Dog Days of August

~Mitch McConnell STILL has not been seen since I last wrote. There have been a couple of "updates" provided by his press team, including some suspected Photoshopped (at best)/ AI (at worst) pictures. Questions abound as to why he's pictured wearing street clothes in a rehab facility. Meanwhile, back at the office, his vote or lack of may become critical in confirmation of Todd Blanche as Attorney General. Little Susie Collins has already declared she is a "No" on this one, keeping with her attempt to protect herself from the big bad Dems who want to retire her. We'll see how the rest of her accomplices vote. ~Maine officially replaced Graham Platner with Troy Jackson a couple of weeks ago and the Super-PAC attack ads have been relentless already, along with the sensationalized stories of violent outbursts and alleged children with a second cousin. Per Maine Revised Statutes Title 19-A, §701: Prohibited marriages; exceptions it is NOT illegal for second cousins to marry. So there! ~Other than schmoozing with Dr. Oz the other day, Paul Lepage has been silent/absent from the political scene so far. His opponent, Matt Dunlap is out and about doing meet and greets and town halls. I suspect LePage will not do many if any because he has shown himself to be not very adept in those arenas. ~Governor candidates are out and about - GOP candidate Bobby (where did HE come from?) Charles has been vocal and inconsequential. Independent Rick Bennett (formerly GOP) has some good ideas and is worrisome. Hannah Pingree is all over the state. ~Primaires in other states have shown that the country's voters are looking for change. No one is happy about still being at war with Iran, about the price of everything, and the messes Trump is creating in DC. HIs latest vanity project is a hellipad on the White House lawn (so he doesn't get his feet wet in the grass) that he has ordered ripped up because he doesn't like the way it looks. I wonder how many of these contractors will end up getting payed? How many will he stiff? How many will sue and a future administration will have to find the money to make it right? Oh and how much time and money is it going to take to remove his name and silliness from all of this? ~In other craziness - Rand Paul decided he'd go after Dr. Anthony Fauci last week over his handling of the COVID pandemic. This after Rand conspired with RFK Jr. to harvest Dr. Fauci's personal diary from the internet, which he then made public. To his credit, Fauci did not take the bait and plead the fifth at every opportunity, including the most basic of questions. He was correct when he opined in his opening statement that the only reason for the hearing was to force him to say something/anything that they could use to indict him. ~Wildfires are raging in Washington state and Oregon and California, as well as France and Spain. The world is burning and this adminstration keeps attacking the environment in every way possible. I have absolutely no confidence in anyone in charge to do anything to protect us from any threat, be it from another country, the weather, another pandemic, or an as yet unimagined enemy. I also worry about the rush to AI in all things. Two companies last week admitted that their models escaped in testing and hacked other systems. We cannot live like this! I'm at the point where I do not read the AI summary when I Google something, and I''m ready to not do business with people who use AI in their advertising or social media. I consider it lazy and personally insulting. Those who claim it's legitimate for anyone to use it to create art or music or literature are wrong. If you do not possess the talent and knowledge to create without AI how do you know what you are creating is any good? You are discounting those who have put in the time and effort to learn the techniques and have spent the money on the materials and created bad art to get to where they are today.

What a Week...

~ Let's see: Mitch McConnell has not been seen in 4 weeks after a medical emergency call from his DC townhouse. No one is telling what they know so the conspiracies are floating. Many center around the "Weekend at Bernie's" theme that he has passed but the R's are keeping mum until after a magical date that will benefit them in the upcoming elections in November. Also, Trump's Great American State Fair has closed to little fanfare. Pictures online show the cheap canvas shelters falling apart and general sadness. His Reflecting Pool is being drained again and since they could not find a different company to redo it, they have hired the same people (Spray-on truck bed liner applicators) to make the repairs. And they have indicted several "vandals" who they say caused the damage. I don't expect any charges to stick. Also, last week a former girlfriend of Graham Platner, the overwhelming favorite to take on Susan Collins in the Maine race for the US Senate, accused him of rape. Creditable account and all his high-profile support evaporated. His response was a typical big bro take no responsility rhetoric. He finally submitted his official resignation on Friday. Replacement candidates have flooded in - Troy Jackson, Nirav Shah, Shenna Bellows, Jordan Wood are the big names. Dems will have county meetings to determine who that replacement will be. And, finally, I woke up this morning to the news that Lindsay Graham had died last night. Oh, and Trump's new pet projects in DC are re-doing the columns at West Wing entrance and installing a granite heli-pad on hte front lawn. ~ I feel as if the energy is finally shifting away from the MAGAs and am hopeful that we can prevail in November. Of course, I'm well aware that Trump and his minions are working to make sure they prevail. And they would be so proud to win in any manner, legal or otherwise. ~ D. is away in Florida, helping Kelly et al clear out Don's double wide so Kelly can sell it. He said this morning that they filled 11 large bags of trash yesterday. Also, there was some hoarding going on - 12 cases of diet coke, multiple large packs of paper towels, etc. He alredy has his reservation back on Wednesday, this time on Breeze. His Southwest flights on Friday were a nightmare - 3 hours late taking off from Portland which meant he missed his connecting flight in Baltimore but was able to get on a later flight, which got diverted to Ft. Lauderdale to refuel because there was a huge severe storm over Tampa when they were supposed to land. He did eventually get into Tampa and was eating dinner at 11:30. I can only imagine how frustrated he was and I'm guessing he did not handle it well. ~ After I dropped him at the Jetport I grabbed a coffee at Dunkin and checked out Aldi - Some intersting different food and stuff but nothing to get excited about. Then I stopped at Jillson's to buy a hnging basket to augment the humming bird food. Yesterday I took in 2 films at MIFF - "Keeper of the Flame", an oldie with Tracy and Hepburn that is very relevant for today (Fascism etc.) and "The Last Critic" , about Robert Christgau, the noted rock music critic who seemed to delight in writing snide things about every artist I've enjoyed through the years. About the time I'd had enough of the movie nature called and I answered and came home.

