A place to rant

I promise I am not trying to post political nonsense, but where is a girl to rant??

So a couple of rants ... 

Ronny Jackson (yes, that one-man-pill-distribution center in the trump admin) signed a letter about trump's little ear mystery. I would love to hear from the attending physicians instead of this sycophant.

 

WASHINGTON, July 20 (Reuters) - Donald Trump's former physician Ronny Jackson said on Saturday that the former president is recovering as expected from a gunshot wound to his ear that he suffered last week, but noted intermittent bleeding and said Trump may require a hearing exam. 

The bullet fired by a would-be assassin at a July 13 Trump rally in Pennsylvania came "less than a quarter of an inch from entering his head" before striking the top of Trump's right ear, said Jackson, a Republican congressman from Texas who served as physician to Presidents Trump and Barack Obama. 

Meanwhile, in blacked-out Texas where everyone has a gun strapped to their thigh ... is having a problem with lineman being threatened! Houston ... we have a problem ... with gun-toting idiots. 

 

I know Joanne! I didn't watch news for the last couple of days ... but I just can't help myself. 

 

I have seen lots of post of FB about getting along with others that have a different opinion than yours. Of course ... I agree. I never cared if someone is a Republican, I didn't rant when Bush (or any other Republican because I did not think they were a danger to this country) was president except when he deceitfully got us into the war accusing Iraq of 9-11 attack when it was Saudi Arabia. When you listened to the Bush propaganda on the news over and over ... it convinced many people that this was the right path. David and I just sat, stunned at the gullibility of Americans. But I did not rant too much about that. Of course, there are different political factions but this is NOT where we are right now. We have an immoral, lying criminal running for president and half of the country wearing a God damn maxi-pad on their ear in solidation of this psychopath. He has probably all ready sold secrets to China and Russian from his stash of secret documents that he refused to give up and now they will not even hold him to account for that! He has been a criminal and bully his entire life. And he is NOT an appropriate person to lead out country. 

For some lighter news: The Instagram account of Sheikha Mahra bint Mohammed bin Rashid Al Maktoum, the daughter of UAE Prime Minister and Dubai ruler Mohammed bin Rashid Al Maktoum, announced her intention to leave her husband, a fellow royal.  

“I hereby declare our divorce,” 30-year-old Sheikha Mahra’s account posted on Instagram on Wednesday. “I divorce you, I divorce you, and I Divorce You. Take care. Your ex-wife.”

This about that

The kids went on vacation for a couple of days and I enjoyed peace and quiet and lots of cleaning. 

I have been trying to avoid RNC but find myself catching up the only way I can for my mental health. I think Stephen as a good grasp on what's going on there. Watch with a sense of humor is always the best. Because my sense of humor has faded and I am becoming a raving lunatic. Trying on to rage too much on FB but it is difficult. My fingers start typing some insult before my brain can stop them.

 

  

This morning I think I started another FB fight with an ex-military, gun toting, deer killing, model military airplane maker. Looks like he lives in a double-wide (nothing wrong with that) filled with military plastic models, single male. I honestly feel sorry for these trump-lovers. 

About Biden dropping out. I am  staying out of the FB fray of discussions about this. I am so confused about who they think will replace him. I love Kamala but do they think people will vote for her? It seems very risky for such an important election. I felt he was old before but the decision seemed to have been made to run with him. I mean, it seems a little late in the game to be making big chances. Plus, if something were to happen to Biden, well then, we will have Kamala ... The complaining and whining is dividing the Democrats at a time we need to be strong and united.

About the ear bandage ... I hate the idea that there was an assassination attempt on trump (although I have read some pretty funny comments about how the bullet went in one ear and out the other without doing any harm). I must admit the entire thing feels a little fishy. I mean a gunman lay perched on a rooftop with no one noticing him? The rifle bullet didn't blow the top of trump's ear off? I think the reason he is wearing that maxi-pad on his ear is because there is only a nick on the top of ear ... 

 

And the assassination has turned him into a martyr. His cult and even trump giving God the credit for saving him ... I knew the minute I saw him go to the ground with his shoe-lifts flying, they were going to martyr him and this would help him. Main media has forgotten what a psychopath he is an bought into the "gentler" "kinder" trump. BULLSHIT.

At Lou isn't here anymore to drool all over him.

JD Vance is a joke. 

So I am not happy. I miss David to keep me sane in these insane times. 

