Here’s Misu watching the ill-fated year fading away.  (Soon we can say ironically, “hindsight is 2020”, haha.)  This year should win the Guinness world record for crappiest year ever.

And this is our latest “tradition” on NYE, a Mexican taco buffet (as close as I get to “authentic”).  There’s my famous homemade guacamole, a spicy Mexican meat and bean dish, and all the fixin’s.

To a happier New Year!

After four years of making America medieval again, and the nightmare that was 2020, the real countdown is to trump’s eviction, and to beginning the long process of healing and restoring functionality to our country.

Oh, trump will do his evil best to go out with a bang, throwing wrenches, and sabotaging the incoming administration as he goes.  But with all his mental and physical sickness, as well as criminal activities, I predict he’ll eventually fizzle out over the next four years, with more of a whimper.

Maybe more people will wake up and realize the damage and devastation he left in his wake, and what it looks like to actually care and provide care for all Americans, and for people simply seeking citizenship and a livelihood.  That is what our democracy is supposed to be about.

We can’t undo all the tragic, unnecessary losses that trump’s malicious incompetence caused, but now at least we have a chance to restore some sanity, security, and justice.  It can’t get much worse than it did.  Right?

Happy erev 2021.  Please continue to stay home and stay safe.  This is not over yet.

Guess what predictable, shameful outcome repubs (i.e. trump) pulled off in the Senate.  [Hint: see previous post.]  Their undisguised malicious intentions are so obvious to anyone with half a brain.  And ordinary struggling Americans continue to pay the price.  Not to mention trump’s ongoing scheme to obstruct vaccine distribution and other COVID prevention/relief.  They are delusional, cowardly thugs to the very end.

Biden/Harris have their work cut out, just undoing some of the damage.  For some it’s too late.  But there’s light up ahead, as saner minds prevail, if we can all just stay sensible and safe.

Speaking of resilient survivors, these are black hollyhocks, ferns, and columbines, among others that managed to stay green through snow and ice.  Typically, today we’re back to almost 60°, but more unusual icy cold fronts are on the way.  Plants remind us how life can persist in darkest, coldest times, even in the face of human-caused climate change.  We need reminders right now.

The irony.  It would be laughable, if it weren’t so sad.

Dems have been fighting all along for desperately needed relief checks for ordinary Americans struggling to survive during this pandemic.  They had to compromise and settle for a measly $600 per person, which won’t even put food on the table, let alone pay rents, healthcare, utility bills, students’ wifi, etc., because of repub brutishness.  We’re in a historical crisis of unemployment, evictions, health insurance loss, sickness and deaths, starvation, and other economic devastation not seen since the Great Depression.  Trump was nowhere to be found throughout this process.

Now suddenly he declares he’s for $2000 per person, in contradiction to his own party’s miserly policies, and even more than dems were pushing for. This would at least make some difference to people for now, and help the economy.  So what happens?  A bipartisan vote in the House passes it, no problem, but Senate repubs under Mitch McConnell continue to stall and throw in superfluous wrenches besides, to delay passage further.  Even with their own precious president now in favor of it (to make himself look good as he melts down).

Meanwhile, billionaires actually got richer during this crisis, thanks to repub tax breaks and loopholes, while the majority of hardworking Americans are struggling through no fault of their own.  This is the country we live in, now.  To borrow a phrase, it’s a disgrace.

In better news, we’re not starving or suffering, although any relief money would help us finally make some much-needed basic house and auto repairs.  If we don’t get sick or worse, we’ll be OK.  In other irony, that puts us po’ folk in a fortunate minority making it through this horrible year.

Here is E’s famous lasagna, which will feed us for days.

And just like that, the snow is melted away and it’s headed for ~50°, like it never happened.  Just a “normal” December in TN.

Even more amazing, of all things these California poppy mounds are still healthy and green in the melting snow.

Indoors, we have chives blooming.

Speaking of home, stay close!  Don’t travel.  Take every precaution in all situations.  This latest massive surge is unprecedented and deadly.  Many of us have experienced close calls, or worse.  Do not take this lightly or take chances.  Save lives, including your own.  This is not hypothetical.

Xmas is behind us (thank whomever) but now we have a new kind of countdown to the new year–all the unfortunate casualties resulting from people acting like this was a normal holiday season.  Everyone suffers when a herd mentality prevails, including the young and heedful.

If you are reading this and have been affected by this terrible pandemic, I know it feels unfair, having taken all precautions and still being at the mercy of forces beyond your control.  Just hang on, and continue to protect yourself and others.  Vaccines are just over the horizon, and self-serving trumpsters will no longer be able to obstruct relief at every turn in the new year.

It’s hard to feel optimistic right now, but be patient, keep your guard up, and one day soon we survivors will be able to meet in person again.  That will be a very good day.

It’s unnatural!  The big snowstorm on xmas eve was weird enough down south, but last night it got down to like 11°.  Everything remained frozen, with long icicles hanging from things.  These photos were after the sun finally came out and brought temps up into the 20s!  At least we got to keep our power so far, unlike many people in the area.  And just last week it reached almost 60°, and may do so again this week.  If this isn’t climate change, I don’t know what is.  Still, it’s even prettier for being so unusual and rare.

Less pretty and rare are the snowballing COVID cases overwhelming hospitals and medical staffers all over the country, especially here in TN.  Most of us now know someone who is sick or worse, or suffering extreme deprivation caused by the effects of this crisis.  I know the isolation this time of year is hard on people, but please continue to quarantine and take precautions and stay home.  It’s vital for all of our survival and wellbeing, so we can live to enjoy a better new year with loved ones.

So that was freakish.  It’s as if a normal Northeastern white xmas came down south to TN, including the deep freeze.  Overnight we got a couple of inches or more of snow, and it’s still intermittently coming down.  This is not normal.  I still recall the xmas we were all outside in t-shirts in 70° weather.  Now we’re snowed in, which is fine.  On top of that, my son and others got power outages, but fortunately not for long in these frigid temps.

Still, it’s pretty, almost spooky, and the timing was fortuitous.  Here are some night and day scenes.

It’s more of a wet than white xmas for now, but even down here they’re threatening an inch or so of some wintry mix, and plummeting freezing temps.  All the more reason to stay home!!  As if we needed one.

We’re some of the fortunate ones to have a home and the means to pay for it, unlike millions of Americans being screwed by our Scrooge-in-chief on his way out.  I doubt even scary ghosts in chains could reach his black hole of a soul.  May he and his fellow degenerates be brought to justice, or at least haunted by their crimes, in the coming year and beyond.

Tennessee has more cases, deaths, and overwhelmed healthcare workers per capita than anywhere on earth, not just the country, right now.  All because of republican indifference and incompetence.  Don’t even think about having a heart attack or other emergency, or getting admitted to an ICU.  They don’t even have room for all the COVID cases caused by people traveling, socializing, and not taking precautions.  It’s a high price to pay for self-indulgence.

But we’re still here, hunkered down and trying to stay as festive as one can in isolation.  Here are scenes.  Happy Whatever you celebrate.  Please stay safe and considerate and alive.

Today was the last warm day for a while, as a serious winter storm is moving in.  We may actually see some snow here on xmas eve.  I used the opportunity to try out our little electric rototiller to cultivate the main and annex veg beds.  It took some exertion, but I’m done with my list of major projects for the winter.  Time to hibernate.

Here are: this morning’s vivid sunrise, and the tilled gardens.