I hope you’re having a great Saturday morning. The following preamble is in deference to our highly esteemed and current Veep. Let me begin these ‘Ramblings‘ with this intro:

It’s dark outside and I am sitting at my, somewhat disheveled, desk – wood with a black plasticized insert. Even though I am not a biologist and realizing we live in ‘fluid’ times, I believe myself to be a male and a father. My pronoun is ‘is’, yes as in ‘is’ (by explanation, I woke up this morning and therefore ‘I is’). This morning I am wearing a light-grey tee with Pink Pony logo and lettering (the tee has been grey all along and was never white).

At this point and to conclude the preamble, please join me with a hearty laugh!

This is all serious stuff and I want you to know I am not making fun.

Let me know if you if you think I did her Veepness justice:

Morning coffee trivia: It appears that currently in the Netherlands, Ireland, and in Canada the groundwork has been laid to kill farming. These nation’s ‘fascist’ dictatorial leaders will struggle to do the same with coffee growers. Really? Struggle? Yes really, since worldwide there are approximately 25,000,000 coffee farmers.

And, with 80% of our adult population wanting to pour a cuppa-Java in the morning (that’s just for the U.S.) the ‘torches-and-pitchforks’ would come out should we be denied.

”Every civilization has been mostly right about its predecessors and rivals, and mostly wrong about itself. Because knowledge can be shared and accumulated over time, each successive civilization has, in bits and pieces, stumbled……(forward).” ~ The Tree of Woe

why have we gone nutso?: What we’re seeing as dominant and screamed proudly everywhere, from newscasts, classrooms, churches, even to the Halls of government is a dominance, a progressivism. The new ‘Voice’ of right-speak – right-thought. Whichever of these ‘voices’ penetrate into your personal world; they believe itself to be right about everything. Likewise these ‘voices’ similarly believe that all which preceded and all who disagree to be wrong about everything.

The ‘voices’ I mentioned are those whose opinions can be freely expressed without push-back, whether it’s at a social gathering, listened to on any MSNBC or CNN broadcast, can be discussed on any campus, proudly promoted at elite gatherings in places such as Davos, the Marxist oriented WEF and WHO. These are the ‘voices’ whose tenets form the core of new legislation and thus a new more ‘perfect’ world.

The ‘voices’ forming our contemporary consensus believes that any disagreement is not just mildly out of step on reality. Disagreement with the current consensus dictates that those opinions are wrong on the fundamentals; our society’s very building blocks would be fractured. They are, in fact, thought to be so out of step that unless the current ‘voice’ and consensus is fully adopted the resultant calamity would lead to society’s ruination.

So, maybe you can cope with some ridicule for expressing disagreement. Possibly you can deal with workplace difficulties expressing your beliefs if these are not in lock-step with the accepted. But, can you survive being told to stay quiet at the family thanksgiving dinner?

Listen to the prophetic speech given by Paul Harvey in 1965 (and updated over time) – this version from probably sometime during the 1990s:

Off to Northern Comfort is a little more than a week and a half away. Hence, next week I need to get serious and make certain that all the ‘i’s have been dotted and the ‘t’s crossed.

The crossing itself is not anymore onerous than it was pre-Covid, it’s just the detail required to get to that point. Canada requires an all be loaded on one’s mobile, ArriveCan ap, and it’s quite detailed. Screw up and Canada’s penalties are beyond just severe.

My food stuffs contain a Costco tray of Kimchi soup. Yesterday I tested one and declared it to be a home-run. So I guess that also means I am just about ready.

the J6-‘insurrection’ show – I’ve followed somewhat since news about this political circus have been hard to escape. Here is how I saw the event progress (as some other sage wrote):
1. “Trump attempted a planned insurrection.
2. Okay, loosely planned.
3. Okay, not planned, but he encouraged it.
4. Okay, he didn’t encourage it, but he didn’t try to stop it.
5. Okay, he did try to stop the violence, but he should have done more, and sooner, during the fog of war”.
And how much is this event costing us the taxpayers?

Fini –

• Dinah is on her way home from San Diego, California. From the stream of photos sent it appears to have been a wonderful time.

• Yesterday, July 29, in 1958 NASA was established.

