November
1 November
RoVer's Roost RV Park
Near Casa Grande, AZ
I was late getting around to wiping down the kitchen counters and giving the stove top a good wash but got it done. The same thing with the Will Rogers weekly articles for another month. I did those after 'linner' yesterday with a break in between to do the kitchen duties.
Too engrossed in the two pixel art drawings that I have in the making. The one with 20 colors is starting to look good. The tree with 7 colors, 5 of them different than the yarn colors, is a maybe.
We were up at our usual time and did our usual walk. This got us back to Desperado at about sun rise with enough light to see what I was doing to dump holding tanks. That did not take long and we said farewell to what I will fondly remember as the 'mud hole' space.
Stopped for breakfast at Golden 9 where I had their Mushroom Omelet Special which was much better than the omelet I had the first time.. Probably will not eat here again although I'm not too far away but it is on the east side of town and I'm now on the west side.
Then went to the dental office where I had an appointment for 4 December. Wanted to change it to 30 November but they are open on Saturday 1 December which was better yet. If I can get a reservation in Huachuca City for the 1st I'll stop for the dental appointment and then move on south. Now try and get that reservation.
This is the route that I drove today, except for the stop at the dentist office, a total of 22 miles: Battaglia Dr, Sunland Gin Rd, I-10 (6 miles), Florence Blvd/AZ287, AZ84 & Montgomery Rd.
This Park is an Escapee Co-op Park like the one that I stayed at in Pahrump, NV on many occasions as well as the ones in Yuma, AZ, Lakeview, NM & Hondo, TX. They do not take reservations. I have also stayed at the Escapee Rainbow Parks (Escapee owned) in Deming, NM & Congress, AZ which do take reservations. Other than that all the Parks are much the same.
The check in was pretty simple, the woman at the desk seemed to know what she was doing which is not always the situation at an SKP Park. The spaces are wide enough but they have a 40' length restriction because of the narrow roads and sharp turns as much as the lot lengths. They also require a guide every time I return Desperado to the Park so that will be at least once each week.
I am not very far from Francisco Casa Grande, the hotel and spring training camp for the San Francisco Giants from 1962 until 1980. They then moved to Scottsdale and will be in the Papago Park complex, that formerly hosting Oakland Athletics, for the 2019 Spring.
2 November
RoVer's Roost RV Park
Near Casa Grande, AZ
Read Will Rogers column 88 years ago: November 2, 1930
I was in a space here at the Park for about 3 hours yesterday before I discovered that I had no electricity. Went to the office and got one of the staff of come check it out and sure enough I had no electricity. They moved me to a much better space with no neighbors on either side plus an empty space on my right front. All of those spaces were filled with neighbors in the space with no electricity. I got lucky!
For our afternoon walk yesterday we went east on a two track dirt path that looks like it is used mostly by people that take their trash out into the desert and dump it. It is a service road for the power line that goes a half mile east then turns north for a half mile. At that point it crosses a primitive road that is sometimes maintained that has a few houses along it as we walked back west. Then turned south on an agriculture equipment road that runs parallel to Montgomery Rd. A great 2 mile route that can be reversed giving us two routes.
"As Americans, what unites us most is our passion for, and patterns of, consumption. America is an economy, not a nation." - Ilana Mercer
James Howard Kunstler is/was a long time Democrat but could be the poster boy for the #WalkAway movement with his posting Midterm Endgame. I have quoted his closing two paragraphs.
I hope that Democrats lose as many congressional and senate seats as possible. I hope that the party is shoved into an existential crisis and is forced to confront its astounding dishonesty. I hope that the process prompts them to purge their leadership across the board. If there is anything to salvage in this organization, I hope it discovers aims and principles that are unrecognizable from its current agenda of perpetual hysteria. But if the party actually blows up and disappears, as the Whigs did a hundred and fifty years ago, I will be content. Out of the terrible turbulence, maybe something better will be born.
Or, there’s the possibility that the dregs of a defeated Democratic Party will just go batshit crazy and use the last of its mojo to incite actual sedition. Of course, there’s also a distinct possibility that the Dems will take over congress, in which case they’ll ramp up an even more horrific three-ring-circus of political hysteria and persecution that will make the Spanish Inquisition look like a backyard barbeque. That will happen as the US enters the most punishing financial train wreck in our history, an interesting recipe for epic political upheaval.
3 November
RoVer's Roost RV Park
Near Casa Grande, AZ
I had planned on going to the Pima Pistol Clubs BUG Match again this morning. But it is an even longer drive from this Park and the more I thought about it the less I could justify the expense. Because of their 30 second time restriction, my slow shooting and reloading speed I get to shoot about one third what I do with the Cochise Gun Club. I also drive about one third the distance to get to the range in Sierra Vista. I'll wait until December.
I also have the expense of a Desperado Wash-n-Wax. When I checked in I asked if there was a mobil RV wash and it just happened that there was a woman standing there waiting that was getting their rig done yesterday. I went over and got a price and an appointment for next Tuesday. From what I could see at the time, they were not finished, their Class 'A' was looking good.
We started our afternoon walk yesterday like we did the day before, on the two track dirt path. But where the power line turns north we turned south and followed some seldom used two tracks. After about three quarters of a mile we turned back west and followed an ATV's tracks until we reached Montgomery Rd which has a good path on its west side well away from very light traffic. A great 2.75 mile route that can be reversed, and I think shortened some, giving us two routes.
I have made another change in the navigation on this Home Page. There has been a big red arrow with Older Postings at the end of the posting that linked to the top of the current month's Archive page. I now have two buttons in the upper left side bar (or after the context for those of you viewing on small screens). The 'This Month' will take you to the top of the Archive page for the current month, 'Last Posting' will take you to the posting prior to the current one (usually - Yesterday).
