Speaking of Herbs

Hello Friends,

In the continuing saga of gardening 2025, here is a rundown of what's growing in my herb garden.

New this year

English Thyme
Lemon Thyme
German Thyme

Garden Sage (wide leaves)

Italian Oregano

Sweet Basil

Parsley

From previous years

Sage

Chives

Greek Oregano

Lemon Balm

Rosemary

There is also a small pot of dill waiting to be transplanted.

I have an interesting recipe for you. Now please stay with me on this because it will surprise you.  

La Tagliata (Italian grilled flank steak)

2 lbs. beef flank steak

Freshly ground black pepper

4 TB extra virgin olive oil

4 anchovy fillets

2 Tsp. finely chopped garlic

3 TB finely chopped Italian flat-leaf parsley

Salt.

Put the olive oil and anchovies in a small skillet and place it over medium heat. Stir with a wooden spoon and cook until the anchovies begin to dissolve. Add the garlic and cook for another minute. Add the parsley, stir for another 30 seconds, and remove from the heat. **After making this for many years, I don't measure anything.**

Slice your cooked steak against the grain, and serve with the hot sauce. 

The sauce is the focus of the recipe here, so my comments on the steak is to cook it to medium rare and slice it on an angle against the grain. This will make it more tender.

You can also use flat iron steak or my favorite, skirt steak.

This recipe comes from Every Night Italian - Giuliano Hazan

Also, check out my post from a few years back: The Secret is in the Seasoning: Herbs and Spices.

Enjoy the recipe and until next time, stay safe and stay sane.

First Summer Garden Update

Hello friends,

I have a garden update for you today. The tomatoes (Better Boy and Celebrity) have nearly topped their cages and have little green maters on them. Everything is showing promise, even the zucchini, which up until a few days ago only had male flowers.

We had been getting regular thundershowers with enough rain to keep things going with out watering. Cue the arrival of a major heat wave with plenty of sunshine and temperatures in the mid to upper 90s. I had to put shade cloth over the poor cukes yesterday, and 15 minutes later they were in the shade. Don't worry, it's not climate change, just summer.

I'm not a real morning person, so watering happens later than I'd like, but I do try to keep most of it off the foliage. My straw was not what I normally get and it molded, so some of my plants do not have mulch yet. Lesson learned...don't get that again. Only got it because it was all they had and I needed straw. Argh, still need more straw or something. Never use the colored mulch in the garden. I haven't looked for data on that, but the dye stains clothing, so I can't think it is good for plants.

I have been enjoying my expanded herb garden, and hubby has been getting some in his nightly salad. Maybe I need to do a post on just herbs and include a favorite recipe. You will be surprised.

At this moment in time, the temperature in our neck of the woods is 94° with a heat index of 109 reported from a nearby weather station.

Wherever you are, I hope you are staying cool and hydrated. Until next time, stay safe and stay sane.

Update, I noticed after putting this post together that I had gotten my finger in two of the pics. Too hot to do a retake!

Is Pride Month On The Wane?

Hello Friends,

Here we find ourselves once again in the month of June. It is a new year and a new era. Times they are a changing, and for the better in my humble opinion.

It seems that more people and more companies are turning away from "pride month" (intentionally not capitalized). If you have been reading here for any length of time, you know where I stand on this subject.

We'll start with Target as our first example. There are videos and articles saying that Target is pulling back from pride month, and their displays are patriotic, American themed and family oriented. You know, like a regular summer display. Okay, that's great, right? Well, I went to their corporate website and guess what I found? They DO have a pride collection, although they have largely scaled back since the major outrage from consumers in 2023 when they featured LGBT and trans clothing for children, not to mention the Satanist designs. Oh my word. Decent people will only take so much then look out. 

Mostly what I saw online was items with rainbow colors and "sayings". So it would seem that they not turned away as much as toned down. Perhaps this is only on their website. Maybe stores in more conservative areas have less, and the more liberal areas have more. I don't know. I haven't been in Target in years, and I used to shop there before the woke virus overtook them.

Here are some of the companies who are NOT sponsoring pride month this year.

