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.
“Each year, the Great Pumpkin rises out of the pumpkin patch that he thinks is the most sincere.”Charles M. Schulz, “It’s the Great Pumpkin, Charlie Brown”
" The Democrats have coalesced around a closing message, and it's not just
that Donald Trump and half the country are Nazis itching to round up
women and force them to bear blond children as their husbands,
boyfriends, and boyfriend's boyfriend are carted off to the gas
chambers; they have another message they want you to hear: Trump's
supporters make unfunny jokes."
I never watch the guy. Nothing against him, just too busy. But I see at least 37 million watched his 3-hour Trump conversation. Trump seemed to enjoy it - but Trump likes to interact with people. Rogan is not a Trump fan, by the way, but he is civil. He sure is popular.
Kamala Harris claims she will go on his podcast, but only for one hour with rights to edit it. That's not the way Rogan works.
Who knows whether her appearance on Rogan would help or hurt her prospects?
Mrs. BD found, in a box of stuff in the basement, my great grandmother's journal of her trip to Egypt in 1908. 1908 handwriting is a little difficult to decipher. Elegant, but faded.
In the good old days, people journaled their travels. As I read it, they were in Paris, Munich, Italy (Stresa and Rome), Athens, Jerusalem, and Egypt. The Grand Tour with their kids.
Amused me that they stayed in the same hotel in Stresa (Grand Hotel Borromeo) that we did a few years ago. Our lad met us there from the train up from Rome. I recall we brought him one or two big jars of peanut butter, which he could not find in stores during his job in Italy. Then we all had some fun on hikes and trains. It did not all go well, but that's adventure.
Another cool thing with this find is that we are headed to Egypt in January, so it's timely.
That (2020) should have been the end of him (Trump) politically, yet his fortunes have
revived—not because of some genius work of rehabilitation on his or his
supporters’ part, but entirely because of his Democratic opponents’
arrogance, overreach and ineptitude.
Sneakers are good for walking. I have different sneakers for walking, easy hiking, tennis, gym, boat, etc.
For trekking sorts of things on rocks and slopes, I like my Meindls. Yes, they are heavy but they are tough as nails and do not slip on anything. Not yet, anyway, and I have tested them on wet shale slopes, bouldering, and things like that.
They were perfect for the hill hiking in the Outer Hebrides, but overkill for the hikes in Provence. Well, we kinda avoided the steeps in Provence of which there are plenty.
Yeah, leather boots need some maintenance if used heavily. Good for a lifetime though.
I think gear-oriented people tend to overdo it, while others underdo it. I wish I had had those Meindls during all of those bird-hunting trips in northern Maine. Lots of uphill, downhill, swamps, downed trees, rocks. Sometimes snow, sleet, and hail.
Autumn weather is the best hiking season.
Happy feet matter.
What are your favorite heavy hiking/trekking/hunting boots for cool or cold weather?
42:2 "I know that you can do all things and that no purpose of yours can be thwarted.
42:3 'Who
is this that hides counsel without knowledge?' Therefore I have uttered
what I did not understand, things too wonderful for me that I did not
know.
42:4 'Hear, and I will speak; I will question you, and you declare to me.'
42:5 I had heard of you by the hearing of the ear, but now my eye sees you;
42:6 therefore I despise myself and repent in dust and ashes."
42:10 And
the LORD restored the fortunes of Job when he had prayed for his
friends, and the LORD gave Job twice as much as he had before.
42:11 Then
there came to him all his brothers and sisters and all who had known
him before, and they ate bread with him in his house; they showed him
sympathy and comforted him for all the evil that the LORD had brought
upon him; and each of them gave him a piece of money and a gold ring.
42:12 The
LORD blessed the latter days of Job more than his beginning, and he had
fourteen thousand sheep, six thousand camels, a thousand yoke of oxen,
and a thousand donkeys.
42:13 He also had seven sons and three daughters.
42:14 He named the first Jemimah, the second Keziah, and the third Keren-happuch.
42:15 In
all the land there were no women so beautiful as Job's daughters, and
their father gave them an inheritance along with their brothers.
42:16 After this Job lived one hundred and forty years and saw his children and his children's children, four generations.
There are surely many who have changed to the view that Kamala is an amazing person. But from things I hear from people, that's not it.
To me, Kamala is truly cringe. Embarassing. That's obvious to everybody but I do not vote against her (I am no Trumper, but he is my choice). But that doesn't matter much. Kamala voters are voting for the Dem/government machine, and against Orange Bad Man who many people feel is cringy in his own way.
Kamala voters know that presidents do not run the country, much less run the federal government. Yes, they do have a phone and a pen, and a bully pulpit. Yes, they do control the State Dept and the Justice Dept and the War Dept, but government is too big - it's its own animal. Obama and Trump both bitched about that, but it is supposed to be that way.
I envy their adventurousness and joie de vivre. And their competencies. I can't speak for women, but aren't competencies what men value most highly?
By our lame standards, hiking in the Outer Hebrides, skiing at Whistler/Blackcomb (yeah, with avalanches), hiking the Moroccan mountains, hunting in Manitoba, and taking our boat to Rhode Island for a few nights seemed like plenty of adventure. It's all relative.
To the Normies, the Spoils! Plus. . .Elon’s million-dollar checks and Kamala’s megadonors. ‘60 Minutes’ keeps stonewalling. Blackouts in Cuba. And much more.
“Each year, the Great Pumpkin rises out of the pumpkin patch that he thinks is the most sincere.” 
Scientist who battled for COVID common sense over media and government censors 
Mrs. BD found, in a box of stuff in the basement, my great grandmother's journal of her trip to Egypt in 1908. 1908 handwriting is a little difficult to decipher. Elegant, but faded.
Gentle
Sneakers are good for walking. I have different sneakers for walking, easy hiking, tennis, gym, boat, etc.