4 November
RoVer's Roost RV Park
Near Casa Grande, AZ
My luck did not hold for very long. I now have a neighbor on my left side. He has a 22-24' bumper pull that was hell to park. It took a long time and repeated back and forths. I don't know if it was the driver or the tight roads and space that was the problem but he did get it parked.
I haven't noticed the large migration into this Park that I was seeing at High Chaparral. Maybe it comes later in the season, there are a lot of open spaces here.
We walked east again yesterday afternoon on what Google Maps shows to be W. Selma Hwy (a two track dirt road). At about the 1 mile mark we turned around and I found target Y46 built in 1966 of the Corona Satellite Calibration Targets at (32.850154, -111.842969) near W. Selma Hwy & Carmel Blvd (also a two track dirt road).
"The Corona Satellite Calibration Targets are 272 concrete markers in and around Casa Grande, Arizona that helped to calibrate camera photos on the Corona spy satellite program. The markers formed a square 16x16-mile grid, maintained from 1959 to 1972. About half of the original markers can still be found on Google satellite maps and ground inspection. - Wikipedia
I sent a request to my Huachuca City Park to extend my reservation from 1 December using their web page Contact Form. Received an automatic reply that said I would be contacted in 48 to 72 hours. It is now past 48 hours and I'll be sending another message at the end of 72. Why does it take more than 72 hours to receive, read and reply to a request? I know they would answer a phone call by the third ring with a customer sitting across the desk. I have been sitting there and watched them do that.
I'm making slow progress on the tree pixel art drawing. Using the alternative colors that I have selected it is still difficult to tell the difference on GIMP when a couple of the colors are next to each other and only cover one pixel each. I'm not convinced that it is going to look all that good but will continue just to see and get the experience. The other pixel art drawing has been on hold for the past few days. I'll be getting back to it just for the break it offers if for no other reason.
5 November
RoVer's Roost RV Park
Near Casa Grande, AZ
I received a reply to the second message that I sent to my Huachuca City RV Park. They said that a reply had been sent on 1 November, but I never received it. They also said that I am now confirmed to be staying from 1 December.
Now I can start the 'process' with the VA. Need an second opinion eye exam appointment first. I'll try to get that scheduled for December. I suspect that even this first step is going to be a problem but we will see what happens. Assuming the second opinion says that I need cataract surgery then getting an appointment for that will be the second problem. All the little details about how I am going to get to the hospital and back to Desperado and what to do with Patches while I am gone will be problem number three.
The following quote is from American Politics Is Now Just Civil War by Other Means by James George Jatras. He covers a lot of ground in this article with three anticipated results if the Democrats take control of the House and the Republicans retain the Senate. Well worth a read.
American politics is no longer about a narrow range of governing styles or competing economic interests. It is tribal. Today’s “tribes” are defined in terms of affinity for or hostility to the founding American ethnos characterized by European, overwhelming British origin (a/k/a, “white”); Christian, mainly Protestant; and English-speaking, as augmented by members of other groups who have totally or partially assimilated to that ethnos or who at least identify with it (think of Mr. Hamadura in The Camp of the Saints).
I think Will was overly optimistic. Whatever the results of the elections tomorrow are there will be half the people in this country that will not like them - American Politics Is Now Just Civil War by Other Means.
It looks like the Democrats will get in a bunch of new ones. They always do mighty well on these off years. We get ’em in on off years and get ’em out on Presidential years. But it give some people something to get worked up over, and get all excited over. It don’t mean anything. We been staggering along now about 155 years under every conceivable horse thief that could get into office, and yet here we are, still going strong...A good man can’t do nothing in office because the system is against him, and a bad one can’t do anything for the same reason. So as bad as we are better off than any other nation, so what’s the use of worry. - Will Rogers
6 November
RoVer's Roost RV Park
Near Casa Grande, AZ
I received a reply to the second message that I sent to my Huachuca City RV Park. They said that a reply had been sent on 1 November, but I never received it. They also said that I am now comfirmed to be staying from 1 December.
Now I can start the 'process' with the VA. Need an second opinion eye exam appointment first. I'll try to get that secheduled for December. I was surprised by how quick VA responded. I have the December eye exam appointment!
Our afternoon walk was the clockwise south route that I shortened to just over 2 miles. The first time we went past what was once an irrigation canal and thought at that time that I probably shoud have turned to the west there. No tire tracks for the first quarter of a mile then a two track until joining Montgomery Rd.
The narrative in this book is beyond 'thorough'. Doyle makes note of every military unit and the officers that led them for almost every battle/skirmage. A lot of British military terms and abreviations that I only half understood. I knew nothing about the Boer War, this book provided To Much Information. Note: Dr Arthur Conan Doyle served as a volunteer medical officer with the British Army during the South African War.The Great Boer War is a non-fiction work on the Boer War by Arthur Conan Doyle and first published in 1900 by Smith, Elder & Co. By the end of the war in 1902 the book had been published in 16 editions, constantly revised by Doyle. The Introduction describes the book as:
A very thorough account, including tables at the end of those killed or wounded up until the 8th September when he left South Africa. This account is compiled with as much accuracy as was attainable at this date, and with as much detail as a single volume will permit. In frequent conversations with Boers, Conan Doyle has endeavoured to get their views upon both political and military questions. Often the only documents he had to consult were the convalescent officers and men under his care, therefore some errors may have crept in. The closing scenes of the Boer War have necessarily been treated with less detail than the earlier.The book was completed in September 1900, at a time when the British believed that the war was over. However, the war continued until 1902. - Wikipedia
This posting is a good one I quote the closing.
