January
1 January 2022
Red Barn RV Park
Benson, AZ
Happy New Year
I wanted to pay for another month and my electric bill. There was a different woman there, I think the owner, that said the host was in the hospital after having a heart attack. We then had a short conversation when I asked if the host had received the “jab”.
The owner has the same opinions about the vaxx as myself and said that she knew a 30 year old man that was suffering with heart issues that were probably vaxx induced.
There was more rain this morning but after we were back in Desperado where it was nice and dry. It is forecast to become sunny but cold. The expected low tomorrow morning is 24° and 27 Monday morning. Those are not temperatures that are fit for man or beast but we will brave them.
I had a problem with Google Drive this morning where my blog web page is prepared as a draft. I hope I can get this posted today and that it is not a precursor of how things will be in this New Year of 20 20 Too.
2 January 2022
Red Barn RV Park
Benson, AZ
The low this morning was 23.9°, as was forecasted which surprised me, that happened in the early hours. It was slightly warmer when we did our walk but I was cold. Mostly it was feet and hands but my legs were cold by the time we finished and that was while wearing thermal bottoms.
The forecast low tomorrow is about the same but then warming to just below freezing for the next few days after that. I need to get the propane tank filled during my next shopping trip that is for sure — winter has just begun.
I’ll be staying close to the Wave 6 and burning propane for most of today. It is expected that it will warm up into the 50s but just above freezing at 9:00 am. Book reading weather.
3 January 2022
Red Barn RV Park
Benson, AZ
It was warmer this morning with the low at 29.7°. My hands and feet were cold again but not the legs so I could tell that it was freezing but warmer. The high today may approach 60 which will also be welcome.
I’ll be doing much the same things today that I do most every day. My neighbor might come over and check the coach battery. That will be the only difference from most days. Shopping and laundry tomorrow plus get Desperado’s propane tank filled. Maybe see about a replacement coach battery.
Greer has aptly described what we can expect when Biden meets Putin this week.
…[T]he United States has a uniquely counterproductive notion of how negotiation works. Elsewhere on the planet, people understand that when you negotiate you’re seeking a compromise in which you get whatever you most need out of the situation while the other side gets enough of its own agenda met to be willing to cooperate. To the US, by contrast, negotiation means that the other side complies with US demands, and that’s the end of it. The idea that other countries might have their own interests, and might expect to receive some substantive benefit in exchange for cooperation with the US, has apparently never entered the heads of official Washington—and the absence of that idea has resulted in the cascading failures of US foreign policy in recent years.
The keynote of American foreign policy in the post-Soviet era, to cite only the most egregious of those failures, should have been driving as deep a wedge as possible between Russia and China, the only two nations large and strong enough to threaten the US–centric world order. Instead, in a display of political stupidity unmatched in modern times, the US government has gone out of its way to drive Russia and China into each other’s arms, and recently accomplished the even more impressive feat of convincing the Islamic Republic of Iran to join the Russo-Chinese alliance. The result has been to turn a crippled Russia, a potentially friendly China, and an internationally isolated Iran into a Eurasian power bloc that rivals the US in its potential for global hegemony and is spoiling for a fight. — The Retro Future by John Michael Greer
4 January 2022
Red Barn RV Park
Benson, AZ
Ireceived my second 25# of dog food from Chewy yesterday but the dog bed that I ordered at the same time was not in the box. The contents label claimed that it was but the box was not big enough and it was not in there.
I had a Chat with Chewy and the rep promptly placed a replacement order. Maybe get it by the end of the week. This is the second time that I have had a problem with missing items from Chewy. They are prompt in fixing the problem but they do have some order filling issues.
The first stop in town this morning was to do laundry. There at the laundromat was a young woman with CO plates on a car that looked like she was using it for car camping. More interesting was her miniature cattle dog that was a year old, so fully grown, that weighed about 23#. I wanted to ask her how much he cost but restrained myself.
A quick stop at Safeway. Then breakfast at the Farmhouse Restaurant where they had a smaller crowd than usual but the same good breakfast and service.
I then went to Love’s on the west side of town at the I-10 exit and got Desperado’s propane tank filled. That took a lot longer than I would have expected. Nowever, I took the time to stop at my computer repair guy’s shop and show off Erik. Maybe get the Chromebook back soon.
That had me back in the Park in time to go to the office and pick up the Old Bisbee Roaster coffee order that was delivered. They did not have any Columbian when I placed the order, maybe supply chain problems, so I’ll be trying some of their Gutamalian.
Erik and I did the mid-day walk and then I got busy with the post. Great weather during the day today but with cold mornings.
This may be a pun wannbe.
The CDC says, it’s not Omicron unless it comes from the Omicrónne region of France.
Otherwise, it’s just sparkling Covid.
5 January 2022
Red Barn RV Park
Benson, AZ
Nothing much happening here. I did get a new neighbor on my west side yesterday. This one is a 5th wheel horse trailer with human living space in the front. No horses in the back the best I can tell.
The neighbor that was there bought a smaller 5th wheel, only a twin axle, to replace the triple axle that was in that space. They then moved their new RV to a space on the north side of the Park that is perhaps 100 yards farther from I-10 but they claim it is quieter. It will stay here in the Park year around.
They are going to put the triple axle 5th wheel up for consignment sale here in Benson. They also have an enclosed utility trailer that sometimes serves as a garage for their ATV. It may stay here, I’m not sure. They bought a three car hauler that will carry a SUV, a Ranchero/El Camino and the ATV back to WI when it thaws. All those vehicles will join the two other RVs that are sitting in WI now. My head spins just thinking about the total cost of all these toys.
