“…in the darkness…”

I love this meme. I have saved it and posted it on social media a lot. Because truly, I am over politics. It is just maneuvering and pressuring and positioning. Most of the time, even good people who become involved with politics find themselves corrupted in some way or another. Even down here at the local level, and state level. Nationally it is almost impossible to be on that playing field without compromise of some sort. I am not unavowedly conservative. I think most who read this get that. It is definitely not a secret. And this meme explains why I am involved in all this stuff. Because injustice has become commonplace. Ill perpetrated upon an unknowing populace are everyday processes for our news media and most in government. What happened to inalienable rights? Did you know that when a law goes against constitutional law, it is unlawful and does not have to be obeyed? Governors and mayors who decree, under pandemic extension of powers, that we cannot gather indoors, at all, are violating the constitution. We have the right to gather. It is an inalienable right. Did you know the constitution is there to protect us from over-reaching politicians and their brand of politics? THEY WORK FOR US.

When I was working for a county agency, at the executive level, many elected officials came and went out of my office. I handled delicate matters and it required a certain level of access. Not anyone could enter my office suite. Even elected officials had to make appointments and be allowed into our area. But we were instructed that if an elected official was walking the hallways, we were expected to move against the walls to allow them unfettered walking. They were not supposed to have to ask us to move out of their way…we were expected to do so because they were elected. I was furious. They were guys who graduated from college and started slapping hands and making themselves noticed in order to be elected. A vast majority of elected officials have NEVER HAD A JOB.

We were also told that if an official did not serve at least two terms, they were not able to do their jobs. The reasoning blew my mind. I was told this: (1) It takes someone at least the first year to just learn where everything is, and where everyone’s offices were located. Where to park, to eat, to get to their office. Where the conference rooms are located. Who their staff was. And to find their way through the governmental properties where the legislation is quartered. Trust me, it is easy to get lost at just the County level. (2) It takes at least two years to learn what they were elected to do. If they are a legislator, it takes at least two years to learn how the process in their legislative body works. How laws are proposed. The vocabulary required for writing legislation (You do know they do not write these legislative acts, or laws, or proposals? No. They have professionals who do nothing but write legislation. Yep. Hoodwinked. Ugh).  (3) It takes them two years to understand how to put together something (that supposedly their constituency has asked them to accomplish) that goes before the body for discussion and ruling. Then there are all the subcommittees and who is higher ranked and who you need to take your legislation to, in order to get the nod to move it forward. Think of the movie, “Evan Almighty” with Steve Carroll. He is a newsman who is elected to the Senate. And God has other plans for him. But he tries to go along with a “powerful” senator, played by John Goodman. The nuances in that movie realistically portray government stupidity. It is how things are! They made it a comedy to not bother you, but it is truth couched in comedy. (4) Once their two years or so of rookie legislator is up, they can begin to meld into an effective legislator. They know the “lay of the land,” they understand the process, they know where to park and where the cafeteria is. And then they can begin to put forth their opinion, to vote on things with some knowledge. They have become more well-read in all things pertaining to their elected office. They have hired and fired staff. They are ready to begin their stint as an elected official. But in the meantime, the world has been moving. Before you know it, it is election year and nothing happens in that year except speeches, and television interviews and pruning before your constituents, claiming all the things you have done for them. So they need another 4 years to be effective at what they do. But you and me? Do we get 4 years probation for a new job? Heck no. If I cannot perform my job within a six-month or so probationary period, I lose said job. And that included the work I was doing, at the executive level, for a county government. I was asked to take a sexual harassment training course, and pass the online course, on behalf of a legislator. Why? Because he was too busy and did not have the time to do it. Irony? I helped write and administer the program (so duh, I would not fail when taking it) and the other ironic part? This legislator is one of the ones who went on TV and gave interviews on the importance of sexual harassment training and sensitivity. Yeah; right. And he was a career politician on about his 4th cycle in office. Sigh.

On and on that 2- or 4-year cycle goes. And that is why no one in government wants term limits. They’re comfy with how the system works; they conquered their part of the cycle and they are in a rhythm. The problem (one of a myriad) is that politicians become complacent and lazy and caught up in their own news cycle. There is not an original thought among them. And they become beholden to outside influences. Just going to dinners, or being given theatre tickets from XYZ Corporation. Remember the movie with Kevin Costner early in his career called, “No Way Out” in 1987? (I know, it was a while back! LOL!). In this movie his girlfriend (played by Sean Young) is killed by her other, high ranking lover, who happens to be a Senator (played by Gene Hackman). In the movie, Kevin is able to prove she was killed by Gene by tracing a gift given to him by a foreign embassy. The senator had given it to his mistress, who he had provided an apartment in DC for, and who lavished her with gifts, often from foreign powers. And above all costs, the facts had to be hidden. The senator’s aid actually dies, claiming he had done it, to keep the senator’s name out of it, but truth always wins. And if you think stuff like this doesn’t happen in DC, you must live under a rock. Think Uranium 1; think Fisagate with lovers exchanging emails trying to take down a sitting President; think Hunter Biden and all the other children of diplomats and legislators who are involved with Burisma Holdings. It is a swamp. And truly, if we dig, we can find dirt on almost anyone in government from our local mayors to state senators, governors, and on to the members of Congress. We have Supreme Court justices with their names on Jeffrey Epstein’s flight logs. Hillary Clinton, Bill Clinton, the Clinton Foundation, and just Haiti (not even going into the body count associated with those two). There is Obamagate. Yep. He spied on a campaign. He illegally spied. He let Benghazi happen, along with HRC.  On and on and on the dirt goes. It is sickening. And we have not even opened the box containing this week’s WayFair debacle with child trafficking. Thanks be to God we have a President who put that at the top of his list when taking office and has worked tirelessly to stop it. There is so much that is going to come out about Washington, DC and Hollywood. And it will be impossible to believe.