My conclusion is that America is doomed. The people, with few exceptions, are not smart enough to continue to exist. Perhaps the outcome of the elections tomorrow [today] will change my mind. If the vote goes to the Establishment, all is lost. - What This Election Is About , Paul Craig Roberts
7 November
RoVer's Roost RV Park
Near Casa Grande, AZ
I used the Chrome Data Saver Extension for about a year until after one of the Chrome Updates it no longer worked. Uninstalled it and only after the past two days of high Verizon data usage thought about installing it again.
I did that late yesterday and it appears to be working. I'll now see if it can tell me what is using all the data. When I had it installed before it only captured about half what Verizon said I was using but that is better than nothing.
We did the same walk yesterday as the day before except in reverse - counterclockwise. I was not sure that I would recognize where we needed to turn east off of Montgomery Rd. But it was obvious if I just payed attention and didn't do some wool gathering as we walked. I tend to do that; exercise for the body and rest for the mind twice each day.
Desperado got her wash-n-wax yesterday and is looking fine. I notice that there are some places where the paint is chipping off now that it is clean but still looks good for an 18-19 years old Class 'C'. There are Parks that discriminate against RV that are over 10 years old. I love to send them pictures and ask them if my RV's appearance is up to their standards.
I stopped at a recommended RV Service shop on the way back. They are booked up until 7 December so I said thanks. As I was getting back to Desperado a fellow in another Class 'C' walked over to me and ask how I made my rig looks so good. We talked for a few minutes and as we parted he said; "It looks wonderful, wonderful, steller!" Then got a similar complement from the guide at Rovers Roost that helped me get back in my space.
Shopping day with a stop at Cook E Jar where I had their Southwest Hash - very good. This is a restaurant in historic downtown Casa Grande which does not offer much RV friendly parking.They do have public parking nearby however that looks like it is probably lots that the city acquired through the owners not paying taxes. Early in the morning they work well for Desperado but later in the day parking would be a problem.
The Establishment has to be happy with the 2018 midterm election results. They will now have the House and can devote the next two years to tearing down President Trump from the inside versus from the outside. It is good News as far as I am concerned. Now when the economy tanks President Trump can campaign for re-election that it was the Democrats in the House that caused the collapse.
McSally was the the first woman to pilot a fighter plane in combat. Now she will be the first woman Senator from Arizona. That is the good News. The bad News is she gave up her 2nd District Represenative position to a Democrat. Her one position could not have saved the House for the Republicans so maybe the bad News is not all that bad.
8 November
RoVer's Roost RV Park
Near Casa Grande, AZ
D id the Democrat voters consider this possibility? A rabid Leftist assassinates President Trump and Vice President Pence and abracadabra shazam violá you have President Pelosi. This may be the best protection that President Trump could hope to have, very close to what President Obama had with Biden as his Vice President.
That is a rhetorical question. Their actions are evidence that they do not think they only react.
January 10, 2017: Protesters interrupted the hearing where Jeff Sessions was being considered as Donald Trump's pick for attorney general. Groups oppose the nomination over Sessions' record on civil and voting rights.
November 7, 2018: President Trump fired Attorney General Jeff Sessions, and by the end of the day major leftist organizations had already put together protests in 900 U.S. cities to make a “public demand for action to correct this injustice”.
I will not quote from Pro Wrestling Explains Why Trump Wins Every Battle With The Media by Hans Fiene. I just say read it!
"Paul Ryan is ostensibly a friend who can only make Trump look bad. Pelosi is an enemy who can only make Trump look good." - Dennis Miller
This Willow Tree doesn't look that good to me but it looks as good as the picture of the cross stitch. It would have looked far worse if I had used the yarn colors converted to hex code for the internet. The frame improved it some but that is sort of like "You can put lipstick on a pig but..."I'm continuing to work on the first of the four that will be presented together in some far distant time. The next regular subject will be another one somewhat like the bonsai.
9 November
RoVer's Roost RV Park
Near Casa Grande, AZ
Read Will Rogers column 88 years ago: November 9, 1930
I called the win for McSally too soon. The final vote cout was not in and still is not in but she is now losing her Senator bid. The late count of 'early voters' has a bad smell. I suspect she will lose. So, there will still be a first woman to be a Senator from Arizona it just will not be her.
I got a neighbor on my right side yesterday afternoon. So I'm now almost surrounded as I would have been it the first space where they put me. I think the fellow on my left is a renter like myself. I spoke to him a couple days ago but he did not seem to want to have a conversation. The new neighbor I think is a lot leaseholder. I haven't had any conversation with them yet and it appears there is a good chance that I won't.
10 November
RoVer's Roost RV Park
Near Casa Grande, AZ
The Great Keinplatz Experiment is a short story that I read previously in The Captain of the Polestar and Other Tales. It is included with 11 other short stories, two of them I had also read previously. They are all good, some better than others, but all have the paranormal as a base for the stories. Doyle had strong spiritualist beliefs and included them in much that he wrote.The low temperature this morning was 45.3°, the lowest that is it been since arriving at this camp. It felt even colder with a slight wind. The high temperatures have slipped down into the 70s which is just perfect for our afternoon walks. The 10 Day forecast is now showing a couple of days in the high 60s.
Huachuca City/Whetstone has been experiencing high and lows about 5-10° less with the forecast that it will freeze during the next 10 days. I know that it is crazy to move but I need to get my eyes taken care of so that is just another price that I need to pay.
