arizona Republic reported: “Cuban pitched Harris as someone who is open to listening to the business community and ‘not an ideologue.’” Cuban continued, saying Trump has no “origin story” and does not understand the “power of broke” because he “asked daddy for money.” In an interview with CNBC, Cuban said he also told restaurant owners:

What would it be like if all of a sudden you’ve got a knock on your door and there was somebody from Stephen Miller squad asking you for the names and addresses and immigration status of everybody that works for you? That’s not how you can run a country.

If you follow the polls, you will notice voters increasingly favoring Vice President Kamala Harris on the economy, long a strong suit for Trump. Certainly, credit goes to Harris and her campaign, which has doggedly contrasted her economic plan with his one-note tax cuts for the rich and stressed differences on policy (e.g., minimum wage, Social Security). And, certainly, Trump’s stunts (playacting at McDonalds) have not helped him. But Cuban — who has high credibility with the business community — deserves his share of credit. Maybe he can hang around after the election and help educate both the public and political pundits about economic reality.

 

Wordless Wednesday

 

Shortcut Eggplant Parm

 I had a medium eggplant and some leftover sauce.  Instead of dipping each circle of eggplant in an egg wash, then in crumbs and frying them in oil,  I tried something else.  I knew that sliced eggplant coated with mayo and dipped in parmesan cheese and broiled makes a crispy eggplant.  I chose to slice eggplant lengthwise, coat with mayo and dip in a grated pizza cheese blend.  I put it on a foil covered cookie sheet sprayed with olive oil and into a 500º oven which was still in the warming process.  After about 10 minutes I flipped the inside pieces of eggplant and sliced off a bit to see if it was done.  Almost, so 3-5 minutes more  and then oven off.

I moved it to a casserole dish and poured the warm sauce over it and added both the pizza blend and some parmesan on top.  Into the 350º oven for 5 minutes while the angel hair pasta cooked.

I wasn't sure Dan would like it this way but he took three helpings!  All that's left is in that photo. I think I will continue to make eggplant parm this way. It was delicious.

My Messy Desk

Saturday morning I resolved to start designing and making my Christmas cards. Instead of purchasing the newest Christmas themed paper from Stampin Up I went to my scrap folders and sorted out Christmas papers from past years. That’s what caused the mess. 

I was able to come up with two designs but final touches are still in flux.

Jennifer's Friday Column

from The Washington Post. 