The Day After...

...July 4th. Locally, very quiet day. Someone in the immediate neighborhood "treated" us to about 45 minutes of pyrotechnics last night from 9:30 to 10:15. That was it, aside from the distant rumble of displays from neighboring towns - Winslow, Augusta, Belgrade, Oakland? Nationally, the mightily hyped celebration/speech/fireworks on the National Mall along with the Great American Fair, were all delayed by Mother Nature who apparently is a Democrat. Attendees were evacuated ahead of a storm and most sought shelter in the African American Museum (how karmic!). The speech was delayed until after 11, which pushed the fireworks into the 5th of July. From all reports, it appears as if whoever won the no-bid contract for them understood the assignment and simply set up several barges in the Potomac River and set them up to fire syncronized identical dispalys for however long it took to burn up the record number of shells. The smoke eventually obscured the fireworks themselves. The usual poorly executed Trump celebration. This after his speech at Mount Rushmoore the night before was delayed by a severe thunder/hail storm. ~ So the holiday is behind us. Steeling myself for whatever fresh Hell awaits us this week. D. is leaving on Friday for Florida to help Kelly wrap up Don's affairs. Won't be gone long he says. We'll see. Thursday Brenda and I are going to see the High Kings at the Opera House. And next Saturday is the first Society show in Wiscasset. I need soap from Sisters who will be there and want to say hi to Rachel. ~ Had my long-term problem tooth pulled on Thursday and it's taking its sweet time in subsiding. No bleeding after the first day but I have residual soreness and my bite is adjusting to having been off for several months. I cannot say what happened to traumatize it this winter - I do not remember hitting it on anything. Perhaps it was just an age thing. Dr. Berube said one of the roots was broken off, so there's that. I have the tooth, mostly because there was a gold crown appled probably 20 years ago. NOt sure what I can do ithit but I'll research it. ~ Awful spill at Saratoga on Friday - one horse clipped heels and went down and 3 trailers fell over her. One jockey (Javier Castellano) taken to hospital but was back riding Saturday. Other 3 were all released from on-track treatment but one (Dylan Davis) took off the remainder of his mounts for the day. All 4 horses got up and ran off but were coralled by outriders. all seemed okay but it was announced yesterday the the horse that initiated the accident has a fractured hip and will undergo sustained rehab. I was not watching at the time and, as usual in these cases, the video is not available. The garden is growing well. My lettuce and Bright Lights Swiss Chard did not germinate, so I bought some lettuce starts from Ace last week. Trying to keep up withthe watering this past week was difficult but everyone seems happy now.

Belmont + Elections

~ Last Belmont at Saratoga was a repeat of the Derby - another first for Cherie DeVaux - first woman trainer to win two Triple Crown races! Once again, Golden Tempo came from last to first in great fashion. He was not the favorite because ??? - I don’t know why? Anyway, he will be sent back to Kentucky to prepare for the summer races - Jim Dandy and Travers. Looking forward to it. (Side note: the FOX coverage of this year's Belmont was abysmal - too many non-horse "experts" injecting themselves into the broadcast with distracting questions and observations. I don't understand what the thinking was there beyond giving the regular racing coverage crew a break from the marathon day of duties.) ~ Tomorrow is Primary Day in Maine. It's been a wild ride with the high profile candidacy of Graham Platner, which attracted much negative press - I suspect from both parties. He was not the Dems choice (Mills was early ordained by Chuck Schumer) and the GOP sees him as a real threat to Collins. The last couple of weeks have brought out the worst in electioneering - attacks, past transgressions, etc. And it has not been limited to Platner - some national group has been smearing both Troy Jackson and Nirav Shah in the Governor race, claiming they are both anti-abortion. I believe that campaign is somehow connected to Joe Baldacci. Anyway, I'm looking forward to some peace and quiet in the airwaves later this week and will try to leave it all behind after voting when my shift as an election clerk ends at 2:00 tomorrow afternoon. ~ Absolutely no quilting has been happening. I need to change that. The garden is in and most of the maintenance has been completed outdoors. It's time. ~ Too many friends have lost their 4-legged companions of late - Lee and Candy Sykes lost Smokey, Lee's hunting dog who accompanied him to many of his music gigs. And Teresa just lost her long-time feline companion Furlong. He's the cat who got her through her cancer and was the comfort for most of the strays that seemed to need Teresa's love. May they all rest in peace on the fluffiest clouds.

Just When We Think He's Hit the Bottom...

