Take Down!!!

Two nights ago was the second Presidential debate of 2024 and the result was spectacular! Kamala dominated the orange man from the get go. She crossed the stage to introduce herself and shake his hand after he shuffled to stand at his podium, barely acknowledging her. Then she hit him with the force of a hurricane and he really didn't know what hit him. His answers devolved into his standard rants while she scored points with her plans and positivity. Afterwards, he showed up in the Spin Room to declare he had won and that the moderators (David Muir and Linsey Davis) were biased because the kept fact checking him and not her. ("Well, you see, Donnie, she wasn't lying like you were!") And he went so far as to accuse her of having the questions beforehand. (Donnie - she had all those answers ready because unlike you, she does her homework! She's prepared.") The Harris camp immediately said they want another debate but by today, Trump has said he's done with debates, an unspoken admission that he lost although he's still claiming victory. SMH!!!!! We are in the midst of the most glorious Indian Summer weather - 70's and sunny and cool nights. Not much rain. I finally got the ninebark shrub planted today after ripping out the furiously self-seeding Rudbeckia from the bed right up against the house. Only one bag of mulch left to spread after I rip out more tomorrow. Unless I decide to sew, which is a good possibility as I still need to make another couch throw for the Fall shows. I'm working my way through binding turning on the runner and placemats I completed with one table topper to finish quilting. Time to move on to that throw and some wall hangnings since I have new panels now. And I still need some more tree skirts but those can wait for a month or so. New hurricane hit Louisiana today and California is dealing with an earthquake and major wildfires. Crazy stuff. We have some haze from Canadian wildfires but it's not too bad.

On to Autumn!

September 1st - beginning of Fall. Time for mums, cornstalks, orange and brown and green. Indian corn and pumkins - NO pumkin spice for this girl, though! YUCK! Pumpkin oie? YES!! Pumkin ice cream - yes, but it's hard to find. I'm so ready for the cooler temperatures - I have outdoor gardening projects deferred since spring due to the hot and humid weather. A bed in front of the house has become overgrown with self-seeding perennials and needs to be cleared and replanted. I just found the last shrub needed and will attack it this coming week. Then it will be time to cut back dead and dying foliage and get ready for winter. About every third year I don'g get around to clearing everything and it makes for a tough slog the following spring. I'm always amazed that what is lush and full in the summer (especially this summer with all the rain!) looks so barren in the winter. The Brunswick show last month was again a success, falling just short of last year in earnings. Still, a good day and we were blessed with good weather again. Muggy morning turned to clearing skies and a nice breeze all day. And I was on the grassy mall this year which was much quieter than last year on the street. I will request the same spot next year, for sure. And I was able to just leave the car right on the street, so no running off to some far away parking spot. Loved it! The Democratic convention was gala celebration of Harris and Walz. There were seemingly too many celebs and extraneous personages. But it was all good. And got generally favorable reviews...well, from the Dems anyway! Meanwhile, TFG continues to spiral out of control. He cannot stop himself from the personal attacks that just fuel his rage over and over, and, I suspect, fuel his followers rage at the Dems. His VP pick seems like an evil person who continues to stoke the misogony that has layed just under the surface until now. He would rather women were barefoot, pregnant, at home and silent. I have to say, the two of them have met their match in Kamala. She won't put up with that at all. And Trump pissed off the veterans this past week by essentailly breaking the law at Arlington to video a campaign message. Adding insult to illegality, his team neglected to blur/remove the names on the headstones that appear in the video and photos - some of those were of service members who have committed suicide due to their injuries in service. Just in genereal, another slap in the face for the "suckers" and "losers" as he calls them. Saratoga racing is winding down - they had their first in-race fatality on Friday when The Big Torpedo was lost during the running of the Saranac. Again, a high-profile breakdown right in front of the stands. Another horse was knocked into the rail when he went down and the jockey, Javier Castellano, was sent to the hospital. All is okay but he was off his mounts yesterday. The Big Torpedo's jockey was uninjured. I was not watching at the time and glad of it.

Live Music!! For Real!!

