Its Memorial Day weekend and the weather is turning glorious. A few spring showers (after the floods in the first part of the week), but lots of sun and daytime a bit over 80. That calls for starting this AM with a mug of java.

Memorial Weekend is huge here. Tens of thousands head downtown for ‘The Taste of Cincinnati’ running for three days (it’s the oldest continuous such festival in the nation). The Reds are at home playing a four-game set with the Chicago Cubbies.

Oh wait, its early morning and I must still be dreaming. No, huge chunks and a myriad of specifics are reminders that much of the lockdown is still in place. No Taste of Cincinnati. No Reds vs Cubbies.

Even so, across the streets they had a pair of Kayaks loaded and off they went; and with that started their long weekend -early . So yes, things are beginning to look normal. They aren’t of course. There are still a ton of nonsensical ‘can’t do’ and ‘must do’ edicts. But at least our restaurants, churches, barbers, gyms, retail stores, and so forth are open – even a last minute addition, Bowling Alleys, were added to the ‘open’ list.

National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases Director Tony Fauci (L) speaks to US President Donald Trump (Photo by Brendan Smialowski / AFP)

Lockdown – is a killer! For several months now media darlings and White House advisors, move the goalposts, Dr. Anthony Fauci and Dr. Deborah Brix have driven our nation ever deeper into our lockdown and social isolation positions (even while wildly swinging on many subjects; remember the “no masks” change to “wear masks”?) However, yesterday even these two could not negate the data, aka “the science”, and Fauci pronounced; “Stay-at-home orders intended to curb the spread of the coronavirus could end up causing “irreparable damage” if imposed for too long”.

Even so, power hungry dictatorial fruitcakes, such as Michigan’s Gov. Gretchen Whitmer plow on by extending her “stay-at-home” again, this time to June 12. And worse of all, we let them! As our local icon and curmudgeon, Willie Cunningham, says; “when citizens fear government, that’s Tyranny. When government fears citizens, that’s Liberty”.

”We know lockdowns work because lockdowns work, which is why we locked down, because if we didn’t lock down it would have been worse. It’s science.” ~ Staff Sergeant Briggs; “heard from professors; it’s very convincing to them”

Futurists – are really not magicians, mostly these are extreme and astute observers of the human condition. With the draconian measures which have turned our world upside down, a name that’s cropping up a bit more these days is George Orwell author of ‘1984’ and this line; “A liberal is a power worshipper without the power”. His most famous work, 1984 (published in 1949 – 35 years earlier) even went so far as possibly predicting Brexit. It makes reference as the UK being a “landing strip” for a superstate, ‘Oceana’, and not as that for the superstate, ‘Euroasia’.

Graduation – celebration was delightful as the sixth-graders of the North Avondale Montessori School graduated: Vaioleti was a proud member of this 2020 class.

At first I was disgusted that this group of kids got ‘whacked’ again by having their normal ceremony cancelled (first the annual sixth-grade March trip to Washington D.C. was cancelled as was their spring band/choir concert). However the drive-by parade, complete with a DJ blasting Kool & the Gang’s ‘Celebration’ over and over, saw these kids aglow! To a point where even ‘wet blanket’ Dirk was heard to say that this was better than the traditional ceremony. In fact, I got so into it that I purchased a Cow-bell to ring – and it drove Marcia nuts!

Normalcy at – the corner of Chaos and Mayhem does not mean that around us is like a country lane; far from it. This ‘country lane’ vision was underscored by another Coyote seen walking through the street in broad daylight. But all is not normal.

I don’t know about your community, but since the ‘lockdown’ and stay-in-home” edicts our town’s murder rate has doubled over last year, as have robberies, burglaries, and so forth. Part of it, I am sure, due to idiot mayors and governors opening the prison doors. Part of it due to the horrific rise in unemployment caused with the needless shutdown of business, along with the resultant frustration. Society is paying a serious price – that ‘Us’ folks.

Earlier in the week a car chase blasted by – car being chased by two police cruisers. Marcia turned on the scanner and we followed the chase for fifteen or so minutes on radio. Eventually this ended up in nearby Golf Manor (where Marcia and I rented our first apartment after moving here in 1970). K9 got the ‘perp’ in an apartment building basement.

Two days later another a car chase ended up at the edge of our driveway. We saw the car and a couple of cruisers screech to a halt. We weren’t expecting the five other cruisers, plus the ‘unmarked’, plus the K9.

That same evening further down was a car fire. Being well after dark I didn’t bother heading out. The next morning the effects of this fire became a bit obvious. It’s better than any Reality TV. By far!

Fini – Yesterday I got word that in the Calgary, southern area of Alberta, they were shoveling snow. So maybe not being in Canada just yet is OK.

It’s beginning to look like the Canada ~ US border will open just ahead of the Canada Day/Fourth of July time period. Add it bit of time for the resultant chaos to dissipate and the subsequent ‘nuance’ mandates to be in place sees me heading north the first/second week of July. I am eager to inspect Northern Comfort for any winter effects.

If you haven’t caught any of the Press Briefing held by our new Press Secretary, Kayleigh McEnany, you must take the time. I have never seen such composure and such management of the unruly, non-functional, Press mob. Yesterday she actually gave them a long weekend assignment starting with 5 questions they should be asking regarding the illegal unmasking of General Flynn – but choose not to. Watch the whole briefing, not just the snippets the MSM parses out for their purpose.

In Ohio, not one school aged child has died of Corvid-19. Yet the Superintendent of our 37,000 student school system is actively contemplating not opening school this coming school year, or doing a partial opening (1 or 2 days per week). What idiocy! How dare she!

Grabbed a lunch at Chick-fil-A the other day. With the seating issues it was drive through only. Multiple lanes and probably faster than I’ve ever grabbed my order. It’s an amazing company!

Gallium (GA) and atomic number 31 melts at about 85 degrees (30C). My idea is that for the foreseeable future all gavels used to ‘hammer’ home another idiotic edict be made from Gallium; this so it can melt and lay on the desk in a puddle prior to use.

Now a little breakfast and then some exercise. This afternoon it’ll be a family Barbeque. I am all psyched.

This day in 1701 the pirate, Captain Kidd, was hung in London. On a brighter note and also today, in 1969 in the UK, one of my favorite studio albums, “Tommy”, was released by The Who.

Kinda nice of the stranger who wanted to keep a tidy car interior by placing their meal packaging on our walk. Much appreciated.

Make it great week, stay safe and be healthy!
Dirk