It looks like we will get another very nice day with a high in the mid 60s after a low this morning of 25.9° which did not feel that cold.
I have experienced what JMG writes about when I tell people that I don’t own a TV, telephone or microwave. I went seven years with no car and became a non-entity. You simply do not exist in the United States unless you have a car.
…[T]he pressure toward technological conformity is a real force in today’s society, and it can be measured in the collision between those who decide not to embrace the latest technologies and those who react to that decision. Today, a significant number of Americans, for one good reason or another, choose not to use cell phones, televisions, automobiles, microwave ovens, and an assortment of other currently fashionable technologies. On the other hand, an even larger number of Americans get really remarkably freaky about people who make such choices.…
Shouldn’t so simple and personal a choice be their own business and nobody else’s? To judge by the reactions commonly fielded by those who make such choices, apparently not. — The Retro Future by John Michael Greer
The Biden administration’s travel restrictions imposed because of Omnicron are more racist than the Trump restrictions were on Coronavirus®.
Any travelers from South Africa will now need to fly to Mexico City, catch a bus to the U.S. border, walk across and then be put on a free Biden flight to the city of their choice.
6 January 2022
Red Barn RV Park
Benson, AZ
A low of 27.1° this morning with the expected high to be 69. That high temperature is going to be great with lots of sun and a clear sky. Maybe even warmer tomorrow if the forecast 71 should happen. Chamber of Commerce daytime temperatures with cold mornings.
I’ll get out there and do the holding tank dumps and add water while the great weather continues. That is the only To Do on my list for the day. Everything else will be just my usual routine.
It has taken 100 years for solar power to become the power source that is going to replace oil. So the believers in ‘progress’ contend. I have my doubts.
The Nobel Prize in Physics 1921 was awarded to Albert Einstein “for his services to Theoretical Physics, and especially for his discovery of the law of the photoelectric effect.”
Albert Einstein received his Nobel Prize one year later, in 1922. During the selection process in 1921, the Nobel Committee for Physics decided that none of the year’s nominations met the criteria as outlined in the will of Alfred Nobel. According to the Nobel Foundation’s statutes, the Nobel Prize can in such a case be reserved until the following year, and this statute was then applied. Albert Einstein therefore received his Nobel Prize for 1921 one year later, in 1922.
In my opinion, there has not been a majority of proud American individualists since the late 1800s.
Americans like to think of themselves as proud individualists, but like so many elements of the American self-image, that’s an absurd fiction. These days, as a rule, Americans are meek conformists who tremble with horror at the thought that they might be caught straying in the least particular from whatever other people expect of them. — The Retro Future by John Michael Greer
7 January 2022
Red Barn RV Park
Benson, AZ
Read Will Rogers column 88 years ago: January 7, 1934
The distiller is back at work doing its thing. The water here has far less minerals than at Quail Ridge. Here I can distill three gallons of water and clean the boiler with some vinegar. At Quail Ridge I must clean it after every gallon and must use Lime Away or a lot of hard scrubbing with a steel mail pad.
Yesterday around mid-day I was waiting for the Park office to get the mail and forgot all about doing a walk with Erik. He didn’t remind me so I guess he was happy to get a rest day.
I discovered another one of his quirks on our last shopping day. I wanted to use the washer with the windshield wipers so turn them on. He tried to attack them! He was up on the dash in a flash ready to take them on. He has some other strange behaviors that you have to see; very hard to describe. A strange dog.
…[T]he most colorful works of imaginative fiction we’ve seen of late have come from those economists and politicians who keep insisting that the only way out of our current economic and social malaise is to do even more of the same things that got us into it. — The Retro Future by John Michael Greer
This quote is from a good article by JHK who is on the same wavelength as Greer.
The virus looks like it’s on that ol’ exit ramp, but the disintegrating economy will still be with us, and no amount of political degeneracy disguised as virtue will stop it. We still have to manage our lives individually and collectively going through it. It’s going to be a tough slog. The federal government in its current iteration is looking like more of an impediment than a help to any of us. Its current hysterical flounderings send a clear message: You can’t depend on us to do anything right. Instead, select a favorable place to plant your flag, and figure out what you can do locally to rebuild some means of productive activity, fortify basic institutions of law, public safety, and money, and restore credible authority.–When That Ol’ Mojo Stops Workin’, James Howard Kunstler
8 January 2022
Red Barn RV Park
Benson, AZ
I received the dog bed from Chewy yesterday. Erik required a few repeated commands, but I have placed it in three different locations and he has now taken ownership. Patches has her bed back — I hope.
The distilling is finished again; only need to clean the boiler and put it away for another week or 10 days.
I have downloaded and started to read a cultural history of the United States that is either going to support the 1619 Project or oppose it. This is the first of seven US history books that I have on my To Read list. With all the other books that are on the list I may get them read this year.
As a civilization approaches its end, the divergence between the world as it exists and the mental models that define the world for the civilization’s inmates becomes total, and its decisions and actions become lethally detached from reality.— The Retro Future by John Michael Greer
Industrial society is trying to “progress” without bothering to ask whether any sane person would want to live in the world that progress is creating. When every upgrade has more bugs and fewer benefits than the last, and “new” no longer means “improved,” it’s time to challenge the mythology of progress and go back to what works. — Book promo@ goodreads.com
Many wonder why the nation is fracturing, but few bother to look at the collapse of moral legitimacy as a primary factor. Does anyone ask why trust in institutions and government has collapsed? The reason is these institutions have become little more than rackets enriching insiders and middleman-grifters; they have lost moral legitimacy which is the fundamental foundation of democracy and a market-based economy.–Why Don’t We Cut Out the Middleman and Just Elect Pfizer and Merck?, Charles Hugh Smith
9 January 2022
Red Barn RV Park
Benson, AZ
I had some garbanzos cooking in the Thermal Cooker overnight. Today I’ll add some yellow split peas to them and cook that combination through today and tonight. By tomorrow that pottage will be ready for future ‘linners’.
