I know I'm behind reading and returning the compliment of a comment but this time change back to standard time has me sleeping late cutting my morning time short. I'm trying to catch up or at least get current but the business of the day is hindering that.
The weather is just dreary, cold and overcast when it's not raining and it's going to stay like this for the next 10 days. And we are keeping the thermostat down when the heat is on (and off at night) because we are on propane and need to get the tank refilled but it's expensive so we are nursing it until we get our next SS deposits. But do not fear, we are not freezing in the dark. We have two HeatDish electric space heaters that keep us warm wherever we have settled down. Plus I have a dog and a cat that share their warmth as I share mine with them.
Wednesday I finally moved all the tenders either into the garage or the house. Well, most of them. It may not look like it but I've actually winnowed out some of the small stuff. If they survive the winter I'll donate them to the garden club plant sale.
The begonias will only get moved if we have threat of a freeze and I don't know what to do about the enormous pink and yellow angel trumpets. I'm disappointed in the yellow, it has not bloomed at all this year whereas the scrawny one I planted in the ground over at the shop that freezes to the ground every year has been blooming it's little heart out.
And yes, no progress on the vines. Just can't make myself get out there when it's overcast and in the 40s and 50s.
The republicans have officially taken the House if only by a slim margin, though they don't take control for another 7 weeks, and they are already proving to engage in the vendetta to smear Biden that they promised to do. They have already been in closed door meetings to extract a promise to investigate Pelosi and the Justice Department for their treatment of the defendants jailed for their participation in the J6 attack on the Capitol as well as pledging hearings on the FBI's retrieval of classified documents from Mar A Lago and an impeachment of Biden having just announced an investigation into Biden's and his family's ties to China to see if he is being compromised by foreign money, (ignoring that Trump asked China to interfere in the 2020 election and Ivanka's patents in China that were fast tracked after Trump was elected and that Trump has business dealings in China). One can only hope that those they subpoena to appear for questioning will ignore it just as the republicans themselves have done. And while the republicans turn the House into a circus and show themselves for the clowns they are who have no intention of governing, or even the ability to, (already threatening to shut down the government and force it into default if Biden doesn't reduce Social Security payments), top democrat strategists have already launched the Congressional Integrity Project to investigate the investigators, to expose their political motivations and the money behind it, and to hold them accountable for ignoring the actual work of governing and put them squarely on the defense. Politico has a good article about this.
So maybe this is not the disaster we may think. It's doubtful that whoever ends up being speaker will be able to control the far right MAGAt wackos, they won't introduce any meaningful legislation and will obviously obstruct for the sake of obstruction showing the American population just how inept they are and I think Americans are weary of Trump/Republican divisiveness and meanness and hate and obstruction and vindictiveness now that they've seen what a real leader does, what Biden has accomplished for the country. Perhaps their antics will guarantee that democrats retake the House, keep the Senate, and the presidency in 2024, especially if they are stupid enough to give that loser Trump the candidacy for president.
Speaking of loser Trump...Rupert Murdoch no longer supports Trump and that means Fox and the New York Post and I read that three of Trump's top donors have also withdrawn their support. At his announcement at Mar A Lago, Fox news cut the live feed before his speech was over and people started to gather around the door to leave while he was still talking and security would not let them leave!
Good times. Just remember...it's their circus, their monkeys.
GREAT!!! the orange gas passes- off on the wind! LOSER. I thought for sure that the orange disease had infected America for keeps...Good luck dragging the Bidens down to their level.
ReplyDeleteThings do seem a tiny tiny bit more hopeful although it's difficult not to feel a tiny tiny bit cynical. And the prospect of listening to Trump talking for the next two years makes me despair.
ReplyDeleteWe can only hope that a few Republicans will balk and line up with Democrats to support good government. After all, some of them had a conscience and voted to impeach Trump.
ReplyDeleteI actually remember a time when once an election was over, the representatives would work on different subjects together...or at least sharing a bit of "I want this, and I'll give you that for it...trading. I hope that we eventually return to that, after the incredible hate mongers stop their tactics. Is that possible in my lifetime? Rhetorical question, don't answer.
ReplyDeleteTimes are changing but not as fast as we would like. Most people want dignity and intelligence returned to Congress...so I am waiting.
ReplyDeleteI'm not able to deal with this sort of insanity right now. Twelve year olds could do better in government than these Republicans. So. I will commend you on getting your plants in. I have not.
ReplyDeleteIt's definitely going to be an interesting two years.
ReplyDeleteMy laundry room (basement) looks a bit like your gathering of plumeria and friends. The lemons will go into the greenhouse this winter. We've just finished insulating it, so this will be a test. What a world where a shitty chancer like Murdoch could potentially end the career of yet another shitty chancer.
ReplyDeleteOne third of Republican voters were MAGA Republicans, which means 15% of the voting public were MAGA-goo-goo-gagas, which means only 3.5% of the nation. "Half the country" my spectacular butt cheeks.
ReplyDeleteWhen Trump announced his intention to run, I just felt tired, and I realized it was PTSD. But I dont think he will win again, even if the idiot Republicans make him their nominee. I do feel some hope after the midterms however. And now I am sitting here listening to news of a special counsel from The Hague being appointed to investigated Trumps perfidy. Slowly by slowly I guess. Hopefully we'll get there.
ReplyDeleteI always so appreciate your political perspective and that you take the time to write it all down. I agree with everything you have written here. It makes me glad to read it, to have it summed up this way. Yes.
ReplyDeleteHope the freeze forecast isn't as bad as predicted and that all your plants survive and thrive.
One little quibble: The Washington Post is not Murdoch. I think you're thinking of the Wall Street Journal.
ReplyDeleteRemind me -- do the trees stay in the shed all winter? Do they lose their leaves or turn yellow? Seems like a lot of time to pass with no sunlight. How does that work?
I just moved the last of our dahlias into the shed today. We haven't had a frost yet but it's only a matter of time.
Correct. I meant the New York Post which is a tabloid. But also the WSJ. Thanks, I corrected my error. And yes, the plumerias lose their leaves though the bridal bouquet plumerias generally hold on to most theirs and they all go dormant for the winter. The cereus stays the same as does the bird of paradise (and I water those occasionally during the winter), lack of direct sun doesn't seem to damage them and they get indirect light during the day with the garage door open unless it's too cold and then it stays shut.
DeleteI'll bet you didn't work outside today (Saturday) either. There was a birthday gathering on Galveston Island, and my goodness -- you should have seen the surf! Thirty knot winds, rain, gloom, and temperatures in the 40s weren't much fun, but the restaurant at the West End Marina has heaters and one enclosed dining area, so all was well. By the time I got home it already was dark, so the squirrels missed their evening peanuts. I'll bet they'll be ready for breakfast tomorrow.
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