Last evening we attended the Tom Rush concert at the Waterville Opera house - a terrific venue so close to home. I have been a Tom Rush fan for over 50 years (YIKES!!) and had seen him in several venues in my home town of Ithaca, NY - the grand opening of the Unicorn Night Club, which was on the top floor of the (at that time) TG Miller's buiding - previously the Eagles Club where I went to Christmas parties several times in my early years. I think I saw Tom there also on the second anniversary of the Unicorn and several years later at the Strand Theater just down the block from the Unicorn. And then maybe a decade ago, he did a benefit concert at the Kent's Hill School - very intimate room and fun night. All of those appeareances were solo shows and I knew from following his social media accounts that he currently does many shows with Matt Nokoa, who I was not familiar with. What a talent Matt is! Last evening Tom graciously allowed Matt several opportunities to showcase his talents and I am just in awe. Tom was his reliably entertaining self - humorous, interspective and so talented on guitar. Because he has continued to perform and record his voice has remained recognizable and steady. He played several new songs of a recently released album and some standards. Physically, he has aged - Haven't we all? - but the talent is still there and shines through. I was, however, disappointed to see the somewhat scarce turnout for this folk icon form New England - I would have expected a better showing from Central Maine. The assembled crowd was, however, enthusiastically appreciative. Anothe note about live music: I suspect because the name acts that are still touring have priced themselves out of many peoples budgets we have seen the rise of the "tribute" bands. While some are quite good, I have decided that I am not going to spend any more money on them. I am not in any way diminishing their talent or their right to make money (as long as they are paying the appropriate royalties to the appropriate people!). I just want to see the original people perform their own music. If this means I have to pass because of budget, or crowd or travel, so be it. All of that said, it was a Journey tribute band - Departure out of Georgia - that brought back to being a Steve Perry fan. So there's that...

New Ballgame!

Five days out from the histoic announcement that Biden was stepping down and it didn't take long for Trump's pledge of being kinder to fade like last week's cut flowers. He and his GOP followers still insist on mispronouncing Harris's first name, a real sign of disrespect. And he has already said he's going to get mean and has insulted her up one side and down the other. Now he insists he can back out of the agreed upon debate in September because the candidate has changed. And there are reported to be several states who are pondering legal action due to the change. All smoke and mirrors. And Trump's VP pick, JD Vance has made some truly stunning statements - the most being that the Dems are a bunch of single cat ladies who are mad at the world. And that childless people should not have an electoral voice equal to that of people with children because they do not care about the future of the country. Typical of the GOP, who do not believe in anything that could benefit mankind as a whole. That is a totally foreign concept to them. His stance on abortion is just what one would expect, including the opinion that women in states that forbid abortion should not be allowed to travel out of state to obtain one. So feaking cruel and backward. Kamala seems to have an embarrassment of riches when it comes to VP possibilities - Mark Kelly, Pete Buttigieg, Andy Beshear, Josh Shapiro, Roy Cooper to name a few. Yes, all white guys but each has a unique resume and capabilities. I do agree with one interviewee I saw yesterday who opined that there is a certain percentage of men out there who will never vote for a woman. Sad, as it's their loss. Meanwhile, Kamala has received endorsements form just aobut all the top Dems - just today the Obamas came on board. However, disappointed that Maine's Jared Golden will not budge on that point. (He who last month stated that he would not support Biden and that he'd be okay with Trump as president because the guardrails would protect us. Sigh.)

Travel Blog!

It is currently Thursday as I write this - MONDAY: We left home Monday morning, eventual destination Rochester NY. D. drove until we stopped for lunch in Haverhill, MA. (Friendly's - not as friendly as I remember it being but it's been decades...) I took over driving then which included the usual parking-lot-esque trip along 495. An hour of stop and go and 10mph and we finally hit the Mass Pike. Smooth sailing from then on until our night layover in Albany. Dinner from the 7-11 next to the hotel. tuesday: Breakfast at Uncommon Grounds (localcoffee chain - thanks to the guys at the Sartoga Special for the recommnendation years ago!) and we were on our way again, D. driving. We detoured to Broadalbin to visit D's childhood friend, Mary and her husband Gary. Had coffee and a ride around their family "compound" and then were on our way again. We stopped at the Canastota rest area and switched drivers. We could see the dark clouds gathering ahead of us to the West and by the time we hit Syracuse the heavens opened and it poured - deluged - whatever. Then the Apple Maps GPS blared a TORNADO WARNING!!!! Cars were huddling under bridges, pulled off to the side of the road - we kept going, barely able to see but just enough. Ran into an out of rain several times before we hit the clearing behind the front about 10 miles East of Rochester. Whew! Checked in and relaxed then drove to Wegman's for a dinner salad. WEDNESDAY: A down day - time to stay in one place. Lunch out at Panera, then D. went to play golf with friends while I spent some me time, watching Hallmark and sewing. (5 of 7 pieces finished so far - will save the remaining 2 for the trip home.) THURSDAY: After breakfast took off fot Rochester proper to find Abundance Food Coop where Mary and Gary's daughter works. Nice place with lots of amenities. Rode through D's old neighborhood and he contacted an old friend who will will try to see on Friday. Late afternoon we drove out to the Sea Breeze area for dinner with some friends, Anita and Ray, who live right on Lake Ontario with this view:

FRIDAY: Visited with David's ex-sister-in-law Debbie. She has a lovely small home with wonderful plantings. The hydrangeas are spectacular here! Then we drove out to Palmyra to visit parts of the Palmyra Historical Society - the print shop was of interest to both of us.