~ ...he finds a new way to disgust us all. His $1.7 billion slush fund that is earmarked for all his January 6th co-conspirators is highly illegal on its own. But he had to add all the legalese so that he, his family and busineeses would never be held accountble for anything. We'll see about that. ~ And this after he has pushed through his plans for a "triumphal arch in DC and his mucking up of the reflecting pool between the Washington and lIncoln monuments by having it painted swimming American flag blue by his swimming pool technicians. Good God! I cannot imagine what is next. (Oh, and not to mention ripping up more of the White HOuse lawn for a proper helipad. It will take years and billions to undo all the tackiness. ~ Meanwhile, down the road towards Baltimore, the Preakness was held at Laurel last weekend. The "crowd" was limited to 6400 people and shots of the track showed lots of space for everyone. Winner was Napoleon Solo, a new shooter. Hopefully, Pimlico will be back online next year - I'm sure the infield denizens were not happy about his year. ~ Janet Mills has dropped out of the Senatorial race and the DCC has endorsed Platner to be their golden child. I'm not convinced.

Hallmark & Horses

~ As lifelong horse lover and former rider, I am always up for a good horse-related movie. I'm also a devoted Hallmark movie fan, however they really need to hire a dedicated consultant when diving into the horse world. Three cases in point: 1) Taking the Reins - set in the show jumping world (although not at the elite level) the fault that I could not get past was the rider's hold on the reins that was so reminiscent of many beginners and certainly not the position that one would expect to see in a jumping class. Hands way too high and static. I suspect the actress was not a rider and had only rudimentry skills taught to her as it was obvious when the jumping started that there was someone else in the saddle. Close ups only, please. 2) Hats Off to Love - set in Lexington with a fictional Lexington Derby as the main event. There is a scene where the trainer of one of the horses entered (the eventual winner, of course) is leading the horse having apparently just come back from a training session. Sadly, the saddle on the horse is a standard jumping saddle and not a racing exercise saddle. Just a simple detail overlooked, that the casual viewer would never notice. 3) Kentucky Roses - the latest, set against the spectacle at Churchill Downs at Kentucky Derby time. Early in the movie, the main character and her trainer friend are at the Derby draw where the friend's horse draws post 17. Yet when raceday arrives and the horses hit the track in the post paraade, there are at most 10 horses on the track. Did the other 5-6-7 scratch? (Highly unlikely.) Just my observations and a hope that in the future there may be better attention payed to the details.

Historic Kentucky Derby

~ That sound at approxiamtely 7 pm ;ast evening was the glass ceiling breaking in the trainer's old boys club. Cherie DeVaux from Saratoga Springs weilded the hammer that was Golden Tempo and had help from a very capabable jockey in Jose Ortiz, who just edged out his brother Irad at the finish line. The video of Cherie during the final moments of the race is priceless - jumping, slumping and finally rejoicing. All the emotions. And so so gracious in all her remarks. No deceision yet on the Preakness and no need to push that decision. ~ My Threads timeline was filled last night and this morning with all the casual horse racing fans (and some not so casual anti-fans). Some misinforamtion but it's all good. No public breakdowns just a gate scratch of Great white who reared behind the gate before loading, dumping his jockey and landning on his side. He appeared no worse for wear but the vets did their job and he was led away. ~ Just before the Derby NBC aired a retrospective of Barbaro 20 years ago. Footage of Michael Matz showed a much older, wiser and posssibly more tirede man. I have noticed fewer and fewer workouts and entries for his horse and his barn at Fair Hill has a new owner. I think he still has a few horses, likely in the Runnymoore barn. ~ Trump and his minions are still blaming the Dems for last Saturday's shooter incident at the White House Press Association event. And The Justice Department indicted Comey yet again, this time for his "86/47" social media post last year. He reported and was released the same day but what a clown show this administration is proving to be, with all their lies and dodges. No one takes responsibility for their actions and they all have been coached to deflect. The latest dodge is that the 60 day limit before the Senate has to be involved in a war hasn't been reached because when the cease fire went into effect the clock was stopped. Not the case according to the law but no one is stopping them. Meanwhile, Trump says the war is over but then turns around and says he'll start bombing agin if Iran doesn't agree to his terms. ~ Closer to home, in a move I didn't see coming, Janet Mills suspended her campaign for Senate, effectively assuring Graham Platner of the nomination. Something about him just doesn't sit right with me - his testosterone "bro" vibe, his past mysoginistic statements - PTSD: I wonder what sort of decisions he would make. I don't see him going full Fettermen on us but I'm not ready to trust him. And, once Janet was out he bowed out of all future debates with 2 other candidates still in the race. That shows a lot of disrespect to me.

Another Month of Madness!

~ The war with Iran is currently on pause and at a stalemate as no one can agree on anything it seems. Still no release of the remainder of the Epstein files. Legal action has so far prevented the start of construction on the ballroom, but the underground bunker is full speed ahead. Over the weekend, the White House Correspendents Association held their annual gala and for the first time Trump was in attendance. No comedian as MC - a "mentalist" instead. Before things got rolling, but after most were seated, a lone wolf charged down from upper floors and tried to gain access to the room where everyone was gathered. He did not make it to that floor and was subdued and is alive. Never came close to the President but he and his toadies are all calling it another assasination attempt. Attacker had published a manifesto without specific names but generalized description of those he felt should suffer. ALl the important people were hustled off stage and whisked away to safety. Trump held a news conference at 10:30 and lied through his teeth. All in his orbit are blaming the Dems and their inflamatory rhetoric - taking no responsibility for any of this. And yesterday the Justice Department indicted former FBI Director Comey (AGAIN!), this time claiming the dangerous post he made last year with seashells on the beach "86/47" was the cause of the attack. (no, Donald - YOU are the cause - you and your fat mouth that you can't seem to keep closed.) Oh, and the King and Queen of England are visiting DC and Charles absolutely shredded Trump in his address to Congress yesterday and again last night at the state dinner. ~ A bright note: Ukraine seems to be making some advances in the war with Russia. And no thanks to Trump. Good for them! ~ Working through my list of projects for the house this spring. It's a long, long list. It will get done but I need a break for some quilting now that the new pfaff is back in house. I sold my canopy to one of Connie's friends, so that's one lass thing to stumble over in the garage. I need to photograph and list some of the other stuff soon. Getting to be show season. ~ Derby weekend coming up. No clear emotional favorite and that's okay. 20 years ago it was all Barbaro! Sigh.

