Thursday Ramble: Effing Idiots

Noteworthy today, we are closer to the year 2050, than we are to the year 2000. And the millennium bug still has not brought modern civilization to its knees. 

This was written last Friday morning, as the US Supreme Court was closing out the session with the most politically difficult cases, no doubt with armored SUVs waiting in the garage to whisk them away to their summer retreats while the smoke clears and the cries die down. 

The Opinion in the first case came out, the one on Birthright Citizenship and my reaction was what a bunch of effing idiots. Not the Supreme Court Justices, they are being very careful jurists, doing their jobs, and not the lawyers for the Justice Department, they are being very careful in their research, and crafting their appeal. The the lawyers for the immigration advocates who failed to review existing Federal Case Law, on procedural issues. 

The appeal was brought purely on the issue of a Federal District Court, issuing a national injunction.  The case law is clear that this exceeds the authority of the Federal District Courts (or Circuit Courts) under federal law. The District Court should not have issued the sweeping injunction and the lawyers for CASA should have made the case law clear to the Court that the injunction needed to be more limited. 

The Justice Department lawyers, wisely stuck to this procedural issue knowing that they were likely to prevail, and avoided the bigger issue of birthright citizenship. When the opportunity is presented to avoid the third rail issue, the wise lawyers limit the issue to the easy one. 

Effing idiots should go back and take Civ-Pro 1 and Civ-Pro 2, Professor Abramson would have failed them on THE exam for this kind of an effing mistake.  

To fix our messed up immigration system, Congress needs to update our immigration laws, and no one seems to be demanding that be done. 

My World of Wonders, aka the Wednesday Ws, July 2, 2025 edition

Where have I been this week? Close to home for the most part, the weather has been hot. The outdoor pool, the treadmill in the gym, the pharmacy and a shopping center to walk inside air conditioned stores.  I drove friends to the airport on Saturday. The Community Center for an Arts meeting and a gallery opening. Trader Joe's and Aldi for some specialty shopping - we are hosting friends for the 4th of July on Friday.  

Who have a talked with? Pratibha, Linda, Guido, Joan, Jon and Rebecca - the arts group. Giuseppe and Larry from water aerobics. Emily, Kathy, and Sydney an editorial board.   

When was I lazy? Last Friday, it was cooler and drizzling rain and I didn't feel like doing much, I spent four hours laying on my bed watching a marathon of "Waiting for God" (a great older British comedy) on DVD.  No pool, no walk, I didn't leave the house. I hadn't done that in weeks.  

What am I reading? "Humans are Underrated" a book about the role of humans in evolving technology. I have been a little distracted from my reading. Up next is Revenge of the Tipping Point. 

What did I hear while floating in the pool this week? Two mid-20-something dudes talking about what they did when they were young. I wanted to interrupt and point out that they are still young. 

What was the flashback memory of the week? Remembering about 1975, pink mauve corduroy, low-rise bell bottom trousers, my mother let me pick out clothes that made my father shake his head in wonder.  If only I knew then, what I knew later. 

What did I mess up this week? I posted two moody Monday posts. The negative one, was suppose to have been replaced by the happy one. I know how it happened, but it kind of makes me wonder. 

Who died? No one is saying, but Monday afternoon a body was found just off of one the trails here at the Condo. The community sits on 30+ acres on a hilltop, with trails that runs around the property, through the trees, up and down the hills.  Rumor has it that one of the regular trail walkers, was overcome in the 95 degree (f) heat, with humidity to match, collapsed and died.  The police and coroner were onscene and there was a message asking residents to please stay away and respect the privacy of the scene and the family. 

When does the highlight of the sporting year start? Saturday in Lille France, the start of the Tour De France, my favorite sporting event for many reasons. I don't expect others to understand. Cycling is a team sport, through amazing countryside and cities, and it is in France. I will be glued to the television for a couple of hours a day until Paris in about three weeks. 

