Greetings Earthlings! How are you doing in these troubled times? I think the deaths in the wars in the Middle East, the dreadful economy and the certain knowledge that things will never go back to the way they were is wearing on me.
Yesterday we went for a hike. First time since February 28, which was a terrible day for Jim. As you no doubt recall, he was having significant pain in his legs. Things are better now. The GP put him on prednisone, which he has now tapered down to 4 mg per day. The pain management doctor put him on gabapentin. The gabapentin has made a difference. There is much less pain than there was. The theory is that there is a slightly bulging disk at L3, and the steroids and the gabapentin are helping with it. Generally the only permanent fix for a bad disk is surgery. Jim has done that twice now, and things will have to get SO MUCH WORSE before he does it again. Laminectomies and spinal fusions are quite painful and require three months of recovery. So, we're hoping that this will hold the pain at bay for awhile.
Anyway, then we went to Costco, which was abnormally not busy. So we got Covid boosters. Generally Covids don't bother me, this one did. I woke up in the middle of the night and my arm was just killing me. Between that and the birds waking me up at 5:30 this morning, I've been pretty much of a basket case all day. So, there was no riding and there will be no rowing today. It'll be better tomorrow.
The cactus are starting the bloom. The first two are from 2018, but I really like the images. This is a Buckhorn Cholla.
Here is a bee in the pollen. That is a prickly pear blossom.
The ocotillo in the side yard is blooming, but has no leaves yet.
Another prickly pear in the desert.
Jim took this the other night from our back patio when the moon was coming up. It's not bad for a cell phone camera.
.jpg)
Hegseth fired U.S. Army Chief of Staff Randy George Thursday. He also asked that General George retire immediately. No reason has been given for this action. Hegseth has also removed four well respected, well qualified officers from the promotion list for general. Two are Black men, two are female. Bastard. Apparently there is much dissension within the ranks of senior officers at the Pentagon about these decisions.
Today the US asked Iran for a 48 hour cease fire. Iran said nope, we'd rather keep shooting at you and your allies.
Here are a few bon mots from twitter.
Russia has supplied more weapons and support to Iran - to help kill Americans - than the Trump administration has provided to Ukraine to help it defend itself. Russia is literally proving to be a better ally to Iran than America has been to Ukraine lately. Let that sink in.
Richard Woodruff
Kristi
Noem rigging the property appraiser’s exam while governor so her
daughter could get her license, killing a puppy, & giving her
boyfriend a powerful job in govt while cheating on her cross-dressing
spouse is not that unusual on the spectrum of Republican politician
behavior.
Ron Filipkowski
Saying you're no longer a Trump supporter is like saying you're no longer a cannibal. People might believe you, but no one is ever going to ask you to babysit their kids—or eat at your house again.
Lucifer
Other than this, I have not too much to talk about. OK, there is this.
I cannot even keep up with all this craziness. But the thing I cannot get out of my mind tonight is that missing fighter pilot. If he is captured, it makes me sick.
ReplyDeleteFunny story. Tim has a bulging disc. He also has scoliosis. He has refused surgery all his life. Two weeks ago, he fell off a roof. (I could kill him, but it almost seems redundant.) He is thrilled with the results. His back and leg pain is gone! He credits his fall. This means of course, that when the pain comes back, he will just go jump off the roof.
rather a drastic method of correction !
DeleteOh crap! so sorry to hear that Jim is having pain and on prednisone . Hope that he can wrestle that to the ground! As for twitter nonsense and what ever the waffle house blurb was. If we can't laugh we lose!
ReplyDeleteI've been fascinated by the Waffle House story, but its so hard to get all the facts or what ever you call the details of a story like that.
ReplyDeleteCeci
Dave's dad is on gabapentin and it did the job for him, too. I just could not believe that story about Noem's husband -- I don't care what he does in his spare time, but why on earth would he take that picture with his face in it?! As a WaPo columnist pointed out, it's ultimately a story about loneliness.
ReplyDeleteThe Times story about Phillips at the Waffle House was just about the weirdest thing I've ever read. Even if you accept his explanation, that he meant he'd been transported by the hand of God while in a heavily medicated state (which sounds a little more reasonable than "teleported"), it's weird. I liked the tongue-in-cheek way the Times reported it, but it sure is scary that these are the people running the country.
It is such a mess ...wherever you look.
ReplyDeleteI just think of all the Iranian people. I have known over the years. Generous to a fault. Kind. Also strong.
He talks of sending them back to the stone age...those with a civilisation millenia old. Where cuneiform writing started...art, poetry, science....
Such bright and beautiful flowers on the cacti...
These people are so certifiably nuts and evil and still republicans in Congress shiver in their boots. What the fuck are they so afraid of? I read yesterday that Hegseth has fired over 20 top military leaders in the middle of a fucking war, getting rid of those with the most experience, ostensibly because they are balking at his illegal orders.
ReplyDeleteBatshit crazy continues as the norm. I still can't believe that the guy who believes was teleported was up for a job.
ReplyDeleteHegseth, like his own leader, is an idiot. You don't fire the people with the most experience, especially when you know nothing, which is the problem. He has no idea how little he knows, his incompetence prevents him from understanding how incompetent he is.
In the mean time, people die.
If it all wasn't so real, the news this week might have been hilarious. Not surprised that Noem and Bondi were the first to hear "you're fired" from IQ45, not that they didn't deserve to be fired but because they are women and therefore expendable. On the other hand the firings by the war monger are removing competency, and I suspect the result of pushback on the stupid decisions he is making. I can only look forward to the war crimes trial he ought to face in the future.
ReplyDeleteLately, I expect anything can happen under this administration. It is a total crap shoot. Talk about crazy: Hegseth is also now quoting the bible to justify the war.
ReplyDeleteThere is nothing worse than back pain. Hopefully the pain meds will help Jim.
All of this has become so commonplace now that we almost can't be shocked or dismayed anymore by the Fuckery. I Love Cacti in Bloom. I do Hope your Beloved gets some relief from the chronic Pain, it really makes like challenging and miserable to not be able to manage Pain effectively. I do think all of it is wearing on most of us my Friend. Virtual Hug.
ReplyDeleteOoos, makes LIFE challenging I meant... damned partial Aphasia from the Stroke is maddening!!!
Delete