Retreat to Hope Valley

~ I remember that during the first Trump presidency we compensated by binge-watching the West Wing, happily immersing ourselves in an administration that was far from perfect but at least had their priorities straight. This second presidency has been more of a challenge - but I have found an antidote - the Hallmark series When Calls the Heart. I'm about a fourth of the way through the back catalog and it's so refreshing to immerse myself in life on the Northwest Canadian frontier of the 1920s, complete with school teachers, villainous businessmen, shady railroad tycoons and, of course, courageous Mounties! Currently, Elizabeth (the school teacher) and Jack (the Mountie) are engaged but separated by his need to wrangle some bad guys farther North than Hope Valley (which was renamed in Season 1 from Coal Valley after a mine accident killed many of the town's husbands and sons). It's been interesting to follow civilization's advances back then, from fashion to technology - cars were just introduced but share the roads with stage coaches. I started watching the current stories last season and could not stay away from this season. It's amazing to me the number of actors that have passed through this series, some as main characters for a season or two and some in recurring occasional roles. It's very well done, if preachy at times but I'm willing to allow that given the gentle nature of the story. ~ The war in Iran continues as prices climb everywhere on everything. The TSA agents at airports have been working without pay for a month, resulting in massively long lines at major airports, especially this week and next as Spring breakers flood the lanes. Many stories of 4,5,6 hour waits and people missing flights. It's all crazy. Last night the Senate passed a bill to fund most of DHS, including TSa but not ICE. We'll see if the House takes it up before they attempt to fly home for their recess. (Good luck - at least one airline - Delta - has suspended their program that gave members of Congress preferential treatment so now those people ar standing in the same lines as the rest of us! ~ David's brother passed away a week ago - he fell somewhere in a parking lot and fractured 5 ribs. Hospital sent him to a rehab facility where he passed. Debbie, his ex-wife in Rochester, flew down earlier this week to do some preliminary arrangements and found the double-wide in a sorry state. She spent a couple of days just cleaning and throwing stuff out. She and Kelly, who inherited the place, will go down in June to see about maybe selling or whatever. I can't imagine Kelly wants that place. She ahs a lovely home in Rochester with a pool and hot tub and friends. David might go down for a couple of days just to grab some things he wants. All in all, a sad end. ~ My two Lupine & Laughter tops are done but still waiting on the new Pfaff to be ready to be picked up. I'm currently wrangling some scraps into usable shapes/sizes, but quickly losing interest. I need to clear them away, finishing cleaning and tidying and get back to Freddie's quilt and my other projects. ~ Third No Kings rally tomorrow. Going to Waterville as they were a kinder crowd than Augusta.

Catching Up

~ In the month or so since I last wrote, the chaotic administration moves have continued. They removed the head of ICE operations in Minneapolis and his successor claimed ICE was leaving, which, of course was a lie. They continue to harrass citizens in the twin cities area. And they made a brief foray into Maine, arresting several people and disappearing many to who knows where. Just last week they made an appearance at an office in the Lewiston-Auburn area that has been the target due to perceived financial misdealings with federal funds. I haven't seen an update on that one. ~ One positive development was the demotion of Kristi Noem as head of Homeland Security after she said in a Congressional hearing that Trump had approved her spending $2 million on an ad campaign for Homeland Security that featured her prominently. She's been reassigned to some made up post and her replacement is a Republican member of the House of Representatives, Markwayne Mullin. we'll see if he gets confirmed. ~ AND last week Trump joined forces with Isreali leader Netanyahu to attack Iran, claiming they were on the verge of creating a nuclear weapon. It all smacks of Wag the Dog as there is still little news on the Epstein front beyond a release of a few files that are highly damaging to Trump. The things alleged are truly heinous. An immediate result of the war has been a rapid soike in Gas and oil prices. David remarked just yesterday that he's glad we got fuel oil before this al went down. Gas prices were juping 10 to 20 cents per gallon overnight. And still Trump is lying to us about the economy while not landing on any one reason for this absurd war. Now there is talk of boots on the ground following an all ir war so far. Shipping is at a stand still as the Straits of Hormuz have been closed and possibly mined. Hegseth is on tv daily, hyping up the war, while it was revealed yesterday that the Pentagon has spent outrageous amounts of money on luxury foodstuffs and furniture. It jus amazes me that these people get in power and just go wild with our money. Its like a slap in the face. The amount of money being consumed by this war on a daily basis would easily fund healthcare and lower prices for all of us but they do not care. ~ Closer to home, I'm closing in on completing my mystery quilt. I've split the blocks to make 2 lap quilts which will be gifted to Linda and Melissa Turner in memory of son/brother Derrick. After listening to all the stories about his sense of humor, it occured to me this was a good idea, as the name of the pattern is Lupine and Laughter. Once I'm finished witht he tops it will be on to Freddy's quilt which I set aside before Christmas. By the time I finish that top the new Pfaff should be back from Tyler's so I can qult all three and then move on to other projects. ~ Currently taking Tai Chi but willtake a break this Spring to put energy into the yard which ahs gotten short shrift the past few years while I was busy creating to sell. I'm enjoying it and it's making me move, which is a good thing.

