So If Our Elections Have Been So Screwed Up, then Trump Isn't Really the President

I just listened to Trump's entire speech - had to flip to Fox News because other networks turned away early rather than broadcast the President's incessant lies.

The Administration keeps saying that Trump has fixed things this term that NO OTHER PRESIDENT WAS WILLING OR ABLE TO DO.  Since HE was one of those earlier Presidents, that includes him, too.

Basically he spoke about all sorts of terrible-sounding illegal actions perpetrated against our election system by others.  Elections have been entirely corrupt, he claims, so how does he explain how Republicans won the House, Senate and the White House in 2024?

How dumb does he think we are?  Of course he started off touting the economy: no tax on overtime pay, tips or Social Security.  That only applies to people who have decent Social Security checks.  The rest of us, because our SS isn't taxed because it's already so low, get no assistance.  No additional Food Stamps to help offset his price increases; and by throwing off how many of us from Medicaid and SNAP.

It's all I can do to speak pleasantly to people who arrive in the park in what I call their 'Conspicuous Consumption' vehicles:  new monster motor homes with expensive tow vehicles in matching colors.  Come in like they own the place.  Bunch of pigs...

...but I keep my mouth shut and play Hospitality.

As to the speech, I'll wait until other people read his de-classified documents, identify any new evidence and enlighten (me) to what's what.  Trump is counting on the fact that his base, et al, only believe his words and not the truth, which even Fox News is questioning.

Regardless of anything between my first paragraph and the last, please explain how the 2024 elections were on the up-and-up, but not before or after.

How Is It OK?

How is it OK for Skinheads without Badges, dressed up as ICE agents, to shoot another person on our streets simply because of their skin shade?

"They weren't the ones ICE was looking for," but they were brown nevertheless.

Have you watched some of the videos of multiple ICE officers beating people in broad daylight?  They act with impunity; and will have their official Call to Arms on Thursday when Trump delivers his speech to the nation declaring why we won't be able to vote in November.

You watch.

How is it OK for the President to spend all that money, our money, on retrofitting his 'free' Air Force One, which he'll take with him?  Now he's messing with the columns on the White House, whaddaya wanna bet they'll have tacky gold accents, or gold circles with Trump's profile?  Ugh.  And why do we want a 250-foot Triumphal Arch to compete with Arlington Cemetary?

How is it OK for Trump to ignore our pleas for lower prices for this-and-that?  Gas went down a bit but it's going back up, thanks to crackerjack negotiators Kushner and Witkoff, who orchestrated the MOU in-between private business deals.  And what's with the Trump gas stations; subsidizing the owners?  If that's not an example of Socialism, I don't know what is, the hypocrite.

And now the U.S. will charge 20 percent as the Guardian Angel of the Strait but Iran is making a counter-offer, can't make this up.  I don't see how they can do anything other than completely wipe out the country, killing everyone, to assure the Strait remains open, am I wrong?  Ground forces are the minimum...

How is it OK for federal agents to go to journalist's homes to seize computers or serve papers for simply doing their jobs.  What a blatent intimidation tactic.  What about the children in the homes?  I can't imagine opening the door at 8 yrs old to big bruisers in combat gear, can you?

The Housing Bill was finally made law by sitting in the Oval Office (or wherever) for 10 days; since Trump refused to sign it.  So he damned well better not claim any credit for new construction of  lower income homes.

Greed, graft and glorification of our egotistical leader, how is that OK?  There must be plenty of investors of Trump's bit coins who aren't so happy about losing money.  Trump doesn't care.

How is it OK to start the war again but using today as Day 1 before Congress can declare war, again?  He's so shady, the way he spins things...like the ridiculous reason he gave for using the old Air Force One (the part about giving some people in England a thrill).

How is it so many people continue to support this kind of person despite any deplorable act he commits?  If he rapes a baby on the White House lawn, claiming it'll be good for the soil, would that be OK, too?  Don't tell me that'll never happen - we've seen too many examples of his previous unbelievable, unprecedented actions.

I could go on and on with bad examples...how is that OK?

I Mean, In the Beginning of Every Sentence?

I mean, over the years I've resisted the popular catch word or phrase like cool, wicked and Bucket List because I despise conformity.

I mean, for a while every response to any question or comment during any interview began, 'Yes," even if the answer was eventually, "No."  I mean, I mean is today's popular verbal tic, drives me nuts.

I mean expresses what, exactly?  If an idea was expressed in some obscure manner, I mean would make sense if then followed by a literal translation.  I mean, to put these unnecessary words at the beginning of a sentence seems to differentiate between the times we didn't want to know what they mean?

32 Years

Tino and I married on this date in 1994, one of the happiest days in my life.  He passed unexpectedly 3 months later; which is when the old Andrea died and her shell began walking.  For 32 years I've been trying to fill it, or at least bring back some of my old Umph, Mom would call it.  Happy to report that's going well.

I'm no longer weepy and have accepted the loss; and, most importantly, learned that Grief never leaves but it does change over time.

You never get over it, but you can get past it.

Happy 250th America!

I know we're struggling with the holiday, but be of good cheer!  At least we're still vertical.

I don't have to work, but I am teaching my first Sip-n-Paint here at the park for guests.  When Rhonda broached the idea to me last year my immediate reply was, No, are you kidding even though I didn't know what that was.  I answer the same with new foods.

But over the winter I had time to chill, and to Rhonda's astonishment a couple months ago I said I'd do it.  What the hell, can't hurt when it comes to experience.

Only I don't like painting on canvases.  Because of my vision (lazy eye) my depth perception is pretty much non-existent, so I've found it easier to paint when I'm holding something in my hand or leaning against it.

OYSTER SHELLS!  What a nice memento of a trip to the Oregon Coast, and fortunately we've got loads of them, thanks to another Workamper who occasionally heads for Newport to where the restaurants toss their empties.  We bartered shortly after I arrived, and she made this beautiful painting of Ruff Life, I must take a photo now.

My American Flag experiment was to (1) experience painting on a shell and (2) paint something simple enough for an hour, hour and a half class.  Sure, it's fitting for the day, but not everyone wants to display a flag on a shelf.  But an ocean sunset?  Piece of cake for the novice...class begins at 2.

Happy Fourth Everyone!

At This Age, No One Expects Anything Out Of Me Anyway

I'm working on a painting to enter into this month's Member Show at the local art center; not this, of course.  I've been grappeling with the fact that my hands just can't paint the way they used to, quite frustrating; so I've been doing loads of rationalizing with Amy, inside my head.

"No one expects anything out of you anyway, at this point in time."

I know, but I don't want to stop being an artist completely.  The theme of the show is Pathways, and since none of my gourds are suitable, I decided to paint something similar to the back of my teardrop, now sold.

"Same, but different."  That's ok, I suppose.

"Consider the mirror."

In Puerto Rico, I'd occasionally find an abandoned decorating magazine, and in 2002 I ripped this picture out.  Isn't it a beauty?

I've carefully kept it in a plastic sleeve, knowing that one day I'd create my own using the shells I'd collected over twelve years.  But I thought I had more, I discovered when I retrieved my things last year from storage.

That's when I remembered all the crafty things I did with kids at the Saturday Market, c. 2012, using my own 'stash' to inspire creativity.  I don't look at that as a wasted effort, but what about my own dream?  Was it lost, too?

So as happens, last month Rosemary and I headed to Goodwill to look for craft items for summer projects here at the park, and where I found a tall glass vase full of old shells and rocks and things for less than two bucks.  I wandered over to the frame section, you never know when you'll find a Picasso amongst the Dogs Playing Cards.