Donald Trump is not a well man. His cult have some horrible syndrome going on in their brains which most of us don't understand or can explain. I am trying to steel myself for what happens if he wins. Reading a lot about Project 2025 to get an idea so I will not have a heart attack when they dismantled the government.

For your viewing pleasure

I binged watched as much of House of Dragons as I could. I did not realize they were rolling out episodes weekly, so I have to wait to see what happens in S2 E5. I hate it when they do that. 

I am not sure why I resisted watching House of Dragons. Maybe I thought it would not be as perfect as Game of Thrones, but I was wrong. 

Still has the same amazing theme song. The two versions of opening credits on Season 1 and Season 2 are incredible. Costuming to die for. 

 

  

  

I was thinking about my hesitation today and maybe it was because David is not here to share it with me. We were so in love with Game of Thrones, would cozy up to excitingly tune in weekly. Would discuss and wag on about Game of Thrones every week. I would go on and on about the theme song and costuming. This thought popped in my head about how I should have appreciated David's big brains more, but honestly, I was always in awe and inspired by him. He was simply the smartest person I knew. It seemed like he knew everything, historical facts, all about every sport you can imagine, there was not a song he did not know the creator or the year ... it was almost a novelty and unfortunately, I think (we, the family) started to take his genius for storing everything in a memory bank for granted.

I miss being able to  turn around from my computer and asked him an historical fact and know it will be true. Or talk about the instruments  used in a theme song and the significance of the choice. I know nothing about music or instruments but I know what I love and  what I emotionally respond to. It was fun to have someone to discuss that with who understood what I was talking about. 

I started re-watching Game of Thrones ... do you know to binge watch it will take 74+ hours? Good thing I have nothing else pressing except to catch the next episode of House of Dragons on Sunday.

Oh, BTW ... it is super hot here so in the afternoon I have been shutting the house down, i.e., closing blinds to hot sun seeping in and not really doing anything. I think today is going to be in the mid-80's which is a heatwave for us. We don't have AC ... although the kids have a portable AC unit in their living area and bedroom, because they are wimps. It cools off nicely when the sun goes down.

We all have been doing yard work getting ready for Matt to install a new deck in a couple of weeks. We ordered and paid for most of the material ... but where to store it all. Matt has to demo the existing deck, and haul that mess away. Then we have to figure out what to do about the stairs to let the dogs out. I can't manage to haul them from the front to the back myself. I have only attempted to walk with of them once and being pulled down the street by an enthusiastic 200lb mastiff is not fun.

A handy 'House of the Dragon' glossary: places, powers and people you need to know

Mirror, mirror, in a frame

So I think someone hacked into my main email account, f*cking hackers. Still trying to figure it out and also what other damage they might have done.

Improvements in English domestic glass production in the second half of the century coincided with the fashion for raised-work embroidery and resulted in the production of some of the most spectacular examples of embroidered household furnishings of the seventeenth century. 

The three-dimensionality of the embroidery and the creative use of materials on this example are very impressive. The tail feathers of the peacock are created from fragments of actual bird feathers, there are tiny shells and bits of coral in the grotto surrounding the fish pond, and the costumes of the courting couple include details such as real lace trimmings and seed pearls.

 Mirror frame at the The Metropolitan Museum of Art

The biblical characters Jael and Barak, flanking the mirror glass, appear in the book of Judges. The frame is surmounted by a figure of Charity; animals, mythic and actual, symbolizing the Four Continents, occupy the corners (from upper left): a griffin representing Africa, a basilisk representing America, a stag representing Europe, and a camel for Asia.

Raised work embroidery was very popular during the middle of the 17th century.

A CHARLES II EMBROIDERED AND STUMPWORK MIRROR FRAME, LATE 17TH CENTURY

Folk Art Glass Beaded Mirror, probably northern Europe, probably late 18th century, the central mirror framed in beaded mosaic set onto canvas (probably linen) depicting animals in a forest of trees and flowers in a faux tortoiseshell lacquered frame. Sold for:$7,995

In the Great Parlour, this mirror is surrounded by three dimensional embroidery called stumpwork. The colourful stumpwork is made up of five components of varying age. The top and side panels were completed by Sir Walter Jenner’s sister-in-law when she stayed here in the 1920s.

Complex textures of life

The foster puppy is keeping us very busy ... not going to share doing what! That and doing dishes ... that has become my thing. And keeping the floors clean. In other words, just living in a clean environment is a full time job.

