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.
This was our first urban hike with all-day cool (low 50s all day) rain. Very similar to northern Scotland. Undaunted, our team marched on despite some discomfort and got to see all sorts of cool things along with the always-interesting (or more interesting) street scenes.
Along with us we had famous website owners, family members, of course Dear Leader Bulldog and his adorable Mrs., and representatives from Texas, Illinois, Massachusetts, Connecticut, and NYC. Ages 22 to 70+. Such an enjoyable, interesting, amusing, adventurous, and high IQ group. Friends.
We covered 11.5 miles with all of our detours while trending north, with lots of uphill in Washington Heights.
The Maggie's Urban Hike tradition is to stop for pizza and beer around 1 pm. Victorio's on 145th St. had pretty good greasy pizza. Our team occupied every seat in that hole in the wall joint, deeply immersed in this amazing city.
Below, the elegant Victorio's Pizza Plus, in north Harlem near City College on 145th St. Very efficient pizza joint but no damn bathroom and no beer!
A daughter sent me this snap in a Berlin cafe. If you have been to Germany or Austria, you will see that everybody has a dog. Just like Italy. However, the German dogs are well-trained while the Italian dogs are untrained and feral.
While one of my daughters is in Berlin doing the cool things she does and reporting that she much prefers Berlin to LA, Mrs. BD emailed me her pic from her travels with her Dad today. You know where this is.
There is obviously a correlation between muscle mass and strength for the "strong men," but for ordinary men and for women, not so much. It's common for me to see young women in the gym, with no notable muscle mass, outlifting me in squats and even in deads.
What do we consider low reps? Low reps are when you can only do 3-8 reps. Higher reps are 10-20. I would never do high reps with powerlifts. Arms, yes. Calisthenics like pushups, for sure.
A conservative contemplating getting a Ph.D. in the hopes of becoming a U.S. professor would be foolish not to think her political views would greatly diminish her chance of getting professorship. Conservative college employees, furthermore, will take these incidents as reasons to hide.
(Even though I work at Smith College, I can write this article because I’m protected by tenure, a fancy law degree, and a neurodiverse brain that causes me to care less about what people think of me than is the norm. Almost everyone else in the Smith community has far less protection than I do.)
The bottom line for Democrats is that a strong majority (61 percent) of voters say “it's time for Democrats in Congress to move on to other issues now that the Mueller probe has failed to prove that the Trump campaign colluded with the Russians.” If Democrats don’t get the hint, they most certainly risk the same kind of backlash the GOP experienced after impeaching President Bill Clinton.
Sometimes referred to as Aaron Burr's house, it is more accurately the Morris-Jumel Mansion. Built in 1765, it is the oldest surviving residence in Manhattan.
We stopped by the place on our Sunday hike. The exterior is in poor repair but the inside seems ok. Happy to report that the men's room in the basement is basic but functional.
When built, it sat on its 130-acre country estate. The house served, for a time, as Washington's HQ. Washington Heights was countryside then.
That Mrs. Jumel was a pip, wasn't she? She divorced Burr. Always looking for a better deal.
I can hear, out my window this morning, the songs and calls of Pine Warbler, Black and White Warbler, Redstart, Red-eyed Vireo (not exactly a warbler), Magnolia Warbler, Yellow Warbler, Black-Throated Blue, Parula, Prairie Warbler, and a few more that I am not sure about.
My idea of watching the spring warblers is a chaise lounge lawn chair flat, under a big old oak tree with binocs. Preferably, a big oak near some juniper trees - which is why I planted my junipers and Japanese willows: to watch the warbler migration with minimal exertion. Let them come to you. Just wait for them to pass through the trees. Otherwise, it's a day of neck pain. Knowing their calls simplifies it: you don't have to try to see them. But plenty of them forage silently in the treetops. Especially the odd vireos.
Get out there and see these little jewels of Creation, and listen to their morning calls, as they pass by on their trip north.
Mrs. BD and her pal attended an open rehearsal at the NYC Ballet today. They are going to the public performance later this afternoon. The NYC Ballet is in the top 5 in the world, but I can hardly tell any difference. Mrs. BD and her pals sure can. They are dance (ballet and modern) enthusiasts. Actually, dance fanatics.
No doubt many of our readers can not fully appreciate the art of dance (it's been decades of struggle for me, but I persist), but attending the rehearsals is an eye-opener. Same goes for music rehearsals.
NYC has more dance, musical, and theatrical venues than any city in the world. If you give those things a try, it's your place to go for an interesting time and a fun dinner out somewhere.
We are on, regardless of weather. There is always a rainbow somewhere, and human skin is waterproof.
Rain gear advised, especially in the morning. Our team hated the idea of canceling an 11-mile hike because of some dumb rainstorms...especially the gals.
Rightly so. Maggie's people ain't askeered of weather. My sister's motto: "There is no bad weather, only bad gear."
My motto: "Any morning I awake healthy and alive is gonna be the best day in my life." Then I go to the gym whether I believe my motto or not. If my workout doesn't kill me (I do my best to kill myself in it), I figger I am probably good for another 24 hrs. That is comforting.
Why Do We Forget What We’re Doing
The 
Pogo toon via 
thought I glimpsed a female yesterday, but today I saw a male picking weed seeds out of my lawn. If they are nesting nearby, I am delighted.
97-Year-Old Veteran
Sometimes referred to as Aaron Burr's house, it is more accurately the Morris-Jumel Mansion. Built in 1765, it is the oldest surviving residence in Manhattan.
It is ramping up right now. 