11 November
RoVer's Roost RV Park
Near Casa Grande, AZ
The latest News that I read about the Arizona Senate vote count has Sinema leading by 9,000+ votes with about 500,000 votes remaining to be counted. This drama is going to last for some time yet. There will be a recount and if there has been any significat non-citizen voting I think Sinema will loose votes. As in Florida, provisional ballots appear to have moved the Democrat into the lead.
“Those who cast the votes decide nothing. Those who count the votes decide everything.” ~ Josef Stalin
In Arizona a recount of the vote is required when the vote count in an election shows that the margin between the two candidates receiving the greatest number of votes for a particular office is less than or equal to the lesser of one-tenth of one per cent of the number of votes cast for both such candidates.
A good article by an independent freelance writer specialized in international affairs, conflicts, politics and strategies that lives in Italy. I have quoted the closing of his article.
The midterms were what Washington's allies and enemies had been waiting for in order to understand the direction of US foreign policy in the next few years. The election results present allies and enemies with an even more divided and chaotic United States, suggesting that it is time for them to stop waiting for Washington. Given that Trump does not control his foreign policy, any attempt to engage in dialogue with him is pointless. The sooner allies and enemies realize this, and act accordingly, the better off they will be. Washington and her elite seem too caught up in domestic dynamics to notice that their behaviour is only accelerating the transition to a multipolar world order. - The ‘War Party’ Wins the Midterm Elections, Accelerating the Transition to a Multipolar World Order, Federico Pieraccini
The Spanish word for today is Acosta; now Jim gotta do the NEWS from 'acosta' the street.
12 November
RoVer's Roost RV Park
Near Casa Grande, AZ
I downloaded The Complete Works Of H.P. Lovecraft from archives.org some time ago and have been reading the short stories that make up the bulk of the book in between reading other authors. This novella and 'Dexter Ward', which I will read next, are two book length stories that I have come upon as I progress through what would be 584 pages in the printed book.The Complete Works is a misnomer it should be titled H. P. Lovecraft's fiction because he wrote much more than what is in this collection of short stories. They are what he is most known for however with about 60 stories included in the collection. He was virtually unknown and published only in pulp magazines before he died in poverty, but he is now regarded as one of the most significant 20th-century authors of horror and weird fiction. Some of the stories are really WEIRD.
The Dream-Quest of Unknown Kadath is a novella by American writer H. P. Lovecraft. Begun probably in the autumn of 1926, the draft was completed on January 22, 1927 and it remained unrevised and unpublished in his lifetime. It is both the longest of the stories that make up his Dream Cycle and the longest Lovecraft work to feature protagonist Randolph Carter. Along with his 1927 novel The Case of Charles Dexter Ward, it can be considered one of the significant achievements of that period of Lovecraft's writing. The Dream-Quest combines elements of horror and fantasy into an epic tale that illustrates the scope and wonder of humankind's ability to dream. The story was published posthumously by Arkham House in 1943.
I could feel that it was cold before going out this morning but it was colder than I thought. I wore my possum fur headband but didn't take my gloves which was a mistake. The low was 35.2° with it forecast to be 44. The next three days are expected to be the same so I'll be wearing my gloves and perhaps my wool watch cap. The weather station that I check in Huachuca City/Whetstone was reporting a below freezing temperature this morning. It seems too early to be winter what happened to autumn?
I got started drawing sakura as pixel art which looks better than the bonsai did at the same stage of completion. I have high hopes for it. The first of four that I am also drawing is nearly finished. I was trying to fine-tune one of the colors in the finished portions of the picture yesterday and made a mess of it. Took me an hour or more to recover but it was a good learning experience. “Good judgment comes from experience, and a lot of that comes from bad judgment.”- Will Rogers
13 November
RoVer's Roost RV Park
Near Casa Grande, AZ
Today was laundry and shopping day. Stopped and did laundry first then to Fry's for groceries. I had picked a restaurant online that claimed to open at 8:00 am was the reason for my changing my usual order of doing these things. However, when I got to the restaurant at 8:30 it was closed and may be out of business. So doubled back to JB's which was packed with my coevals partaking of the breakfast buffet. I ordered a Spinach, Bacon, Mushroom with Swiss Cheese which was much better than the first breakfast I had there but the prices are high.
I had my gloves on this morning and was glad that I did. The low was 47° but with a wind that made it feel as cold as yesterday. There was still a cold wind blowing from the NNE at 10:00 am that was kicking up a lot of dust and the temperature only up to 56 with an expected 64 for the high. If the weather guessers are right it will be back into the 70s tomorrow with not as much wind.
14 November
RoVer's Roost RV Park
Near Casa Grande, AZ
The wind was still blowing this morning but not as hard as yesterday afternoon. That made this morning's low of 47° feel colder again but the high today is expected to be in the 70s so our afternoon walk should be pleasant.
I will be getting the holding tanks dumped later today when/if the wind dies down and it warms up some more. If not today then tomorrow. I'm getting close to needing to add water and prefer to do both chores at the same time.
Language: The Indispensable Fundamental Actuator of False Orthodoxy by Doug “Uncola” Lynn begins the posting with reference to Ayn Rand’s The Fountainhead. He then goes on to use Ellsworth Toohey's discussion with Peter Keating in the book to makes his point.
The article by Lynn is well worth a read as is what Toohey had to say. I quoted that Toohey discussion starting 29 March 2011 thru 31 March 2011 and then Howard Roark's Courtroom Speech starting 2 April 2011 thru 4 April 2011 if you have an interest.
