A Mystery or Two

Why this tree hasn't fallen into the creek as so many others have is a complete mystery to me. Its exposed roots have been hanging unsupported over the section of Santa Rosa creek, which tends to be dry at this time of year, for as long as we have lived here. Numerous other trees  have been washed into the creek when it floods in winter rains, but this tree continues to stand tall.

I'm feeling better today but spending half the morning getting an appointment for Covid and flu shots for John and me set me back a bit. filling out online forms seems to take five times longer than just doing it on a piece of paper! And who knows what month and year I had my last pertussus shot? It used to be that the doctor gave you the necessary shots when you went to see her and had the records of all your immunizations, but now we. have to go through a pharmacy. I made up dates out of whole cloth gave my best guess.

I finished the Klee inspired quilt top today and will be taking it to the quilter as soon as i finish a couple of details. I made it for my neighbor Ann who will be back from New York next week. I'm debating whether to wait until she gets back to show her the finished top or just wait until it is completely finished. 

The news, or at least the news I follow, is full of stories about Trump and Vance's blatant lies in the last few days about migrants eating cats and dogs in Ohio, and Harris witholding FEMA funds from the victims of Hurricane Helene and giving them to Ukraine (or migrants). This is a deliberate plan which has been in operation since he was president and lying about the results of the election which he lost. "The Democrats don't matter," Steve Bannon, the executive officer for Trump's 2016 campaign told a reporter in 2018. "The real opposition is the media. And the way to deal with them is to flood the zone with sh*t' Keeping people constantly trying to distinguish what is real from what is not destroys their ability to make sense of the world and they either turn to an authoritarian who promises to to create order or get so exhausted they simply give up.

Does this sound familiar?
Never allow the public to cool off; never admit a fault or a wrong;never concede that there may be some good in your enemy; never leave room for alternatives; never accept blame; concentrate on one enemy at a time and blame him for everything that goes wrong; people will believe a big lie sooner than a little one; and if you repeat it frequently enough people will sooner or later believe it.
No, Not DT, but the U.S. Office of Strategic Services' profile of Adolf Hitler

I know I'm largely preaching to the choir, but Trump has succeeded in dividing the nation so thoroughly  that trying to correct the record is almost impossible. My son-in-law can't even talk to his own mother and brother about why they are planning to vote for Trump. I know I won't convince anybody to change, all I can do is attempt to understand what has happened to us, and I'm afraid I'm inflicting it on anybody who has managed to read this far. 

I'm beginning to feel the need for a news blackout again, but it is getting harder to avoid it.The heat wave is supposed to start winding down and maybe  I'll be able to get outside and away from news