There's nothing like a wonderful turkey feast to share on Thanksgiving Day. For my first two years living in Florida, Thanksgiving involved the "Drive of Shame" to Publix to save the day...
Right Said Fred could have been singing Fortitude's praises...those red leaves are absolutely captivating! Enjoy them while they last which won't be long now... :)
Now we're starting to see some proper fall colours... :)
Just when you thought we'd gotten past the stupidity of the legacy of HB2, Reps Mace and Greene want to ban an incoming transgender colleague from using the women's washroom. But even though Congress exempts itself from many of the laws it passes, the Congressional Accountability Act of 1995 and Title VII of the Civil Rights Act of 1964 (as amended) would suggest the Speaker's announced policy may well be illegal.
A trolley full of detergent, a busted knee, and a bit of Russian language for flavouring...and that's before getting to the checkout till where there would be doubts on whether I'd get the gift cards for the items I'd purchased. Fortunately, a wonderful lead comes round and honours the deal with no fuss or hassle...a very welcome surprise indeed! :)
A purple ballot in the most purple state in the nation and yet former Rep David Lewis (and convicted felon!) gets his dream US House delegation that was hyper-partisan gerrymandered to send a 10-4 Republican delegation to Washington. :(
For those who despair that their vote for president was worthless, come along as I describe just how much fun living in one of the "swing states" that decided the 2024 election isn't with all of the political advertising bombarding us nearly 24/7! :(
It's one thing to complain about the problems and deficiencies of the recent Presidential election campaign of 2024. In a time where those of us who love the Constitution and democracy may feel at the mercy of soul-crushing despair...what can we the people do? It turns out that we've got the capacity to resist the worst of Trump's policies. The question will be if we have the courage to continue to fight...
A majority of our country's voters has chosen to return a known misogynistic, xenophobic and racist convicted felon with authoritarian tendencies and desires to the White House for another four years to pursue a stated policy of revenge and retribution upon what he views as an "enemy within". There were so many deal-breakers that should have instantly disqualified his candidacy much less his election but he's proven to be a master of selling fear of immigrants and a competent woman who respects the Constitution to gain political power. Hopefully the self-interest of the ultra-wealthy that bought him another four years and the certainty that he'll never face true accountability for his actions will be enough to prevent Mr Trump from actually enacting his most horrific policy proposals. In the mean time, we must stick together more than ever before in spite of the forces that wish to divide and conquer us and begin the hard work to bring our country back from the abyss that currently yawns wide before it. :(
With honour and respect for all who served, we give thanks this day and really every day for those who have served and sacrificed so that the rest of us may have the freedoms so many in the world can only dream of. That spirit of selfless service in the defence of democracy and the Constitution for the good of the American people is needed now more than ever.
Another signature spider takes up residence with a massive web anchored across the driveway. It may not have been the best location for catching food but it was certainly not for lack of effort! :)
Even a relatively mundane trip through White Oak shows the beginning of fall colours... :)
No Lord's Bird on Sundays! :( Thank God it's *MONDAY*! ;)
The Verizon package has been returned to the Verizon store who kindly accepted custody of it. I'm sure the person who ordered that kit will prefer that option than the one of taking it and the note to the cop shoppe! :)
What to do with an unsolicited package that FEDEX dropped on my doorstep that has the correct address but the name is all wrong? It turns out ringing out Verizon "customer support" to try to sort it out is an utterly hopeless waste of time... :(
A most wonderful surprise that was four years in the making and I almost missed it. JoJo called me “tio”! Awwwww….
We had worked out the plan and met up with Meghann in Mebane just as she was finished packing the trailer to head back to her quilt shoppe in Fayetteville with her and Mom trailing soon behind. I was supposed to head to RDU to drop of the hire car and meet Nicholas who would have my Traverse to take us back to the house. All that actually happened. A certain Camel decided that I needed some bonus driving in the Traverse to pick up my favourite "Nobody From Nowhere" and do dinner in Fayetteville with Mom and Meghann before returning Katie back to Campbell. The best laid plans... :)
We're heading back through the mountains to meet Meghann in Mebane where Mom and I will part ways as they head back home to Fayetteville and I'm off to Raleigh to return the hire car. That sounds almost too easy, doesn't it?
You never truly appreciate a boring hotel check-in process until you've had recent ones that were anything but! This one was truly boring indeed and we were *THRILLED*!
Along with being a consummate musician, Grandpa Williams was a turbine operator at the CIPS coal-fired electricity plant just north of town. The plant is long gone and all that stands in it's place is an electrical substation.
After a lovely (and *HUGE*!) breakfast at the cafe, we headed a bit north of the village to visit some of the family from Mom's side including the grandfather I never knew and one of the kindest gents I actually did meet long ago.
With all of the excitement from the night before, we decided an early morning was not for us and that actually worked to Mom's advantage as she got some bonus reunion time before we left the hotel in Robinson IL. This morning's activities included another stop at the cafe in Hutsonville, a stop at the cemetery for Mom, a manhunt, and then we were off for another night in Georgetown KY just north of Lexington.
Welcome to Hell, the hotel edition! Into life some rain must fall but finding a place to lay our heads for the night proved to be a lot more harrowing than we'd ever imagined... :(
We've made it to a farm outside Annapolis IL just north of Hutsonville for Mom's 60th HS Reunion and it truly did not disappoint. I've never attended one of my reunions and honestly don't care if I ever do. Mom's really neat friends made sure I probably won't miss reunions at my old Florida high school any more than I have these many years. :)
We're back in the Land of Lincoln and Central time and now it's time to beat feet for Hutsonville and a lovely cafe in downtown. But before we get there, we'll be passing through Palestine and passing by a farm full of fond memories.
