It’s a busy Memorial Day weekend coming up, so now (it’s Friday after dinner) I’ll spend an hour or so organizing The Ramblings. Saturday morning early I have to feed and water Rugby who’s ‘staycationing’; while the rest of his pack is away, ‘vacationing’. This will allow me to be somewhat regular with my posting – are all four of my readers, reading this? What I’m trying to convey is that I care.

Then, as the day progresses it’ll be a visit to nearby Spring Grove Cemetery where my parents are both buried. Though neither served in any uniformed capacity I think it important to also remember them and others like them, who during the occupation years in the Netherlands served the Underground forces. Newly married, starting a family, and at the same time actively work to keep as many Jews out of the Nazi death camps as they could; even hiding a Canadian pilot for a short time. And, my mother with her electric kitchen stove (working since our power was kept on due to a nearby factory) during that final desperate “Hongerwinter” (Hunger Winter) was able to bake some stealthily gathered foodstuffs for us and neighbors. 

Add to this full-plate the organizing necessary for my Monday morning slog to Austin. That sounds negative, but it isn’t; I am really looking forward to the visit. Its important!

SCOTUS – The Supreme Court always appears to be somewhere hidden in a fog. Yet, the humanity of the members pushes to the forefront every so often. In those cases it’s usually a specific member with a particular personality, and with a humility and humanity specific to them. Over the last decade or two certain names stand out. I appreciated listening to Justice Antonin Scalia – he could explain rulings in a way that my weak brain could understand. On rulings where my belief system was most often at opposites of RBG (Justice Ruth Bader Ginsberg) I had lots of appreciation. Her honesty of conviction and willingness to stay true to herself had me pay attention anytime she spoke.

With both of these legal mountains no longer with us, it’s the insightful quiet one, Justice Clarence Thomas that I see as being a national treasure.

Cerne Abbas Giant – in the hills near Dorset, England is carved and chalked an enormous outline of a naked man holding a club. No one knows the ‘why’ or ‘who’, but recently it’s agreed that the huge chalk figure was created in the Late Saxon period (650 and 1310 A.D.).

What it tells me is that those wily Late Saxon folk had more time on their hands than we ever realized. And that they had more fun than we ever imagined – think a conversation taking place at that time: “dad, this Sabbath afternoon may we please all go picnic in the hills and work on Cerne Abbas? Mom says she’ll toil on chalking his club.”

Climate – This whole Climate-control-to-prevent-change thing is a joke.

We almost worship the likes of a Greta Thunberg—18 years old, never finished high school and absolutely no training in climate science. Then guess what coverage is given to someone like a Dr. Judith Curry (age 63), PhD in Geophysical Science. Former tenured professor and chair of The School of Earth and Atmospheric Sciences at the Georgia Institute of Technology – that’s correct, zero, nada. It’s all for politics, control, money, equality and power. None of the real data supports any of these governmental and U.N. ’studies’.

CO2 is a minor unseen gas so valuable that without it the planet would die in short order. It has zero to do with Global Warming. The Sun is our major driver and its cycles determine much of what happening climate wise. As author Peter Clack (Australia) writes in Firestorm; “The tide is turning against the greatest hoax since the rise of the internet. CO2 is not toxic, and higher levels mean better richer environments, including agriculture. CO2 has never warmed the climate over the earth’s 4.5 billion years. Oceans, solar, life and geology do that.”

He further describes how all land life on earth exists on floating islands moving endlessly across our vast oceans. It’s the oceanic currents which are the barometers of climate.

Yet, the latest (this week) is a ruling by a Dutch Court ordering Royal Dutch Shell to deepen its carbon cuts by 45% by 2030.

Question, does this apply to China too?

Critical Race & Wokism – If you have children in school or if you have grand children in school then pass this clip on to your kids. It shows a parent, Asra Nomani, who has a son in Thomas Jefferson High School in Fairfax County, VA. Her quiet demeanor girds the power of her message of truth as she absolutely destroys the School Board. Then listen to the total disrespect displayed by Board members.

On display and what Asra highlights is what is going on all over the country, in public and private schools. This has been building for years and needs to change. A number of States have recently passed legislation to try and stem the trend. Here in my State a lawsuit is underway. Take heed, make note, and create change!

Fini –
• The Cicadas have arrived. Since their noise is loud and incessant it has quickly been relegated to mere ‘background’. However, now that it’s raining the noise has also nearly stopped. This makes it difficult to plod on as if it’s nothing. Every day I take our little leaf blower and empty the surrounding walkways –such fun.

• RIP Eric Carle, children’s books author and illustrator at age 91. I remember reading his The Very Hungry Caterpillar to a pair of delighted and rapt grand kids.

• People are asking what exactly is going on at the corner of Chaos & Mayhem. Other than an occasional vehicle with a 1500+-amp sound system ramped up with some ‘dulcet’ Rap tune (teaching me a whole new genre of language), all is quiet. Having said that, earlier this week coming back from my walk I came across this mess two blocks from our little hovel. The noise of the crash had Marcia run out when she heard the impact sitting in our sun-room.

• Paul and I are sharing tricks and technique to get rid of Carpenter bees. I am opting for the axiom pushed by ‘Tim the Toolman’ Taylor using his Binford; “more power, more power” method.

• Just in! BLM co-founder Patrisse Cullors, she of “I am Marxist trained” fame, just resigned from her BLM executive director position. I don’t suppose that her recent $3.2-million property buying spree (4 high-end homes as reported by the NY Post) had anything to do with her decision. Nah!

• Now that even our actors are learning Mandarin in order to grovel appropriately before their Chinese masters (actor John Cena on calling Taiwan a country is the latest). I love Taiwan’s view of the situation with this re-drawn regional map.

• We’re getting over the worst of the Wu-Flu. Canada is still in the thick of it with an array of severe restrictions. And yes, the border is still closed and hence, we’re not at camp (Northern Comfort). Part of the restrictive lifestyle is that opposing information on Covid is being censored. Are they aware that it’s NOT science if you’re not allowed to question?

• On one of my walks I spotted this vehicle. It would appear that is started life as a School Bus. Now in its devil-may-care teen years it appears to want to be a bit more rambunctious. I like it!

• After pouring a Java refill I’ll call the listed number to see what it takes to set up an appointment and then ask the; “why would I?” question. These are strange times indeed.

Make it great week people, keep the peace, be happy, stay safe, and head outdoors!

Dirk