Alive or Dead? Dream or Real?

In my dream, I suddenly broke out of character. I asked my deceased father when he had to go back. He kind of smiled because he knew that now I knew. So he mumbled something about 3:15. I went over to my mother, and asked if she heard what dad had said and she replied yes. After that I woke up. I lay in bed thinking for a few minutes and then I rolled over and looked at the clock. It was 3:15 a.m..

Don't Bee Elon

On average, a honey bee will make approximately one-twelfth of a teaspoon of honey in its lifetime, which is about 6 weeks. Elon Musk will tell it not to take so many breaks.

Thanksgiving Toast

There were just four of us for Thanksgiving. I cooked, and my turkey took longer than expected. My mom thought it was the addition of all those Brussels Sprouts I added halfway through. I suspect that contributed to the delay. But dinner was good, and we had a toast to those friends and family we lost. There were five since July. One of the two cousins just two weeks ago, my wife's aunt in Sheboygan, my friend Kaikaik in July and my dad in October. It was a tough year. My job is an unknown, so 2025 will be interesting as well. May we weather the lies, tariffs and hate mongering to come. My wish is that we learn to tolerate differences, trust science, and consider the welfare of others in the future. -KJC

Happy Thanksgiving!

I picked Brussels Sprouts from the (winter) garden to go with the turkey...

Mental Break

Today after I became disillusioned by selfish, never satisfied people, I decided I needed a short break and went for a hike by myself along the creek and then up the bluff and back out.

The Time Has Come to Push Your Butt In

Whenever I hear this commercial with the Chemical Brothers song, I want to change it, to "the time has come to push your butt in."😁

https://youtu.be/Joa71AjfJqw?si=Ev-JGv00Umn29S8a

Flomptiken

My son said they're not allowed to wear hats during their school band concert, unless it is worn for religious reasons. So, I invented the sacred holiday of Flomptiken, which our family celebrates every year. It is marked by wearing hats and no pants.

Since we have already made concessions to the tradition, by wearing pants, we should not be persecuted further, by not being allowed to wear our Flomptiken hats.🙂

Finality of Life

Last evening, I had a message waiting for me from my aunt Sharon. It was a link to an obituary for my younger cousin. He passed earlier in the week. I have to admit, that sometimes I'm bombarded with so many messages that it's hard to get through all of them. And the Facebook posts that are shares and resends get to be too much and eventually I turn them off. But this message was important. And it kind of brought a few things back into perspective. I've been dealing with an upcoming job change that has been forced upon me. I didn't realize that when I saw my cousin Jason last month at my dad's funeral, that that would be the last time I would talk to him. How would any of us know that he would die unexpectedly a month later? But yet it happened. In between all of that, we had an election and another outcome that will thrust change upon us. We live in a high-paced, ever-changing world. And it seems as though people are growing meaner and more impatient. Perhaps when our leadership exhibits those traits, it's no wonder. But it's not the way we should be living. The news I received last evening, reminds me that every interaction we have with every other person could be our last. We just never know. So we need to be kind to others. Always.

Government by the Criminals, for the Criminals

In the current political climate, such things as wiretapping, or getting oral sex from a White House intern, seem like rather minor issues. It makes me wonder if any of the president elect's supporters are now regretting their decisions? Or, are they jumping for joy because now there will be a guy who paid for sex with minors as the United States Attorney General? We are entering a phase of "government by the criminals, for the criminals." I can't help but think that most Americans aren't particularly smart, and that they have sold their souls to Mephistopheles.

Kakistocracy

Liar's Tax

RESIST HATE

Trump's Cabinet Picks...

Poop Bucket?

I've been trying to tell my son that this is a picture of a guy holding a bucket of poop really far away from himself because it stinks so bad. I don't think he believes me... 🤣

It's Dark in the USA

My idea that most people do exactly the wrong thing to get what they want, is ringing loud and clear right now. 183,000 Americans die every year due to poverty. If you don't believe me, look it up. As power is now consolidated in the hands of the rich, watch that number go up.

Grace and Closure

I stopped to talk to Grace at the memory care my dad was at all summer, after my TV job tonight. I thanked her for caring for dad. She said they "clicked," and she thought of him like her dad. The other woman who works evenings said he was a good guy and funny. I'm glad I did that. There was closure in it. Definitely for me, but maybe for all of us. Maybe for dad too. Tomorrow is one month since he died.

The Crime Boss

Imagine if the CEO of a company was removed from his job, and then he organized a mob and they stormed the building and caused damage and death. Now imagine that this same former CEO was convicted of falsifying business records. Imagine he was indicted and paid off large sums of money for crimes such as sexual assault. Imagine the same person lied over and over and it was proven that he maliciously lied about immigrants, and other people. Imagine he used inflated numbers that could not exist in the scenarios in which he was using them. Then imagine, dire warnings from people who worked with him that he should never be in power again. And then, imagine that the company's board of directors rehired him to be CEO again.

How to Become a Dictator

If you ever wondered how the likes of Hitler and other dictators could gain power, now I guess we know. First they vilify a group of people. Then they inflame the prejudice and hatred of the paranoid. Pretty soon it doesn't matter if there is any truth in it at all because that hatred burns so hot.

No School on Election Day

When I was a child, we went to school on election day. It was always interesting for us, to see all of those adults coming into our school to vote. Today, most students won't go to school on Election Day because it has become dangerous to have outsiders in the school. That isn't because of immigrants. The enemy from within that has been talked about so much by one of the candidates, is a burning hatred of others. It's not from across the borders. It's a hatred burning hot inside closed-minded paranoid people.

Escape From Wisconsin

Behind the Cheddar Curtain

This weekend we took a trip deep into Wisconsin (behind the cheddar curtain) to a funeral in Sheboygan. So, a quick stop at Lambeau Field, and also Lake Michigan was in order.