We are a commune of inquiring, skeptical, politically centrist, capitalist, anglophile, traditionalist New England Yankee humans, humanoids, and animals with many interests beyond and above politics. Each of us has had a high-school education (or GED), but all had ADD so didn't pay attention very well, especially the dogs. Each one of us does "try my best to be just like I am," and none of us enjoys working for others, including for Maggie, from whom we receive neither a nickel nor a dime. Freedom from nags, cranks, government, do-gooders, control-freaks and idiots is all that we ask for.
18:33 Then Pilate entered the headquarters again, summoned Jesus, and asked him, "Are you the King of the Jews?"
18:34 Jesus answered, "Do you ask this on your own, or did others tell you about me?"
18:35 Pilate replied, "I am not a Jew, am I? Your own nation and the chief priests have handed you over to me. What have you done?"
18:36 Jesus answered, "My kingdom is not from this world. If my kingdom were from this world, my followers would be fighting to keep me from being handed over to the Jews. But as it is, my kingdom is not from here."
18:37 Pilate asked him, "So you are a king?" Jesus answered, "You say that I am a king. For this I was born, and for this I came into the world, to testify to the truth. Everyone who belongs to the truth listens to my voice."
Shoehorned into the festivity of the season is the lame-duck session in congress, and one of the main events it portends is the end of Robert Mueller’s Russia investigation. The Sphinx-like Mueller has maintained supernatural silence about his tendings and intentions. But if he’d uncovered anything substantial in the way of “collusion” between Mr. Trump and Russia, the public would know by now, since it would represent a signal threat to national security. So it’s hard not to conclude that he has nothing except a few Mickey Mouse “process” convictions for lying to the FBI. On the other hand, it’s quite impossible to imagine him ignoring the well-documented evidence trail of Hillary Clinton colluding with Russians to influence the 2016 contest against Mr. Trump — and to defame him after he won. There’s also the Hieronymus Bosch panorama of criminal mischief around the racketeering scheme known as the Clinton Foundation to consider. Do these venal characters get a pass on all that?
Bob in Waterbury (CT) last night. Beautiful new arrangements, the most mellow I've ever heard him live in 2 decades. Thoughtful on the piano.... just sharing these heartbreaking stories with us. Set list below.
Things Have Changed It Ain't Me Babe Highway 61 Simple Twist of Fate Cry Awhile When I Paint My Masterpiece Honest With Me Tryin' To Get To Heaven Scarlet Town Pay in Blood Make You Feel My Love Like a Rolling Stone Early Roman Kings Don't Think Twice, It's Alright Love Sick Thunder on the Mountain Soon After Midnight Gotta Serve Somebody All Along the Watchtower Blowin in the Wind
Bob does not shortchange you with songs in his almost nightly performances, even at age 77 or whatever. Here's part of a 4 year-old performance of his haunted Scarlet Town. "The seven wonders of the world are here" - genius - those wonders are everywhere:
In Yankeeland, it's Apple Pie. Certainly after Thanksgiving, when there are always a few leftover pies, Squash, and Apple. Mrs. BD makes one heck of a good pie crust.
Apple Pie gives you the morning energy to go out in the cold to milk the chickens, feed the cows, and to get to the gym as I did this morning.
To foreigners, a Yankee is an American. To Americans, a Yankee is a Northerner. To Northerners, a Yankee is an Easterner. To Easterners, a Yankee is a New Englander. To New Englanders, a Yankee is a Vermonter. And in Vermont, a Yankee is somebody who eats pie for breakfast.
- Attributed to E.B. White, but he might have quoted it from elsewhere.
Best thing about it? No darn presents. Nobody needs presents, unless they are edible. Mrs. BD is threatening to get me an iphone XS for Christmas. Do I need that gadget? My life is pretty good right now as it is.
After handling your uncooked turkey, wash your hands well. There is no need to get all OCD and paranoid about it, but turkey seems more prone to carrying salmonella than chicken nowadays. Easily cured, but unpleasant to experience.
As I understand it, the first Thanksgiving harvest feast in the Plymouth colony in 1621 featured codfish, wild pigeon, grouse, clams, corn or cornmeal pudding, duck, squash or pumpkin, and some venison provided by some Indians. If there was a turkey, it wasn't reported. There might have been one.
Why no Oysters Rockefeller? Who knows? Those Puritan ancestors of mine were half-crazy, you know.
The very smart and thoughtful Oren Cass discusses his new book,The Once and Future Worker: A Vision for the Renewal of Work in America.
It's a podcast and a transcript. Cass is mostly concerned about the majority of Americans who do not attend college. He believes the policy emphasis on higher ed is misplaced. So do I.
When back home in England, Chesterton’s objections gave way to thanks. That would be thankfulness that his country had not taken a similar step. In fact, it was this very sense of thankfulness that led him to propose a Thanksgiving Day for England. It would be a day to “celebrate the departure of those dour Puritans, the Pilgrim fathers.”
At the Maggie's HQ, we obviously had to take over the parlor for Thanksgiving. Cozy, ain't it? I'll have all the fireplaces going. Instead of my usual prayer, I will read Washington's 1789 Thanksgiving Day Proclamation this year.
Everybody brings a side or two or three, an hors d'oevre, or a dessert. I do the turkeys and stuffings, and Mrs. BD makes a few winter squash pies and the squash soup (for this crowd, served standing in mugs, not at the table). We have ages 3 to 91 this year.
This year, the youth will do all the dishes and put them away. They had darn well better...
“Throughout history, poverty is the normal condition of man. Advances which permit this norm to be exceeded — here and there, now and then — are the work of an extremely small minority, frequently despised, often condemned, and almost always opposed by all right-thinking people. Whenever this tiny minority is kept from creating, or (as sometimes happens) is driven out of a society, the people then slip back into abject poverty.”
I've been back from my Icelandic sojourn for a few days. Needed a few to decompress. We landed at 4:45 on Thursday, but sat on the plane on the tarmac for four and a half more hours due to the storm. Then, after we were disembarked, the public transport at the airport was such a mess we didn't get to our car until midnight and didn't walk in our front door until 1am. Thankfully, I was able to work from home Friday, and the weekend was a mess just trying to pull all the pieces back together (get the dog, go to a birthday, etc.). The old saying that you need a vacation from the vacation doesn't usually apply to me, but definitely did this time.
I think the best place to start, though, would be with the Snaefellsness Peninsula. Our first day was spent up in this northeastern section, as I mentioned a week ago. This is a section of Iceland which is overlooked by guide books. The two we utilized had no more than two pages about it. I think it deserves more coverage. It's true you only need a day to see it, you can drive around it in about 4 hours if you don't stop too much. But you may want to stop, and in fact I say you should especially if you love volcanoes (dormant/extinct), lava fields, waterfalls, hiking and general wilderness. My pictures will never do any of the Icelandic regions justice, but I'll share them so you can all get a feel for the place.
The one thing I found intriguing was, at 6am as we drove north from the airport to our first destination, how incredibly dark it was. Without many inhabited districts, most of the roads are extremely dark, and the cloud cover (which prevented us from seeing the Aurora) was thick. As you drive north, with the Greenland Sea on your left, even with the darkness it doesn't take long to realize there are mountains all along on the right. Most probably aren't more than 1,500 feet high, but all are snowcapped due to how far north we are, which makes them seem positively gigantic. I was told most can be hiked in a few hours.
How much of your personality
In Yankeeland, it's Apple Pie. Certainly after Thanksgiving, when there are always a few leftover pies, Squash, and Apple. Mrs. BD makes one heck of a good pie crust.
Image stolen from 
Photo: The new way of microwaving a turkey