Morning all; here it’s a chilly morning (hovering at 40 – with a 5-minute snow shower). All this means that my fresh pot of hot java tastes extra good. This morning I want to thank you, my readers, for sticking with these Ramblings. I know it’s a chore to get up on Saturday morning to get a weekly ‘fix’. Oh wait, that’s me, writing this stuff. Well anyway, thanks for reading; I’m still having fun plowing on.

I just noticed an itch on my head and touching my scalp noted that I have a small crust at that spot. Late afternoon yesterday I found myself leaning under our microwave replacing the cook-top light on its underside. I also remember whacking my head on the corner of one of the kitchen cabinets. It’s amazing how quickly one can put ‘two and two’ together.

This leads me to Segway into some reflections I had earlier this week. From this (and tied to me whacking my head) comes this short YouTube on the human brain. Enjoy!

Then, in my morning mail came notice that it was time to sign up for Paddlefest 2022 in August. Last August I did the 10-mile kayak run on the mighty Ohio River (but owned by Kentucky).

Taxes — As you know from a week ago, my taxes are done and have been submitted. This also means that I’m in much better shape to enjoy the annual blossoming of spring as plants put on their grand display. Here are two examples from just this week.

The joy of Kabuki Theater – is missing this go-around of the Confirmation Hearings. Especially missing is the stream of slanderous dives into the nominee’s high school yearbooks. This go around it’s much more boring. However, there are some snippets embedded deep within these quotations:

”Abraham Lincoln once asked an audience how many legs a dog has if you count the tail as a leg. When they answered “five,” Lincoln told them the answer was four. The fact that you called the tail a leg did not make it a leg.” ~ Thomas Sowell, Professor Emeritus

”When every Judicial nominee calls herself an “originalist”, the method cuts no ice. If everything is originalism, nothing is.” ~ Adrian Vermeule, Professor of Constitutional Law, Harvard Law School

Steel Drums – Thursday we couldn’t wait to head out to Vai’s school to listen to a concert as she and her Steel Drum band mates put on quite a show. Listen to this piece called “Shut up and Dance” and keep in mind that everything you hear are percussion instruments. Great stuff!

Time with the grandkids – from performing some public service (with Adrianne & Vai), this was sorting Adult Diapers at Matthew 25: Ministries. And with at least as much fun, cleaning and taking a ride in ‘Our Duck’, the little Citroën Deux Chevaux.

Fini –
• Here in Ohio we’re still struggling to settle on the Congressional redistricting. Until the courts approve we can’t be certain when exactly our mid-term elections will happen. This also means that we can’t predict when exactly the next Covid-19 variant will emerge – but rest assured it will show up just in time, that’s a certainty.

• A ‘remember when’ moment. Remember when, for weeks on end, we were bombarded on a daily basis with salacious news of Trump, someone named ‘Stormy Daniels’, and an attorney named Avenatti? Well you might have missed (since the news didn’t bother to inform), that the 9th Circuit ruled the Daniels lawsuit frivolous and that she owes Trump nearly $300,000.

• Any one of you ever shake the last bit from a jar of Paprika? Ours has been hanging about the kitchen for at least a decade.

• Last weekend Kirstin led a Bridesmaid Party, outdoors in Leander, TX. Good to hear that this was her leading the ladies in a calming Yoga session rather than some raucous event. Good for you Kirstin.

• About six years ago we went to a Lenten Fish Fry at the Eagles Hall in nearby St. Bernard. I ended up requiring a Heimlich when a piece of bread got stuck. Last evening Marcia and I went to the place for the first time since that event. It was great! It reminded me of all the Fish Fries we’ve been missing in Wharncliffe and Thessalon on our Canada seasons.

• Often we talk about “the good old days.” This photo (colorized by Marina Amaral) shows a Sunday afternoon in Gordonton, NC in 1939. It sure did seem a lot calmer, but then, summer heat does promote more sitting around.

• Also remember that the Pleistocene Ice Age is still cooling. The previous ice age (the Karoo) lasted 100M years, the Pleistocene is only a mere 1.6M years old. No reason to panic – yet!

Best till next weekend. Let’s hope that wiser heads prevail as this week progresses. Don’t forget those caught under ‘jackboots’ throughout the world.

Dirk