Sunday, February 18, 2018

Orchids


9 comments:

  1. It's Not Illegal Immigration That Worries Republicans Anymore[Click] “The Trump-era GOP cares more about the national origin and race of immigrants than the methods they used to enter the United States.” Ayup.

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  2. I have been saying for months that this is not about immigration, it's about skin color. Cheetolini is a long-term deep-dyed racist and he's working toward making America a "Whites Only" country. It's not about country, it's about color.

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  3. Thomas Friedman lights into Trump[Click]

    What Led to Trump’s Weekend Twitter Tirade[Click]

    Inside the Russian Troll Factory[Click]

    From The Guardian: Putin’s chef, a troll farm and Russia's plot to hijack US democracy[Click] This strikes me as an exceptionally good exposition of the significance of Mueller’s indictment of the Petrograd 13.

    Gardening—we cleaned up some cuttings, got the last deciduous fruit tree (a persimmon) pruned, picked some tangelos, and got a good start on controlling the size of the tangelo tree. Got our retirement finances figured out. They are OK, but to make them better I plan to go back to work (one day a week) at the rural hospital where I used to work. It’s a longish commute, but they are still advertising the job I held for so long, and one day a week for a couple of years will make things easier.

    —Alan

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    1. Alan, for your long commutes, you might want to get some podcasts or listen to audiobooks. That could make it sweeter. One day a week might actually make the transition to retirement easier, as it would feel less like a sudden shift.

      We've been doing our retirement calculations too. We'll be okay. Nothing extravagant, and no travel anticipated, but we can get by nicely enough. That is all we ever wanted to do. Not take more than what we need. We will also be able to leave a little something for our offspring. It's very calming to know this at last, as we've long been uneasy about it.

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    2. Yes, I found audio books helpful. It's an hour and a half each way--too long to make an 8-hour shift reasonable, but OK for 16 hours. I won't be working the crazy long shifts I did before, and I can probably get a 4PM to 8AM shift, so I don't drive in the dark. Will take a nap before going home. The roads on the way are pretty safe. A "graduated" retirement is probably a good idea. I will have been absent from the job for a year and a half, so retraining should be minimal. Probably there have been no big changes in instruments or computers. Glad to hear it's looking good for you, too, listener (and sweetie). If we fail to meet on The Grand Tour, we can still meet here.

      Alan

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  4. Susan, thanks for your e-mail address. No doubt the message I forwarded is something you've heard all about; but, it made me think of you.

    With regard to my current reading: The NLS has not yet issued the fourth book in Sebastien de Castell's Great Coat series, so, having finished Book Two, Knight's Shadow and Book Three, , I've gone back to read Book One, Traitor's Blade. I'm glad to have started with the second book and to have gone straight to the third, because I don't like the first book nearly as much. Probably wouldn't have continued the series had I started with Book One. So that worked out well.

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    1. Thanks, Cat. Got the email. Have serious reservations about Kucinich. He's ultra left on most things, but until recently he was very pro-life. Plus, he's 71 years old and already has two failed campaigns behind him. Oh, and he swears he had an encounter with a UFO back in the day. Swears it.

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