Why The U.S. Military Is Woefully Unprepared For A Major Conventional Conflict by South Front writers Brian Kalman, Daniel Deiss and Edwin Watson is a very long analysis of strengths and weaknesses in the U.S. military. I quote their closing paragraph in the Conclusion.
There is very little chance that the reforms mentioned in this analysis will be adopted, or that the United States will move in a direction that brings it back to its inception as a constitutional republic. The interests of the military industrial complex in promoting conflict, and maximizing financial profit will continue to steer the United States military, and the nation as a whole, on an unsustainable and self-destructive path. There is little doubt that if the Deep State pushes the nation to war against Russia or China, and likely an alliance of the two, that the United States military has ever been in a weaker position. Such a conflict would be of no benefit to any of the nations concerned, yet many potential flash points exist that could lead to a conflict, including the South China Sea, Syria or Ukraine. As the United States plays catch-up after decades of military adventurism, China and Russia have spent that same time patiently and judiciously gathering their strength. The scenario of a one-sided victory in favor of the United States is pure fantasy, existing only in the daydreams of the emperor who wears no clothes.
15 November
RoVer's Roost RV Park
Near Casa Grande, AZ
It was 34° when we went out for our walk this morning and then got colder while we were out there with the low just above freezing. When we got back to Desperado I fired up the Wave 6 heater for the first time since it was only 37 at 7:15. It never reached the expected 70s yesterday with high thin cloud cover and the wind blowing all day. Very little wind this morning and clear so we might get into the 70s today.
I completed the first of four pixel art drawings that I plan on showing together as a series. This one had the fewest colors of the four with 16. I can only hope that the other three have the same color contrasts that the first one did. With that many colors GIMP was able to recognize each one as a separate shade although some of them appeared to me to be very similar.
You see a lot of Lame Sream Media coverage about the recount in Florida and there was some reporting about the Arizona Senate race. There is a bigger story in Post-Election Blue Wave: Democrats Have Flipped 2 Senate Seats And A Large Number Of House Seats Since Election Night by Michael T. Snyder that is not being reported.
Initially it did not appear that the much-hyped “blue wave” would be that impressive, but since election night we have seen race after race flip in favor of the Democrats. In fact, vote totals have moved in favor of the Democratic candidate in almost every race that was not officially settled on November 6th. As a result, it has now become clear that a “blue wave” has materialized, and Republicans are scrambling to try to save some of the seats that are still being contested. The biggest prize is the Senate seat in Florida where a recount is currently being conducted. But there are also a number of House seats that are still up for grabs, and as you will see below, vote totals are rapidly moving in favor of the Democratic candidates in several of those races.
16 November
RoVer's Roost RV Park
Near Casa Grande, AZ
Read Will Rogers column 88 years ago: November 16, 1930
That gives you a pretty good line on Politics; their personal feelings have nothing to do with it, it’s which way will the most votes be. I believe a Candidate would go over Niagara Falls if he was sure the wind was with him. - Will Rogers (from his column this week)
The Democrats had a Blue Wave in the 1930 election which set up the Roosevelt years 1933-1945. It was during those years that Socialism made its biggest advances after Wilson's terms. What might we expect in 2020?
"A really great people can never accept a secondary part in the history of Humanity, nor even one of the first, but will have the first part. A nation which loses this belief ceases to be a nation." - The Possessed (The Devils), Fyodor Dostoyevsky
It warmed up nicely on the sunny side of Desperado by 10:00 am yesterday. I got out there are did the holding tank dumps and took on a tank full of fresh water. The Park here has some of the highest water pressure that I can remember. Filled the tank in about half the usual time.
It was a little warmer this morning with the low at 36° but not enough that I noticed. It was still in the 40s at 8:00. The afternoon high was almost 80 which was warmer than forecast. That made the temperature range 46.2 degrees for the day. Not quite up to the 50 degrees that make it Newsworthy but getting close. If the forecast comes to pass we will have a week of similar temperatures.
17 November
RoVer's Roost RV Park
Near Casa Grande, AZ
A branch with sacura (cherry blossoms) that did not look good while I was drawing it. The colors blend when viewed at only 100% and I think it turned out looking very nice.Since the last two drawings have had a Japanese theme I went to the Japan category and found two patterns that have reasonable numbers of colors. There are two others in the category that have more colors than I am willing to try at this time.
Not much News other than voting recounts. The Lame Stream Media is doing a victory lap for Acosta getting access to the White House. However, they are probably premature that drama is going to continue. If it were me I would discontinue the White House briefings; they no longer serve the purpose for which they were first established.
Not much happening with me either. I'm cooking up some more breakfast meals, going to get the next two pixel art projects underway and read more of the long novel that I have on my Paperwhite.
18 November
RoVer's Roost RV Park
Near Casa Grande, AZ
I got both of the pixel art drawing projects set up yesterday. The second one in the four part series has 20 colors versus 16 in the first one. It looked to me when I was setting up the color palette that there are a lot of similar shades but I'm going to try my best to use what the yarn to hex conversion has given me. The Japanese drawing is only 8 colors but some of them are shades of the same colors. The second Japanese pattern I decided I would not draw; much too dark.
I got the breakfast meals ready yesterday and being in the cooking frame of mind made up a batch of grain, peas-n-carrots and Ricotta cheese. I may make up another batch today using chicken. That and doing some pixel drawing as well as reading is about all that I consider doing.
I have found an author that says much the same things about the Media as Caitlin Johnstone. The article that this quote was taken from makes a lot of sense.