• A missal in Sallzburg from circa 1478 points out just how artists of that time painted some very strange things. Any thoughts on this detail from “The Dream of the Magi”?

• Canada has begun to provide more detail of the response to Covid and the push for vaccinations. This is compiled from Ontario data.

• I like this quote from a Canadian prairies farmer named Jason: “I’m a 4th generation farmer which makes my kids the 5th. We are not afraid of drought, debt, grasshoppers, hail, bumper crops or poor crops, BSE, blizzards, climate, or markets. What I am afraid of is…..TRUDEAU”.

• This past week back in 1793 Maximillien Robespierre was executed in Paris on the guillotine. The same fate he had inflicted on thousands of innocent Frenchmen when he was the key promoter that instrument during the French Revolution.

• This past week was Chili Dog Day. The folks at Skyline Chili promoted their “Build your Dinner” during that day (actually it’s ‘week’). Contestants are invited to pick an item from each row and send their answers in for a random drawing.

• Do you realize that we, America, are spending $370billion to reduce carbon emissions, while China has just ordered 300-million more Tons of coal? From The Times, July 20, 2022

• Under the look it up department, Wikipedia caved to the Biden regime by changing the accepted definition of “recession” as a significant business cycle contraction of two-consecutive quarters of decline in economic activity (used since 1974, by economist Julius Shiskin). Then Wikipedia locked the page.

• What it looked like on board ships returning soldiers home to New York at the end of WWII.

• There is little press but realize that in the nations mentioned at the start of the Ramblings that there are thousands of farmers fighting for their very livelihoods, fighting for our food supplies, and bucking oppressive regimes and a rogue WEF.

• Monday Marin starts a new job and I am excited for him. If he lets me detail it after we talk I’ll detail. Till then, you gotta wait.

Later today I’ll be heading for Northern Kentucky to celebrate at this weekend’s Goetta Fest. Marcia struggles with the smell of the stuff as I (occasionally) make breakfast with it. Canada will be my opportunity and I am hoping to find a new recipe or two at the Fest.

Next Saturday there most likely NOT be any Ramblings. Friday we’ll be at the Willie Nelson concert and driving back Saturday morning.

Ciao. Daylight has arrived and with Adrianne and Tevita out of town I have a desperately waiting doggy waiting to be walked. I’ll post ASAP upon completing my duty. Stay strong, stay involved, and stay happy. Keep on storming the castle. Pray for Peace.

Dirk

For us it’s a pleasant, although hot, Saturday morning. Our go-to television weather guy is promoting a ‘Heat Advisory’ – all done up in a lovely, pinkish colored map.

It did make me realize just how much we are influenced by color and how it can change our perception of things.

Europe is having a hot spell and I came across these two maps of Western Europe. The first is from 2017, the second 2022. Temperatures are much alike. However, the 2017 map displayed in a standard green background. The 2022 is filled with yellow, pink, and flaming red colors. Are your reactions different looking at one and the other? And the reason is?

I am detecting that the hype surrounding Covid is quickly fading. As replacement, a even more disastrous, ‘the-world-is-ending’ event seems to be the push on Global Warming or the even more encompassing; Climate Change. Could that new hype play into seeing more colorful weather maps on our TVs?

Morning coffee trivia: Unlike Europe, in the US when a restaurant’s wait staff comes by with an orange-handled coffee pot it means ‘Decaf’ (coffee with reduced caffeine). Correct, no? So what exactly is caffeine?
Answer: Caffeine is the coffee plant’s natural defense against bugs. And apparently it also affects many of us – but not everyone to the same degree.

More and more like a Greyhound Bus: Yesterday I watched one of Musk’s SpaceX Falcon 9 rockets being launched from their Vandenberg Space Force Base on the West coast. This was the 32nd launch this year and many of these launches were on their reusable rockets. With this launch they have placed nearly 3,000 Starlink communications satellites in orbit.

I am enough of a kid at heart to stop what I am doing and take time to chant with control people; “ten – nine – eight – seven ……”

If you haven’t seen a launch from Vandenberg watch this 40-second video which I captured from yesterday’s launch – it’s a totally different looking launch venue.

