You’re fired!

 

9-12-25 Bogart. A tangled web

   Good grief!   Trump is backtracking all he’s done, at least with his appointment; Hegseth is the latest head to roll.  That won’t make him any more popular or effective, I think,  and signals RB may be right: Iran won the war. I decried that, but now must ask, has not that war killed Trump politically?  For all intents, he and all his marvelous grand plans for the country have been rendered lame duck; they will likely crumble over the next two years in the Democratic push for self-abnegation and annihilation.  I wonder what will become of Israel, too, God help them, too. Is this national shortsightedness really about the price of oil?  Well,  certainly I can see the other factors:  the  ICE martyrs, the DOGE corruption exposures’ surprising backlash, antisemitism and proHamas sentiment, demand for ever more universal government welfare expressed as anti capitalism pro communism, anti Christian and pro Muslim demands, anti police/pro criminal/anti victim, looting and street mobs gussied up as peaceful protest, and even RS’s typical liberal anti military rant founded on Vietnam Nam and Colonel Daddy issues (sorry getting too personal). That’s a lot of irrational antis. And I won’t get into the great racial divide. 

    The zeitgeist flipped overnight, like a fish out of water. Clearly, the population generally prefers flab to fierce, with no place for moderation or history, And I fear that even a personality as strong as Donald Trump can only act temporarily as a rock in the path of that cataract flow. I hope I’m wrong and that Vance, Rubio, Bessent, Cruz  and their compadres, can and will turn the flow again in two more years.  I also hope my President has a few more aces up his sleeve before then and that God really is on our side, even if God does not take sides. (By the way, listening to the Torah portions daily indicates to me that God does indeed take sides. Of course that’s another secularist argument to deny that God even plays a part in human affairs.)

     Lord help us!

Release

 

Quick stop in the rainy afternoon park we love

Another interesting coinkidink on NP astrology predicts of yesterday not even so-so, today outstanding in all thee signs. Wasn’t anticipating the pressure of three appointments today and I added a driving trip to Pharmacy at West gate. The five people I met today were pure joys. MM, our new Plumber and his dad, to start with. He proposed fixes for all my problems, not just the toilet upstairs, and he is so sincere and honest Yeah, I told him I was glad he came into my life.  CB will be my new hairstylist and she’s only five minutes away; her husband knew E and even S but is Practically family with P& J C. We have so many things in common in the neighborhood and town, including cancer;  he has been treated for leukemia yet is incredibly outgoing and cheerful. Then we met D from meals on wheels And made arrangements to start those next week thanks to DdiB Who told her she was like her daughter and will be our reference for that agency. Finally, Red and I went to Cvs West gate and US PO Complementing some cute ladies on the way. We intended to get Dairy Queen on the way home, but pulled out a line at the drive-through because they were taking too long in the car ahead  Sorry, folks! Not sorry  I should not be eating that anyway since I’ve gained 10 pounds this month Back up to 170  

  But the best news is that L is out of jail, and the debt has been cleared with state waiving their portion and MIL’s signature already collected on a document to drop her portion. TNJ!!!  I did my part too, thanks be that I could 

Blue wave blues

 

What next?  

Mike Johnson said “disappointed but never discouraged.”Right attitude. Now just drop it? I will never understand  the shortsighted American electorate. JG text of moving to New Hampshire, although I’m not sure that would do any good  how hard do people want to make life in this country setting of government at odds with itself? I think I have to tell Mike I am discouraged.

  Newspaper astrology gives me a so so day in all three signs and mercury is still in retrograde  So far my Plummer did not show up at 8 o’clock. He had an emergency elsewhere so I hope to see him at 1 o’clock.  Seems like this happens every time I try to hire a workman  As with the retaining wall project’s failure  

  On the other hand, what is there to look forward to? That’s good today?  Dwell on that  For example, I liked my Daichi installment for the day

My Plumber can’t come today at all. Hopefully, I will meet him tomorrow at 8 o’clock and not have to call somebody else.    

Hate to say it, but Ahole Booker he is right in saying, not a blue wave a blue tsunami

Tired and sleepy

Neighbors yard off Longfellow.

 Adorable young boy there said 

he and his mom do dog sitting; 

good to know,I said

 

 Adjusting to the time change is difficult, and I feel it today. S is feeling OK today; she had another infusion today. God bless her  Hope  L is adjusting to her new normal. Emailed MM about her son in military and how proud she must be of him; of course I know she was being shamed with denial and rationalization larded on.    

   We saw lots of neighbors today and enjoyed chatting with  Webinar went well a little strange, very stubborn reading:  A monk named Ignatius and Mont Saint Michel. Set up appointment to see Plumber tomorrow for new upstairs toilet and also meals on wheels lady after my hair on Thursday  Getting busy I guess. Weather temperature will be nice tomorrow too and was today. No more Werthers. That’s a good thing, don’t buy anymore!  I have gained back 5 lbs! 

    Is election night and it’s a blue flood unfortunately

Time change

5:35 am 

Fall back, spring ahead. A day out of this years DST so clock says 5:30. But Saturday this wad 6:30. Well I’m awake anyway for the past two hours. Mostly fretting about falling yesterday, on top of the crashes and near misses of this year. Hard to fill the joy of life. At least at this hour in the morning. 