October 18, 2024

by Jennifer Rubin 

What caught my eye In the closing weeks of her campaign, Vice President Kamala Harris has hit upon a compelling message: felon and former president Donald Trump is, well, a mess. She put it this way in an interview with Roland Martin: “His staff won’t let him do a ‘60 Minutes’ interview. ... Everyone has done it except Donald Trump. He will not debate me again. I put out my medical records. He won’t put out his medical records. And you have to ask: Why is his staff doing that? And it may be because they think he’s just not ready — and unfit and unstable and should not have that level of transparency for the American people.” She hit the same notes in a series of battleground rallies describing Trump as “unstable and unhinged.” And at her rally in Erie, Pa., on Monday, she even played clips of Trump labeling his political opponents as “the enemies from within ... those people are more dangerous than Russia and China.” Trump, as even mainstream outlets acknowledge, is becoming angrier, more threatening, more explicit in his authoritarian vision — and more incoherent. The uptick in unsteady, off-kilter performances has increased. On Monday, he seemed to prove Harris’s point at a bizarre town hall at which he cut off questions and swayed to the music for nearly 40 minutes. On Tuesday, he rambled, insulted the interviewer and American autoworkers, and then veered wildly off topic when asked a basic question about his economic plan. Unsurprisingly, as the prospect of losing looms larger and the potential for resuming his criminal trial increases, Trump hides from the scrutiny of an electorate that would be repulsed by his message and by objective examination of his emotional and physical health. Only within the cocoon of his faithful MAGA supporters does his message attract rather than repel. He lacks the mental capacity to defend bizarre and destructive policy notions; he cannot justify his damaging lies that endanger Americans (whether in North Carolina or Springfield, Ohio). So Trump retreats physically to safe spaces without critics and abandons any pretense of persuasion and serious public policy. As the Bulwark editor at large William Kristol put it, “In the closing weeks of this campaign, any mask of democratic normalcy and civic decency has been tossed aside.” Jon Lemire on “Morning Joe” summed up Harris’s strategy: “She can effectively needle him. ... ‘He’s afraid to do an interview. He’s afraid to release his medical records. ... Trump makes every decision about himself, not about you, the voter.’ ... That is her argument right now as Trump simply goes darker and darker on the campaign trail.” So Trump burrows deeper into the belly of the MAGA beast, schedules a rally at Madison Square Garden reminiscent of the German American Bund’s Nazi rally in February 1939. A man increasingly showing signs of intellectual and physical deterioration (e.g., falling asleep at his trial and his own convention, sometimes appearing listless and tired at rallies even before Monday’s gobsmacking outing) seeks to pump himself and his followers up in feverish rallies that play on hatred of immigrants and revenge fantasies. No wonder the vivacious, trim and energetic vice president released her health records and has taken to playing clips of her diminished opponent. She is running against the oldest man ever to be nominated by a major party for the presidency, someone who is keeping secretsabout his health and degenerating before our eyes. Distinguished person of the week Republicans are pulling out all the stops preparing to thwart the election if Trump loses. Blocking military and overseas votes? That’s extreme. But so is filing roughly 200 lawsuits asserting unproved and unprovable theories (e.g., undocumented immigrants are voting). But now and then a brave Republican stands up to holler: Enough! The Atlanta Journal-Constitution reported on Monday, “The chair of the State Election Board says his Republican colleagues have gone too far, taking the law into their hands by passing new Georgia election rules since Donald Trump praised them at a campaign rally.” John Fervier, who was appointed by Georgia’s Republican governor, scolded the right-wing majority on the board for failing “to stay within its boundaries.” The AJC, noting nine rule changes invented by the board, reported, “Fervier’s comments come ahead of critical court hearings this week on lawsuits attempting to revoke the board’s recently passed rules, including requirements for an undefined ‘reasonable inquiry’ before certifying elections and an election-night hand count of the number of paper ballots.” Indeed, on Tuesday, a Georgia court held no election board could refuse to certify election results. “We all represent every voter in Georgia, and we should act like that,” Fervier said. “This hyperpartisanship doesn’t serve anybody, and it certainly doesn’t serve this board. And I think it creates dissension.” Kudos to him for speaking up and for alerting Georgians to Republican antics. During 2020, we saw a number of brave Republicans (e.g., Rusty Bowers, then-speaker of the Arizona House; Brad Raffensperger, Georgia’s secretary of state) refuse to subvert democracy under pressure from Trump. We will need others like Fervier to step up this time around.

First Puzzle of 2024-25 Winter

 

Completed with help of granddaughter #2 who was here overnight this week. 

I started with an easier one.  Next will be the flowers given to me by Joyce who I saw on our trip at beginning of month  

First Frost

 

Concerns

 This post removed for medical privacy for granddaughter,

Chicago Tour

 A visit to Chicago is not complete without a boat tour and description of the architecture, or so we were told by my nephew and his groom when we got the wedding invitation.  The wedding was on a Friday evening and the boat tour was on Saturday afternoon, the 2:30 sailing.

We sailed with Wendella Boat Rides based at the foot of the bridge by the Wrigley Building.

Our tour guide was very knowledgeable about anything pertaining to Chicago and other useless trivia.

Come along and see the sights.  I recall a few of them.

Under that roof below is the Apple Store.  It doesn't appear to have any walls.

Yes there are two open floors in the building above and below on right to keep the wind from blowing it over.  After all this is the windy city.

The name on building below should read tRump.

Going through the lock above to enter Lake Michigan.  The river once flowed into the lake but has been engineered to flow the opposite way by way of a canal system.  The reason: too much pollution going into the Lake which is the source of drinking water for the city.

Building above called the corn cob.

Visiting Chicago any time soon?  Consider taking this tour.