Morning all. The Hunters Moon we witnessed this week was the defining mark of the arrival of the Fall season. A few days earlier, when it was still 84°, Marcia and I ate at one of our go-to joints, the iconic Quatman Café. Aside from the award winning Cheeseburger I had a cup of their homemade Mock Turtle soup – my personal announcement that autumn had come. Love the stuff!

That night major rains came through and two small tornadoes hit nearby. I know this happened because when I woke up in the morning after a night of perfectly restful sleep, the middle-of-the-night-extreme-weather-warning-alarm notice was parked on my mobile. The very next day the temperature high was 68°.

The other new sign that I spotted also announced the start of the countdown to Spring (why do we always end up looking forward?).

Now back to my coffee.

Deaths in the ‘Nati – Thought you’d want to know that here in the ‘Nati we’ve had a rash of shooting and accompanying deaths primarily by youths. As these events quickly fade into the usual woozy lifeless blur of candlelight vigils and park-side speeches surrounded by balloons; remember that much of this horror is due to, but never talked about, is the lack of a family structure. A replacement structure created when government began to take on the role of the father. This was a part of what quickly became the norm when instituted under President Johnson’s War on Poverty. What we’re seeing are the fruits of multiple generations of single family households; many of them consisting of kids having kids.

After listening to the happening in the audio link above, notice the streetcar reference made in the ‘Fifa‘ blurb below — no worry, all turned out well.

Fifa — Soccer’s World Cup will come to America in 2026. Cincy is in the running to be selected as one of the cities selected. For the 2026 games 48 nations will participate. 17 cities have offered to host and from those 10 will be selected.

Yesterday the Fifa selection committee spent the day in town and we went all out to make our pitch. If guessing, you guessed right if you assumed that yours truly went into the city core. Using my ‘geezer’ transit card I ended up to where it was all happening. I even rode the streetcar for a single loop (without any disturbance). Hours later I arrived home slightly wet, with a bunch of bling, and high hopes that we’ll be one of the selected cities. Here my afternoon, picture style:

ACL – After reading these ‘Ramblings’ and want to experience a church-like’ forty-five minutes crank up the volume and watch this Austin City Limits showing with the wonderfully gifted Jon Batiste. From New Oreans you’ll even catch a little of his high school marching band. Kirstin saw him recently at the ACL Festival and several years ago she and Vince attended a private concert with the amazing guitarist Gary Clark Jr. who makes a surprise entry. You’ll love this power-packed show.

Fini –
• I know it’s early, but I just signed up for the December 18 Egg-Nog-Jog 5 & 10K through the hills of Mt Adams. Last year it was cancelled, but in prior years it was a great little event.

• Thought I’d ask whether or not you observed Hagfish Day. This brings awareness to the evolved but slimy hagfish. Observed every third Wednesday in October.

• Thought you’d want to know that over the past year your health officials, Dr. Fauci, and the large media have walked back slowly, a point or so at the time, the stated effectiveness of our vaccine jabs from a start of nearly 100% (to now that the push is on for additional jabs is going gangbusters), an efficacy of merely 33%.

• Thought you’d want to know that the Biden administration has lost track of 45,000 unaccompanied minors who crossed the border illegally. The decision to weaken vetting of adult sponsors contributed, in part, to the loss of contact with 40% of the more than 114,000 unaccompanied children who entered the U.S. illegally, according to Axios Media.

• Thought you’d want to know. This week at Oberlin College here in Ohio there were actually student complaints angrily filed that the work crew at Oberlin College installing new radiators in a ‘safe space’ for ‘women and transgendered persons’ were straight (cisgender) males. How will these clowns function once in the real world? What are they being taught?

• Whatever happened to; “fifteen days to flatten the curve”?

• Whatever happened to; “herd Immunity”?

• This old Chrysler spotted on a recent walk reminded me of my 1950 Pontiac I owned many decades ago – it was the factory installed visor.

• Did you know that Scotland has a specific name for a kind of ice-cold rain which falls there. When Marcia and Adrianne and I toured Edinburgh Castle I believe we experienced it.

• I ordered a new batch of Don Pablo coffee with a delivery scheduled between last Thursday and today. This morning the first mail I spotted was from Amazon, and update asking if I still wanted it since now it is estimated to be delivered between coming Monday and Thursday. Is this the first inkling of the great ‘empty shelf’ syndrome we’re facing?

Make it a great week. Stay positive. Stay happy. Stay involved. Best till next weekend.

Dirk