May 7

 We had rain overnight but I hope it will clear off. The soil in my containers is wet but it is workable. We did get to one of the two garden centers I wanted to visit yesterday. Mom didn't want to go to the other and I convinced her to go to the one in town. Walking much at all leaves her very tired. I did the shopping in the local store while she remained in the car. I did get the plants so I will start transplanting a bit later today. I stuck with herbs and flowers because veggies don't do well in my little patio.

Robert Reich has a short and, I think, accurate post on both the English monarchy and our presidency. We have too often given presidents too much credit and too much blame for things/events they have no more power to control than we do. The stock market drops, the president is to blame for either doing something to cause the drop or not doing something to prevent it. Another mass shooting--well he didn't ban assault weapons or he didn't provide the fund to beef up policing (or fund what ever other measure you think would solve the problem.) Damned if you do or damned if you don't. But at the same time we expect the pageantry that the monarchy gives the British. The British, reasonably, don't expect the monarch to actually rule. That is the politicians role.

NBC news posted this story about a community on Oahu that has been using bottled water since march because their water is contaminated by PFAS chemicals (a.k.a., "forever chemicals.)

Another horrific shooting in a Texas mall. I won't link because it is all over the news. Last count 9 dead and a similar number wounded. The usual meaningless "thoughts and prayers" are issuing from the mouth of the Repthuglicans. I listened to a couple of talking heads who finally telling them to stuff their hypocritical and meaningless oral s**t where the sun doesn't shine. One commentator even reminded one sanctimonious a**hole that "faith without works is meaningless." Another of said a**holes was quoted saying that those who pushed for gun safety laws "don't trust God to solve our problems." I remember an old saying "God helps them who help themselves." What are they doing, actually DOING, to solve our very human problems?

To expand that theme: I think our politicians don't deal with real problems because they don't want to. They would far rather gin up their fringe voters on "culture war" non-issues and bash the other side for not doing anything that will really benefit ordinary people. Why solve the immigration problem when they can put forward ideas they know won't go anywhere allows them to blame the other side? 

The Denver Post has this story which, I think, can be repeated in every city and town in the country. I have read and heard so many comments from perplexed economists and politicians who wonder why so many people are not content with what they see as a booming economy. I am not surprised because I see stories like the Denver Post offering about young, single, college grads who can't find a place they can rent, much less buy, on their own. The incomes have increased but the prices have increased faster and farther. The economists tout the low unemployment but I get on Shadowstats and see how many people have been erased from the statistics. The same goes for inflation data. I have seen repeated stories which indicate that there is NO county in which a person who earns the AVERAGE income can afford housing. Where are the politicians dealing with this?

Theadora Goss has a nice, easy post that I can easily relate to. I started out in this apartment with my Mother when I was a struggling PhD candidate trying to make progress on my dissertation (which I never finished) and trying to keep solvent economically without being a drain on my mother (a goal finally achieved when I retired 12 years later.) I started out with my library (or rather the library which resulted after it was reduced in the moving process) and research materials. Over the years the research materials and most of the physical library was given away and the bookshelves that contained. We have much more space now. The library has sprung anew on my e-readers (and yes that is plural) which takes up only a bit of space in my hand. My needlework has been culled a bit but I know I will never give it up completely. Life changes and the paths do take unexpected turns.

The New York Times has a long opinion piece on the failures of the CDC during the pandemic and what can be done to reform it. I don't know what the credentials of the author are but he does seem to hit some of the major problems including a clueless narcissist President who under cut the agency at every opportunity. As experts who know about such things remind us the next epidemic (or pandemic) is a matter to when not if. However, unless something changes on the social level, I don't expect any reforms will be as effective as we might wish. An old saying tells us that all plans are great until they meet reality. Too much of what happened reminds me too much of what I read about the 1918 flu: the "Anti-Mask League" demonstrating against mask mandates, business and customers angry when lockdowns were announced, people refusing  to quarantine. Any of that sound familiar?