I love the colors, the textures, the depth. I would like an entire wall painted like this in my house.  

Rebecca Crowell is an American abstract artist known for the rich, complex surfaces she creates with oil paint and cold wax medium. Her work is included in hundreds of art collections–private, public, and corporate, and she exhibits regularly in fine art galleries across the country. 

Crowell travels extensively for workshop teaching and artist residencies, both in the US and internationally. These experiences have significant impact on her work. The coastal areas of County Mayo, Ireland have been a particularly important location for her; she returns annually to Ballinglen Arts Foundation to teach and paint. Crowell lives and works in the dramatic, rugged landscape of northern New Mexico, another strong influence on her work. 

 Her Instagram.

  

 

Movies of the past

Remember this scene? 

 

 Or this scene?

  

  

I was watching a Gene Wilder documentaryand thought, I need to watch Blazing Saddles again! Bri has not watched or heard of it, or Young Frankenstein ... she has not watched any of the Harry Potter movie Have moved passed Hallmark Christmas movies, been watching some really stupid disaster movies 

Not allowed on sofa, but who cares?

I think I am losing my mind, but then I wake up the next day with my mind intact! Why can't I just lose it and go on to the mental hospital? LOL I watched the most depressing show on Hulu last night about a woman who was an addict. You just know eventually she is going to end up dead. She keeps stealing, shooting up fentanyl, she has a child who is very bright who she never sees, her parents are a wreck and her mom also in prison. They spend most of their time in halfway houses, then start using again and are marched back to jail. But when you look at her childhood, you can see the writing on the wall. Just like my brother who could never break free.

This is the foster Chihuahua. These dogs are NOT allowed on the sofa but when the parents are at work ... I just let them stay there. And now Bean has taken up napping there too. Bean LOVES Murphy and follows him everywhere. Bean woke me up around 4am harassing Pixie so I walked him outside and he went potty ... outside! The 3lb dog is a shitting machine. It is a crazy house here.

 It goes from being hot to cold lately. I haven't had any wine since before Christmas and I had 2 glasses yesterday and fell asleep! I am such a cheap date.

I am still binge-watching disaster movie on YouTube. 99% of them are laughable. Maybe that is why I am watching them. To take my mind off the political shit-show we are living day to day. I keep asking myself, "what if he wins".

Bri made the best Chicken tortilla soup last night. Very simple and very satisfying.

On my agenda today, besides collecting kids from school (this is my Funday) is to take that much-needed shower. The kids will be out for the summer very soon so let the chaos begin. They got bored yesterday and most of the house and backyard is a disaster. FEAR bored, smart, inventive kids!

I saw these and was mesmerized ... I want some! From Dutch Grown ... Hairy Allium.

 

Allium Art

 

This is Tulip Strawberry Cream

When I google Unusual Alliums, these pop up.

Deep down

Grab a drink, this is a very long video but so worth watching!!! 

 

Is it possible to live in temperatures over 175°F? It is if you're a Pompeii worm. The Pompeii worm, the most heat-tolerant animal on Earth, lives in the deep ocean at super-heated hydrothermal vents. Covering this deep-sea worm's back is a fleece of bacteria. These microbes contain all the genes necessary for life in extreme environments.

Giant tubeworms

 

Yeti crabs. These guys it seems farmed sulfur eating bacteria for food on their hairy arms. A whole ecology based on chemosynthesis.

The Alien Worlds of Hydrothermal Vents

Hydrothermal vent

Doin' the Drag, on foot

Sometimes I get caught up in a loop of stupid silliness. As is the case watching these nightlife videos with hardly dressed or too drunk to walk. Or even better ... can't walk in their stilettos being drunk. Seeing too much breast and definitely NOT enough pants to cover their rump. It is all very fascinating and funny. I notice you can always tell what girls are in a group because they all dress alike, denim, or short shorts, or sequins. 

In my day this would be akin to making the drag, driving through the Dairy Queen then up to the Piggly Wiggly parking lot. (yawn) Except my parents would not have let me leave the house dressed like that.

  

 

Colorful, bold strokes

Vera Kober shares “To paint without rules, to paint how you feel” I love to experiment with different combinations of colors. Bright colors giving me freedom. Painting on border of reality and abstraction showing in one time my feelings and inspiration 

Her Instagram.