The habit of seeking authority is ... in fact, one of the more hard wired aspects of being human. We are a social animal and we are constantly on the lookout for people to watch and learn from. In many ways, this capacity is the “secret of our success” and the foundation of culture itself. However, when we look at our hardwired “attention allocation” functions, we discover that human beings use a pretty simple model: pay attention to the people who other people are paying attention to. As a society, we are obsessed with who has attention, and conspicuously less interested in whether it is deserved. - Jordan Hall @ Deep Code.
19 November
RoVer's Roost RV Park
Near Casa Grande, AZ
We went shopping again this morning. Breakfast was at Cook E Jar where I got their Huevos con Chorizo with some good home fries. Then a quick stop at Fry's for groceries for me. Next stop was at Tractor Supply where I cleaned their shelves of Earthborn Meadow Feast for Patches.
At the Park I asked to have my propane tank filled and they got a little over 5 gallons in it before their tank went dry. They have a supply coming in today but the 5 gallons will last me for a month or two even when using my Wave 6 heater. I fill up in Huachuca City when this is used up.
I received an email today with a message that started as quoted below. The 'hacker' claimed that all kinds of nasty things were in store for me BUT for only $782 payable in Bitcoins they will not happen. It look from July until now to put together everything that I should pay blackmail to suppress; that is a lot of time spent on me. The IP Address is from a well known Spammer so I this ol' timer is not going to pay.
"Hello! I have bad news for you.
19/07/2018 - on this day I hacked your operating system and got full access to your account...I think $782 is a very small amount for my silence. Besides, I spent a lot of time on you!"
There needs to be something done about these racist Mexican protesters. Why can't Tijuana be a sanctuary city like San Francisco or most of the other cities in Norte California?
"Mexican protesters took to the streets on Sunday to protest the growing influx of Central American migrants who have made their way to the border city of Tijuana. In the most recent protest, groups of Tijuana residents want to evict the migrants from a shelter where approximately 2,000 Central Americans are staying. The Tijuana government set up the shelter as the city witnessed a reported buildup of federal and state police forces while the numbers of migrants continue to climb."
20 November
RoVer's Roost RV Park
Near Casa Grande, AZ
I said that I would try and use the converted Hex colors for the second in the series four. Couldn't do it. I completed half of the sky and it did not look good at all. Two of the colors were so close in shade that GIMP selected them both when either color was selected.
It may look good when using yarn but does not convert very well to HEX colors. Part of the problem may be that the patterns I'm drawing from specify the yarns by Anchor numbers. I have not been able to find a conversion from Anchor to Hex so convert to DMC yarn colors then to Hex.
I spent a couple hours yesterday trying to find three colors that would 'blend' and give me a sky that looked good. Stumbled upon a web page that had a 'Color Blending Tool' which got me on the right track. What I have now looks good; better than the first drawing but there are different problems with the sky in that one.
Not much News except for a falling Dow Index. The financial analysts are doing their best to spin the market back up but they seem to be failing. I have a feeling that the November jobs report will be poor and that will push the Dow down some more. The US dollar will suffer as well.
But this is an example of some clickbait published by an alt-media website that has been taking lessons from the Lame Stream Media. That LOAD OF US Treasuries is just over 1% of their holdings.
HEADLINE:
Dollar In Crisis Mode: China Just Dumped A LOAD Of US Treasuries AGAIN
Then in the body of the story "China has slashed it’s share by nearly $14 billion, with the country’s holdings falling to $1.15 trillion from nearly $1.17 trillion in August".
21 November
RoVer's Roost RV Park
Near Casa Grande, AZ
The space that I was in until yesterday has been for sale since I got here. It sold and the owner wanted to move in today so I moved. I'm still on the same side of the Park on the same side of the street so continue to have a limited view of something other than my neighbors.
The new location changed my morning walking route slightly. Not really walking a different route just in a different order with a little change at the end to reach the 2 mile mark. Afternoon walks will remain the same except where I leave and return to the Park.
These large stock market declines are starting to become a regular thing, and tech stocks are getting hit particularly hard. But we have been in a bull market for such a long time that many investors are having a difficult time comprehending what is happening. Many just keep believing that their beloved tech stocks will eventually bounce back because they just can’t accept the fact that the party is over. At this point, all of the “FANG stocks” have officially entered bear market territory. Facebook is down 39.5 percent from their 52 week high, Amazon is down 25.4 percent, Netflix is down 35.6 percent and Google is down 20.3 percent...
When Facebook decided to start censoring people for their political views on a massive basis, that was the beginning of the end for the company. At this point they have alienated millions upon millions of users that were once addicted to the service, and that is damage that will never be repaired. - Michael Snyder
22 November
RoVer's Roost RV Park
Near Casa Grande, AZ
HAPPY THANKSGIVING
The only thing different about yesterday was the loss of electricity. I think I was drawing pixel art on my Toshiba for over an hour before I realized I was on battery power. I went to the Park office and told them I had no electricity they said that an electric pole had been hit and they hoped to restore power by 3:00. That is about the time that I found I had power and could charge up both laptops and my MIFI device.
"Fast rail is hardly unique to China, but the scale is. So far there are 17,000 miles of fast rail in China, aiming at 24,000 by 2025. The United States couldn’t finish the environmental impact statement as quickly. The Shanghai maglev line reaches 267 mph." - Fred Reed, Two Weeks in China Part II. Two Weeks in China Part I is worth reading also.
"The lesson to take away, or at any rate the one I took away, is that this is a very serious and competent country and not to be underestimated." - Fred Reed
Substitute Weather Underground, John Birch Society, Antifa or Proud Boys for riff-raff and what Dostoyevsky said about Russia in 1871 holds true for the US in the 1960s, 1970s and today.
