Porch Cats

Good morning friends! After all the political and news-related posts lately, let's take a break and get back to our roots here at R2R while we visit with our neighbor's kitties.

This is Spot, also known (for obvious reasons) as Spotnose by her mama.

This is Adrian, named after Rocky Balboa's wife in the Rocky movies.

Spot is next to the chair I was sitting in.

They are both sweet and talkative. In fact, you can hear Spot coming from all the way over in her yard, and she knows some very long words, too. 

They do seem to enjoy hanging out with us and even helping with the chores on occasion. They were very interested in lending assistance when we were putting stain on the porch last fall. That was challenging to say the least, but we did get it done.

Our acquaintance with them started out by visiting in our neighbor's yard, giving them pets and scritches. Soon they started cutting through our yard going to and from on their adventures, but would skitter away when they saw us. Eventually, they got comfortable enough to be petted and follow us around the yard. You have to watch out for Spot, though, because she will trip you up if you're not careful. I say she is channeling Dood, because he used to do the same thing to us.

You know they like you when you come home from church on a Sunday morning to find Adrian sitting on the front porch.

Let me know if you're cat people too. You can see more cats here at my Facebook page Cats and More.

They're At It Again

April 21, 2025: "Today, four more Democrats — Rep. Robert Garcia of California, Rep. Maxwell Frost of Florida, Rep. Yassamin Ansari of Arizona, and Rep. Maxine Dexter of Oregon — are in El Salvador, picking up their party’s mantle of prioritizing a deported illegal immigrant MS-13 gang member over the Americans they represent." - The White House website

I cannot begin to imagine why anyone in their right mind would prioritize a deported gang member over American citizens. However, the answer may be in that very statement. I'll leave you to parse that out.

These four congress persons embarked on another trip in an apparent effort to try and drum up sympathy for this individual who is now ensconced in an El Salvadoran prison. Which, by the way, is his home country. To refresh your memory, this is the "Maryland dad" I talked about here.

Each of them is individually named in this report, with the question "Why hasn’t Rep. [name] spoken about these illegal immigrants putting his/her region at risk?" Then it goes on to list some of the illegal immigrants in their region and the crimes they either committed or are charged with, which includes murder.

These are representatives elected to serve the best interests of those who voted for them, i.e. their constituents. Do you think that is what they are doing? I certainly don't. I'd love to hear your reactions in the comments.

Until next time, stay safe and stay sane.

You can read the full story at the above White House link.

Update: They were "blocked by local authorities, who cited that the visit was not officially authorized.

Yea or Nay?

I have a question for you. How does it make sense that a senator (U.S. elected official) would align himself with a known gang member¹ who had been in this country illegally, and was legally deported? He actually flew to El Salvador to meet with this individual. One would assume he would go to the prison, be escorted to a meeting room and sit behind glass and have a brief conversation.

If accounts I have seen are accurate, it looked more like a restaurant setting where old friends were conversing over drinks and appetizers. The MS-13 member was dressed in a plaid shirt and a ball cap, simulating normalcy.

It should be mind boggling that Senator Van Hollen's allegiance is so far out of line with our American values, but actually it is what we have come to expect from the extreme left. If conservatives are in favor of something, the liberals are against it, so much so that they are not really for anything, but only against everything that is right, just and moral. They have become truly anti-American, slaves only to hate and greed, and violence is often their response.

Back to Senator Van Hollen, and his new best friend. He personally went to check on him to make sure he was healthy and not being mistreated, yet when the Laken Riley Act was up for vote, he voted...you guessed it, NAY.

As if that is not bad enough, he could not be bothered to reach out to a grieving Maryland mom (a constituent) whose daughter was brutally murdered by yet a different illegal immigrant. No phone call was made, no personal condolences were offered. This was a high-profile case, and yet nothing was heard from the same senator who personally went to check on a recently deported gang member.

If you're not familiar with the Laken Riley Act. you can read about it here, and here you will find a story on Rachel Morin, the young lady mentioned above.

Feel free to share your thoughts in the comments, and as always, stay safe and stay sane.

¹Some sources allege that he is affiliated with MS-13, but not initiated.

It's For Real!

No, you can't fake support and yes

We support our President!

Promises Made, Promises Kept.

We're getting exactly what we voted for...

And More!

Easter Dates Explained

Here is a handy little poem that explains how the date of Easter is determined every year.

"Thirty days hath September,"

Every person can remember;

But to know when Easter comes

Puzzles even scholars some.

When March the twenty-first is past

Just watch the silvery moon,

And when you see it full and round,

Know Easter'll be here soon.

After the moon has reached its full,

Then Easter will be here,

On the very Sunday after,

In each and every year.

And if it hap on Sunday

The moon should reach its height,

The Sunday following this event

Will be the Easter bright.

~Boston Transcript, 1895

So my friends, have a joyful and blessed Easter!