What have I been up to in the kitchen? Fried chicken, potato salad, cheese spread, fresh broccoli, and the most surprising - suckling goat ravioli.  Open Hand Pasta sells at the King Street Farmers Market in Alexandria. He always has a featured filled pasta or two.  Two or three weeks ago, I stopped to see what he had. The feature that day was suckling goat, he assured me that it was delightful, mild and flavorful.  I'll try anything once, so I brought it home, dropped it in the freezer - label side down so I didn't have to explain the goat. Friday evening I cooked it per the package direction, made a simple sauce with sauteed onions, mushrooms and a small can of tomato sauce. It was wonderful. Flavorful and mild, just as he told me it would be.  Try it, you will like it! I will buy this again if he ever has it.

What made me smile this week? Reading blogs, framing more photos, relaxing and enjoying life. 

Travel Tuesday: Abbotsbury Subtropical Gardens

The Gulf Stream gathers warm waters in the Gulf of Mexico and flows as a current north and east, moderating the climate along the way, with some unexpected effects, like palm trees growing along parts of the south coast of England.  The warming effects of the Gulf Stream along with a steep valley made the perfect place for a Florida style garden in the south of England. It was pretty. It was extremely steep. The Map was useless, and the visit felt rushed. Still it was a pretty place. 

Legend has it that praying at this abandoned church, will help loveless ladies find a husband. 

 

Monday Mood: Finding Happiness in Weird Times

As most of my readers know, I draft most posts a few days ahead of time. My first draft for Monday Mood, was snippy and grumpy, then on Sunday morning as I was reading blogs, my mood improved. Happiness, maybe even contentedness descended upon me. 

Doc Spo posted a photo of his most recent creation, his clock shirt. The community arts group was trying to settle on a theme for the August objects showcase. Spo's post sent me into my cabinet of curiosities, to find a momento from Sweet Bear's mother's house. An hourglass from the 1964 World's Fair. 

I sent the co-chair of the arts group these photos, and she replied saying this was just the inspiration she needed to settle on a theme for August. Time. 

Angus in St. Andrews posted a photo of the flock of Hebridean sheep in a meadow near his home. Such pretty and happy sheep. If I had millions of dollars, I would buy a farm, name it "Black Sheep Farm" and have someone raise flocks of sheep just like this. His posts are always intelligent, thoughtful, reflective. 

Bob in South Carolina wrote, "… that I am planning on engaging in orange cat behavior today and, no, I will not explain." My comment was: 

 I hope you had a great day of napping in warm sunny places, hissing at people, running away, demanding to be petted, rubbing up against legs and then swiping at anyone who tried to touch you, demanding to be fed, then turning your nose up at food, and pissing on anything you wanted to mark as yours-all-yours. Sounds like a great way to spend the day - being an orange cat.

It sounds like a purrfect way to spend the day.

I can't explain why, but this series of blog interactions brought about a sense of calm and happiness for me. (edit) And I thought I had deleted the snippyness, I apparently didn't and there are two Monday posts this week.  

 

Monday Mood: Kind of Makes Me Wonder

At the Farmer's Market on Saturday I bought a jar of honey. After I paid, I asked the young man who processed the transaction, "So what does a pound jar of honey cost these days?" I often don't look at prices, I buy what I want.  I packed and sold thousands of pound jars and honey bears as a teenager that we sold for between 50-cents and a $1 each, I know they are a lot more expensive today, and I also know how much work and risk goes into filling that jar. I just wanted to know the price. 

His response was, "I don't know, that is a question for Eli, do we sell pound jars of honey?" I pulled the jar out of my bag, showed him that it was 16 fluid ounces, he seemed surprised that was one-pound. I then said, it is about 1/4 of a liter, about 250 milliliters. Water is 8  pounds to the gallon, honey is 12 pounds to the gallon. The vacant look on his face, told me that he didn't have a clue. Kind of made me wonder about our education system. He is studying engineering and working in a factory that builds cranes. 