"In turbulent times of upheaval or transition low characters always come to the front everywhere. I am not speaking now of the so-called “advanced” people who are always in a hurry to be in advance of everyone else (their absorbing anxiety) and who always have some more or less definite, though often very stupid, aim. No, I am speaking only of the riff-raff. In every period of transition this riff-raff, which exists in every society, rises to the surface, and is not only without any aim but has not even a symptom of an idea, and merely does its utmost to give expression to uneasiness and impatience. Moreover, this riff-raff almost always falls unconsciously under the control of the little group of “advanced people” who do act with a definite aim, and this little group can direct all this rabble as it pleases, if only it does not itself consist of absolute idiots, which, however, is sometimes the case." - The Possessed (The Devils), Fyodor Dostoyevsky
23 November
RoVer's Roost RV Park
Near Casa Grande, AZ
Read Will Rogers column 88 years ago: November 23, 1930
Not much News today. The reporteras are either recovering from the Thanksgiving dinner that Trump invited them to or they are all out fighting the Black Friday crowds. No shopping for me. I do plan on doing some online next week which will add to the new tradition of online shopping the week after Black Friday.
I have the latest Japanese pixel art drawing almost ready to display. I'll be doing that tomorrow. I got a little distracted by setting up the next Japanese drawing that will have 21 colors, the most that I have tried. I found out quickly that I have a lot of 'similar colors' as defined by GIMP when the Select by Color Tool is used. I think I have developed a work around for this situation so the next drawing will be a test of that idea.
It is only while drawing that this is an issue. The colors will be shown on the computer screen using the Hex color specified but they are so similar that with only a few pixels next to each other a difference can not be seen in the final drawing.
I read Crime and Punishment many years ago and remember nothing about it except the confusing cast of character names. Read The Brothers Karamazov not too many years ago and thought it was good so gave this book a try. I have to agree that it is a most confused novel. However, I think my couple of years in Bulgaria gave me a little insight into how Slavs tell stories so it was not that bad. I may give Crime and Punishment another go - but not soon.The Possessed sometimes also called Demons or The Devils was first published in the journal The Russian Messenger in 1871–2. It is considered one of the four masterworks written by Dostoevsky after his return from Siberian exile, along with Crime and Punishment (1866), The Idiot (1869) and The Brothers Karamazov (1880). Demons is a social and political satire, a psychological drama, and large scale tragedy. Joyce Carol Oates has described it as "Dostoevsky's most confused and violent novel, and his most satisfactorily 'tragic' work." - Edited Wikipedia
24 November
RoVer's Roost RV Park
Near Casa Grande, AZ
This drawing was very easy. It is small with a lot of colors that could be bucket dumped. The new one that I started is just the opposite and is going to take me some time to finish. I think I have now used all of the 21 colors and 5 of them are very similar in color to one or two of the others. While I am drawing I'll be using substitute colors for those 5 and then replace them with the required colors when finished drawing. That is the plan, I'll see if that works.During and interview with The Guardian Hillary projected her beliefs upon right wing populist. If what she said were true then she would have been elected rather than Trump.
Clinton said rightwing populists in the west met “a psychological as much as political yearning to be told what to do, and where to go, and how to live and have their press basically stifled and so be given one version of reality. - The Guardian
25 November
RoVer's Roost RV Park
Near Casa Grande, AZ
This book was included in the download of The Complete Works of H. P. Lovecraft that I have been reading off and on. Most of Works are short stories that were only published in magazines this was a book published long after he died.The Case of Charles Dexter Ward is a short horror novel (51,500 words) by American writer H. P. Lovecraft, written in early 1927, but not published during the author's lifetime. Set in Lovecraft's hometown of Providence, Rhode Island, it was first published (in abridged form) in the May and July issues of Weird Tales in 1941; the first complete publication was in Arkham House's Beyond the Wall of Sleep collection (1943). - Wikipedia
Another shopping day with breakfast at the Iron Skillet. I got their Corned Beef Hash and Eggs with hashbrowns. It was good but pricey, I don't remember Iron Skillet being expensive in the past. Maybe just this location.
Then a grocery stop at Fry's. I'll be stopping there one more time as I go through town next week on my way to the next camp. I don't usually shop on a travel day but there have been exceptions and next week will be one of them.
A very quiet News cycle during this Thanksgiving weekend. Tomorrow is Cyber Monday, the online shopping extravaganza that competes with Black Friday for Credit Card buying. I'll do some online buying on Tuesday or Wednesday and avoid the crowds. HA
26 November
RoVer's Roost RV Park
Near Casa Grande, AZ
During the past couple of day I have read Evergreen by Jerome K. Jerome, all 24 pages of it in paperback. Also read Fanny and the Servant Problem by Mr. Jerome which is a four act play that totals 70 pages in paperback. I read both on my Paperwhite from Gutenberg downloads. Evergreen is worth a read but as a rule I do not like reading plays and this one was not an exception. Neither merit a book cover picture to go with this terse review although you can see them at Amazon where the Kindle price is $0.00.
The News seems to be focusing on the Ukraine versus Russia Sea of Azov brouhaha as well as the 'migrants' in Tijuana.
The Establishment will do their best to get the US embroiled in the Russian dispute which could easily lead to a war that the US can not win. Our military can not defeat the Taliban what makes any reasonable person think they can succeed against the Russians and China (Russia and China would form a tag team that would clean our clock).
So far President Trump is winning the 'caravan war' but he is fighting not just the caravan but The Establishment. The real purpose behind the caravan is to remove Trump which I am sure he is very much aware.