19 Companies pulling back their support for pride

Among these are Anheuser-Busch, Disney, DoorDash, UPS, PepsiCo and Capital One. It seems a number of companies are doing a complete about face when it comes to pride. Maybe they figured out that when you go woke you go broke. 

Here we have another article on how just under six months have brought about big changes. Trump Era: Target Majorly Tones Down Children’s ‘Pride Month’ Apparel.

Now let's have a look at pride in the NFL and the MLB. I have no love for football to begin with, but even if I did, this would certainly change my viewing habits. They are obviously not listening to the fans.

This is so disgusting, but I had to include it to show the full scope of their wokeness.

Major League Baseball is right up there with the NFL, but there is one outstanding exception and that is the Texas Rangers. No Pride in Texas, Rangers Lone Team Without Pride Night.

I hope this post finds you well today, and gives you some hope that things are indeed changing for the better. Maybe someone will find a cure for the woke mind virus plaguing so many.

Until next time, stay safe and stay sane.

It's Official!

 HAPPY SUMMER SOLSTICE

I hope you take some time to step back from the craziness of the world to enjoy the summer and spend time getting back to nature. We can all benefit from fresh air, sunshine and connecting with the earth.

Picture is AI generated.

A Good Decision

Hello Friends,

Fitting right in with pride month (no I don't capitalize it), here is a bit of good news for the sane among us. It seems the Supreme Court has ruled against gender-affirming care, i.e. child mutilation, and upheld the ban in Tennessee. The vote was 6-3. 

Here is the article from PJ Media. Supreme Court Delivers a Crushing Blow to Trans Agenda

Now, I'm not a lawyer, but it seems to me like this could set a precedent for other states to follow. I certainly hope so! I have seen too many stories from both males and females who have DE-transitioned because they realized it didn't fix anything, and they regretted making the transition. 

Many of these individuals come from a background of abuse, neglect, addiction, autism and, mental health issues. Some began taking hormone treatments in their teens. If these young people had gotten the medical and mental health care and therapy they needed, instead of being told they can change their gender, likely they wouldn't have ended up transitioning in the first place. I've said it before and I'll say it again. You cannot change your gender. All the hormones, and surgeries will not make a man into a woman or a woman into a man, and once you have had those surgeries your life is changed forever, even after you detransition.

Those who are pushing this mutilation of children make it sound appealing as if it will magically make all their problems go away. You know what, problems and figuring things out are part of what it means to grow up. But first, they just need to be kids, to run and jump and play, to ride bikes and learn to fish, cook or do chores for an allowance. They don't need LGBT books in their schools, and pride displays in stores. They need love and discipline. They need guidance and to be taught critical thinking and reasoning skills as they navigate the path from child to teen to adult.

No matter what your political views are, the world's children are the future. We can ensure the future by doing our best to protect the children, not from bumps and scrapes, but from evil.

Your thoughts are welcome in the comments. Until next time, stay safe and stay sane.

How Does Your Garden Grow?

 Hello Friends,

It's been a few days so I thought I'd check in and give the first garden update of the year. Since it rained a lot during the time I would be putting the garden in, I had to wait. I only managed to get it tilled once and had to spread the amendments on the top and dig them in by hand as needed. Ugh! 

Finally I bought plants and slowly introduced them to the garden with all the usual things like fertilizer and for the three tomato plants, a bit of epsom salts in the hole and some baking soda sprinkled around. Straw was applied liberally.

Then came one zucchini, one sweet banana pepper, one jalapeno, and two cucumbers. All got their own bed of straw as well. Now we wait. Well we had some nice warm, sunny days, and then the rains and cool temps

came back. The garden appeared to be at a standstill for what seems like forever, but I am seeing runners on the cukes and buds on them and the squash. I even have blooms and one small pepper on the itty bitty jalapeno. Now I have heard people say that they pluck off the early fruit so the plant will put more energy into growth. I've never done that and still had success. 

The last time I planted jalapenos, they got eaten off and what grew back didn't produce well. So now we have our garden fenced in against at least the larger critters.

What a difference a couple weeks make. The first picture above was taken May 20 and the second was taken June 2.

Here is my jalapeno, up close and personal. 

