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.
All Americans, not only in the States most heavily affected but in every place in this country, are rightly disturbed by the large numbers of illegal aliens entering our country. The jobs they hold might otherwise be held by citizens or legal immigrants. The public service they use impose burdens on our taxpayers. That's why our administration has moved aggressively to secure our borders more by hiring a record number of new border guards, by deporting twice as many criminal aliens as ever before, by cracking down on illegal hiring, by barring welfare benefits to illegal aliens. In the budget I will present to you, we will try to do more to speed the deportation of illegal aliens who are arrested for crimes, to better identify illegal aliens in the workplace as recommended by the commission headed by former Congresswoman Barbara Jordan. We are a nation of immigrants. But we are also a nation of laws. It is wrong and ultimately self-defeating for a nation of immigrants to permit the kind of abuse of our immigration laws we have seen in recent years, and we must do more to stop it.
12:49 "I came to bring fire to the earth, and how I wish it were already kindled!
12:50 I have a baptism with which to be baptized, and what stress I am under until it is completed!
12:51 Do you think that I have come to bring peace to the earth? No, I tell you, but rather division!
12:52 From now on five in one household will be divided, three against two and two against three;
12:53 they will be divided: father against son and son against father, mother against daughter and daughter against mother, mother-in-law against her daughter-in-law and daughter-in-law against mother-in-law."
12:54 He also said to the crowds, "When you see a cloud rising in the west, you immediately say, 'It is going to rain'; and so it happens.
12:55 And when you see the south wind blowing, you say, 'There will be scorching heat'; and it happens.
12:56 You hypocrites! You know how to interpret the appearance of earth and sky, but why do you not know how to interpret the present time?
We had three squalls pass over the boat today. Some with thunder and some visible lightning, and some without. I find such storms majestic, dramatic, and exciting. Plus the rain is refreshing.
When I raced sailboats as a lad, I remember times when 20 or 30 boats capsized in a row with their spinnakers up. Drama.
Here's one of the squalls today, on its way out of otherwise blue skies with fluffy clouds:
12:32 "Do not be afraid, little flock, for it is your Father's good pleasure to give you the kingdom.
12:33 Sell your possessions, and give alms. Make purses for yourselves that do not wear out, an unfailing treasure in heaven, where no thief comes near and no moth destroys.
12:34 For where your treasure is, there your heart will be also.
12:35 "Be dressed for action and have your lamps lit;
12:36 be like those who are waiting for their master to return from the wedding banquet, so that they may open the door for him as soon as he comes and knocks.
12:37 Blessed are those slaves whom the master finds alert when he comes; truly I tell you, he will fasten his belt and have them sit down to eat, and he will come and serve them.
12:38 If he comes during the middle of the night, or near dawn, and finds them so, blessed are those slaves.
12:39 "But know this: if the owner of the house had known at what hour the thief was coming, he would not have let his house be broken into.
12:40 You also must be ready, for the Son of Man is coming at an unexpected hour."
Light-weight sneaker-style footwear seems to be the thing these days. Makes sense to me.
Also, I do not want waterproof. It does not work.
Also, I am never hiking with a 40+ lb. backpack.
I do enjoy bouldering and that sort of rocky thing where the old-style heavy leather boots work well, grip like ticks, but I see kids around me bounding like Mountain Goats on boulders in sneakers from Target. Probably not necessary.
(Yes, Mrs. BD and I are preparing for a 9-day hiking trip - no steeps but plenty of rain probably. A hilly 9-12 miles/day, but nights in Scottish-style "luxury".)
My Mom called me The Little Lemon-eater. I still like to eat lemons, whether slices or quarters, skin and all. Apparently some people like to put some salt on the pieces too. I need to try that.
The best lemons I have ever had were in Sicily, just off the tree. Larger than supermarket lemons, but thinner pith.
After they have been cooked with something they are good too, maybe even better. With some fish of course, roast chicken, and also veal scallopini or, back to Sicilian food, roast piglet. Piglet + lemon is a good combo. Try it sometime if you have a spare piglet around.