It was not very cold this morning but that will change for next week. There was some partial cloud cover this morning that will become cloudy with morning lows back into the 30s. The highs for the day may stay in the mid 60s which is good if the wind isn’t blowing. I was a little cold yesterday with a short sleeve shirt and wind.
Not much happening here. Erik still wants to take Patches’ bed from her but is also happy with his bed. He is just bullying her and she does not push back. Kind of like the relationship between the US and Russia. However, I think Putin has had enough and is going to push back now that he sees how weak the US has become. The playground bully may get a comeuppance.
This quote is what was said 10 years ago. China is now an economic power that the US can’t restrain so must rely on military bluster.
Nations around the world already see China as the future No. 1 economic power, even though it still lags behind the U.S. substantially in most categories. It’s the perception of [China] going up and [the United States] going down. And upon such perceptions, power is based. — Leslie H. Gelb in War by Other Means by Robert D. Blackwill & Jennifer M. Harris
Build Back better (BBB) has a lot of “stuff” in it. So far none of it has passed but most of it will be in the years to come. This feature will be very handy for an authoritarian government.
Biden’s “build back better” legislation contains what amounts to a “vehicle kill switch’ requirement for automobile manufacturers. The proposal is being marketed to legislators as a safety measure that would cut down on drunk-driving incidents. The bill would require automobile manufacturers to build such capabilities in all new cars, starting in five years.
10 January 2022
Red Barn RV Park
Benson, AZ
Started the day in town with breakfast at the Horseshoe Cafe. I may not be going back again while I’m here this time. They are nothing special and the most expensive of the three cafes that I have been going to.
Stopped at Oakleys Garage and Towing to get the coach battery checked. There was only one guy there that I saw, he told me he could not do it until 1:00 pm today. There was also a mechanic wanted sign; so I left for Safeway.
After getting groceries I went to All Creatures Veterinary Service and got an appointment for Erik. He needs all of his other vaccines so he can go into groomers or obedience training. I also wanted to get a health check up. The vet that did the nuttering told me nothing, just hustled us out the door.
The authors of this book, published in 2017, were very impressed with the “fracking” hype at that time. There were a lot of fracking operators that went broke when the price of oil collapsed. The only people that have made money consistently from fracking have been the lenders. However, even they admit that the fracking reserves are only going to last 85 years; but I think that is optimistic. They also were very supportive of Secretary of State Clinton; probably big time Trump haters.
The United States is at the center of an energy revolution driven by the widespread use of fracking, with the result that it is poised to become the world’s leading producer of crude oil and natural gas liquids as well as of natural gas. For the coming decade and beyond, this presents America with a major new geoeconomic windfall. — War by Other Means by Robert D. Blackwill & Jennifer M. Harris
Today, nations increasingly carry out geopolitical combat through economic means. Policies governing everything from trade and investment to energy and exchange rates are wielded as tools to win diplomatic allies, punish adversaries, and coerce those in between. Not so in the United States, however. America still too often reaches for the gun over the purse to advance its interests abroad. The result is a playing field sharply tilting against the United States.
Drawing on immense scholarship and government experience, Robert Blackwill and Jennifer Harris show that if America’s policies are left uncorrected, the price in American blood and treasure will only grow. What geoeconomic warfare requires is a new vision of U.S. statecraft. — Book promo @ goodreads.com
11 January 2022
Red Barn RV Park
Benson, AZ
The weather guessers have been right these past few days with their forecasts that it would freeze. They think there will be a few more mornings that freeze then back to the upper 30s and lower 40s. I think they are overly optimistic and are catering to the Chamber of Commerce.
I have the garbanzo and yellow split pea pottage ready. Now starting to cook some more red corn hominy and cranberry beans for succotash. The hominy is in the Thermal Cooker today and probably tonight. The beans will soak overnight before being cooked with the hominy.
Cooking, reading plus dog walks is all that I have going on.
A good article about the Ukraine negotiations plus Covid by JHK.
And, by the way, does the USA need another faraway failed state to support? We can’t even take care of the junkies, psychotics, and misbegotten lining the sidewalks of a dozen American cities, and now we propose to adopt the poorest country in that remote corner of the world? While beating down our own once-productive people, inflating away our savings, taking away our natural liberties to work, move about in a free society, and the right to decide what pharmaceuticals we can decline to put in our bodies?
…[A]ll-causes deaths in working age Americans between 18 and 64 were up 40 percent in the third quarter of 2021 and keeping the same pace in the fourth quarter.… What’s killing these people? Could it be Dr. Fauci’s prescription for vaxxing up everyone in the land? I guess, sooner or later, we’re going to find out.–Light It Up, James Howard Kunstler
12 January 2022
Red Barn RV Park
Benson, AZ
The red hominy is done — almost. I’ll get the cranberry beans soaking until tomorrow and then cook them with the hominy. That will then form the base for my succotash ‘linners’ in days to come.
My eastside neighbor had a mobile RV repair guy come and fix his heater. I got an email address from him and have contacted the repair guy. From what I told him he also thinks that the batteries have died and I asked him to do the replacement. No appointment set yet.
I’m willing to bet that he will want to set the appointment for the same day and same time as the vet appointment for Erik. Somehow that seems to always be what happens.