My herb garden is doing nicely, too.

So there you have it. A sample of my 2025 garden.  

Until next time, stay safe and stay sane.

Junk Mail

Hello friends,

Raise your hand if you get buried in mail. I see that is about 99.9% of you. If you're like us, a portion of that gets shredded (for security purposes) and the rest goes into the recycle bins. Am I right so far?

So why am I writing a post on junk mail? I find that there are other uses for some of it. Take for example the envelopes, both what the item arrives in and the often-included return envelope. These make great grocery, to-do lists, sketching a design or just taking notes.

No more buying the fancy pads of paper just to scribble down bread, milk, eggs, cheese and hot dogs, only to crumple it into the trash bin after shopping. Just use the free stuff delivered daily to your mailbox.

Speaking of shopping, you can also use your envelopes to hold coupons for grocery shopping, receipts, etc.

Keeping closer to home, plain paper can be shredded and added to your compost bin. Worms love paper so you could add it directly to your garden or start your own worm farm. The worms will make great compost on a diet of unsolicited letters wishing to buy your property or offers for great rates on car insurance. Click here and here for more information on worm farms.

If you're not already shredding your sensitive information, please invest in a shredder if you can. Crosscut are best for security purposes. This is the shredder we have, and it works very well. We got ours some years back from Costco.

I hope you find some of these tips useful in dealing with the mountains of junk mail, or as we like to call it 'dead trees' that arrive in your mailbox six days a week. Let me know in the comments if you have other uses for your junk mail.

Until next time, stay safe and stay sane.

A Draft From The Past

He who knows all the answers has not been asked all the questions. - Confucius

I wrote the following back in 2020 just as the plandemic was unfolding, and an evil like we hadn't thought possible from our own people was about to strike like a meteorite. I tweaked this ever so slightly for today's post, but it's essence it is still relevant today. Hopefully things will improve going forward...but only time will tell.

Here are a few thoughts for today. Some say we are living in troubled times. Maybe. Probably, but you know what? Throughout the ages, there have always been troubled times. There has always been violence, discrimination, prejudice, and unfounded hate.

This has been going on ever since the beginning of mankind and will likely continue as long as humans inhabit the earth. Some things are just a fact of life. We shall call it the human factor.

There is also unimaginable beauty, tranquility, friendship and love which will also continue as long as humans inhabit the earth, another part of the human factor.

None of this is new or news. Nevertheless, it seems we must have something to talk about, complain about or use as an excuse for otherwise unacceptable behavior. Here's a concept. Unacceptable behavior is always just that...unacceptable.

You know people, as a whole, are good and decent, but there are those who are not and they are the people (or groups) who are using violence, abuse, vulgar rhetoric and just plain misinformation (lies) to further their agendas. 

So what do we want in life? Freedom, security, health and happiness are high on my list, and I would think that would be true for most people. In years past I have not shared my political and world views with others. However, there comes a time when it just frosts my cookies to see otherwise good and decent people so caught up in the media frenzy of the day, that they blindly accept whatever is spewed forth in the name of news, reporting, or journalism, as the undisputed truth.

It seems there is no such thing as truth and honesty, or reporting the actual news. That has been replaced by instant news, 24/7 cable news channels and the internet. They're even giving us the "facts" before they happen. You saw it on TV or read it on the internet so it's got to be true, right?

NOT...I would much prefer we get the REAL facts and use our own common sense and intelligence to draw our own conclusions.

Now before you get your unmentionables in a twist, I am not saying all journalists and reporters are so biased that all you get for news is what supports the official narrative. 

Still, take everything with a grain (or shaker) of salt, do your own fact-checking - you may have to dig deep, and think for yourselves. We do not need more of the blind leading the blind, and the pots and kettles calling each other names.

Now, if you have read this far without slamming the door in my face, you have figured out that, for the purpose of this post, there are essentially two groups: the thinkers and the followers. 

Until next time, stay safe and stay sane.

Can We Talk About It?

Barney Fife: Yes, sir, that's one subject you just can't talk enough about... SIN.