The Corner of Chaos & Mayhem is so exciting! Last Sunday we had a demonstration of how anyone can ‘blow’ many thousands of dollars in mere seconds, just by driving crazy!

The driver careened through one of our all-corner Stop signs and then mid-way through the intersection opted to make a hard right-hand turn. Actually this is all probably conjecture since I didn’t see it happen; however the end result is totally accurate.

Anyway, the net outcome was parking his car on top of a section of a three story power pole which resided adjacent to our condo bedroom (after snapping it cleanly in not one, but TWO places). Of course the airbag went off, and the vehicle is now valued at whatever electronic chips can be salvaged.

Here is a photographic run-down of the event. Luckily we kept power until the energy company turned it off as a new pole was placed. A crew of about ten along with four cherry-pickers and a pickup truck worked throughout the night to replace the pole, replace two transformers, rehang three tiers of power and electronics cabling, one street light, and then restore our power. And they did just that! Amazing efficiency!

Tuesday morning our internet was restored by our Internet service provider laying a temporary line alongside the sidewalk – extension cord style / third world look.

”You have power over your mind – not outside events. Realize this and you will find strength.” ~ Marcus Aurelius, Emperor of Rome

Marcus Aurelius – A few weeks ago I opened the curtain and displayed my summer reading list for my Canadian stay starting next month. On top of that list is a book called “Meditations” written by Marcus Aurelius, an early Emperor of Rome (161AD – 180AD). He was a Stoic and one of the greats in Roman (and human) history.

What I have been doing is look up ‘stuff’ about the man from a number of different sources to gain a better insight prior to reading his material. Along the way I ended up watching a short interview from “The Joe Rogan Experience”. Rogan has a sit down with Ryan Holiday of Daily Stoic and it is something you will enjoy. Please take the time!

Fini –

• Dinah is on her way for a week with her cousin in San Diego, California. It’ll be a week of Rowing Camp and a mega-ton of fun and good times!

• Heading for Canada shortly I came across this piece mentioning that Canada’s Environment minister had to cancel an across Canada climate train tour after he realized that several big cities are not served and several other only once or twice a week. Whoops!

• “If kids knew what they wanted to be at age eight, the world would be filled with cowboys and princesses. I wanted to be a pirate. Thank God nobody took me seriously and scheduled me for eye removal and peg leg surgery.” Bill Maher

• Dr. Eli David; “97% of scientists agree with whoever is funding them. The other 3% are banned from social networks.”

• June 29, 1989 newspaper headline; “U.N. Predicts Disaster if Global Warming is Not Checked”

• The oldest door in Great Britain made from the timber of the original Anglo-Saxon abbey making it around 1,000 years old.

• Russell Brand; “It’s a scam…The objective is not to get the (Dutch) farmers to behave in an organic, responsible, ecologically apposite manner. Far from it. It’s in order to bankrupt the farmers so that their land can be grabbed.”

• Do you find it not interesting that Biden’s DOJ will not prosecute the Steve Colbert crew for committing the same ‘crime’ Trump supporters were tossed into solitary confinement and bankruptcy while being labeled as terrorists? No, that can’t be, there is only one legal standard.

• Well lookie here what I got in the mail. Snail mailed at 57-cents postage. Two weeks of travel into the city to be present from 8:30 – 4:00, park, eat, and do so for $6.00 per day. And for me to request an exemption it’s my stamp because the internet hasn’t yet reached our courthouse. What a lovely system for the year 2022. The idea of Jury Duty is great, the implementation here sucks.

Ciao. Daylight has arrived and it’s a new day; stay strong, stay involved, and stay happy. Keep on storming the castle. Pray for Peace.

Dirk

Enjoy this mid-summer Saturday. I actually plotted to try and spot Comet C/2017 K2. Two days ago this mega comet passed its closest point to earth and thus was most visible to us. I read that this means that it is nearing; “the end of its roughly 3 million-year journey towards the sun from the outer region of the solar system known as the Oort Cloud.” The vastness of space constantly amazes.

Side note, I couldn’t spot old C/2017 K2 other than on photos on the web.

However, since my eyes were skyward this week, yesterday morning I did capture the July’s full ‘Buck’ moon, a ‘supermoon’; since it’s the largest of the year. I took this photo at 7:10AM yesterday morning when it was already daylight (taken with my little, rock solid, Apple series 7, smartphone and it’s ancient camera configuration).