More sadness from Minneapolis

~ Last Saturday ICE agents in Minneapolis murdered another US citizen who was observing and filming their illegal activities. He observed the agents shove a woman to the ground, and when he leaned down to help her up and shield her from further mayhem, the agents gassed them both, took his legal fire arm and then proceeded to fire 10 TEN!!! bullets into his body. Another observer filmed the murder and has since come forward to self-identify to CNN. I cannot imagine the hell she experiences every day after witnessing that. Of course, the Trump administration spun it six ways from Sunday, saying he was a hired assassin and a radical terrorist, that he drew his gun, and all sorts of other lies. The only good to come out of this is that Trump's head of ICE, Greg Bovino, has been removed, but sadly replaced by Tom (Bagman) Homan, the "border Czar". He has vowed to reduce the amount of agents in town - we will see. In the meantime, ICE presence in Maine increased last week, although Susan Collins claimed today that ICE Barbie has promised her that their work in Maine is done. They dubbed this action here as Catch of the Day. They love to troll us with what they perceive as clever names for their programs. ~ Locally, we were walloped by a storm on Sunday night/Monday that left us with 15+" of snow. Thankfully it was a dry light fluffy snow so clean up was not as onerous - but it went on far too long. We had finished the front 2/3 of the drive and took a nap break. While we were napping, neighbor farmer Bob Campbell finished the job for us and even came back Tuesday morning to deal with the 3" we gained overnight. And he did a better job than any of the guys we've paid the entire time we've lived here!!! Neighbors helping neighbors - one of the things I love about this town. Now to figure out a way to thank him. ~ I'm on the home stretch of the mystery quilt I've been working on since Christmas. Just 10 more blocks of one kind to finish and 25 of another and I can start assembling it. It will go to be professionally quilted , then I'll bind and likely gift it to Linda Turner to help her heal from the loss of her son, Derrick, who committed suicide 2 weeks ago. There's a celebration of his life a week from Sunday at the Belgrade Community Center.

What Is This Country Coming To?

~ After last week's horrific killing of a woman by ICE in Minneapolis, the rhetoric coming from the Trump Administration has become increasingly terrifying. More gas lighting, more shockingly violent false claims, the President yelling at an autoworker in a Ford plant in Detroit then flipping him the bird (How presidential?!) And the increased insistence that the US will take possession of Greenland one way or another. The EU has been moving forces to that island in preparation for a possible armed conflict. I believe we would not "need" Greenland as the president claims if we weren't acting like a global bully by taking control of Venezuela while capturing and removing their president. Yes, he was an illigitimate president but don't act as if that's why we went in there with guns blazing. You just wanted the oil - oil that it turns out none of the US companies want. They don't want to invest the multi millions of dollars it will take to get the infrastructure back in working order and they don't want the "dirty" oil that Venezuela has been selling for years since we have plenty of cleaner oil right now. Whoever came up with this plan did not do their homework. Of course, the "real" reason all of this is happening is because they want to badly to make the American public forget about the Epstein files. They don't want the sitting president of the US and all his chums exposed for the bottom dwellers they have been for years There are some truly awful allegations out there by some of the victims who have been talking - extreme criminal behavior that would make the MAGA faithful turn tail and run.

New Year, New Quilting Adventure

~ After closing LeafLady Quilts at the end of my last show in November of 2025, I needed a project to keep me at my machine and distract from the increasingly shitty world we are forced to endure. I found it, even before I officially retired from selling - A mystery quilt. I had recently run across Bonnie Hunter's postings on Threads and learned she is of a like mind when it comes to the current political landscape and makes no bones about it in her personal posts. I'm certain she has lost some of her audience as a result but did she really need them? ( I had followed her on social media back in the 2010s and stopped because she was way more productive that I could be and I was feeling bad that I couldn't keep up with her.) Anyway, I am in the midst of trying to catch up on the clues for her Lupine & Laughter Mystery Quilt. It's a scrappy thing, just what I need to reduce my holdings. I'm halfway through Clue 4 and have happily managed to use some of my Deb Tucker Studio 180 tools to complete some of the clues. A new clue drops every Friday and if I'm really diligent today, I will only be 3 clues behind when that happens tomorrow. And 2 of the next clues are mostly assembly of previously constructed/cut pieces so they should be quick. I ran into a bit of a bog with the half square triagles for clue 3 and had to re-sew the seam and rip out the previous seam on avout 1/3 of them. (Still not completed yet but I have enough to keep me moving forward. It's a joy to not have to make any decisions on this save for which fabrics to use. I'm sticking fairly close to Bonnie's suggested color palate, some scrappy, some not. Not even sure what the finished size will be. I plan to have it professionaly quilted (Probably Lynn at Whippersnappers) and will likely donate it for a raffle somewhere. ~ Other than that, the tree is down, the house undecorated. The outside lights are still in place due to the snow load but today promises a break in the frigid temps so there might be a chance to grab those lights by Saturday. There has been some shovelling and baking and decluttering taking me away from the sewing machine. ~ I have several runners designated as gifts for friends in appreciation for their years of support for my little business. I need to package up the ones to be mailed and write little notes for all. Get those out of the house. And I'm collecting things for donation to GoodWill, so they will get a box ot a bag or two. We need a new vacuum cleaner. And I could use a new chair for the studio - the current one slowly sinks over the course of the day to where it is too low to be comfortable. (What did I expect for $10 at the State surplus sale?) I also need to print off forms for the 3 throw quilts I'm donating to Hopes and Dreams for thier ALS challenge. I donated several previously, a couple of Judy's UFOs that I finished and one of my own. ~ Tai Chi starts again the last week of the month. ~ We had a nice dinneer out on Christmas Day at Otto's on the River in downtown Augusta. I finally got the prime rib I'd been wanting for months.