I've seen a number of articles about "Progressive Christianity" and touched on it briefly here. This seems to be an epidemic not only in our country, but around the world. I'm not a theologian, but it is my opinion that this has little to do with real Christianity, and is more a religion of modern culture.

The more progressive churches seem leave out anything regarding salvation and, dare we even say it, sin. I would say that sin is alive and flourishing in the world and more importantly, in the church. Here is a link to a recent article in PJ Media, entitled Progressive Christianity Watch: Preaching Anything but the Gospel.

Here are a few quotes:

"I'm a pastor. Of course I believe in healing brokenness, but you will never hear about shame, judgment, or even sin at this church."

"I'm a pastor. Of course I believe we should be exactly as God designed us to be, which means that queer lives are worthy, divine, beloved, and acceptable exactly as they are. No exceptions." 

Here is the video so you can watch for yourself.

So what do you make of a Christian church that refuses to talk about sin?

According to research, the word "sin" appears in the Bible approximately 427 times in the King James Version (KJV), based on data from Bible concordances and word studies available on the web. 

To me that indicates that it is pretty important that sin is discussed and preached on in church. Apparently for progressive pastors that is just too uncomfortable a topic, and who wants to make their congregation uncomfortable?

Let me know if this is happening in your church and how you plan to handle it. Stay and stand up or leave for a more Bible-based church? Feel free to chime in with your thoughts in the comments. 

Until next time, stay safe and stay sane.

When Your Stainless Steel Isn't Shiny

Hello Friends,

We're still in the kitchen today, and I have a cleaning tip for you. 

Many of us cook with stainless steel everyday, and we all thought this is supposed to be stainless, right? 

Usually, but have you ever cooked starchy foods such as pasta, rice or potatoes, then tossed your pot into the dishwasher only to have it come out with a white film on the bottom? You can't wipe it off, and you wash it again only to have the bloom, as I call it, come back as soon as it's dry.

I accidentally stumbled upon the solution, and it is very simple indeed. You have a jug of white vinegar don't you? Pour in just enough to barely cover the bottom of your pot and let it sit for a few minutes. Rinse or wash to get rid of the vinegar smell and dry. Your pot will sparkle like new.

How did I discover this? I was tired of washing and rewashing trying to get rid of the bloom, so I sprayed it with my counter cleaner, which consists mainly of vinegar. Voila! I have also noted that cooking something with tomato sauce will result in sparkling pots, so I expect it is the acid that does the trick.

Let me know if you have tried this and if it worked for you.

Until next time, stay safe and stay sane.

Instant Pot Eggs

 Hello Friends,

We're switching things up today, and I'm going to share with you my new best way to boil eggs. For years, I did it this way, and it worked great. 

But now I use my Instant Pot and make the best "boiled" eggs ever, at least in my opinion.

Plug in your Instant Pot and insert a steamer basket if you have one. If you don't, there should be a rack that came with the pot. Add your eggs and one cup of water. Then set the pressure to high (I always use high for everything) and set the timer for 5 minutes. When the pot beeps to signal they are done, then set a timer for 5 more minutes.

After that, release the remaining pressure - there shouldn't be much. Remove the eggs and place them into a pot with a lid. Add cold water and let them sit for about 5 minutes. Drain the water, replace the lid and shake vigorously for a few seconds. Unless you started with really fresh eggs, which naturally are more difficult to peel, these should just about slide out of their shells.

If you note the picture above, one did actually shell itself.

I hope today's post finds you well, and gives you an alternative for boiling eggs.

For Mom's on Mother's Day

Whenever I see a lost person and think, "There but for the grace of God, go I," I realize that the grace of God was my mom. - Robert Brault

Moms do so much more for us that we realize, way beyond fixing our meals and patching up our boo-boos. They put us on the right path with their advice, wisdom and prayers.  I truly appreciate this.

Happy Mothers Day, Mom!

If you enjoyed this post, please leave a comment. I would love to hear your thoughts.

Ever Heard Of Atrazine?

Subtitled: What's in your water?

Atrazine is a pesticide that can be found in your drinking water. Typically this occurs from run-off where the contaminated water works it's way into the ground water. Robert F. Kennedy, Jr. was interviewed on Joe Rogan's podcast and it was reported in a video clip that Atrazine was found in Texas drinking water in 2018.

