January 5

After a brief appearance of the sun our weather has turned dreary again. Not quite typical January since the temperatures are a bit warmer than normal. Sort of resembles the political and medical situations. Just as the pandemic response prior to the vaccine roll-out was f--ked up the vaccine distribution has also been f--ked up. The houses of our national legislature are supposed to meet in joint session to receive and announce the results of the electoral college vote (and election of Joe Biden) but a large number of representatives and a baker's dozen of senators plan to slow up the process by challenging the electors' votes from which ever states they feel didn't do right (by which you should read "elected Biden"). Most are signaling to #45 their allegiance to him rather than to their states or to the Constitution. I am sure each one took their oath of office with fingers crossed. Our news is fixated on those two stories--the politics and the vaccination. There was a brief mention that the UK has entered a strict lockdown because of the rise in  the incidence of that new variant of COVID.

I finally put in my first seed order to Burpee. I plan to put in two varieties of squash (an acorn and a spaghetti squash), a new dwarf cucumber and a couple of other items. I haven't looked seriously at what is at Baker Creek yet. I tried to put in an order for indigo and woad at the Woolery but they were out of stock. I will put in a tomato (maybe two) and a pepper (maybe two). I haven't yet decided which herbs I will put in. I also want to rearrange things on the patio which I hope will give more room.

Well, COVID is coming closer to us. My brother (only 2 years younger) will be released from the hospital with the virus. Hopefully he won't have any more severe symptoms. His daughter just called to tell us and suggest we not visit either him or her brother and nephews. Evidently they are not very mask conscious--people coming in and out frequently and none wearing masks. We haven't seen him since just before Christmas and haven't had any symptoms ourselves so we aren't worried. Just watchful.

Tom Engelhardt posted a piece today that was both hopeful and depressing. The hopeful aspect is that #45 and his grifting family and sycophants will be gone from the White House. Yipee!!!! The depressing part you ask? The SOB really won't be gone and all of the sycophantic a$$holes in our legislature are still going to be there to sabotage Biden no matter who that hurts. Damn!!!! Worse the discontents that fueled his rise are still here. The economy works for fewer and fewer of us. The "American Dream" is becoming more and more of a nightmare for those who try to reach for it. Debt is rising faster than the COVID statistics and, as various economic writers I read regularly say, debts that can't be paid back won't be. We are in for an even rougher patch than 2020.