The Holidays are here...

...so why don't we feel very festive? Oh, maybe because we have a 79 year old toddler in charge of our country, who every day creates more chaos we have to process. Not one segment of our lives is safe from his meddling. We wake up wondering what fresh hell he will create today and go to bed exhausted by dealing with it. I'm firmly on the side of those who have the champagne on ice, ready for when the big announcement is made that he has finally expired. It seems as if he is being propped up by some miracle of modern medicine due to the severe bruising on one of his hands. It appears as if he nods off during cabinet meetings and other public events. He's always pictured sitting behind his desk in the oval office while everyone else stands behind and beside him. He rambles and rants incoherently when he speaks. Every public event is an opportunity for him to expound on why the Dems are to blame for everything. He's a true embarrassment to our country. This week he further cemented his grip on the title of Worst Human Being on Earth by opining that two of Hollywood's brightest and most creative people were murdered because of their political views - not because of an apparent dispute with a family member who took revenge too far. RIP Rob Reiner and his wife Michele. I was reminded just yesterday that among Rob's many fine directorial efforts is one of my favoties, The American President, which contains that amazingly relevant today speech by Michael Douglas as Andrew Sheppard. This speech was the total of Heather Cox Richardson's post for today and it hits so true. We desperately need serious people in Washington. ~ Show season is over for me, as is my run as LeafLady Quilts. The last two shows were good - Topsham was the best of the 3 years I had done that show and Scarborough was good. I just need to shut down the website and the Facebook page, make my final sales tax payment and figure out what to do with the leftover inventory, as well as all my booth setup. I've had some interest in parts but need to put it out there on Marketplace. ~ We got the tree up a week ago and the cookies are all made. Party mix on its second batch. I think I completed my shopping this morning. House is decorated. I put up the outside lights one morning at the beginning of a snowstorm that has left us with a few inches on the ground since. It's been so cold but supposed to warm up for a few days tomorrow. Now to do the cards and mail them, wrap the presents and enjoy. ~ In an effort to not lose all my quilting mojo, I decided to do a Bonnie Hunter project. I'm already 4 weeks behind schedule but will start sewing tomorrow. So far it's just creating small units - LOTS of small units. I stopped following Bonnie years ago because I just couldn't keep up with her. In the meantime, she has slowed down and it turns out she is vehemently anti-Trump. So she's back on my radar! ~ Finally made it to the Wayne Stroll last weekend. Was an enjoyable morning/afternonn with Brenda. Fun things and good lunch. We also checked out Freckle Salvage. ~ D. and I went to a concert Sunday afternoon. The Augusta Symphony Orchestra presented some holiday favorite - Nutcracker, a movie medley,Brandenberg Concertos and the Halelujah Chorus, sung by the CODA chorus. A saw Gabriella breifly but we did not stick around to reconnect after. Good music and great performances. Impressive for such a small emsemble.

Shut Down Over...?

~...for now. Likely to be revisited in January. I admit that Angus King disappointed me when he voted for the new rules which include a "promise" by the Republicans to revisit the ACA rebates in December. I can only imagine the excuses they are already cooking up why they can't do that at this time. Time will tell. At least for now, peoples' SNAP benefits are restored and we have some sort of breathing room. I have made 2 weekly donations to the Sidney Food Pantry. It's so easy to add a few things from their list to my cart. ~ Work continues on the last items for stock for the Topsham show. D. has said he'd help with set up unloading. We're doing Thanksgiving at home rather than in Topsham, as Kattie is moving back in. Her relationship/engagement fell apart (no surprise) and the fiance has decamped for his home in New York. I imagine I will hear all about it if she stops by the show and I will have to make it a point to not get trapped in my chair by her, because she can ramble on. ~ I've missed half of the Tai Chi classes this session so I need to recommit to that. It shows in that I cannot remember the routine once I get home. Must do better at that. ~ We had our first show thi week - just barely covered the ground and was gone by noon. A little more last night but nothing to worry about.

Catching Up

~ In a seemingly predictable move, Vice President JD Vance has telegraphed that he "hopes" his Indian-born Hindu wife, Usha, will convert to Catholicism. As this might be an unlikely outcome, he could divorce her and that would free him to pursue what appears to be an already public relationship with the widow to assasinated Right wing conservative podcaster Charlie Kirk. Vance made an appearance at a Turning Point event this past week at which the two embraced rather intimately, leading to much specualtion. ~ Meanwhile his boss was busy touting his success at solving world wars and the economy, while the Isrealis and Gazans are still killing each other. The government shutdown enters it 5th week today and as of yesterday all SNAP benefits were suspended. Food pantries are scrambling to make up the difference for everyone. And while this was going on, Trump was celebrating Halloween at Maralago with a Gatsby-themed party for his loyalists. And he boasted about having renovated the Lincoln bathroon, replacing a 40's vintage look with too much sterile marble and gold. This a week after he completely obliterated the East Wing of the White House without permits and environmental oversight. All to ostensibly build his gold encrusted ball room that no one else wants. ~ Me, I've been quilting up a storm and did my first show of the Fall season, the SMCC Fall Festival in Portland. Did only marginally better that last year at this show. And learned that the Elfin Magic show the first weekend on December has been cancelled due to lack of participants. So I have just 2 shows left - Topsham the weekend before Thanksgiving anf the Scarborough show the Friday and Saturday after. It's fine - more time for me to bake and decorate. ~ We had the floor and railing toppers of the back deck replaced last week. It's so much better than it was and they did a great job. We're all set for winter, as far as I can see. I need to do some major deep cleaning but it will happen. Looking forward to January when I can start knocking titles off my "to be read" list.