Here is a quote from Kennedy's interview about an experiment that was done, I am assuming, as a test for "safety".

“Probably the most disturbing endocrine disruptor, and this is something we should all be looking at, is atrazine. What is atrazine? It's in the water. It's a it's a pesticide.

They took atrazine, and they put it in a tank with 40 frogs. They put it BELOW the exposure levels that EPA considers acceptable to humans. 

They were all male frogs 

- 30 of those frogs were chemically castrated 

- 4 of them TURNED INTO FEMALES and produced fertile eggs 

Toxic herbicide found in drinking water — we're subjecting our children to exposure to that every day.”

You know, what does this do to sexual development in children?

 Nobody knows but we know what it does to frogs.”

Now, I don't know how long this experiment took, but for a chemical found in drinking water to turn a male frog into a female frog is some serious stuff. It sounds like something from a science fiction novel, but it has been well documented...for years.

Alex Jones brought this to light back in 2015 on his show, and was labeled a quack, which is interesting because there have been studies done at least as far back as 2011.

So why is this still in drinking water? If you are interested in this, please click the link above and read through the comments. This is REAL.

Here is a more scientific look at the frog study.

More about where you might find Atrazine in the water supply.

"Several states have reported atrazine contamination in their water supplies, exceeding the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) legal limit of 3 parts per billion (ppb). Texas, Kansas, Kentucky, Missouri, Ohio, and Illinois are among the states where water utilities have reported atrazine spikes higher than the federal legal limit." Full article here.

If you want to know what's in your water, click this link.

Note: If you research Atrazine, you will find that is an herbicide. Herbicides are a subcategory of pesticides.

Until next time, stay safe and stay sane.

Doing What Needs To Be Done

Good morning friends,

This video was posted at Bustednuckles and when my husband played it for me I said "forward that to me, please". Please click the link for a larger video.

This is exactly why we voted for Donald Trump. 

And we give thanks every day for our President and all those working with him to implement the changes necessary to keep our borders secure, make our cities safer, rid the government of wasteful spending and fraud, ensure fair elections, maintain our freedom of speech and so much more.

This is the exact opposite of what we had to endure during the previous administration. Be grateful those days are behind us. The present may not be perfect and there may be a few bumps in the road, but President Trump inherited a huge mess and it will take some time to clean it up. Be patient and stay positive.

Until next time, stay safe and stay sane.

Doing The Right Thing

Hello Friends,

I don't have anything earth shattering for you today, but what I do bring to you is important on a human level. First a little background. All of our lawnmowers are old and either inherited (Daddy's 1994 Yard Man) or given to us by friends (the gray mower) or from the family of a friend who had passed. All three have had their issues, but all are, for the most part, functional.

Fast forward to current times. The Yard Man has the original tires from 1994 and they've been on their last leg for a couple years. Now it was critical. Hubby had to keep putting air in them the last time he mowed, so he ordered a set of 4 tires. We waited and waited and finally he ordered 2 front tires from another seller because those were in the worst condition.

Of course, the set of 4 arrived the very next day. The day after that the next tires arrived, only instead of 2 tires, he received 4 tires. Wow, service and a bonus.

There was a phone number to call, and even though he purchased them through Amazon, they were sold and shipped from another seller, so he called they guy (we'll call him Sam). "Hey, how many tires did I order?" "Uh, 2" came the answer on the other end of the line.

"Oh, well FedEx just delivered 4." More discussion mixed with laughter followed.

I only heard bits and pieces of the conversation, so when he was finished, I asked how it went.

Sam told Hubby that it was their fault and he could send an RMA for him to return them. What got me is that Sam said "you didn't have to do that". Meaning he didn't have to call and say he had received 4 tires instead of the 2 he ordered. Maybe some folks would have just kept them and not said anything, but it wasn't the right thing to do.

In the course of conversation, Hubby mentioned that he had originally intended to order a total of 6 tires, a complete set for one mower and front tires for the other two. So he would just pay for the 2 extra tires and save the guy from having to pay return shipping. 