Morning coffee Marcia must have smelled the coffee and asked if I’d been to bed (yes, I had and had just gotten up – a little late). The reason was that it had been 3:00AM this morning before I had gone to bed.

I needed to pick up Tevita, Adrianne, Vai, & Vili at the airport at 7:45 last night. After hours of some mechanical delay at their Denver stopover they were handed a new airplane. Their landing was now 1:00AM. Add to that a baggage issue and one quickly gets to a 3:00AM bedtime.

Coffee Trivia –:
Do you know what an ‘ibrik’ is? Answer, and this for Bulent in Canada who I’ll see in about three weeks, it’s a copper pot with a long handle, used for making coffee in Turkey. If you haven’t ever had Turkish coffee, be prepared for some very strong stuff and you’ll finish your small cup with a mouthful of coffee grounds.

Corner of Chaos & Mayhem Apparently we have the perfect corner, a – full stop – followed by a gentle slope, then turn 1 heading towards I-75 – for many it’s a race track. Next, I am grateful of our Police department for their faithful testing of the ‘track’ condition prior to the citizenry gunning through here.

Last Saturday, as I had just finished posting, I heard the test run followed by a thud. I should point out a light, misty, rain was falling. Result; one cruiser less on city streets, one replacement set of airbags setting sail in Japan.

”We are at present working discreetly with all our might to wrest this mysterious force called sovereignty out of the clutches of the local nation states of the world. All the time we are denying with our lips what we are doing with our hands.” ~ Professor Arnold Toynbee, in a June 1931 speech before the Institute for the Study of International Affairs in Copenhagen.

Going Dutch –, The Dutch Lion rises; as so in France, Canada, Italy, Sri Lanka, Portugal, the UK, Germany, Spain, Australia and the USA. The Globalist agenda has hit a roadblock. Governance by a handful of Davos WEF aficionados, and their lackeys such as Trudeau, Rukke, Boris Johnson, and the like, all promoting extremist views are done. In the UK Johnson is gone, in socialist Sri Lanka president Rajapaksa has fled, in Italy Italian Prime Minister Mario Draghi said Thursday that he would resign. And so, the chips have begun to fall.

Here in our country Joe Biden’s “presidential approval rating is at record lows compared with the past 11 men to hold the office.” How long can he hold on?

Stats The U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics has the Consumer prices up 8.9% (as of May 2022 year over end). So what does this mean for any specific area?

• Food + 10.4%
• Chicken + 18.6%
• Eggs + 33.1%
• Seafood + 11%
• Bacon +11.9%
• Rice + 11.9%
• Milk + 16.4%
• Fuel Oil + 98.5%
• Gas + 59.9%
• Public Transportation + 23.7%
• Fresh Fruit & veggies + 8.1%

Graphically, this is what we’re seeing right now:

Fini –

• This week it was a Happy Birthday to Pieter. Plus, he got written up in his local paper for his volunteer work, investing in his community as a key player with KDRT 95.7FM Davis radio, especially his weekly “Listening Lyrics” show. Congratulations Pieter!

• Hard to find a parking place heading for Lowe’s mid-week.

• SpaceX launched another rocket this week. This one heading supplies to the International Space Station. Here’s a photo that’s shows scale. The bottom section lands itself shortly after launch and this one has already had several flights:

• Did you know that each wind turbine requires 900 tons of steel, 2,500 tons of concrete, and 45 tons of non-recyclable plastic to build. On average each windmill has a useable life of 25-years and needs up to 700 gallons of oil for lubrication every year. How’s that for the environment?

• Texas has asked Tesla and other EV owners to not charge their vehicles during “peak times” which are listed as being between 3 p.m. and 8 p.m. The ‘idea’ of transitioning away from fossil fuels, and toward green energy alternatives is probably good; question though, how ready are we? Are we ready for ‘prime-time’?