No Kings #2

~ Yesterday we opted for the Waterville location and only made it to the rally (not the march) as there was a previously scheduled vaccination appointment for the other person in this household. We lucked out with a parking spot right across the street from the park and stayed for about 45 minutes to hear several speeches and lots of cheering and chanting. There were people lining Elm Srteet, waving and elliciting honks and salutations (mostly positive) from the cars passing by. We did our duty and were part of the record crowd - 2000 strong - at that location. ~ And this morning, the toddler in chief posted an AI generated video of himself as King, flying a fighter jet spreading feces on No Kings protesters. It seems to be incredibly easy to trigger his insecurities but this is a new low in responses. And incredibly violent because he could not find any instances of violence to call out his goons on yesterday. He thrives on the most violent of actions, thinks it makes him look strong when all it does is reinforce his insecurities. ~ Yesterday it was announced that the Dept. of Homeland Security had purchased 2 new Gulfstream jets for the Secretary's use. All this during a government shutdown. Ah, I see! The government is shutdown for the common people and our needs, but not for the elites in "power" because, well, they are sooo f'ing important. It's just like the signage for Question 2 on this Fall's ballot - "Keep Maine Safe - vote NO on Question 2". A Yes vote would strengthen the language that would trigger a person's guns be confiscated - basically a Red Flag law as opposed to the current Yellow Flag law. The "Keep Maine Safe" language is coming from the 2nd Ammendment folks who want no limit on gun ownership, no matter the cost to human life. I just don't understand it. Of course, I would take away their military-style semi-automatics in a heartbeat. No one needs those guns and they are the ones who do the most damage in the shortest amount of time, which is why they are the weapon of choice for most mass shooting terrorists. ~ Getting ready for the first show of the Fall/Winter season next weekend. Almost finished creating inventory. Then it will be on to holiday items. Getting antsy for it and ready to wrap up this phase of my life. I want to spend the winter reading!

GOT TO ADMIT IT'S GETTING...WORSE!

~ Now we have a threat of armed National Guardsmen being deployed to Portland - the left coast one. Such a gentle, peaceful city. Yes, they had their moments of civil unrest in the past but they are nowhere near the "hellscape" a certain orange buffoon is making them out to be. As usual, he exagerates to inflame and foment unrest to appear strong when all he is doing is compensating for his weaknesses and trying to deflect from whatever is contained in the Epstein files. With this week's release of info, it appears as if Elon was a visitor to the island of misfit pedifiles along with another high profile advisor to the President. He is aiding and abetting all sorts of criminals, along with himself. It won't be pretty when it all comes tumbling down. ~ Closer to home, I have finished the current creations and am ready to start on a couple of tree skirts as well as the remainder of the scented trivets needed. Then on to some holiday runners and placemats. The garden is mostly put to bed, save the leeks which can remain through the first few frosts. I have a stash of green tomatos put up downstairs and plenty of ripe ones in the kitchen. I made a small batch of tomato sauce last week along with 5 pints of applesauce yesterday. I've frozen peppers and have a zucchini (purchased) ready to grate for bread and muffins. We're still eating lettuce from the back porch, and there is a smallish bag of the last of the chard ready for a dinner this week. All in all, despite a couple of disappoinments, I'd say the garden was a success. Oh and 4 pumpkins that surprisingly showed up after the rain a couple of weeks ago. None of them are huge but should should yield enough for a pie. ~ D. is still chasing after healthcare changes - his PCP moved to Falmouth after Inland closed and his cardiologist moved to Skowhegan and then passed away a couple of weeks ago. So he's starting from scratch. I'm so happy I made the choice to stick with Maine General years ago when I ended up with a PCP I was not happy with who was associated with Inland, especially when Inland joined Northern Light. Like D. I would have had to travel to Bangor for some of my care and I wasn't willing to do that. I hope he can get settled soon. ~ Other health news - I got my flu shot 2 weeks ago when I saw my PCP and got my COVID and pneumonia last week. I took Tylenol (no fear of autism for me!) after which helped immemsely with the arm pain. I was a bit sluggish the day after but bounced nack quickly. I should be fully immune by the time show season starts for good in a month.

Our Differences Divide Us..at What Cost?

