It's simple really...

I didn't even consider voting for Joe Biden because, among other not so good characteristics, he is a self-confessed plagiarist (thief of words and liar), and because he just sort of makes my skin crawl and overall gives me the creeps. He is not worthy of my trust. 

I will not vote for Kamala Harris because she, too, has proven to be a liar and also because her behavior is disturbing and makes me uneasy.  It's simple really. I don't trust her either, and now that she is trying to remake herself in front of my eyes, I trust her even less.  As far as I am concerned she ranks right up there with main stream media on the "lack of truth" meter. 

        Harris has repeatedly said: "We have a secure border."  I heard her. 

     Harris repeatedly said that President Biden is a strong leader, sharp, healthy, and competent -- capable to serve as Commander in Chief of the United States. I heard her. So did you. She helped hide him from the American people.  Where is Biden now? Have you seen him lately? So it is that Kamala Harris is a liar who puts our nation in jeopardy with her lies. 

Now, all of a sudden, she says that she has changed... that her radical beliefs are now gone with the wind. Why would I believe anything she says?  She has already lied about important things... very important things. I only mentioned a couple of the obviously blatant ones.   There are a lot more, but I am trying not to be too wordy.  Then again -- I can't help but go a bit further. 

     Harris is now telling you (or her aides are "leaking"), primarily in pandering for your vote, that she is no longer a leftist extremist. She will tell you now, all of a sudden, that she will secure the border.  She will tell you now that she has changed her views on a lot of important issues, including energy independence and defunding the police. I must mention here that one of my nephews is a fine Police Officer who risks his life every single day to protect and serve. I will never support anyone who has ever supported and/or called for defunding ("reimagining") the police. Harris is no fan of police or of law and order -- or of a working justice system. Look at her record in California. Look quickly. She is trying to erase those facts as well. You may have noticed. 

There is that old saying that it is the prerogative of a woman to change her mind.  Be careful with that.  Kamala Harris is changing hers -- conveniently with no explanation of why. Perhaps she is only pretending. She is trying, at least for now, to erase her radical past.  She will lie and laugh... over and over again.  Perhaps she is laughing at you.  Don't be fooled .... Check her record of past deeds before it mysteriously disappears. Look at what she has not accomplished that she said she would. Look at how she has been forced upon the Democratic party as candidate for the Presidency. Poof -- and magic  -- she is the Democratic candidate for the President.  How did that happen? No Democrat voted for her.  She is the product of the leftist political machine. ..second generation puppet perhaps? Of most recent concern... take a look at her choice as a running mate. Walz fiddled while Minneapolis burned ... that among other very bad things. It will all come out. Radical both.

I am so tired of the lies. Americans deserve a leader who tells the truth to them, a leader who is present and talks to the American people directly, one who answers questions truthfully. Americans deserve a leader who is visible and accessible, one who does not turn his/her back on them and walk away. Americans deserve a leader who does not laugh at them. Americans deserve to choose their leader, not to have one forced down their throats as a possible contender. Americans deserve leaders who do not try to buy their votes by illegally cancelling student loans and forcing other hard working Americans to pay back money that others borrowed.  It's an upside down world.  It's got to stop.

People may not like "mean tweets", brutal honestly, or someone who refuses to play the games established by old school politicians, but at least you know who you are voting for.  I do not want a world of war and inflation to continue.  I want a world of peace and prosperity back again. I do not want a world of chaos in which politicians try every trick in the book to eliminate their competition. (It even makes one wonder who is behind the ineptitude of the Secret Service. How awful is that?) I do not want to live in a DEI world. I want competency rewarded. I want to live in an America that is energy independent once again and that does not enrich enemies under the table. I want to live in a world that firmly condemns anti-Semitism and racism of any sort.  I want a world of calm.  Plus .. I am not sure that the United States can withstand another four years of a weak and embarrassing president. I will vote for strength... for an established track record. I will vote for the return to a strong United States of America that is respected throughout the world.

One last thing.... Democrats in leadership roles have called me a lot of things. I take it personally.  I have been placed in a basket of deplorables. I have been blamed for the pandemic because I refused to take an experimental drug, and the President of the United States even tried to threaten me into submission with a looming possibility of a concentration camp of sorts for the unvaccinated. This is America today. Democratic party elite lunacy lumped me in with fascists and horrible people.  None of that worked apparently. Most recently they have changed their approach. I like that they, in imitation of Walz and the main stream media, are now just calling me (and others who disagree with them) weird.  I figure I am in good company. A dear friend of mine, who also happens to be weird, suggests that perhaps we weirdos should come up with a theme song.  Being weird sure beats being dishonest and manipulative. I may be weird, but I am not a plagiarist or a liar... or power hungry at the expense of others. Further -- I do not try to erase my past. I say "Dare to be Weird!".