After the print shop we walked a block away to the Alling Coverlet Museum.

Then we had dinner at Knucklehead Brewing and retired for the day. SATURDAY: We hung around the hotel for the morning and part of the afternoon, then went to visit another of D's high school friends. Then we went to his nice's house and took her and her son out to dinner at Shamrock Jack's out at Sea Breeze. Afterwards, we went back to Kelly's house and swam in her pool and hung out in the hot tub. SUNDAY: Moving day! Out in the morning to visit with Robin and Greg, then to Pat's house where she fed us coffee and goodies, which sustained us on our drive to Albany. More rain but nothing like Tuesday. Lots of tree damage along the Thruway araound Canajoharie. Reached Albany, checked into the hotel and logged on to find that Biden had stepped aside in favor of Harris. Changes the entire presidential race! Looking forward to getting home tomorrow.

Sigh...

Last evening, without warning, someone decided to attempt to eliminate the threat that one of the candidates for President is peceived of posing for the democracy of the United States. Donald Trunp was not seriously wounded - a bullet grazed his outer ear - but the optics of him diving for cover and then rising and raising his fist in a show of defiance while blood trickled down his face will remain etched in the minds of all. Was his gesture of power appropriate? I do not think so and I'm certain the Secret Service people tring to protect him wish he had just quietly let himself be led offstage. But Trump is going to Trump. Now everyone from Biden to Melania are calling for a cool down in the rhetoric but I suspect it will not change anything in Trump's behavior. Biden on the other hand has already pulled his series of ads that forcefully oppose Trumpism. All this amid the whole "Dump Biden" movement that was the fallout from his one-off performance at the debate 2 weeks ago. I am of the mind to stick with what has worked for us the past 3+ years. I have for years had concerns about the change for change's sake mindset - I experienced it so often in my final years in academia. And it has bled over into politics and business and all parts of life. How often do w log on to Facebook and find everything has changed? And these changes are being driven by the younger segment of the population. CNN recently announced a restructuring and will present more of their content in viceo format. Why? I suspect it is partly driven by the fact that is is less expensive and more expedient to string together some viceo bites that to have an editor analyze a story and then write a thoughtful and coherent piece. And it's certainly less expensive (and often no expense involved) to utilize video from citizen journalists than to dispatch a camera crew. Forget adding context that the average viewer will not consider when viewing the story. (Mainstream media ditched their research departments 15+ years ago, letting reporters do their own research online. I know because I have a friend from college who was sidelined in that movement.) Where we go from here is anyone's guess. I do not know.

Belmont!

Belmont at Saratoga! Due to massive construction project at Belmont Park (total destruction and reconstruction of the grandstand and several barns) the Belmont Stakes has moved to Saratoga for this year and next. While it was uncertain how the small town a Saratoga Springs could/would handle the crowd (allegedly capped at 50,000) it seems to have worked. All the photos and live shots I saw featured packed crowds all over the place. The weather cooperated, at least for the first 3 days - today's turf races came off and the scheduled 1st - the Beverly Steinamnn Hurdle was cancelled and will be added to a Belmont at Aqueduct card later this month. There were no breakdowns and only a few weird things - Thursday saw Irad Ortiz Jr. come off his mount just behind the gate and due to landing awkwardly, he took off the rest of his mounts and went for diagnostic test, which were negative. he was back Friday and continued his winning ways. Frankie Detorri left before his final mount on Thursday, thinking his horse had been schratched. And Friday he came off just out of the gate. No injury other than maybe his pride. He did win a race so he was able to perform his flying dismount for the crowd. There were some thrilling races - Graham Motion's The Grey Wizard won a stakes race on Thursday and Thorpedo Anna won her race yesterday - minus the fore shoe she lost pretty much right out of the gate. Neither of the winers of the first two legs of the Triple Crown were any where near the front runner - Dornoch - at the finish of the Belmont. In other news, the hits keep on coming - David receieved word a week ago that his high school friend and band mate, Bob Pugliese, had passed away. And just last night was notified that Pete Huck's wife, Veloice, had passed. Pete and David worked at Duplex in Ohio, and we had visited them in Minnesota in the past. We are at that age where our contemporaries are expiring. (Late edit: Bob's wife, Patty, passed away this week. She had been battling cancer for years. Bob's service is the 23rd and D. is flying out for the weekend. Ten years ago he likely would have driven but the years and our planned trip there next month made that unpalatable.) Oh, and TFG was convicted on all 34 counts in the NY case. Has to report to a probation officer tomorrow. He's been out grifting for his campaign this wekend, making his elderly patrons stand out in the blazing Nevada sun all afternoon to hear his diatribes, lies and gobbledeegook.