The white orchid tree has been blooming but it's done now.
I have poison ivy, fairly mild as these things go, on my face, on my right cheek and jaw line, the space between my eyebrows and under my right eyebrow which has my right eyelid a little swollen and droopy, and on my left temple. I'm pretty sure I got it from Minnie who goes poking around in the wild space at the back of the property that is full of poison ivy and then comes and rubs her face against mine showing her affection. Thanks dog.
Wednesday I vacuumed the whole house except for the work room which I swept. Yesterday I used Murphy's Oil Soap to clean the top of my oak table and then used lemon oil. So far that's the extent of my housekeeping efforts.
Lily has shown zero interest in going outside since she came in Tuesday and spent the night in. She's gone out in the little backyard a couple of times for about 10 minutes before coming back in. She goes to the vet next Monday and I hope they can tell me she's not pregnant. She was pretty slim, though not bony, when I started feeding her about two weeks ago and her stomach is filling in and I hope to all the gods that it's the food and not babies. I set up a litter box for her since Tuesday night she used the door mat.
My jar of frit came yesterday so I'll be busy today getting the last three molds filled. Edit: Only got the mold for the top filled and selected two of the three colors for the inlay when a friend I have been trying to connect with for two months called. So, tomorrow, I'll get the last two molds filled and then it will be time for the part over which I have no control...casting in the kiln.
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We watched the J6 hearing last night like we have every single one previous, this time focusing on Trump's dereliction of duty and the violation of his oath of office. Once again the general information before the hearings was that Trump did nothing while the riot at the Capitol was ongoing until several hours later and once again the Committee brought the details and receipts from hardcore Trump supporters and witnesses. Not only did he sit in the private president's dining room watching it unfold for 187 minutes ignoring all pleas from his advisers and family for him to issue a statement deploring what was going on in no uncertain terms, there are no official records and no photos of that time. The call logs and the daily diary are blank and the official White House photographer was told 'no photos' even though we know through previous testimony that he was making and receiving calls. And now we know that 24 Secret Service agents wiped the call logs from their phones for the 6th and the 7th and are now under criminal investigation.
Not only did Trump fail to act, he refused to act until law enforcement was mobilized by Pence (when he found out Trump had his press secretary tweet that it was Trump himself who had called them in) and it was clear that his attempted coup had failed and still he did not condemn what had occurred instead telling his supporters that they were good people and he loved them and the recorded out takes from that speech show just how much he loathed having to make it. At this point I'm curious why the committee hasn't brought up the executive order of martial law that had already been prepared for Trump to use if the coup had succeeded.
If you didn't watch the hearing last night, Heather Cox Richardson's newsletter yesterday gives a complete and succinct report of who the witnesses were and what all they said. You can read it here.
I have to admire Liz Cheney, and Adam Kinzinger as well, for their determination to discover and hold responsible those who tried through force and violence to overturn a free and fair election and destroy our democracy, installing Trump as president when all their previous efforts had failed. I don't care for her hard core republican politics, she voted for Trump twice and with his agenda 97% of the time in the House, but she is steadfast in her defense of our democracy and constitution and laws. She tweeted the other day that she thought the J6 committee was probably the most important thing she has done in her life so far and perhaps even her entire life.
And while I don't know how she or Kinzinger personally voted on the following bills passed by the House this week, this is how the republicans voted:
209 voted against protecting abortion rights
205 voted against protecting interstate travel for healthcare
190 voted against protecting access to contraception
157 voted against protecting marriage equality
The news pundits would have you believe that republicans are poised to take back the House in the mid-terms and if they do they will vote to make all the above illegal and then they are going to come after Social Security and Medicare. It is essential to keep the House and increase the democrat majority in the Senate so that we can get these protections codified into law now that they are subject to the chopping block since the Supreme Court took the ax to our rights to privacy.
You know what needs to be done. Don't forget, don't let anyone else forget either.
A good summation and interesting point about the pre-cooked martial law order. Heather Cox Richardson's newsletters are the best. Often I'm familiar with the topics from other sources but she always ties them all together with context so I understand better. And they remind me not to forget what's essential when I'm chortling over the tidbits like Josh Hawley's unexpectedly revealed prowess at track and field.
ReplyDeleteI wish the media would just shut the hell up - democrats in many states are raising more money than the pubtards. It's not a done deal, but people have to get out and vote blue. Otherwise, we're doomed.
ReplyDeleteIt's awful to have exactly one recourse and one day to do it. It keeps my stomach in knots and who knows what is happening to blood pressure. So true, so true, all we who are talking to each other know what needs to be done. We'll talk so more and do it it. But will we spread the news far enough?
ReplyDeleteI leave a comment on each of your posts, Ellen, but they seem to disappear with an alarming regularity, no doubt somewhere into the ether of this virtual world we inhabit. I have watched every session of the January 6 Commission and it gets more sickening every time. I am not sure how many more ways Trump can find to be despicable. If people vote Republican in the upcoming elections, knowing full well what that will mean for the future, it will clearly signal that they are willing to jettison the country, because that will be the net effect. VOTE DEMOCRAT - EVERYONE!
ReplyDeleteWe have to vote this November knowing that the future of our now-fragile Republic depends on it because it does. Vote Democrat and kick every one of those absurd Trump supporters out of office. If we don't do it this November and in 2024, we may not get another chance.
ReplyDeleteThe thought that the tub of guts who was the president sat watching the riots in the executive dining room while people feared for their lives without doing a damn thing is one of the most sickening images I can imagine. A petulant, evil child.
ReplyDeleteI'm no fan of Liz Cheney's politics in general, but I DO admire her dedication to holding Trump accountable. She understands the grave threat this kind of behavior poses for our country. Frankly, I was impressed that more than 40 Republicans voted FOR marriage equality. I found that stunning and a good reminder that the religious right hasn't entirely taken over the party. (Pretty close, though.)
ReplyDeleteTreason. Isn't the sentence death? Used to be. There should be come consequences and sever ones for what he did. He is loathesome and should be in prison.
ReplyDeleteIts so horrible to imagine only 2 Republicans have the guts to stand up for Democracy!! SOOOO Happy to see Steven Bannon found guilty...and trust me if Trump gets before a Jury they WILL do their job and the sooner the better!
ReplyDeleteYour white orchid tree looks similar to our spider lily but that's def not a tree. I've had chigger bites and once a jigger infection, a parasite that burrowed into my big toe and made its way upwards but probably nothing compared to poison ivy or what I imagine it feels like.
ReplyDeleteHope you are recovering.
Oh, my. I well remember my (sort of) recent experience with poison oak, and what an annoyance it was. I have friends who are sure they've picked it up from their pets, and your experience makes it seem even more plausible. That orchid tree is gorgeous. I got some photos of one down at the Brazoria refuge. It took quite a hit in the freeze, but it was blooming away despite the dead limbs. I'm pretty sure it will recover in time.
ReplyDeleteDang Minnie - don't be so generous next time! This particular hearing was the most crazymaking one yet. It's just hard for me to wrap my mind around people who still support Trump.
ReplyDeleteWell, look at the positive side - if there are babies --- they'll be very cute!
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