I will vote for Donald J. Trump ... again.  Needless to say, I hope you will consider doing so as well. You do still have that choice. You do have the power of your intelligence, strength, and courage to stand against the manipulation and deceit of those who wish to mislead you. Ask yourself a couple of questions.  Is the world better off now than it was when Donald J. Trump was in office?  Are you better off? Ask yourself those questions after you have listened to the news, or been to get groceries. Ask yourself those questions after you have filled your vehicle with gasoline, or after you have seen people living on the streets. Ask yourself that when you read the statistics of what an open border has done to the American people or when you see a report of the current crime numbers. Ask yourself those questions while thinking of what WWIII may mean to humanity, you, your family. Think of trying to leave a better world for them and for future generations. 

These are a few of my favorite things...

Never a huge fan of The Sound of Music, but... I do love the song about favorite things.  It's the small things that sometimes bring the deepest joy.

Because of my continuing efforts to stay on the bright side as much as possible, I am listing my personal favorite things and thinking that you may share some of them (as that song runs through your head). 

At the top of the list of course are ...

• Time with Family
• Time with Friends

Then in no special order ...

• The aroma of lilacs or honeysuckle
• Sounds of children laughing
• Amusing old words of the English language like balter which, I recently learned, means "to dance gracelessly without particular art or skill, but perhaps with some enjoyment".  It fits me. I balter sometimes.
• Communicating with eye contact with someone across the room who gets it... no words necessary.
• Spontaneous laughing like the kind that hits until the coffee you are drinking comes out of your nose.

And then there is the change of seasons in NW PA

• Spring green
• Blue skies of summer
• Fall foliage and the smell of burning leaves
• First snowfall of substance and the quiet of winter 

The more I think about favorite things, the more I think of important items to add.  Life is good sometimes.  Hang onto that.

Communication in the Twilight Zone

 The English language has fascinated me for a long time.  I wonder if all languages have their own little quirks that drive people nuts when trying to learn that language.

The other day two phrases came into use next to each other in an email exchange I was having.  "Play it by ear" and "Fly by the seat of your pants".  Basically they both mean the same thing.  Both describe ways to approach things that "come up" unexpectedly during one's day.  Not sure which expression I like better and I have no idea how they came to mean what they mean.   I just know that one is related to music and one to flying a plane.  Hmmm... I just hope I never have to explain either to someone who is learning English as a second language.

I think maybe I will just stick with other phrases like "wing it", "go where the wind blows", "hang on to a wing and a prayer", or "speak off the cuff", and be thankful that English is my native language and I am used to its idiosyncrasies -- its "off the wall", sometimes "too much" characteristics.  

Sometimes I wonder how we ever communicate effectively with each other. People need to try hard to maintain a healthy sense of humor through it all. A good sense of humor especially helps when one is entering the Twilight Zone of communicating through the "smoke and mirrors"  and "dog and pony shows" of an election year.

Okay, "I will show myself out" now.

Times may be a changin'...

I had written a light-hearted blog to post for this week, but I am not feeling particularly light-hearted following the events of this past week in my own Commonwealth of Pennsylvania.  So -- with thoughts on the future of our country -- a few words on upcoming decisions and the future of the United States of America.

I am going to vote, once again, for a strong man, one who has not let himself be beaten down by those who have tried to undermine his previous presidency with lies and false accusations, and who now continue their desperate efforts to destroy him --  to try to bankrupt him, imprison him and discredit him with further fear mongering lies.  I am going to vote, once again, for the strong man the current "president" recently suggested should become a "target" - a most unfortunate choice of words - all things considered.  We all saw the attempted assassination. Most of the world saw it. The strong man I am voting for come November is former President... Donald J Trump. 

It seems to me that every single thing the former President has been accused of doing was actually done by the accusers who think they are so special that they can get away with anything. The truth is coming to the surface more and more every day for those who are willing to examine what evidence is seeping to the top of the swamp and oozing its dank, smelly way forward. 

I am going to vote for the man who is for all American people and who has proven himself to be so while in office for four years -- a previous track record. He is a man who gets things done in spite of adversity ... perhaps that is why those who oppose him, hate him. He does in a short time, what they have spent years never accomplishing. Were they even trying?  He is a man who cares more about your freedoms and quality of life than about your pronouns of choice or other woke concerns.

I encourage you to vote for the man who has been there for you, the man who has been shot, knocked down and stood up strong ready to fight for you and for the future of your country.  He can do the job. He has done it before in spite of devious opposition.

A year before the 2016 election I wrote a memo to Donald Trump and posted it as a blog in From Pencilbox to Keyboard.  The memo ended with these words: Please don't become one of "them". Please know that there are those out there in the world who have come to dislike politicians, who have learned to identify and to distrust all the false rhetoric and promises, who are disillusioned and apathetic -- rightfully so.  You, seemingly a non-politician, appear to be asking all the right questions and at the same time making media, government, and some big business edgy and afraid.  Some of us like that a lot and think that their discomfort is way overdue and well-deserved.  Please be the answer for us.  Give us hope. With you, even as arrogant as you are/can be, maybe some of us will become more trusting, less disillusioned and less apathetic.  Maybe we will get to be a part of the new American dream.  ...  Go for it,  Donald. Although you sometimes seem to carry things a bit too far, there are those out here who are watching -- maybe even daring to hope again."