Buy the way, a 1-pound jar of local honey was $12. Expensive, but I know who produced, and where, and that it is an important part of sustainable agriculture. 

On the way to the market I had a National Public Radio station on, they were interviewing experts about vaccines, and the current disaster in the US Federal Government.  Leadership who either don't understand science carefully proven over the past 150 years, or simply deny that it applies. It kind of makes be wonder. 

There are times, when I am glad that I am old. It is likely that I will be dead before it all comes crashing down around us.  Kind of makes me wonder how soon it will catch up with the world. 

The Sunday Five: Harry Potter

Sign outside a restaurant in Brugge, Belgium 

This one is a bit of a risk, as some of you may not have read any of the books and seen any of the films. I know the author has turned out to be a bigot, I read the books and enjoyed the films long before she started spouting hate. The books remain brilliant works of fiction, she should have taken her billion-dollars and crawled into a cave with her hate. 

1: How many of the Harry Potter books have you read? 

2: What Harry Potter character are you most like? 

3: If you had a House Elf, would you give them clothes? 

4: What educational experience was most like Hogwarts for you? 

5: How many of the Harry Potter films have you seen? 

My Answers: 

1: How many of the Harry Potter books have you read?  All of them, after the first one, I bought all of the subsequent books the day they were released for sale. 

2: What Harry Potter character are you most like? Hermione Granger, a bit of a know-it-all, who also cares about other people. 

3: If you had a House Elf, would you give them clothes? Yes, Dobby was a loyal friend after being freed. 

4: What educational experience was most like Hogwarts for you? Unquestionably Law School, three years with the brightest group of people I have ever known, exploring deep and mysterious knowledge. 

5: How many of the Harry Potter films have you seen? All of them, at least once, some many times. 

Please share your answers in the comments. 

50 States in 52 Weeks: Montana

 

Montana is in the northwest of the United States, bordering on Canada. Work took me there, I presented a training on recognizing abuse of adults on the Blackfoot Reservation in Browning, Montana.  We stayed in a motel, across the street from the east Glacier Amtrak station.  Something notable - the water supply was contaminated by spring run off- you couldn't drink the water. 

The Rocky Mountains dominate the western part of the state, the Indian Reservation was east of the mountains about 40 miles, out on the hard plains. The eastern half of the state is vast mildly rolling plains. 

I have very fond memories of the trip. The people were warm and inviting, the food delicious in very different ways. I remember ordering an Elk Burger in a restaurant to the horror of my colleagues. I had most of one day free, and drove into Glacier National Park from the eastern side. It was late spring, the major road through the park from east to west (the Going to the Sun road) was still buried in snow. 

The photos from that trip are lost, or buried in the archive. But the images are vivid in my memory. I would gladly go back. 

 

Funky Friday: Off the Beaten Path

The Novotel hotel in Brugge is on the edge of the historic area, on a kind of main street that runs into the center of the city.  A street that was alive with people, and traffic, and tourist focused businesses. The hotel is set back from the street on kind of a courtyard between other buildings.  If you exited out the back corner of that courtyard, you were in a different world. A local neighborhood, with narrow streets lined with residential front doors.  While only a couple of blocks off the main street it was a world away. It was peaceful, and unhurried. It was a place where local people live their day to day lives. 

I am an early riser. When we travel I get up - pull some clothes on, go have breakfast, come back shower and dress for the day, about the time the Sweet Bear is opening his eyes. I take a nice hour or so walk, while he has breakfast and gets ready for the day.  A couple of mornings I took long walks off the beaten path, down those delightful side streets of Brugge. 

I was fascinated by the doors, many of the them hundreds of years old, and each one a unique expression of place. Just as the people living inside are different, each door was different. I took dozens of photos of doors.  Doors are portals to inner worlds, protection against the outside, the way in, or the way out, doors can open to reveal secrets, or remain locked securing what is within. Getting off the beaten path, I was able to see the local side of a charming town. 

Auto Correct, misspelled Brugge on the print I had made, and I missed the spelling until the print arrived.