Greetings Earthlings. This morning we were both in the slough of despond, given the recent nominations to the cabinet of the orange menace. It was decided that a really unpleasant hike in the sunshine would be just the ticket to restore our spirits. And so, we decided to walk here.
There is a trail up the the saddle between Golden Gate and Bren. I think we're one and done on this, there are many loose rocks, pointy rocks and it's all up hill going there. On the way up there is not much to look at.
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There were many prickly pears along the way. Some of them look close to death. These are a little greener. The desert in general is looking burned again.
This is the view from the top. More mountains.
This is what we see, going back to the house.
It was a nice day, good temperature and light wind.
There is a piece of rebar stuck in the ground in the back yard. We can't get it out. Apparently this is an ongoing issue for people, generating many solutions for stake removal. If money is no object, there is always the JackJaw. It's a slick method of getting out rebar. Here is a youtube. Reddit offered up this less expensive technique, which I think we will be using. One locks the vice grips onto the rebar, and then with a pry bar levers it out of the ground. It's an iterative process. We want it gone, because if someone were to fall on it, there would be damage. Right now a pot is sitting on top of it.
So there you go.
In news of the unexpected, the Assad regime has fallen. He has been granted asylum in Russia. It's amazing how fast it happened. Putin is over extended, as is Iran. So the timing of the HTS insurgency was good. They are an off shoot of Al-Qaeda, and have promised not to be as evil, but who knows. Israel has been bombing the Syrian Golan heights and ISIS sites preemptively. Understanding the Middle East is beyond me.
That's it, that's all I have to say.
The scenery is lovely. The middle east is a hot mess and more people will die.
ReplyDeleteOne of my dad's history professors in college told him that if (when?) WWIII were to start, it would be in the Middle East. That's looking more and more likely. We read "The Beekeeper of Aleppo" in Book Club and it was so full of tragedy and horror. What I remember though is that between Assad's regime and the rebels, I couldn't figure out who the "bad guys" were. They all seemed awful.
ReplyDeleteThe desert hills are beautiful and the light is fine! It looks warm and just right!
ReplyDeleteAssad should have gone long ago . Obama dropped the ball on that one. But there you go, Russia , home to terrible menfolk, welcome your new brother in horror.
Could you just dig down around the rebar then cut it off with a grinder?
ReplyDeletesetting a pot on the rebar is certainly a solution if you can't get it out. there's a shepherd's crook at the base of our water oak that is completely embedded in the roots now. that thing is never coming out.
ReplyDeleteI read a bit about Syria. All the sanctions and the US having taken over the oil wells has finally bankrupted Syria. Assad pays his soldiers poorly and hasn't been able to pay for a while. Captains sent soldiers home and kept their pay. Soldiers were creating roadblocks and robbing people to support their families so when the rebels struck, without Russia and Iran to do the fighting, Assad's army put down their weapons and fled.
Good luck removing the rebar.
ReplyDeleteI've no real knowledge of the situation in Syria and the rest of the Middle East. There has certainly been much celebration by Syrians' here in Canada who fled the country in 2012. One of those is Tareq Hadhad, who founded Peace by Chocolate in Nova Scotia. He said they had been dreaming about this moment for years, but has concerns for the 7 million people in the country who were displaced and are living in tents on the border. It certainly doesn't help that Israel continues to inflict damage on the region.
Not surprising that a dictator would flee to Russia, though.
The fall of Assad was indeed sudden, and like you, I am puzzled by how things transpire in the Middle East. But preemptive bombing? Nah.
ReplyDeleteI am confused by Israel's 480 strikes on Syria even as they cheer about Assad's fall from power. I don't understand the mideast, but I know that we are way wrong to be arming Israel.
ReplyDeleteHow weird about the rebar -- and even weirder that it's such a common problem! The Syria thing is kind of scary. I don't expect much from these new leaders. I suspect they'll be every bit as bad as any previous regime -- and for the USA, perhaps worse.
ReplyDelete