During the past few years, I, among many others, have been thrown into a "basket of deplorables", threatened with interment in a camp for the unvaccinated ... treated like I have cooties because I refused to take an experimental drug.  I am one of many.  Time to let all that slide into the past now and to stand together for a better future for all.  Hopefully we have learned important lessons. Hopefully we will have a strong leader to usher us into that future.  I see that in President Donald J. Trump.  There is a man who commands respect.  We need that in this world.  Look what the weak, wishy-washy and hate filled have brought us. Look how they are now beginning to eat their own to maintain their power over you. Beware of their fear mongering... aren't you tired of it?  I think they do that because they have nothing good to say about themselves or what they have accomplished. Isn't it insulting that 
"they" think you will fall for it again?  Show "them" you will not. Let's move forward together and make a better world for our children and grandchildren.

Wisdom Teeth...

My grandson is scheduled to have his wisdom teeth removed and when talking about it, I  wondered about the origin of the term.  I mean why are they called that?  They obviously don't make you smarter if you keep them or dumber if they are removed. Right?

As often happens with me -- I found that a bit of research was necessary to satisfy my curiosity, and what I found out is not at all exciting.  The term wisdom teeth originates in ancient Greece. Doesn't everything?  It simply means that that they are teeth you get when you are older and supposedly wiser. Really?  You get them usually between the ages of 17 and 25.  I guess in ancient Greece that was quite old considering that life expectancy was 25 during the Roman empire which came after the decline of ancient Greece.  

Get this -- by the middle ages life expectancy rose to 33.  By the early 1900's it was up to 55 and today in the United States life expectancy is almost 80. Wow!  Makes me tired to think about it. My, how things have changed.

I figure at almost 75 I must have moved beyond wise into the next level, at least in the perspective of ancient Greece.  Not sure what that is exactly, but I do know that I will need my glasses to read about it. 

Garage Sale

Anyone who has ever had a garage/yard sale knows that it is a lot of hard work.  There is digging out, sorting, cleaning, pricing, etc. and... the aftermath.

So anyway ... my son, daughter-in-law and I are planning on having such a sale next week while they are "home" for a visit. My daughter's family and other close "partners in crime" are also involved.  It will be a happening.  My son is determined to clear his "stuff" out of my basement.  Just recently six large tubs of Homer Simpson (still in the box) collectibles and a tub of hockey and basketball cards went off with an expert who sells such things online on a commission basis.  Yay!  It's a start.  That leaves odds and ends of his growing up, including his '80's baseball card collection, along with some of my "treasures".  I have an old desk, a mended futon, three of my grandma's dining room chairs, an old trunk that lacks a key at the moment and assorted leftover toys from young grandchildren. I know we will find a ton of other things in the actual garage as well, and ... I need to remember to check my small barn. As for my daughter -- she may have a few things but I think most of her treasures are now to be found in her own basement. Plus she is way better about not hanging onto things "just in case".

Now here's the thing.  I have two rules for garage sales.  First -- nothing comes back into the house.  Nothing.  Second -- there is always a large Free pile that grows toward the end of the sale (that helps with rule number one.)  Here's hoping for a nice weather day or two. We are thinking of running the sale rain or shine next Thursday (11th) and Friday (12th).

I have no idea what I am going to do with an empty basement. About the only things that will be left there are two rocking chairs, wedding dresses, canning jars in waiting for harvest season, two empty bin warehouses, some Christmas decorations, and dog crates for visiting pets. I suppose I could dance there and have room for twirling....  Picture that....  More likely though is that the spiders will just take over in between basement cleanings that are few and far between.  The spiders have been trying for years to claim that area.  I care less and less... may even let them win for a while.

Stop by if you are in the area... maybe bring a truck.

Enough is Enough

 

Didn’t watch any news yesterday, but I imagine the dust is still settling after what I call the debate debacle.   No doubt the dems will find some way to spin it so that the declining Joe will come off sympathetic or something.  They will come up with excuses in an effort to deflect and to keep people from wondering who the hell is running the United States.  I find it so scary really. The America people are sitting ducks for those taking aim at the US … this because of power hungry, despicable people in government and media who place personal power above the welfare of all Americans and of our nation.  No doubt some will make a futile attempt to blame it all on Republicans or Trump --- but this is not about Republicans or Trump; is it? It's all about Biden and those who prop him up.  Questions of the day... Who is running the country?  Who has been running the country? All Americans have the right to know what has been going on.

One further note ... and it is an important one.  My heart goes out to all who have been deceived - Democrat, Republican or whatever.  We are talking about good, honest, intelligent people.  If I were them, I would be more than a little bit angry and want to cry out for justice.  We will see what happens on that front. My suggestion -- let your voice be heard now and in the voting booth. 

Hang on.  "But in the end truth will out."  (William Shakespeare)