Yesterday was a wild cyclone ride of unprecedented events, ironic backfires, and miserable fails, from the early hours of the morning to late into the night.  Like watching a bizarre, twisted version of “West Wing”, we were glued to our screen all day, unable to look away, though not totally surprised.  You can’t make shit like this up!

It started with the triumphant, close shave election of Rev. Warnock to the Senate, which probably wouldn’t have happened if trump hadn’t insisted on runoffs and recounts.  That left only Ossoff’s equally historic win for the same reason, bringing the Senate under dem control with VP-elect Harris as tiebreaker.  The latter triumph, however, occurred anticlimactically in the midst of trump’s disgraceful riot and siege of the capitol, so it almost got upstaged by all the drama.

The unprecedented insurrection incited by trump and his clueless goons, of course, defeated his whole purpose of insisting there was a rigged, fraudulent election and that he won, against all evidence to the contrary.  All he did was temporarily, albeit violently, disrupt the routine ceremonial procedure of accepting already certified electoral votes for each state, and further prove he’s a mentally deranged criminal and traitor.  Not to mention staging yet another super-spreader stunt in the midst of a devastating upsurge in COVID cases and deaths.

Not only that, but his chaotic mob scene actually caused some of his loyal obstructionist repubs in congress to stand down and not go through with their agenda to pointlessly object to and debate the already approved electoral votes.  In the end even Pence and McConnell defied trump’s pressure and threats against a peaceful, constitutional transfer of power.  Still, the ritual, with some objections, proceeded through the night, arriving at the prescribed official acknowledgment that Biden/Harris are indeed elected.  Even trump had to concede defeat.  It’s just mind-boggling to what extent he can get away with blatant, treasonous crimes, before he can be removed and convicted.

Just a normal day at the trump funny farm.  Whatever will we do for entertainment once he and his thugs are put in their rightful prison cells?  I guess we’ll be too busy rebuilding from the rubble he left in his sorry-ass wake.  Maybe the ultimate irony he leaves behind will be more bipartisan cooperation and civil progress, the very values he tried to sabotage.

This four year “reality” show is almost over (one can hope), and if we can just get through a simple inauguration without more mayhem, we can maybe get back to relatively routine sitcom reruns, as it were.  We won’t miss the psychodramas.

Here’s another dawn, and some more homey bread.

The ironies just keep on coming.  Through his own insane bluster about fraudulent, rigged elections, and plots to undo legal, constitutional procedures, our loon-in-chief defeated his own purpose and shot himself in the foot in Georgia!  “Thanks” to him and his loony confederates, as of this writing not only did we gain the one and probably two crucial Senate seats that repubs might have won if they had left “well” enough alone, but Warnock and Ossoff will be the first Georgia Black and Jewish senators, respectively, and two of the few in US history.  How’s that for ironic justice?

It also indicates how voter demographics are changing in the south.  Younger, more educated people of color and minorities are becoming more engaged in the democratic process, despite repug efforts to impede their voter access and rights.  It gives a ray of hope to the rest of us in last holdout southern states.

Meanwhile, trump’s desperate super-spreader riots are ensuring that thousands more of his lemmings spread the virus and die off.  Today pro-trump rioters mounted an actual siege and illegally stormed the US Capitol building.  Chaos ensued, and lawmakers had to be evacuated. Trumpsters are diving off the deep end.  It’s just sad and senseless that we all have to pay such a high price for their delusional behavior.  If Black Lives Matter demonstrators, or any dems for that matter, acted like that, it would never be tolerated by law enforcement.

As for the absurd attempt to challenge the constitutional electoral vote count, which is just a formal reading of a certified result, it’s just another futile, farcical last gasp by a few repubs.  Thank the forefathers that we still have a basic democratic bottom line below which nobody, not even the president or vice-president, can sink.  Sometimes it seems like the sky’s the limit for getting away with murder or corruption, but we still have some checks and balances in place.

Today is a momentous test of our constitutional democracy, demonstrating that facts and rule of law can still trump a rogue, delusional president and his minions.  Our messy system has many weak points and breakdowns, but in the end the American people’s votes still matter.  To paraphrase a quote, if you count us out, you prove you can’t count.

I skipped a couple of days, partly because I’m now in seed ordering mode.  I put in my first partial order from Annie’s Heirloom Seeds, one of my favorite veg/herb suppliers.  It may be the beginning of winter, but my head is already in early spring.  Next, I’m going to try a new (for me) company, Southern Exposure Seed Exchange, for more southern heat-tolerant varieties.  Finally, I’ll supplement with flower seeds from Seed Savers Exchange.

Meanwhile, our mobster-in-chief is busily and stupidly digging his own legal grave, without any help from anyone, or need for comment.  I just hope this time around they have enough tangible legal evidence to nail his coffin.  It’s hard to ignore blatant law-breaking by the president, even when his reign of terror is over.

Here are some random outdoor and indoor plant life shots, and some delicious homemade sourdough bread by E.

Welcome to 2021.  Some of us actually made it alive to the new year, but hundreds of thousands of Americans did not, and tens of millions have COVID, especially after ignoring warnings not to travel and congregate over the holidays.  We’ve long since surpassed the 9/11 death toll per day.  Hospitals and healthcare workers are faced with catastrophic numbers and stretched beyond capacity.  They’re having to turn even emergencies away, never mind routine care.  Even morgues are turning victims away!  Everything is backlogged and backed up, including expected vaccines, due to incompetent fed leadership and its repercussions on states.

So welcome to 2021, not a blank slate, but rather a huge nasty pileup carried over, to be dealt with once trumpsters are evicted.  It’s a sad and shameful legacy.  But we can recover and rebuild from even this, if we face facts and numbers, persist in being smart and safe, and don’t let our guard down.

This is a highly contagious, deadly virus.  It lingers for long periods in the air and on surfaces, and spreads long distances, including outside.  You can pass it on even without symptoms, and get it after testing negative.  Surviving a case of COVID doesn’t necessarily make you immune.  Younger people are dying as well.  A new, more contagious strain has reached the US.  But knowing the facts, following instructions, and acting responsibly, can reduce the probabilities and risks.

Sorry about the lectures, but this is a serious crisis, not just an inconvenience.  The sooner we all comply, the faster the cases and deaths will decrease, and the sooner we can all get back to rebuilding and reuniting.  Help, both medical and economic, is on the way, once repubs either get out of the way or be part of the solution.  It won’t bring loved ones back, but their loss can teach us to respect the science and protect each other in the coming year and in future crises.

Our new year’s day is weirdly warm–headed for the mid-60s with heavy rain–not what I’d usually associate with Jan. 1st.  Our indoor and outdoor temps will soon be the same!  This was the scene and the outdoor temp just after dawn.  It won’t last for long.

A safe and happy new year!

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.