27 November
RoVer's Roost RV Park
Near Casa Grande, AZ
Amazon announced that it processed the largest number of product orders in one day,Cyber Monday, than at any point in its history. I played no part in the historic achievement. I did my online shopping this morning.
Ordered #5 of coffee from Leapknot Coffee Roaster in Pocatello, ID. That is the company that helped me by grinding a bag of whole beans that I had received from Arbuckles. I do like Arbuckles but have become more and more disenchanted with the management of the company. I think, do not know, that the day to day management has been turned over to the son. I'll be writing a review of the Leapknot coffee sometime after 6 December.
The two pixel art drawing projects that I have underway are both moving along slowly. They are both more complex than almost all of the prior drawings that I have attempted. Probably will get very little done on either of them today or in the next few days.
It is nearing month end and time to move. I'll be copying and formatting another month of Will Rogers weekly articles today. Then over the next couple of days it will be house cleaning time plus holding tank dumps and adding water. Busy times. HA
28 November
RoVer's Roost RV Park
Near Casa Grande, AZ
The Great Shadow is a novella the other are two short stories. First, The Crime of the Brigadier features brigadier Etienne Gerard the conceited French general that is always a joy to read. Second, The "Slapping Sal" was a repeat from a previously read book.The Great Shadow and other Napoleonic Tales, is an action and adventure novel published in 1892. The novel takes place in the Napoleonic era on the English–Scottish border city called West Inch. The Great Shadow refers to the Napoleon’s influence and his reputation that forms a shadow over West Inch. - Edited Wikipedia
On 20 October 2018 I posted about The Bill and Hillary Clinton Roadshow opening at the Park Theater at Park MGM, Las Vegas, NV on 18 November. Well that was rescheduled for May 5, 2019 at the same venue.
They had their tour opening in Toronto last night. The original seating price range was from $53 to $434 per seat, a few seats were as high as $750. One ticket was going for $6.55 in the final minutes before the event. Officials said the Clintons sold about 3,300 seats in a venue that can hold about 19,000 for a big hockey game when the Maple Leafs play.
They entertain again tonight at the Bell Centre in Montreal. If they do not draw a crowd in a more liberal/Leftist Canada they are going to be hard pressed to get much of a crowd in the United States. Their first US appearance will be at the Smart Financial Centre, Sugar Land, TX on 4 December. Then opening in New York in April 2019 which may be canceled and the Tour closed down.
29 November
RoVer's Roost RV Park
Near Casa Grande, AZ
The Green Flag and Other Stories of War and Sport is a collection of 13 short stories published on 27 March 1900. There were five of them that I had read before and recognized that I had by their title. When that happens I do not read them again. If I can remember the title I'll remember the story. Some of the books now sold using this book title have 15 stories, the other two being the 'others' in The Great Shadow and other Napoleonic Tales . I downloaded the book from Gutenberg. The eight that I read were good and are recommended.Construction of the Hong Kong–Zhuhai–Macao Bridge project began on 15 December 2009 and opened to the public on 24 October 2018. As Fred Reed says in Comparing China and America: Economies Diverge, Police States Converge; "The US would take longer to decide to build it than the Chinese took actually to build it." Fred makes a lot of comparisons in the article that is well worth reading.
I found a chuckle for my few RV readers.
A blonde goes into a coffee shop and notices there's a "peel and win" sticker on her coffee cup.
So she peels it off and starts screaming, "I've won a motorhome! I've won a motorhome!" The waitress says, "That's impossible. The biggest prize is a free Lunch.?"
But the blonde keeps on screaming, "I've won a motorhome! I've won a motorhome!"
Finally, the manager comes over and says, "Ma'am, I'm sorry, but you're mistaken. You couldn't have possibly won a motorhome because we didn't have that as a prize.
The blonde says, "No, it's not a mistake. I've won a motorhome!"
And she hands the ticket to the manager and HE reads... "WINABAGEL"
30 November
RoVer's Roost RV Park
Near Casa Grande, AZ
Read Will Rogers column 88 years ago: November 30, 1930
There was some wind last night after sundown which usually means a storm is blowing in. I could hear some rain on Desperado's roof as I went to sleep and there was a lot of standing water in the roads within the Park this morning.
The closest Weather Underground station claims that the rain did not start until almost 1:00 am today and dropped 0.20" in an hour. There are still a lot of clouds that will keep the fields that we walk in muddy so it may be that we do our afternoon walk in the Park.
Will do the holding tank dumps and get water tank filled when it warms up a little more. That will complete my preparations for moving tomorrow. I'll stop in Casa Grande for a dental appointment, pick up groceries and breakfast then on the road.
I have quoted from Don’t Get Distracted By The Trump/Fed Soap Opera – The Crash Will Continue by Brandon Smith which I think is much more realistic than the financial pap that the Main Stream Media is feeding the masses.
The battle between Trump and the Fed is purely a soap opera designed to lure conservatives into the Neo-con fold as they are told that Trump is a mere victim of Federal Reserve’s interest rate hikes. The rest of the world is being told that Trump is a gigantic baby, throwing a tantrum over a collapsing stock market bubble that he originally took credit for. They will be told that it is Trump’s tariffs and populism that are destabilizing the economy, not the Fed’s tightening into economic weakness.
The truth is, BOTH Trump and the Fed are working in tandem while playing a game of pretend-fighting that Trump knows well from his days in the WWE (World Wrestling Entertainment) and reality TV.
The establishment wants the system to break down, but at a speed that is manageable for them and psychologically disarming for us.
In a remarkable gesture of bipartisan cooperation President Trump has named Hillary as ambassador to North Sentinel Island. - Fake News