4 apples a day

My first night at the hospital I ordered an apple from the menu for part of my dinner. It was half of an apple in slices (although it was listed as "an apple" ... which meant to me an entire apple NOT just 4 slices. Which I brought to their attention and from then an they sent me one large apple, not sliced. Then I had to ask for an entire apple sliced ... but a after a week they went back to just 4 slices of apple packaged in a plastic bag, kind of like the kind you get from McDonald's kid meal). 

But I digress. I was not trying to be picky but when you advertise "an apple" and get 4 slices in a prepackaged plastic bag, one feels cheated.

But since that one taste of apple that night, I have been eating at least two apples a day, sometimes more. It is like I can not get enough applc!

All but one in the last two weeks have been good. I do not like the mushy kind of apple! It must be crisp and cut into slices. Sometimes I but the peel off if it is tough and chewy.

Which made me start thinking the other day ... that should be another description they add to the brief when you are reading about the applc you are buying ... a description of the outer peel.

I am buying varieties and trying to make notes which ones I like the best.

I don't think I have tried Ambrosia yet. These apples are delicate and sweet, and their origin is somewhat of a mystery, having been discovered growing randomly in the wild. They are a mostly buttery yellow color with red patches. They are on the sweeter side and less acidic with a slight honey taste.

This is a handy list

Pure Truth

Ida Applebroog is fascinting 

Color my world

Uman’s visual vocabulary reflects her expansive cross-cultural experiences. Born in Somalia and raised in Kenya, she emigrated to Denmark as a teenager and later to New York as a young adult. Now living and working in upstate New York, Uman paints lavishly detailed, opulently colored worlds replete with gesture, geometry and evocations of the sublime. 

 

 

 

Random ramblings

I ran to McDonalds to get Pixie a double cheeseburger, two for one. When she will not eat her regular food, I can rely on a cheeseburger! 

It is a cold, cloudy day but the flowers and bushes are bright and beautiful. The barberry bushes look extra red today, leaves look like they are glowing. Is it nature glowing or am I just feeling better? 

Years ago after going through a 5-year depression due to a horrible break-up ... I had another moment similar to this. I had survived the break-up, found a place to be after being kicked-out, found a great job at the Dallas Times Herald (also worked at Rio Airways). I was gassing up my car one night. I looked out to the horizon, all of a sudden, it felt like saran wrap had been pulled away my eyes and everything, the world was so bright. In a second I was okay ... the world was right, my life was back, I felt human again. Was it the end of my depression, was it a religious experience? I don't know but I have never felt that dark depression again. And from that moment on I thought, life is a gift and I am living it like that! 

Did I mention I have been addicted to Fruit Punch Gaterade?

Matt smoke a brisket for 2 days and it was delicious. For the first time in a long time, I had seconds of brisket and coleslaw. The BBQ sauce was little spicy-hot and the coleslaw was perfect to cool that down. 

Ran across John Grade mentioned on FB this morning. He has some sculpture installation at Washington Park Arboretum. Inspired by a fallen western red cedar in Seattle’s Discovery Park. The top of the trunk of the fallen tree was divided into two slender leaders. Broken by the fall, both leaders revealed their concentric growth rings. Focused on the similarities and differences between each of these cross sections, Union is a magnified representation of the cell structure of each of the two leaders.

Reservoir: Suspended above a clearing in a grove of pine trees, Reservoir is made up of five thousand individually heat-formed, clear droplets framed in steam-bent wood. The delicate droplets are attached to a pair of clear filament nets that are supported by tree trunks above. As rainwater or snow accumulates in the droplets, the position and shape of the nets lower and change. As collected water evaporates, the sculpture rises back to its original configuration. Sheathed springs below pulleys limit vertical range of motion so the sculpture remains at least ten feet above the ground. Even a very light rain creates enough downward movement to be comprehended visually by viewers below. When dry, the sculpture weighs 70 pounds. When filled by a heavy rainfall, the sculpture can exceed 800 pounds. Periodically the sculpture will be manually manipulated to rise and fall to engage with the movements initiated by dancers. The varied topography surrounding the site of the sculpture offers viewers both a vantage directly below the cloud-like mass as well as a view looking across the mid-line of the sculpture slightly above its changing center of mass.

Reservoir - Arte Sella.mp4 from John Grade on Vimeo.

UW Cells.mp4 from John Grade on Vimeo.

We hope that this photo awakens the awareness of the importance of trees

And lastly, Noah with a little summer-sunglass-'tude.