A cold morning with the low at 27.7° that is rather slow to warm up. Still around 35 at 9:00 am but the forecast high is to 67. The next few mornings are probably going to be more of the same — cold.
This quote is from the blog post, Let Our Vision Overcome The Narratives by Doug “Uncola” Lynn. There are many more worthy quotes available in the posting and it is a good read.
Against stupidity we have no defense. Neither protests nor force can touch it. Reasoning is of no use. Facts that contradict personal prejudices can simply be disbelieved — indeed, the fool can counter by criticizing them, and if they are undeniable, they can just be pushed aside as trivial exceptions. So the fool, as distinct from the scoundrel, is completely self-satisfied. In fact, they can easily become dangerous, as it does not take much to make them aggressive. For that reason, greater caution is called for than with a malicious one. Never again will we try to persuade the stupid person with reasons, for it is senseless and dangerous. — Dietrich Bonhoeffer
13 January 2022
Red Barn RV Park
Benson, AZ
I didn’t get an appointment with the mobile RV repair guy, he just showed up. Confirmed that the batteries were ready to be replaced. He picked up a couple and installed them that now gives me about twice the amp hours storage that I had before.
After he got them installed I cut the shore power and had NO 12v lights. He did some testing and found nothing wrong, then looked at the master disconnect switch that is in the coach door entry and found that it was turned off. Turned it on and I had 12v again.
I think my rambunctious Erik stepped on the switch and shut me down. He has also pressed the recliner chair lever and raised the foot rest which startled me the first time he did it.
So that expensive project has been completed. I suspect that the engine battery will need to be replaced soon also, it is older than the coach batteries were.
The low this morning was 26.2° but is forecast to be warmer until Sunday morning which may be even colder. The rest of the 10 day forecast to be warmer but I have little faith in the forecasts. I think it will be cold.
The cranberry beans and red hominy are now in the Thermal Cooker. They might be cooked by late this afternoon but I plan on bringing them to a boil again and into the Thermal Cooker overnight.
That plus reading a couple of nonfiction books is all that I have going on today.
The Mighty Orinoco tells the story of a young man’s search for his father along the then-uncharted Orinoco River of Venezuela. The text contains all the ingredients of a classic Verne scientific-adventure tale: exploration and discovery, humor and drama, dastardly villains and intrepid heroes, and a host of near-fatal encounters with crocodiles, jungle fever, Indians and outlaws — all set in a wonderfully exotic locale. The Mighty Orinoco also includes a unique twist that will appeal to feminists — readers will need to discover it for themselves. — Book promo @ goodreads.com
There seem to be a lot of pictures of bare US supermarket shelves. Use these links to see what the stores in Windhoek, Namibia look like.
Checkers in Windhoek at 9:32AM this morning. Remember that Namibia is mostly desert, so just about everything has to be imported, yet there are no supply line problems here. Southern Africa is also the epicenter of Omicron, so everybody should be dead or dying, no? Geez, maybe all the food and fuel shortages in the West have also been engineered, like the Covid crisis.–Checkers In Windhoek, Namibia
As American supermarket shelves go bare, Namibian ones are well-stocked. This is Food Lover’s Market in Windhoek at 9:17AM this morning. Guess which one is a shithole country, with fake elections and clueless, barbaric citizens across the political spectrum, and a much higher “vaccination” rate?–Food Lover’s Market in Windhoek, Namibia
14 January 2022
Red Barn RV Park
Benson, AZ
Read Will Rogers column 88 years ago: January 14, 1934
I didn’t think it was very cold this morning but it was below freezing (30.7°). The forecast has more of the same in store for the next 10 days although the lows are all expected to be above freezing.
The succotash base has now been cooked. The next thing that I need to do is dump holding tanks and add water. Maybe today but will try and put it off until tomorrow.
Nothing else is happening here. Both dogs are sound asleep in front of the Wave 6 so all is quiet for now.
This is not surprising. I’m also not surprised that an article like this is not published by any of the US mainstream media.
The anniversary of the 6 January Capitol riot in Washington, DC, coincided with unrest that flared up in Kazakhstan at the beginning of January. The Central Asian nation was hit by protests following a hike in fuel prices. The riots turned deadly on 4 January, leading to arson, looting, vandalism, and violent attacks.
The mainstream media in the US, however, covered the two events in very different manners, according to American independent journalist and geopolitical analyst Max Parry.At the very same moment US corporate media was devoting an entire day to its exaggerated and sensationalist news coverage endlessly rehashing the anniversary of the riot at the Capitol last January, the violent demonstrations and unrest in Kazakhstan was portrayed sympathetically as a pro-democratic protest movement up against an authoritarian regime responding with a violent crackdown, Parry says.–Tale of Two Insurrections: Why US Dems & Media Treat 6th Jan. Riot and Kazakh Unrest So Differently, Ekaterina Blinova
Want to read a good Joe Biden autobiography? Use this link to read Chapter One.
15 January 2022
Red Barn RV Park
Benson, AZ
A low of 27.1° this morning but it has warmed up faster than the past few days have. Maybe reach the expected 62 high for the day.
I could not get an Internet connection with the Park WIFI this morning so I’m using Verizon again. There is a good signal from them today so maybe they have finished working on the tower. That plus not being on their data diet does make a big difference.
I have put off the holding tank dumps but need to add water. When it gets a little warmer that is on my To Do list. That and reading the two nonfiction history books that I’m reading by switching back and forth.
I found the quote, now I need to read the book. Just another one on my To Read list.
