January 28

 Sunny this morning but not at all warm. But I had to go out to drag the trash tote out for collection. No real choice about it because it was full after a month of missing the collection. Christmas took care of one because I forgot which day it would shift to--same for New Year. Then the weather over the last two weeks--ten days of which I spent recovering from the fall I described before. I am finally able to breathe and move my arms freely without pain. I think I bruised my ribs badly. But I don't heal up as fast as I once did.

When I said I had to drag the tote out I mean exactly that because of the weight and the remaining snow. But It will be easier to bring it back in when they do empty it. I don't leave it out because those things have a tendency to go rolling down the street in a wind.

Stray thought: some people think Trump wants to return the U.S. to the 1950s, or 1930s, or the world of 1900 but I think he really wants to go further back to the 17th century and the age of the "Divine Right of Kings" age, with himself as king of course. He should remember that didn't turn out so well for some of those kings. Charles I was executed in England. His younger son, James ll, was overthrown in the Glorious Revolution. And though Louis XIV died of very old age in his bed, his grandson, Louis XVI was beheaded in the 1789 revolution in France. And those were societies with traditions of monarchy. This society has a tradition of successfully revolting against monarchy.

Aurelian has an interesting article on the problems of "managing the powerful." The political structures may change but that remains a common feature whether managing kings or presidents or dictators.