Mark Twain's Views on Politics

 "Reader, suppose you were an idiot. And suppose you were a member of Congress. But I repeat myself."

“There is no distinctly native American criminal class except Congress."

"Fleas can be taught nearly anything that a Congressman can."

"Sometimes I wonder whether the world is being run by smart people who are putting us on or by imbeciles who really mean it."

"An honest man in politics shines more there than he would elsewhere."

"All Congresses and Parliaments have a kindly feeling for idiots, and a compassion for them, on account of personal experience and heredity."

"Conservatism is the blind and fear-filled worship of dead radicals."

He must be joking... right?

Well, they LOOK Like Teddy Bears...

Yep, cuddly, fuzzy stuffed animals. With teeth and claws.

This goes with the idiot who wanted to know why Yellowstone Park officials weren't caging the animals at night "for our protection." Because after all, they were 'dangerous.' (I am not making this up.)

This person, too.

 

Ah, Nuts...

 

Colorado Burns...

 No doubt you've heard about the horrendous grass fires that burned more than 1,000 Colorado homes. Here, used with permission from a friend, is a sky-high view. 

We have never heard of wildfires this late in the season. But, with the high Chinook winds we get this time of year, it's easy to have downed powerlines. And when they hit grass -- FOOM. (Or maybe it wasn't powerlines, after all...see below.)

Please keep these people in your prayers, and help where you can. 

More here on what we know -- and what we don't -- about what's now being called the Marshall Fire.

Awwww....

 Read on Bored Panda:

"My cell phone quit as I tried to let my wife know that I was caught in freeway gridlock and would be late for our anniversary dinner. I wrote a message on my laptop asking other motorists to call her, printed it on a portable inkjet and taped it to my rear windshield.

When I finally arrived home, my wife gave me the longest kiss ever. 'I really think you love me," she said. "At least 70 people called and told me so.'"

Pinterest photo from stylemepretty.com

Monday Stuff On the Way to Other Stuff: Keeping On

     By New Year's Eve, The Mama was back in the hospital. I spent part of it with her -- then the rest with the Brick and family to watch the Michigan debacle. (sigh) New Year's Day was cold, snowing and dreary-- we spent it watching Westerns and eating the Michigan version of  Hoppin' John: Northern white beans cooked slow with ham. Delicious...and restful.

    We've got Sunday duties at church, as usual. Monday, we'll belatedly celebrate our anniversary with a trip to the Gilmore Auto Museum. We've got a babysitting stint on Wednesday, taking care of nieces and nephews while their sister gets her tonsils out. I'll have lunch with a cousin...and we'll spend time with other cousins and family. The rest of the week will be devoted to The Mama.

      And so begins January.

'The Year in Whoppers.' (Do you really want to remember?)

What kept Betty White young as she edged 100! The star died this past week...

In her honor, one of my favorite commercials featuring her:

Dan Reeves, a former Broncos coach, also died last week.

Picking up change -- Tips from people who've benefitted from it. Wouldn't you like to find a nickel or a five-dollar bill in the parking lot?

An incredible interview with Dr. Peter McCullough -- on Covid-19 treatments. This is Part 1 -- and well worth listening to.

Fifty funny marriage tweets.  If you have dogs, you'll like these tweets, too.

A California garbage collector gives his biggest fan a Christmas present.

The repeal of the eviction ban didn't have the stunning, earthshattering effect some threatened would happen.  Oops.

Did Richard III actually 'hide' his royal nephew in plain view, instead of murdering him? An intriguing theory that may have some evidence in its favor. 

Crab cake bites... yum, Betty Crocker.

Ten very expensive paintings that will make you wonder... why anyone would pay so much for them.

Anatomy of a 10-bagger...how he made a fortune on one stock, but in hindsight, probably wouldn't do it again.

A South Carolina eagle cam -- two eaglets have currently hatched out. Watch them grow! Here are the babies from Dade County eagle cam, in case you've missed them so far:

How to become wealthy with low earnings.  (From ESI Money)

"The smartest advice I ever got" -- from Money magazine.

Annual financial tips.  (From Making Sense of Cents)

Some of the best Christmas tweets out there. Charming...and funny, too.

If things look dreary outside, you might need a Beanathon -- a classic straight from yours truly.

Start your week with a good meal, to get it on the right footing!

2021...And Now 2022: What's Next?

      2021: "The Year of the Unexpected."

     We spent the winter in Arizona -- and the fall in Michigan. Both weren't exactly planned...but important.

      It's the first of the new year -- and we're still in Michigan. The fifth-wheel is parked in our folks' barnyard, largely shut down for the winter. We've been 'camping' in the house since the first part of December. 

The Mama is back in the hospital -- for the the fourth time since July. Once again, it's serious. 

What will happen the next few weeks? What will happen in coming months?

      We don't know.

      What we do know is that we're supposed to be in Michigan. And we're meant to stay and help care for The Mama.

     I've brought in very little income in the past few months -- I had to cancel everything to come to Michigan, and have had to turn down a lot of appraisal income because I wasn't there to do it in Colorado. Book royalties only came for the period before Colorado Curiosities came out -- some, but not what I'd expected. (Those should happen early in 2022.) I planned some talks to help sell the books. (Which were cancelled.) Sold some books, anyways.

     Our regular income has held steady throughout the year: the Brick's pension, and both of our Social Security checks. Although we took some big hits, thanks to the truck, our emergency fund is slowly building back up. And we haven't had to touch a penny of our investments with Lord & Richards. That takes some of the sting out of our current situation. 

      The other wonderful part: being with family we love. Usually we're in Michigan for a few weeks -- and a quick visit, if we're lucky. These past months have let us spend hours with them, instead, with no worries about rushing. We love our cousins and family. We love spending time with them.

      We've also been able to rest -- a rare quality nowadays. I realized that I can push myself into poor health. I don't always exercise like I should, or get the sleep needed. Being with The Mama has often entailed waiting for long periods. Maybe this was God's way of getting both of us to rest more. 

      I don't have many goals for 2022. Not knowing what's in the near future means we can't plan much. We'd both love to travel more, but the Covid-19 business makes planning difficult. Even if you test negative, what can you do if your plane flights are unexpectedly cancelled?  Or your cruise ship can't dock at the cities you booked the cruise for? (Shades of the 2020 world cruise.)

   We'll continue to do what we've already committed to: stay with The Mama, sing/play at church on Sundays, do the usual rounds of everyday life.

    I want to read more. Clear away extra clothes and books from the fifth-wheel...and figure out ways to make our current living area more efficient. I'd like to sort through storage...and have a huge sale, to bring in income and get rid of more STUFF. 

    I've got some teaching/judging gigs coming up in the summer and fall. Hopefully more appraisals to do. 

    I plan to keep collecting stories for another Curiosities -- this time about Michigan. And keep spending time with The Mama and our family.  

    That -- for now -- is enough.