“But they don’t care about what we think. They turn a deaf ear to us, some people complain.” That is not true. They care very much about what you think. In fact, that is the only thing about you that holds their attention and concern. They don’t care if you go hungry, unemployed, sick, or homeless. But they do care when you are beginning to entertain resistant democratic thoughts. They get nervous when you discard your liberal complaints and adopt a radical analysis. They do care that you are catching on as to what the motives and functions of the national security state and the US global empire are all about at home and in so many corners of the world. They get furiously concerned when you and millions like you are rejecting the pap that is served up by corporate media and establishment leaders.
By controlling our perceptions, they control our society; they control public opinion and public discourse. And they limit the range and impact of our political consciousness. The plutocrats know that their power comes from their ability to control our empowering responses. They know they can live at the apex of the social pyramid only as long as they can keep us in line at the pyramid’s base. Who pays for all their wars: We do. Who fights these wars? We do or our low-income loved ones do. If we refuse to be led around on a super-patriotic, fear-ridden leash and if we come to our own decisions and act upon them more and more as our ranks grow, then the ruling profiteers’ power shrinks and can even unwind and crash—as has happened with dynasties and monarchies of previous epochs.
We need to strive in every way possible for the revolutionary unraveling, a revolution of organized consciousness striking at the empire’s heart with full force when democracy is in the streets and mobilized for the kind of irresistible upsurge that seems to come from nowhere yet is sometimes able to carry everything before it.
There is nothing sacred about the existing system. All economic and political institutions are contrivances that should serve the interests of the people. When they fail to do so, they should be replaced by something more responsive, more just, and more democratic. — Profit Pathology and Other Indecencies by Michael Parenti
16 January 2022
Red Barn RV Park
Benson, AZ
A quick shopping day. I was back in my new space before 9:00. I say my new space because the owner asked me to move so she could put a 40' 5th wheel in my old space. I don’t like this new space as well but it is not all that bad.
A low of 27.5° this morning. I thought it was going to be back into the 30s per the weather guesses. HA They are still making those forecasts for the next 10 days. I doubt that is going to happen.
I’m using the Park’s WIFI again. It came back after I had moved. Maybe the move did it or it just was restored throughout the Park.
Nothing but the routine until Thursday when I take Erik to the vet for shots.
17 January 2022
Red Barn RV Park
Benson, AZ
It was not very cold (33.8°) this morning. However, it did not warm up very fast and was only 40 at 9:00 am. I have some doubts that it will reach the expected high of 67 today.
The weather is in a rut if you can believe the forecast. I’m in a rut; you can believe that. Nothing happening here and I don’t expect anything to happen.
I have my nonfiction books to read and my dogs to walk. That is what now fills my days.
18 January 2022
Red Barn RV Park
Benson, AZ
I had a short visit with a couple of cross country bicyclists that stayed here at the Park overnight. They started at Lake Havasu so have almost ridden across AZ but have a long way to go before reaching Fl, their end destination.
I showed them the route that I rode across TX for them to consider. It is not the shortest route across the state but it is a good route. Better than riding the Interstates. I held my tongue and did not say what I thought — they are carrying far too much ‘stuff’. I would not be surprised that they don’t start mailing some of it back or forward.
Erik has not met very many people but he acted very well. He got to meet that couple and one other fellow that also came over to visit. He is learning but at his own speed and what he wills to learn. Not stubborn but willful.
I have started three nonfiction books now and all three of them are going to take a backseat to a novel that I have borrowed from the Cochise County Library system. I placed a Hold on the book a week or so ago and the system was showing that it would be available in about four weeks. Received a notice that it was available so I’ll be reading that before the loan limit expires.
I would want to know that my president and first lady cared about me. I think that’s an important part of what I do. I mean, just helping people through the tough times. — Dr. Jill BidenShe’s obviously trapped up in her own imaginary bubble of DC royalty. Someone needs to tell Dr. Jill that shuttling her husband back and forth between DC and Delaware every weekend doesn’t really qualify as healing a nation. And dragging your husband to the site of a disaster 10 days after the event is not healing either, doc. It’s a photo op. We know the difference.–Dr. Jill – I didn’t expect ‘healing role’ as first lady, Diogenes Sarcastica™
19 January 2022
Red Barn RV Park
Benson, AZ
Mother Nature sucker me again yesterday and we got wet. It rained around 11:00 but had quit by noon and the sun was shining though scattered clouds.
Started the walk with Erik and had an occasional sprinkle but just before the quarterway mark it started to rain. By the time we got back to Desperate we were wet. Erik doesn’t do the wet dog shake in the rain like Patches but he was wet.
I cooked some more hulled barley and oat groats yesterday although I did not plan on doing anything. I have that same plan for today; just read the novel that I got for the library. Take Erik to the vet tomorrow.
I just found another reason for not using Microsoft Office.
Microsoft has introduced a language checker to promote inclusiveness and fight biases, The Sun has reported, citing its sources. Besides checking spelling, its latest edition of Microsoft Office will also underline words that are allegedly offensive to individuals depending on their age, sexual orientation, ethnicity, and socioeconomic status.
Should a user make a “mistake” the checker will suggest a “more inclusive” alternative. According to The Sun, users are told that when writing about the late UK Prime Minister Margaret Thatcher it is better to use Ms Thatcher instead of Mrs Thatcher as the latter may imply gender bias.
If you were to go into your bank account, digitally increase your balance, and then use that new balance to buy things, it would be called fraud.
When the Federal Reserve does that, it is called monetary policy.
In my reading I was prompted to think about success. That led me to do some web browsing an I found; “success is Sisyphean, the goal can’t be satisfied; most people never feel “successful enough.” I think a big reason for that dissatisfaction is — “from the top of the mountain, you cannot see the mountain.” — Dune by Frank Herbert
20 January 2022
Red Barn RV Park
Benson, AZ
I don’t have much to say and not much time to say it. I’ll be off to the vet with Erik soon so I will post this now.