• Since I will be heading north, solo, Marcia is exploring newer opportunities being on her own for a number of weeks. This week we discussed placing a test-run order:

• Rather than using one spray after another to control your friendly neighborhood bugs. Try exploring using these truly natural solutions and remember, Mint also keeps mice at a distance:

• I’ve had discussions with friends on the uptick of young males getting involved with murders, shootings, and robberies, and I think in large part this behavior is due to the lack of a father figure in their life. Look at this chart and then reflect on what occurred during during the period the graph jumps upward like crazy:

• Several years ago Vili found and assembled this stone figure while at the Lake. We brought it back here and placed it next to our condo’s entry walkway from where it can see these glorious Hibiscus flowers.

Ciao, sadly my three walks a day with Rugby have now come to an end. Maybe on occasion he’ll let me accompany him on a walk. Stay strong, stay involved, and stay happy. Keep on storming the castle. Pray for Peace.

Dirk

Enjoy a wonderful Saturday. Mid-week the weather here turned ‘rough’ and Marcia and I were completely unaware. We were at an event in the core of the city (see below). Upon leaving we saw sheets of rain and curbside, 4-foot in diameter, ceramic planters blown over lying on their sides.

The rains eased quickly and the two of us hustled to a nearby coffee shop in case there was round two. Plus they really did have some great coffee and scones.

Using our ‘Geezer-Pass’ we took the transit bus home. Once there the news informed that the nearby small town of Goshen had been hit by a Tornado with winds between 113mph and 130mph. Wiped out in the resultant mess were the fire station and the police station; in other words, all the services needed in an emergency.

Coffee Trivia –:
In 1906, a Belgian man living in Guatemala by the name George Washington invented instant coffee. Unlike President George Washington, I have little use for this Washington’s invention.

Dutch Farmers –:

”My grandfather used to say that once in your life you need a doctor, a lawyer, a policeman and a preacher. But every day – three times a day – you need a farmer” ~ Brenda Schoepp – farmer

In conjunction with the new World Order, probably as drafted by the World Economic Forum, Dutch farmers have been ordered to cut back on food production in order to fight “climate change”. Reduce livestock and nitrogen levels in the fields by 30%.

In rough numbers, our atmosphere consists of 78% nitrogen and 20% oxygen. Hence the ordered 30% reduction for these farmers is meaningless in and of itself. Bankrupting long standing family farms and cause food shortages in Europe has to be a ploy for something much more; there is something much bigger in play.

Hence, the Dutch farmers have gone to the Canadian Trucker’s playbook with peaceful blockades. It now also seems like the government has gone to the same playbook with a Canadian-style crackdown. Not good and very sad.

One additional question, can anyone explain why this major and ongoing event is getting little or no play in our media?

By the way, notice that the old bugaboo, CO2, as a cause of “climate change” has been pretty well debunked. Nitrogen is now the new enemy?

The photo below showing Plymouth Rock tells the tale of the seriousness of the rise of our ocean waters. How many millions have the likes of Obama, Gates, Bazos, and numerous others spent on waterfront properties? Hmmmm?

Vincent van Gogh only lived to age 37, yet in that short time he produced over 3,000 paintings, even more sketches, and nearly 1,000 letters – most to his brother Theo. He was a painter of little note during his lifetime and now is regarded as one of the true masters. It is through these letters that we’ve gained insight into how his ‘minds-eye’ saw the world.

With that detail as a backdrop, on Wednesday Marcia and I attended a touring event going under the banner of; Vincent van Gogh, The Immersive Experience. We both agree that it was one of the most amazing and impressive art functions we’ve ever attended!

Rather than me ‘blathering’ on and on – take a look:

First is this 30-second video clip showing a morsel of van Gogh’s extensive Japanese phase.

Rugby – is now sitting with his legs crossed. This week, while the gang is vacationing, my relationship with their dog, Rugby, has grown immensely. He happily accompanies me on several walks a day. In turn I not only make certain he gets fed, but that he also gets a treat – occasionally.

So, I best cut this short and start ‘walk of the day’ #1.

Fini –

• This week it was a Happy Birthday to Marin.

• This past week was former Beatle, Ring Star’s, 82nd Birthday

• Back from vacation, Kirstin had a bount of Covid, but now is well on the road to recovery. This virus seems to act different for almost everyone, most running between a mild to a more knock-you-down level of flu.

