Miscellany and Conservative Atrocities

Things have been slow since we've been back.  It's April, so it's still fairly chilly.  We've done one walk up the hill.  Today I spent time getting the taxes bundled up, and finding a 9 x 12 envelope to mail them in.  We have five 1099Rs to staple to the front page, since our previous employer once again outsourced our pension fund manager to yet another vendor, so each management company sent out forms.  That makes it too bulky to fold in a regular envelope, and no I do not e-file being the luddite that  I am.  Yesterday was the high point of the week, we took the white car to the car wash.  The pre-wash guys spent a long time hosing us down before putting us on the rollers through the car wash.  I love this place, it's no touch, there is under carriage flush (good for getting rid of the salt from the roads) and a wax layer that actually is effective.  Car washes amuse me no end. 

There was a walk up the hill.  While we were in Tucson, the city of Spokane did fire mitigation work.  That involved cutting down some trees, limbing other trees and taking out a bunch of underbrush.  The trails used to feel like tunnels, now they're wide open.  I doubt if the forest creatures are happy about this, fewer places to hide.  The orange color is what was produced by the chipper/shredder they hauled up to dispose of the branches and trees.  It's deep in places.

This is our local rabbit.  He hangs out in the yard and eats grass.  I think he ate all of the tulips that grow up under the big trees.  I'm fine with that, they don't bloom and once they grow up, they deteriorate and I have to go cut them off at the ground.

The robins are back.  It had been raining, and they were standing out in the street, waiting for the worms to surface to avoid drowning.  They come in the spring, eat our worms and then go somewhere else.  It's a terrible picture, too far away.

If you keep something long enough, apparently it will become a collector's item.  Jim brought a coffee scoop into the marriage, it's one of the scoops that came in a can of Chock Full O'Nuts coffee.  We've been married since 1985, so it's pretty old.  I thought it would be nice to have a scoop to leave in Tucson, so I wouldn't have to risk losing/breaking/forgetting my scoop upon leaving.  Yep, they're on ebay.  This is $25 !!!!!  For a two tablespoon scoop.  I think not.

Much of my time since we returned has been spent in a deep, shimmering, lightning bolts off the head sea of rage.  What the hell has happened to the republicans that they are this shameful?  Tennessee is now in the process of legislating that it's ok for 12 year old girls to marry grown ass men.  How is this not statutory rape?  Think about it, a child is married off (with parental consent), gets pregnant, and the entire trajectory of her life is changed.  The legislator who is behind it offers up the fact that he knows couples who married when they bride was 12, and they're still together.  Ok, that makes it all right, then.

Also from Tennessee is this: "The Tennessee House of Representatives passed a bill on Monday that allows county clerks to refuse to certify marriage licenses that go against their personal beliefs. The vague language of the bill gives room for local officials to deny marriage equality to LGBTQ+ couples, interracial couples and interfaith couples.  Introduced by Rep. Monty Fritts (R-Kingston), Tennessee House Bill 0878 adds a single line into the state code that says “A person shall not be required to solemnize a marriage if the person has an objection to solemnizing the marriage based on the person’s conscience or religious beliefs.”"  Interracial and interfaith couples would be subject to the whims of local racists to obtain marriage licenses.  The source of the quoted material is here.

Then there is the judge in Texas who cherry picked flawed studies to justify his decision that mifepristone should be unavailable for every woman in the US; even in the states where abortion is legal.  Basically, he's against abortion, and that was the basis for the ruling.  The decision immediately went to the 5th circuit which is very conservative.  They overruled the total ban on the drug, but did stay more recent FDA decisions.  This is bad.  This sets precedent for judges with no medical or scientific background to overrule FDA decisions.  This can not stand.  It's probably on its way to the Supreme Court, but who knows how they will rule.  If this does stand, you can bet they'll be after birth control next.  Vox did a really good piece on what this means and how bad it is, which you can read here.

This is what my succulent looks like now.  You can go here to see what it looked like last October.  I expect it to fall over any day.

Finally, this is not a graphic depicting red vs. blue voting patterns.  It's life expectancy.  Living in the red areas of the US is bad for one's longevity

That's it - that's all I've got.