Probably will not have much to say about the vet visit, it is only for vaxxs, but will tell you how it went tomorrow. I’m a bit concerned that Erik will not take kindly to being handled and will bite but will find out.
Martyanov ‘gets it’. The only hope that the Democrats have to hold control of Congress in the ’22 midterm elections are 1) start a war or 2)don’t have an election. They may do both, with the war being a reason to cancel the midterms. Do not believe anything that you read or hear that comes from the administration or the mainstream media.
Read my lips: bar some few exceptions, US academe, including those who specialize in Russia are not experts. They are narrative-mongers, majority of who have no serious skills, background nor experience in anything they try to “analyze” about Russia—this problem is systemic and is due to a complete corruption of the America’s education, especially history and military history and over-saturation of the American body-politic by people without any serious education or lawyers. It is literally the situation of auto-mechanic with vocational school performing an open heart surgery and thinking that he knows what he is doing. You can easily predict the result, for a patient.–America Needs War, Andrei Martyanov
21 January 2022
Red Barn RV Park
Benson, AZ
Read Will Rogers column 88 years ago: January 21, 1934
The vet visit went about like I expected. We first went in with a doctor assistant which I told that Erik had bit me the first week that I had him. He did not like to be ‘handled’ and he was better with me now but he might bite.
She started to apply her stethoscope to listen to his heart and he turned and tried to bite her. So she got out a muzzle and tried to put it over his nose. I said that was how I got bit; trying to put something over his head. So she asked me to put it on him and he let me do it.
The doctor came in and the assistant was going to hold Erik in a hug while he got his shots. He was still muzzled but promptly fought out of her hold. They then said it might be better if I was not in the room. So I left and they were able to give him his vaxxs. I need to go back in 3 weeks and get a booster for one of them.
I gave him a day off from his mid day walk after suffering that abuse. He does not seem to hold it against me and was happy to sleep the afternoon away. Shopping day tomorrow.
Since July 4th, 1976, America has invaded 70 countries, it has interfered in the elections of more than 70 countries and launched many more colour revolutions. These are facts well known to all nations. 120 years ago, the then President Teddy Roosevelt explained his approach to foreign policy, “speak softly and carry a big stick”. America still carries a big stick, but has long since stopped speaking softly. Even the imperialist warmonger Teddy would blush today at the face America shows the world. Trump, Mike Pompeo, John Bolton are all extreme stereotypes of the “Ugly American”. These belligerent, bullying liars are the face of America. One must conclude that America doesn’t care what the world thinks of it anymore. Their bellicose rhetoric is intended exclusively for the domestic American audience.…
America has no allies, and even those it calls friends don’t trust it.–Picking Sides…, Eamon McKinney
Some memes to brighten your day.
If you ever feel useless, remember it took 20 years, trillions of dollars and 4 US Presidents to replace the Taliban with the Taliban.
I was so depressed last night thinking about the economy, wars, jobs, my savings, Social Security, retirement funds, etc., I called the Suicide Hotline.
I got a call center in Afghanistan, and when I told them I was suicidal, they got all excited, and asked if I could drive a truck.
22 January 2022
Red Barn RV Park
Benson, AZ
The shopping trip went quickly with very few people in Safeway this morning. I then went to Denny’s for breakfast. It is the closest restaurant to me here but I have avoided them because of the poor service that I got from them in Sierra Vista. I’ll not go to this one very often either because of the price. The veggie omelet was good, the red potato home fries were great, and the service was good — expensive.
The low this morning was 28° but did not feel that cold. I must be getting acclimated to the cold mornings while walking but not yet to sitting in a cold Desperado. It was only 40 at 9:45 and I needed the Wave 6.
The only thing I have on my activity list for today, other than reading the novel from the library, is to await a package from the Tucson VA pharmacy.
I requested a refill on 15 January and have not received it. They claim to provide Tracking but nothing showed up until yesterday afternoon. Then what they showed was the tracking for the package that was delivered in December. The VA is screwed up. The medical care is adequate but administratively they are like all governmental operations.
23 January 2022
Red Barn RV Park
Benson, AZ
There were a few sprinkles when we did our afternoon walk yesterday. Some evidence of the 0.07'' of rain that came during the night. Partly cloudy this morning with a slight chance of rain.
That is all the News that I have. I did finish distilling some more water and need to do the holding tank dump chores. There is also reading to be done and dog walks that are becoming chores. Perhaps I made a mistake?
I found this or words to the same effect at a lot of web sources. I have been trying to train Erik for about 6 weeks now and don’t find anything about it easy. I also don’t see that I have accomplished much.
He will now Sit, Stay and Walk on a loose leash — when he wants to. I have had enough for now; maybe try again later. I think my problem lies here: “these dogs will work hard to please those they love and those they respect as leaders in their pack.”
Australian cattle dogs are for the most part easy to train. They’re intelligent and enjoy working with their owners independently of typical dog training. With an already close bond, these dogs will work hard to please those they love and those they respect as leaders in their pack or flock. These dogs live for human companionship and thrive on interaction with them as well as other people and animals too!
24 January 2022
Red Barn RV Park
Benson, AZ
I put off the holding tank dumps yesterday because it stayed cold with a wind. This morning it was cold as well (27.3°) but is warming up faster. I can probably put off the dumping again but I need to add water so I’ll get out there soon.
I will probably finish the book that I got from the library today. It will then be back to reading the three nonfiction books that I have started. Nothing else on the agenda other than dog walks with the hope that they improve.
