New Shoes in the Rain

Good morning, and happy day-before-Christmas-Eve. It”s.a balmy -5 degrees here in Lexington as I write this, if you can believe it.  The weather forecasters got this exactly right, as we’ve been hearing about what we would experience Thursday into today.  I have not gone out, and since I am off work until January 3, I don’t have to! This is my customary post for this time of year.  I simply want to wish all of you a very Merry Christmas and a Happy New Year as well!  And for anyone who’s celebrating Hanukkah or will celebrate Kwanzaa, I hope that you have a blessed celebration as well. As you know, I write this blog for selfish reasons, namely to keep the part of my brain that produces this relatively sharp.  Another of those muscles that atrophies if we don’t use it, I suppose.  And I appreciate it when people find it and read it and maybe smile upon reading it or think a little bit. So thank you for another good year in the life of this space, which I’ve ...

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...

Hello, friends. Hope the weather is decent where you live.  We're in one of those in-between periods where the mornings are REALLY cold and it warms up, but not as much as you think or hope.  And it's gonna be back into the 70s this weekend! We've had the pleasure of family visitors this week, the traveling party arrived last Saturday afternoon and will depart on Saturday morning.  It's our daughter, son-in-law and two grandchildren, whom we had not seen in person in well over a year. And it's been wonderful to have them here, although our house does become a little crowded with four extra people and a dog added to our usual!  But as per usual, we make it work! So far we've had a big pizza party here at the ranch upon their arrival last weekend, a very nice family dinner at an historic site outside of Lexington on Sunday, a burger bash here at the house on Tuesday and we're planning to go out for Mexican food tomorrow night! In between we've had breakfas...

Greetings and happy October, now that the month is in full swing! Lots to be excited about, right?  We're in the thick of the college football season now, Major League Baseball has moved into its win-or-go-home postseason games (although I don't watch much when my team, the underfunded Cincinnati Reds, are not competing), leaves are turning, it's safe to order a pumpkin spice latte without being questioned (that's for a friend of mine who's a fan), and Halloween candy is abundant! I don't have a Halloween costume for this year, as has been the case for the last several years.  I was booed by my local grandchildren for saying I was dressed as a Kentucky football coach when I sported a UK cap and jacket on the big night.  Then I tried to claim I was dressed as "Bruce Wayne, eccentric billionaire," but they weren't having that, either.  I have a little time to think of something else. I spent parts of four days in the state of Tennessee last week and ...