The day after

 

H and P, two of my faves

JS costumed as a banana and we couldn’t see him at all. Thank goodness his parents were there and they were pretty cute too in one piece duck and manga costumes  F came as a little witch and her mom as the grown-up witch, T was with them in his T-shirt. Pretty dog Paris came as a ballerina  Only 11 Trick-or-treaters!  So few!  Also saw C and K And a cousin coming home From wherever they went door-to-door. I like those kids very much. A couple of the African kids were afraid of Red and wouldn’t come to the door of the 6 presumably from Greenfield. I loved the smiling faces of the ones who were actually friendly  it must be a new experience and kind of scary for them knocking on white people’s doors, even if candy is the reward. Two girls in particular, I would love to meet and talk to again. I know C and I were passing out candy and our wonderful Asian neighbors had their lights going full on so they must’ve been passing out candy, but I’m not sure how many other people were  So it’s harder for kids to do this neighborhood these days I’m guessing

More later; it IS Halloween

 Treats:

We’re ready 

So is Red

Roll him over 

Here’s a nasty trick. 

L is in jail for 20 days for unpaid child support of $6000, despite  the facts that she’s wheelchair bound and hasn’t worked in at least a decade. Never understood why she was ordered to pay child support anyway  I think this is her vengeful ex husband and his mother refusing to let go of a prosecution that should’ve ended years ago since their sons are both in their 20s and would not see a dime if the money was paid. 

I sent an email to JD Vance about the story, and it made me feel a bit better. Insult to injury, though: C says segregated from other inmates and no TV or books because of her wheelchair. I don’t know whether the time in jail will end the prosecution/persecution or whether they’ll keep coming after her for the money or more jail time in the future  Certainly unjust.

   C said this jail time will complete her debt. If so, she is earning $300 a day just staying there. Maybe psychological suffering, but logical way to pay off the debt since only the evil MIL would get the 6K if it were paid

Halloween was fun, but we only got 10 kids. That’s a lot of leftover candy and pretzels!

Wha-a-at

Yesterday s walk

Never know what will come down th road next. Nearly got tboned again today going through the intersection of the post office. 

 Ordered shoes for S, like she needs them. RDA called.  Wrote list of teaching difficult vhildren tips for K. Hope she gets help

So many sunny days

Home field this morning 

How DO I see conscious labor and intentional suffering play out in my life each day?  SF connects it to three centered being and self remembering, and he is not wrong, but in the application, that feels like applying the rules, making it an intellectual, self control process. That does not feel quite right to me these days. OK to get one started on the path. BP says coming to our web explorations for all these years is surely a conscious labor, and she is totally right. F says my willingness to expose myself, to embarrass myself and reveal my ignorance, paraphrasing, are admirable. But it’s not that or quite any of these things. I said it felt like an epiphany, reading BT p350

“But during the last two centuries this word has come to be used there now in two senses:

“In one sense it is used for the same purpose as before, that is to say, those beings there are so named who became initiates thanks to their personal conscious labors and intentional suffer-

ings; and thereby, as I have already told you, they acquire in themselves objective merits which can be sensed by other beings irrespective of brain-system, and which also evoke in others trust

and respect.”

It occurred to me that we acquire objective merits more through our own experience than through reading and repeating the wisdom of other acknowledged initiates. So I should be looking throughout my day to see how parktdolg duty plays out, more than reading more about GIG.  

It’s already noon, for example; Is playing with my dog because he’s asking me to an example of love 

and conscious labor, especially when I don’t particularly want to interrupt my intellectual/spiritual pursuit du jour?  And, is pretty much constant awareness and prayer for a daughter who resents me not intentional suffering?  Yet I need to look beyond those two constants—obsessions?  habits?—at my interactions with husband, neighbors, the neighborhood, and with God, don’t I? Possibly self, body, too. 

….,.,.,

Gwynne Mayer says in her Personality and Essence Substack of  10-27:

“Relationships reveal this division with unusual clarity. I often believe I am meeting another person directly, yet I may actually be bringing my expectations, fears, roles, and old grievances into the encounter. The other person does the same. Two personalities then negotiate, compete, withdraw, flatter, defend, and keep score, while genuine contact remains rare.””

Nicoll’s contrast between internal and external considering is especially practical here. Internal considering means being absorbed in how I am treated: whether I am sufficiently appreciated, understood, or respected. I replay a tone of voice, count what I have given, and build a case for why the other person is wrong. The more I rehearse the grievance, the more solid and justified it feels.

External considering asks something different. It does not mean surrendering judgment, tolerating harm, or pretending that every behavior is acceptable. It means trying to see the other person as they actually are, including their limitations, fears, and mechanical habits, rather than seeing only the injury to my self-image. It asks me to respond to reality instead of to the drama created by wounded vanity.”

Ain’t it the truth!

Last minute

 

Gladstone’s colors yesterda

Not a good day til webinar. Constipation, laxatives  hemorrhoids, small fissures, pain 26 hours. Poor Red. Not much attention except tossing to tubes. Feeling better tonight. Except anguish for S. Haven’t heard her voice since  “three little pigs”

JG took A grocery shopping after his four filling!! dental visit. What a good person he is.