This could have been written by John Michael Greer or James Howard Kunstler. Frank Herbert was an ecologist at heart back in the '50s before it became cool. Dune was published in 1965.
Beyond a critical point within a finite space, freedom diminishes as numbers increase. This is as true of humans in the finite space of a planetary ecosystem as it is of gas molecules in a sealed flask. The human question is not how many can possibly survive within the system, but what kind of existence is possible for those who do survive.—Pardot Kynes, first planetologist of Arrakis in Dune by Frank Herbert
I recommend reading this posting IRS Keeps Encroaching on Our Privacy by Robin Smith. It points out the privacy issue but also illustrates the absolute inability of the federal government to create any online software that works. There are thousands of sites that offer online shopping that work. Why is it not possible for the federal government to develop one?
The need for continuous boosters shows that the science isn’t working.
But the business model is.
25 January 2022
Red Barn RV Park
Benson, AZ
I finally received my prescription from the Tucson VA Pharmacy yesterday. I requested the refill on 15 January, they claim it was shipped on 21 January and I received a notice giving me the Tracking number today. “We are from the government and here to help you.”
The low this morning was 25.9°. That is cold to my way of thinking and it felt cold. There will most likely be a few more mornings like this one here. Below 40 at 9:00 am with the Wave 6 working. I’ll be moving to a higher elevation where it will be colder as it begins to warm up here. Not very smart.
Set on the desert planet Arrakis, Dune is the story of the boy Paul Atreides, heir to a noble family tasked with ruling an inhospitable world where the only thing of value is the “spice” melange, a drug capable of extending life and enhancing consciousness. Coveted across the known universe, melange is a prize worth killing for.…
Someone please tell me: what compelling national security interest does the USA have in Ukraine?…
The only reason the Biden administration is making a fuss about Ukraine is that some of them — and the hidden powers behind them — actually want this to blow up into a war. When it does, they can seek to “unite” our nation around “war emergency legislation” that will somehow, magically include every point of their agenda — election reform, packing the Supreme Court, publicly subsidizing news media who toe the party line, enforcing vaccine and other mandates, and generally trashing our constitution and its protections. They want to use Russia as a fulcrum to lever their way out of the swamp into which they’ve dug themselves, and suppress our rights and freedoms in the process.–The new “Russia! Russia!” brouhaha is as bogus as the old “Russia! Russia!” brouhaha, Peter Grant
The Diogenes Sarcastica™ has a great posting, Great Britain Announces Reclamation of America, that should lighten your day.
26 January 2022
Red Barn RV Park
Benson, AZ
It might be far too soon to say that I have made progress with Erik but I’ll take credit for any improvement.
He obeys Sit most of the time now plus he does a Sit without being told much of the time. However, there was one situation where he would just stand there and look at me until I waited for him to comply. He would then grudgingly Sit.
The situation happened everytime we finished our walks. I would tell him to Sit before saying that it was OK to get in Desperado. Suddenly, two days ago he did the Sit on command. Why? I have no idea. As I have said he is willful. I just hope he continues to think it is a good idea to Sit on command.
It is nearing the end of the month which means that I have month end chores to do. There are also the move preparations to be done. That and reading all the books I have started is what I have on my To Do list for the next week.
The Biden administration is beginning to lay the claim that they stopped the Russian invasion of Ukraine. They have hyped the invasion scenario and the Mainstream Media has downplayed all of Russia’s assertions that they are not going to invade. For months now the administration and the Mainstream Media have warned that an invasion is imminent. So, when Russia does not invade — Q.E.D. Biden stopped them. There are people that will believe this; that is good politics for the midterm elections.
Speaking to reporters at a press briefing on Monday, Pentagon spokesman John Kirby said that “obviously we’re mindful of things that the Russians could do that would potentially give us indications of some sort of imminent incursion.” However, he went on, “we’re not there yet, but we are watching for those indicators very, very closely.”
At the same time, the official reiterated Washington’s assertions that Russia is seeking to “threaten its neighbor further and potentially violate further Ukraine’s territorial integrity.”
“It’s very clear that the Russians have no intention right now of de-escalating,” Kirby went on, adding that Washington wants to deter Moscow from attacking.
27 January 2022
Red Barn RV Park
Benson, AZ
The plan for today is to get another month of Will Rogers weekly articles prepared. That and more reading is all. Tomorrow I need to do laundry again and a regular shopping day plus an added stop or two.
I received an email that requested more photos of Erik. I’m not much of a photographer but got the camera out and tried to get a picture. Couldn’t do it with dead batteries. Will pick up some batteries tomorrow and give it another try in the days to come. Erik does not pose very well which is another problem but we will see what we can do.
I have been burning my natural candle at both ends.
Much reading is an oppression of the mind, and extinguishes the natural candle, which is the reason for so many senseless scholars in the world. – William Penn
These are only two of 21 that can be found at Starting The Day With A Smile
#8 I had my patience tested. I'm negative.
#11 When you ask me what I am doing today, and I say “nothing,” it does not mean I am free. It means I am doing nothing.
So, yeah: we’re not for sale. But in the end it doesn’t matter because they [The Establishment] don’t want to buy us. They just want to make sure that we don’t get to influence the guys they have bought.–We’re Not For Sale, Adam Piggott
28 January 2022
Red Barn RV Park
Benson, AZ
Read Will Rogers column 88 years ago: January 28, 1934
Just another laundry day while shopping. That went well but took longer than usual. The dryer didn’t seem to dry as fast and required an added quarter. The grocery gathering went quickly but there was a crowd at the checkouts; they did have two open which was surprising.