The past 24 hours has been consumed with news of the assasination of a very conservative right-wing influencer. (Oh, how I wish we could banish influencer as a job in this day and age!). I will not name him, but these are some quotes attributed to him: If I see a Black pilot, I’m going to be like, boy, I hope he’s qualified. – 23 January 2024 If you’re a WNBA, pot-smoking, Black lesbian, do you get treated better than a United States marine? – 8 December 2022 Happening all the time in urban America, prowling Blacks go around for fun to go target white people, that’s a fact. It’s happening more and more. – 19 May 2023 If I’m dealing with somebody in customer service who’s a moronic Black woman, I wonder is she there because of her excellence, or is she there because of affirmative action? – 3 January 2024 If we would have said that Joy Reid and Michelle Obama and Sheila Jackson Lee and Ketanji Brown Jackson were affirmative action picks, we would have been called racists. Now they’re coming out and they’re saying it for us … You do not have the brain processing power to otherwise be taken really seriously. You had to go steal a white person’s slot to go be taken somewhat seriously. – 13 July 2023 ~ And on women - "And I would also tell young ladies, you can always go back to your career later, that there is a window where you primarily should pursue marriage and having children, and that is a beautiful thing." Less than 48 hours later, his assassin has been arrested, thanks in part to a parent who did the right thing and listened to his son and then called the authorities. While I do not condone this sort of violence at any time, I will not spend any time or emotions on greiving for this person, who did nothing but aid the MAGAs in driving a wedge between many factions in this country. We used to be able to co-exist quite respectfully and actually get things done in the US Congress and state houses across the country. But no more - it's all about owning the other side and "Gotcha" moments and performance instead of actual results. Never more true than on display this morning in the press conference announcing the arrest than with the current FBI Director, Kash Patel. (A loyalist hire if ever there was one in this administration.) He named every possible person who might have assisted in the result and proved himself again a complete toady to Trump. The governor of Utah wasn't much better, although he did call for peace and calm, after a few words of praise for the deceased. This man was NOT a true Christian, he was not a true debater. He WAS a powerful influence on the young people he targeted with his performances. I hope hisotry will show what a negative influence that was. I am all in for free speech but not hate speech and not lies. And the misplaced largess of this administration to expend government finances on a) lowering flags to half staff for this "Influencer", b) send the VP out to Utah to have him return the body and family to Arizona on AF2, and 3) suggest he should lie in state in the Capiol is just plain batshit crazy and another example of owning the Libs. Oh, and release the Epstein files NOW!

Writing Through the Storm

~ We are currently about to be hit by the second round of thunder and rain for the day - our first significant rain in weeks. Lawns and crops are brown, well levels are lowering, trees are changing colors already and it's not even September. ~ I say "Bring on the rain" just leave the thunder. It's too jarring in a world that is already on edge from the attacks on our way of life by the government, specifically the Trump administration. Every day brings a fresh assault - today is on our health. Limited authorizations for COVID vaccines, limited supplies, too, I imagine, because what manufacturer would produce enough for the entire population after hearing the government challenge the effectiveness. I know I am ready for my next jab, along with the flu shot. I do not want either of those illnesses to affect my ability to go about my daily life. I have even ordered some new N95 masks as protection until I can get the shots. ~ The sad saga of Mr. Abrego Garcia continues. He was FINALLY returned to the US from El Salvador, telling of all the cruel punishments he received there and was released from custody this week only to be snatched again at his first scheduled report with the immigration authorities. A judge mercifully ruled that the feds cannot deport him to a country he has no ties to after Trump and Bondi announced they would ship him off to Somalia. WTF???? And his attorneys have requested a gag order to prevent Bondi et all from maligning him, as they have been so quick to do in the past. It almost seems as if they have a personal vendetta against him. ~ National Guard troops have been installed in DC, reportedly to restore peace to the crime-ridden streets. However, the latest reports have guardsmen picking up trash and spreading mulch on the sites of national monuments, because the reduction of National Park Service employees has created a need. I'll bet the guardsmen and their families are sooooo happy to have them deployed away from home and family and jobs for those details. And there is talk of the next target of this treatment to be Chicago. Gov. Pritzker is adamant that there is no need, he has not asked or been asked if he wants these troops. All the announced target cities are in heavily Democrtic areas, of course, while the cities with the highest crime rates are all in Red states. Hmmmm. ~ A high profile resistance act has emerged from the left coast - Gavin Newsom has started trolling Trump, making posts on X that mirror Trump's deranged posts on Truth Social. And he's posted videos in the same vein. Dark Gavin is good! And needed. ~ In non-politcal news: The Brunswick show 2 weeks ago was again a success, equaling my $1K take. Great weather and just a few glitches: someone setting up in my space when I arrived (he was supposed to be across the aisle); and a parking space kerfluffle at the end of the day - I thought a couple would be leaving a prime spot but when I got my car they said they wanted to go to dinner so were not leaving. I must have looked desperate because they changed their minds and let me have to space so I was able to load up and be on my way in 15 muinutes with a little help from my neighbors. Next show is in 2 months so I have time to reload and recharge. ~ Given the effect the chaotic tariffs have had on the import economy, it's likely good timing on my part to shut down at the end of the year. Much of the fabric I use is manufactured or at least printed overseas so the price would likely rise. (In fact, I've noticed a steady increase in price the past 3-4 years.) I've tried to keep my prices reasonable but have made modest increases on a couple of things just to keep profits up a bit. I'm trying to use up some dribs and drabs so have a run of trivets ready to layer and quilt. I need to make more scented trivets and runners. I've dropped sachets from my show line up and will give away the few remaining, as I have started doing with the mug mats. And I have a couple of display things I can list on Marketplace before show season gets going for real. ~ Racing has ticked along all summer and this is the last weekend for Saratoga. I'll go out on a limb and say the Sovereignty will be the 3 Year old of the year and maybe horse of the year. Derby, Belmont, Jim Dandy and Travers. Training up to the Classic.