After they had agreed on $60, Sam was in the process of saying all the things like "thank you" and "have a good day" when Hubby reminded him he had a fellow here ready to throw money at him, and maybe he should take it. More laughter ensued. The guy had been have 'one of those days', and said he hadn't laughed that hard in ages. 

Now, what had inspired me to write about this was a post was from Sarah Hoyt, another blogger whom we read regularly. This quote will explain it, "Or it could be saying the right word to the right person at the right time. Making treat for someone who is very down. Say something that turns their lives around. That puts them on a better path." but please read the entire post.

Likely their conversation was not that life changing, but I think maybe it turned his day around. Honesty, humor and laughter can really make a difference. This is Sunday, and I hope this post finds you well today. Share a laugh with someone you love, or someone you don't know. You will all feel better for it.

Until next time, stay safe and stay sane.

The Rat Snake Is Not Your Enemy

Hello Friends,

What we have here today is a juvenile rat snake. Unfortunately, it is recently deceased in our front yard. I have no idea what happened to it. Hubby came in from the mailbox and said I found a snake in the yard. Alive? No. Show me.



Now, upon seeing this in your yard, alive of course, what would you do? Walk away and leave it alone? Do like me and get pictures and video? Or, would you grab a hoe and dispatch it? The final option would be like my aunt who saw a snake and SCREAMED for my uncle who had already left for work. This was in New Hampshire where there are very few venomous snakes to begin with.

Note that these snakes are non-venomous. Did your answer change?

These snakes are your friend and your yard's friend because, as their name implies, they eat rodents. As we know, rodents can carry disease which makes these snakes very beneficial to have around. They are not, however, a friend to your feathered friends as they also like to eat eggs.

Here is some additional information on our yard and garden buddies. Please click the link for the whole article.

The Natural Pest Control Benefits of Rat Snakes in Your Garden 

1. Expert Rodent Control
2. Chemical-Free Pest Management
3. Low Maintenance and Self-Sustaining
4. Balance in the Ecosystem
5. Disease Reduction

Finally, if you are in the screaming or dispatching category, here is a video on the rat snake which might help put your mind at ease and safe the life of a well-meaning, helpful yard guardian.

Next time you see a snake in your yard, consider that it may be one of the good guys and just leave him to do his job.

Until next time, stay safe and stay sane.

Climate Change...Crisis or Hoax?

Hello Friends,

Let's talk about it. This subject has been in the news in one fashion or another for decades. Dire predictions have come and gone and we're still here. First it was cooling, then it was warming, now it is encompassed into the generic "climate change". I believe in protecting the environment as much as the next person, but I do not subscribe to the climate crisis theory. I have been reading and collecting information and articles on the subject for a while and rather than summarize them, I will provide a blurb from each source and the link for you to read the full article. I realize that their narrative is beginning to crumble, but there are still many onboard with it. If that is you, it is my hope that by the time you finish, you will have a better understanding of what has been going on for years, and that you see the "climate change" scam for what it really is. These are not in date order.

66 Million Years of Earth’s Climate History Uncovered – Puts Current Changes in Context (September 10, 2020)

"A continuous record of the past 66 million years shows natural climate variability due to changes in Earth’s orbit around the sun is much smaller than projected future warming due to greenhouse gas emissions."

10 Reasons To Prove That Climate Change is a Hoax (No date listed)

"Let’s take a look at the top 10 reasons why all of the talks you are hearing of climate change is nothing more than a huge hoax. After you read this information, you can decide for yourself whether you believe the hype or if you agree with most others and say that it is nothing more than a big hoax."

1. Ice Records
2. Cold Temperatures
3. Record Levels of Snow
4. It is good for the Bears
5. Rising Oceans
6. Moose are Thriving
7. Scientists are not falling for the Hype
8. Carbon Sinks are around
9. Long History of no Global Warming
10. NASA says so

Carbon Dioxide revealed as the “Miracle Molecule of Life” for re-greening the planet (May 9, 2017)

"The “War on Carbon” is rooted in the most outrageously dangerous, dishonest and degenerate anti-science bunk that’s ever been shoveled into the minds of the masses. Far from being a “pollutant,” carbon dioxide is the “Miracle Molecule of Life” for re-greening the planet through reforestation. This essential molecule supports the entire web of life on our planet, and without it, all plants, animals and humans would die."