I then went for breakfast at the Farmhouse Restaurant. Got the same thing as always and was pleased. The only complaint I have about this breakfast stop is their lack of parking for RVs.
Stopped at my computer repair guy’s shop on the way back to the park. The part that he has been waiting for came in and it was the wrong one. Waiting again. I need to come back to Benson in a couple of weeks for the vet appointment; maybe the Chrombook will be ready by then.
I got the Will Rogers project completed yesterday. Will do no more month end chores today but need to get started on the house cleaning tomorrow. Today I will be reading the shortest of the three nonfiction books which I might finish.
29 January 2022
Red Barn RV Park
Benson, AZ
I need to get busy with the house cleaning today. Starting late because it has stayed cold inside Desperado; I think it is colder than outside. Certainly colder than outside in the sun.
I have some hulled barley and oat groats in the Thermal Cooker now. They will probably be done by noon and I’ll get the cranberry beans into the pot to cook overnight. Will add the red hominy tomorrow and cook them together hoping they will be ready by ‘linner’ time.
That and the two nonfiction books remaining to be read are all that I have on the agenda for today.
From market crisis to market boom, from welfare to wealth care, from homelessness to helplessness, and an all-out assault on the global environment — these are just some of the indecencies of contemporary economic life that Profit Pathology takes on. Here, Michael Parenti investigates how class power is a central force in our political life and, yet, is subjected to little critical discernment. He notes how big-moneyed interests shift the rules of the game in their favor while unveiling the long march by reactionaries through the nation’s institutions to undo all the gains of social democracy, from the New Deal to the present.
Drill baby, drill!
After years of federal lease sales to oil, gas and coal companies, environmentalists had hopes that President Joe Biden would end the fossil fuel bonanza.
But one year after announcing a halt to any new federal oil and gas leasing, Biden has outpaced Donald Trump in issuing drilling permits on public lands.–Biden outpaces Trump in issuing drilling permits on public lands, Anna Phillips @ the Washington Post
30 January 2022
Red Barn RV Park
Benson, AZ
It was overcast this morning and I suspect that it had been all night because it was much warmer. The low was 38.3° with an expected high of 63 and a very slight chance of rain.
That is good. I need to get Desperado’s windows cleaned up. Erik does not seem to add much to the slobber art that Patches provides. That is also good. I also need to add water and will dump holding tanks while I am doing that.
That will just about finish my month end routine. It will also make me ready for the move on Tuesday. Not much of a move but I need to go through the same routine.
More nonfiction book reading is the main item on the agenda for today. Also finish cooking the beans and hominy for ‘linner’ today.
The narrative has worked exceeding well for the Coronavirus® so it should work for instilling Russiaphobia. By MSM standards(sic) I am also a Russian agent. But since I am a nobody “deplorable” they will not come after me; they need to focus on someone that is in the public eye e.g. Tucker Carlson.
It’s worth considering the possibility that all the artificially manufactured Russia hysteria we’ve seen over the last five years has been geared toward building public support for the exact escalations we are seeing today. After all, it says a lot that Russiagate began with unevidenced claims by US intelligence agencies who have an extensive track record of lying, resulted in the reignition of a new cold war against a nation long targeted for destruction by the US intelligence cartel, and now there are tons of weapons being flown in to Ukraine and US troops are being moved to Eastern Europe in response to a threat we’ve still seen no evidence is actually real.
Whoever controls the narrative controls the world. If you can control what people believe about a certain thing, then you can control what they will do and what they will allow in response to that thing. Controlling people’s beliefs about reality is controlling their reality. If you can convince people that anyone who disputes what you’re saying about a government you don’t like is suspicious and not to be trusted, then you can keep them believing everything you say about that government.
It’s clear that it is very, very important to the narrative managers that we believe what we are told about Russia. Now we’re just waiting to find out toward what specific end that agenda is being driven.–MSM Pundits Push Idea That Criticizing US Policy On Russia Makes You A Russian Agent, Caitlin Johnstone
31 January 2022
Red Barn RV Park
Benson, AZ
It was cold again this morning (27.5°) and I am not getting used to it. It is also staying cold later this morning. I’m glad that I did the holding tank dumps and added water yesterday. It would not be good to be out there today.
Soon after I finished those chores yesterday the wind started blowing so cleaning Desperado’s windows have been put off. They are not very bad; perhaps Patches has been more interested in Erik than adding slobber to the windows.
I need to settle up my electric bill here and will then be ready to leave early tomorrow morning.
A couple of photos of Erik. Not very good due to the photographer and a model that will not hold the pose wanted. Maybe we can both improve in the coming months?The photo quality will not be better but if you click on them and open in a new tab you will get a BIG photo.
The Canadian revolt appears to be inspiring similar operations in the US, where a movement has started for a massive trucker convoy from California to Washington, DC — the swampy pivot-point of Covid tyranny under the phantasm known as “Joe Biden” — as a very general way of saying we’ve had enough of being pushed around by political grifters and their bureaucratic subalterns.…
Let the trucks roll from Fresno to DC if they still want to play rough. Think the “Joe Biden” gang will try to divert attention by starting a war in Ukraine? They don’t dare. Think the financial markets will tank? Well, of course they will, no matter what, because the markets and the money are detached from reality. Face it: what America needs most of all is to reconnect with reality, and you can be sure that the process will be uncomfortable, having sojourned so far from it for so long. (“Let’s Go, Brandon!”) And Let’s go, Canadian truckers!–The Revolt Begins, James Howard Kunstler
A couple of memes.
In these challenging times. If you ever do decide to try cannibalism. May I suggest the vegans?
They are grass fed.
The older I get, the less I care about what people think of me. Therefore the older I get, the more I enjoy life.