Life in These United States

Greetings and salutations.  

Currently there are two major issues with the food supply.  Taylor Farms has received the most attention here.  The recall of contaminated bagged salad was withdrawn after the owner gave 47 a bunch of money.  Taylor Farms is everywhere.   

Taylor Farms operates under these names:
Earthbound Farms, Eat Smart, 
Walmart: Marketside, 
Target: Good & Gather, 
Kroger: Simple Truth, Simple Truth Organic, 
Aldi: Little Salad Bar and Simply Nature, 
Whole Foods Market: 365 by Whole Foods , 
Safeway / Albertsons: O Organics and Signature Select, 
Publix: GreenWise, 
Costco: Kirkland Signature (select packaged salad and produce items)
They also sell under their own label, and there is a lot of it on the shelves.

Federal data reveals U.S. foodborne illness cases are up nearly 400% this year compared with the recent annual average.

The FDA also released a warning about salmonella tainted eggs that have the potential to be fatal if not cooked sufficiently. Eggs should be cooked until firm, 160F. The 2026 Salmonella egg recall by Midwest Poultry Services involves plant/identifying codes P1950 or 084962, and best-by dates from July 20 to August 17, 2026.

Screw worms are also with us, as well.

Last Friday we went out to the alternate trail head we're using until the bridge replacement completes.  We were hoping to make it to the lake.  Alas, alack, that was not to be.

We talked to a park employee who told us the recreation area was fine, it burned right up to the fence and was stopped there. However, the trail is damaged with debris.  They're working on it.  The park on the other side of the river, that previously burned, is burned once again.  That will take some time to recover.

That burn was the Aubrey White fire.

The Aubrey White Fire broke out on July 6, 2025, burning roughly 40 acres along the Centennial Trail in Riverside State Park near the Bowl and Pitcher area. The fire triggered local evacuations, road closures, and minor structural damage. In August 2026, court records revealed that a suspect named Aaron Farinacci confessed to setting the Aubrey White Fire as part of a series of arson fires in the Spokane area.

That's the sociopath who set the recent fires.  He had been in jail in Arizona, served 10 years of a 12 year sentence for killing his father.  His father asked him to do the dishes and he killed him for it.  Some people just should not be out in society.

During the evacuation, I threw our helmets into a large bag, knocking my helmet mirror off in the process.  The mirror does not stay on this helmet very well, my last helmet was much better.  Anyway, it took more time than it should have to get it back on the visor.  This is what is should look like, please make a note of it.  It tends to defeat my spatial relations.

The insurance people were out in large numbers.  I took this on August 13.  Not sure when they got here, or how long they are staying.

Finally, there is this, a robot lawn mower.  It's like a roomba with blades.

That's about all I want to say.  47 is back to being a demented threat to the planet.   Everyday it just gets worse.  And yet, the republicans are just fine with it.