• Last week’s Rambling I focused in part on a Canadian grandmother (who was a police dispatcher for almost 40 years). Who has been charged with the massive crime of ‘mischief’ due to her involvement in the Canadian Trucker’s Freedom Convoy, spent time in jail waiting for a hearing, and was finally extended bail (on a second try). Then received special permission to attend a gala where she was awarded an annual national “Freedom” award. And now is again in jail for breaking her bail conditions all for taking a group photograph after her appreciation speech. Where has the Canada of my youth gone?

The following video clearly outlines both the nuttiness and corruption used by the government to lock up this quiet 5” tall woman.

Ciao, after a slow start, last weekend’s Fire Works were on full display. The crackling and booms went on for several hours.
I did take a break to first walk Rugby, a 1-miler before the rains start. He was great and I promised him a treat. Keep on storming the castle. Pray for Peace.

Dirk

Enjoy a wonderful Saturday coupled to a very Happy Independence Day weekend. Then, wishing a belated Happy Canada Day to all my Canadian friends.

Their Canada Day (July 1st) would have been so much better for everyone had they released their political prisoner, Tamara Lich, to spend time with her grandkids.

If you hadn’t heard, Tamara loves Canada and especially it’s Freedoms and has been active promoting it. Because of her leadership role in the Truckers Freedom Convoy which ran across Canada and to the capital, Ottawa, she is being held political prisoner under a trumped-up charge of ‘mischief’.

Prime Minister, Justin Trudeau, their ‘black-face’ narcissistic-in-chief has been going all out trying to maintain control; “sorry Tamara, nothing personal, you were just in the way”.

Coffee Trivia –:
Once, in old London town, they had their big double-decker busses run on coffee. Project Bio beans and Shell; they tried to transform coffee beans into diesel and this was successful. It wouldn’t surprise me if the lads and lasses (staying with Brit talk) discussed this Bio-coffee solution at the G7.

I say the latter since I’ve not seen anything of ‘worth’ spring forth from this austere group.

July 4th –

”My fellow Americans, we’re known around the world as a confident and happy people. Tonight there’s much to celebrate and many blessings to be grateful for. So while it’s good to talk about serious things, it’s just as important and just as American to have some fun. Now let’s have some fun – let the celebration begin!” ~ President Ronald Reagan, July 4, 1986 Address to the Nation

”Desolation Row” (Bob Dylan) – Midweek’s walk – of almost six miles – gave plenty of time to open up Spotify. All week it’d been various podcasts I listened to, this time it was music. In fact it was a whole hour and a half of Bob Dylan.

It’s easy to forget what a fabulous poet’s he’s been all these years. He’s a true national treasure! The piece that jumped out at me, he wrote it over half a century ago – ‘Desolation Row’.

If you listen to or read the words, do not focus on each word and every line; take a more comprehensive and holistic world-wide view of his word pictures. If you do, it’s as if that half century ago he was foretelling a future as the one we’re currently mired in.

A future where police stand by idly while a ‘Pride’ parade marches by with mostly naked men ‘twerking’ their bare a**es at flag waving toddlers.

A world where people, ‘leaders’ and politicians, en masse, trumpet for some mythical ‘right’ to murder 3,000 unborn humans each and every day.

A world where Post-Modernist people – church sanctioned – can happily announce their ‘Trouple’ by mailing out invitations. It wasn’t all that long ago words such as “polygamy’, ‘polyamory’, ‘polyandry’, all from their ancient Greek roots were the descriptors; bundled under the banner of, wink-wink, “threesome”. Today we’re so much more sophisticated; now it’s the more uplifting, much happier sounding, ‘trouple’. Party on!

A world where you can get arrested and fined for using a wrong pronoun, while during a recession politicians extend themselves pay raises. Meanwhile continue squeezing us out of more and more of our freedoms all under the rubric of giving us a ‘New World Order’.

I could go on, but then it’d be a rant – which I want to avoid. However, you get my drift.

’Ancient Medicine’ – Most times I read that ‘life expectancy’ keeps on rising. In fact today’s generation of newborns supposedly will be able to lead happy productive lives into a ripe age of 100.

