New Shoes in the Rain

Friends, I hope that you had a wonderful Thanksgiving holiday and had the opportunity to spend some time with those you love.  I did and had a great day and evening.  I so feel for those who either don't have anyone with whom they can spend days like Thanksgiving or choose not to due to memories of difficult visits in the past or the fear of more of them in the future. And my heart goes out to those affected, directly and indirectly, by the shootings in Colorado Springs, Colorado and Chesapeake. Virginia.  President Biden says he plans to make another attempt to ban assault weapons, and I know he means it, but I'm not sure how many willing partners there will be, even in a lame duck session of Congress. Speaking of Congress, we now know with more certainty that Republicans will control the House and Democrats will continue to control the Senate, although there are a handful of races still yet to be decided. Alaska finalized results of its two races, one for Senate and one...

Greetings from rainy (finally) Lexington, Kentucky!  We went a long time without much rain, but now, thanks to the remains of Hurricane Nicole, we're in for two solid days of rain.  I'm not fond of rain but our lawn and plants are. But that's not what I stopped by to discuss.  I believe that some time ago I discussed my own social media habits here, and they really haven't changed.  But what HAS changed is how the various services that exist have evolved since then.  So let's get into this. I'll start with Twitter, which is now owned entirely by tech entrepreneur Elon Musk (also known for his leadership of Tesla, SpaceX, StarLink and the Boring Company, among others).  Since Musk assumed control he fired virtually all senior leadership, laid off a huge percentage of staff overall, asked a certain number of those laid-off employees to return, has flirted with charging for the privilege of being "verified" and creating a cottage industry of celebrity imp...

Really simple messaging today, everyone. VOTE tomorrow, because our country depends on it.  As it always does! VOTE tomorrow, because you need for your voice to be represented! VOTE tomorrow, because your right to do so is under assault! VOTE tomorrow, because we need conscientious elected officials, and not posers who will only serve a small percentage of the country! VOTE tomorrow for the candidates of your choice, because that's your right, just as it is mine and everyone else's! VOTE tomorrow, because, as my father used to say, if you don't vote, you don't have any right to complain! Just VOTE!!!!!!!!

It's go time, folks.  The midterm elections occur in just one week.  Are you ready?  Is the country ready? The appalling home invasion and assault of Paul Pelosi, husband of House Speaker Nancy Pelosi has brought the disturbing rhetoric of the political right into sharp focus, and it's an unpleasant sight.  But that's really nothing new, is it? I am not about to predict anything here....after the national polls were so completely wrong in the presidential race of 2016, I don't know that there are any polls that are complete enough to be reliable.  But I know what I see, and here are some of the things I've seen this summer and fall. Tim Ryan, a longtime Democratic House member from northeast Ohio who's now running against the carpetbagger J.D. Vance (who once detested Donald Trump but now loves him?!?).  The man is running without very much support from the national party leadership but says that he likes it that way.  If you recall, he ran for Preside...