Outside some of the trees, the maples and the birches have already shed their leaves. The oaks are turning red and the very last of the flowers are still bravely displaying their gaudy colors, bright yellow and purple right to the last, but Autumn is in the air. The smell of the fallen leaves and the other signs of decay are unmistakable. But I’m past my summer mourning period and I have embraced the short cool days and long chilly nights. Halloween is a week from this Sunday and Camera Girl has festooned our door with fake cobwebs and skulls and all kinds of macabre paraphernalia. Princess Sack of Potatoes is engrossed with all the Halloween themed library books that are being read to her. Several grandchild birthday parties are in the offing and of course the big gatherings are right around the corner. My outside chores are way behind schedule but that’s sort of my norm. Right now, the home front is a happy place.
Looking at the news today is a continuation of what has been going on. Biden’s poll numbers are something like 40/50 so definitely underwater and probably a bit worse than that in reality. Probably more like 35/55. But those numbers aren’t very important at the moment. The big surprise for me is Manchin and Sinema holding out against the Reconciliation Bill. I figured once they were given the requisite payoff they would fold. I’ll have to keep an eye on that.
And all the other things going on in politics, the Virginia governor’s race, Biden yammering about the Senate disposing of the filibuster, Garland threatening parents for objecting to racist ideology being taught to children, Florida legislating against the vaccine mandates in the workforce, teachers and firemen and cops suing cities over the mandates, inflation and empty store shelves, you name it, all this stuff gives hints that the country is coalescing around the idea that the Democrats are making things worse in any number of ways.
The thing I find hopeful is that what is being demonstrated is not only outrageously extreme policies but more importantly, bungling incompetence. Milley, Austin, Buttigieg, that fat guy in the wig and dress, Blinken, Harris are basically a clown car full of failures. And leading up to the “Big Guy,” Dementia Joe himself. If the empty shelves crush the Christmas season, I could see the 2022 mid-terms being a referendum on Biden. That could give us some breathing room from the Dems instituting most of their agenda permanently.
But being honest I have to admit that this is just rearranging the deck chairs on the Titanic. We still haven’t seen anyone stopping any of the leftist agenda. It just rolls on poisoning the minds of our children and rendering us pariahs in our own country. What would warrant me taking notice is some conservative state legislation either getting confirmed by the Supreme Court or being rejected by the Supreme Court and the state telling the federal government that they reject the decision and will implement it despite the rejection. In fact, I would prefer the latter. That would be a real Crossing of the Rubicon. That would be authoritative proof that men with convictions and courage still exist in this country.
Okay, dream over. The news is more of the same but life goes on here at the Compound. We’re living our lives the best we can here behind the Iron Curtain and watching which way the wind blows. Have a wonderful weekend.
The 1st picture of the leaves with all the colors is impressive. Which tree(s)?
Those are oak saplings of one of the local species around here. They hold their leaves for a good long time and often get a very nice amount of autumn color. Unfortunately, this year, their older relatives have dumped about a billion acorns on my driveway and the only ones happy are the the squirrels and the chipmunks.
The only oaks down here are Live Oaks, the leaves of which don’t change color or fall off in the Fall. Live Oaks did play an important part in ship building in the age of sailing ships. Making the hull of the USS Constitution from Live Oak is the reason the ship was known as “Old Ironsides”.
Do miss the color change though.
That is a very picturesque kind of tree.