So I wonder why my mail in-box gets messages from any number of ‘snake-oil’ sales companies with language such as this: “That’s why we created our Ultimate Guide to Unlocking the Secrets of Ancient Medicine. In it, you’ll learn about intuitive healing, herbalism, tongue diagnosis, a cousin to acupuncture that uses heat instead of needles, face reading, and more.”

Wasn’t it during these “Ancient Medicine” times where average life expectancy was not much more than age 40?

I wonder if the various “Psychics” and “Palm Readers” have the correct answer; after all, they are all knowing and all seeing. Aren’t they amongst the very wealthy?

Northern Comfort – Not too many days after the Willie Nelson concert early next month, I am planning to head into the North Woods and to our Northern Comfort (our cabin in the woods).

I know what is important. Hence. my first preparatory move has been to load up the Kindle with summer readings (Marcia would just shake her head in disbelief that this would be the first). In order to help assist you getting motivated organizing your own summer line-up, here is mine:

• Meditations – the musings of Marcus Aurelius; arguably the best Emperor of ancient Rome (from 161 to 180 AD). Written to assist in his own guidance, these are the private notes to himself and his ideas on Stoic philosophy. The first few pages prove to be extremely readable. “I am hoping from this one to gain” (as Yoda would say).

• 1984 — George Orwell. I’ve read this classic, but that was over two decades ago, so it’s time for a refresher.

• Death Rides the Zephyr — Janet Dawson. The only fiction in the bunch. I picked it for two reasons, my passion for lengthy, adventure filled, train rides and the derailment of the California to Chicago Amtrak train a little over a week ago.

• The Vision of the Anointed: Self-Congratulation as a Basis for Social Policy — Dr. Thomas Sowell. At age 92 and still very active, he is arguably the nation’s pre-eminent Economist. This book was written in the mid-seventies and is still offering; “a provocative critique of the failures of liberalism.” Sowell is black, was raised in Harlem, and is close to topping the list of thinking conservatives. At age 92 he’ll pin any one of the cadre of ‘race-baiting’ charlatans to the proverbial wall.

Can’t wait to get it started!

Vacations – are in full swing. Kirstin and the boys in California are doing it all by hiking through our National Parks. Meanwhile Adrianne, Tevita, and the kids will be heading out tomorrow morning to end up for a week in Hawaii. Happy for them!

Fini –
• Here’s a question about using a thumbprint to open your mobile. What happens after getting ‘nicked’ by a ‘mandolin’ when slicing veggies and a bandage is required? Asking for a friend.

• This week it was a Happy Birthday to Jolene and our Kellen ~ many more.

• Last weekend it was off to the (really) old neighborhood and the Farmers Market on the square. All week long, every day, it’s been one wild array of salad after another, from Waldorf on.

• Knowing what the place (the really old neighborhood) is like these days I was in a bit of a quandary whether we should be using the ‘Regular’ or take the longer line and go through the ‘Organic’ entrance at the market.

• Today in 1937 aviator Amelia Earhart and her navigator Fred Noonan were heard from for the last time prior to their plane’s disappearance on their around the world flight attempt.

• Also today, but in 2001, in neighboring Louisville, KY was performed the worlds very first Self-Contained Artificial Heart Transplant. The main problem with the ‘heart’ was size (big) and a machine life expectancy of just 180 days. After a small number of trial patients, further development was stopped.

• Planned Parenthood was originally called “The Negro Project” and was started by Margaret Sanger, an avowed eugenics proponent. It’s clear that the organization’s ‘birth’ was firmly rooted in what can best be described as a means of controlling growth of our black population. I mention this because of the current Roe vs Wade turmoil – it’s a real ‘kerfuffle’.

• We gave our latest nearby restaurant, Ford, a close-up inspection. Its décor is amazing and door handles like I’ve never seen before.

• Maybe I should repeat until this is over, so here it is again; “I know that with all that’s happening it’s easy to forget that we are still holding January 6 ‘political’ prisoners in prison in DC. They have not been formally charged and by not having a ‘speedy’ trial are being denied their basic human rights.”

Ciao, I hope that the Fireworks this weekend won’t cause you loss of sleep nor have your pets go into a panic mode. Just go outside, light a cigar, and ‘drink’ it all in. Keep on storming the castle. Pray for Peace.

Dirk