Carbon Dioxide: The “Gas of Life”: Tiny amounts of this miracle molecule make life on Earth possible (August 21, 2013)

"It’s amazing that minuscule bacteria can cause life-threatening diseases and infections – and miraculous that tiny doses of vaccines and antibiotics can safeguard us against these deadly scourges. It is equally incredible that, at the planetary level, carbon dioxide is a miracle molecule for plants – and the “gas of life” for most living creatures on Earth."

Simple Facts Expose The Climate Change Hoax (October 25,2024)

To believe in the climate change hoax, you must believe 5 (palpably untrue) things:

1. CO2 is the "control knob" for the climate. This has been proven to be ridiculous.
2. CO2 is harmful. Wrong! CO2 is plant food.
3. We are at historically high leves of CO2 in the atmosphere. Again, not true.
4. It's nonsensical to create government policies based on future hypotheticals about natural processes.
5. If we can't even predict the weather, how can we control it?

“The greatest folly is to believe in the palpably untrue. It is the chief occupation of mankind.” – HL Mencken

50 Years of Failed Doomsday, Eco-pocalyptic Predictions; the So-called 'experts'; Are 0-50 (September 23, 2019)

"Modern doomsayers have been predicting climate and environmental disaster since the 1960s. They continue to do so today. None of the apocalyptic predictions with due dates as of today have come true. What follows is a collection of notably wild predictions from notable people in government and science." There is a list with the initial 41 failed predictions plus an bonus update to bring the total to 50.

If you think it can't get any crazier, then check this out.

Climate scientists want to shut off the sun (April 27, 2025)

"Let’s quickly review: the Sun, and more precisely, its distance from the Earth, is what makes life possible. Sure, there are other factors, but you get the point. So, of course, greenies reeling from Donald Trump’s drying up their Green New Deal funding have come up with another brilliant plan to “save” the planet:"

I don't know about you, but I enjoy living, breathing and having food to eat. So now that you have been through all the information and digested the fact that CO2 is essential to all forms of life and that the harm being done to our planet is a threat to our very existence, I trust that you have reached a state of unanimity, and we're all on the same page here.


Until next time, stay safe and stay sane.

Choices?

Just a little food for thought as we continue to peruse the national and world events unfolding around us. 

Would you want to live this country?

• Where men pretending to women can participate in women’s sports and have access to women-only spaces. 
• Where perversion is normalized and celebrated.  
• Where there is the rapid, unchecked immigration of millions of criminals. 
• Where murderers, drug cartels, gang members and pedophiles are protected. 
• Where elected politicians call for violence against fellow Americans. 
• Where wasteful spending, fraud and abuse are called out and instead of fixing it, we just continue down the same path of destruction we have been for years, or even decades.
• One that is broke, crime-ridden and overrun with gangs.
• Where your speech is censored for speaking the truth.
• Where there is rampant mental illness.

Or would you prefer this country?

• Where men are men and women are women. No question...end of story.
• Where normal family values are seen everywhere from homes, schools and churches to city parks, from businesses to charitable enterprises.
• Where you have safe and secure borders.
• Where criminals are arrested, prosecuted and jailed.
• Where violence isn't a commonplace solution to a perceived problem.
• Where the wasteful spending, fraud and abuse is not only called out, but the damage repaired for our benefit as well as future generations.
• One that is prosperous, safe and free.
• Where our freedom of speech is protected.
• Where the mentally ill get the help they need.

You complain about the billionaires who are working to makes things better, yet you are okay with the likes of Bill Gates, George Soros, Klaus Schwab (recently resigned) and others like them (WEF) who are making decisions for the world that benefit no one but themselves. Hypocrites!

Folks, we are at a crossroads in history. Some would say we have sides to take. I prefer to say that we have choices to make. Maybe you should ask yourself, what kind of country do I really want to live in? And then make the appropriate choices.

Until next time, stay safe and stay sane.

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.