I have spent a few years, but most notably over the past two years, diving down some information rabbit holes that I never wanted to go down. (Ironically, HRC’s code name with the secret service is Alice in Wonderland). But I am glad I have looked and researched for myself. I am glad that I allowed myself to look and see and learn. I would rather not be uninformed and go through life living a lie, or with my head in the sand like an ostrich. I know things I did not know a few weeks ago. I know things I did not know growing up, which have permanently altered my world view. I wish I could ask for a refund from my university for making me study “facts” that were really slanted conjectures. I am very angry at Hollywood for destroying my memories, because so much of what they do is outright evil. I hate that I now know I have been brainwashed. It is called, “The Great Awakening,” and I think more and more people around the world are waking up to what our governments have been doing to us. And to the fact that the world is constantly in a battle of very basic things – good versus evil. That’s it in a nutshell. Something is inherently good, or inherently evil. Period. There really is no gray. If we allow gray, we slide into black and dark and evil. We must always be in the light of ultimate truth.

 

 

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“Listen to the rhythm of the pouring rain…”

Life is a balancing act. Sometimes you can do it well, and people don’t even notice. They don’t notice how hard it was because you nailed it. LOL. Then there are those days where you look and feel like a drowned rat, and you feel done in. I get that; I truly do.

Today it is dark and pouring with rain. I normally wear flip-flops for months – as long as I possibly can – before the toes just get too cold and I know winter is around the corner. I get a tan line on my feet! Well, today I have my slippers on. Toes are cold. In and of itself, that is depressing. LOL.

Even the dog is sad, and was begging to be let outside in the pouring rain. I was able to deflect and gave him a good scratch, and he went back to sleep. Even the animals are sort of slumbering today. LOL.

So when I am sad or down, I love to organize and clean, or bake. I cleaned like a madwoman. I had help. A friend who is down on her luck and is a fantastic organizer and cleaner, comes twice a month to assist me. And I pay her. It is a win-win as far as I am concerned. So I cleaned my oven and stove. And I mean I cleaned it. I took it completely apart. But I found a cleaning hack – use Easy Off Oven Cleaner on everything. Take out your racks. Spray them with Easy Off. Stick them in a large trash bag. Ignore them for a couple of hours. Same with your cooktop grills and gas outlet covers. Stuff it in a bag, sprayed with Easy Off. Secure the bags and walk away from them for about 2 hours. Spray down the microwave. Let it set. Spray down your naked cooktop. Let it set until the foaming stops. Then just start wiping away grease and grime. It is so cathartic. I did the entire oven, too. Left it sprayed and cold and alone for 2 hours. In the meantime I’m scrubbing the cooktop cast iron and it is coming up so clean. The cooktop is shining. To get an extra shine, I finish off with window cleaner I got at Home Depot – you use 1 capful to a gallon of water. I use it on all my windows inside and out. And shining surfaces. It is a miracle – no streaks. Then my friend helped me pull out the refrigerator and clean behind it. Even the walls. We vacuumed the back and cleaned it; even wiping down the sides and the cabinets it is between, as well as the front. It looks so good. Next I’ll clean out the inside. That is for another day! LOL! So to help my sadness, ennui, or whatever it was, I cleaned. What do you do?

Today has been a miss-mash of pouring rain and glorious sunshine and clear skies. It is weird. So my energy directed me (with hubby’s prodding) to complete and file our taxes. Yeah; I am one of those who took advantage of the new tax day. Ours were so complicated that they scared me. But once I understood all the moving parts, it was fairly simple to complete, and I had done more of them than I thought I had. And so that chore is over and done with. Next up is planting some bushes that have been sitting where they belong through the rain, and use the sunshine to put them into the ground. And add some fertilizer to the surrounding plants that don’t look too happy. We are planning on it being a very colorful hedge some day. On the left is the purple leaf sand cherry and on the right is the burning bush. They are planted, interspersed with one another, at the street edge of our front yard. Should be interesting. The purple leaf sand cherry bushes are winning the growth race right now!

       

Chores are done. Even the laundry! Got clean sheets in the dryer! LOL! So I think my brain has exhausted my body. But when I slow down and think is when I get all maudlin. The world is just so insane right now. I am no longer a voting precinct co-chair, and my co-chair is not, either. And it makes me sad. But I just cannot agree to their restrictions without subsuming my rights. So their ultimatum was capitulate or your services are no longer required. So we both walked out. We both feel like our right to serve was taken away by the whims of one official. Not by popular vote. Not by legislative command or edict. But by one person’s opinion. And it is just not right. That is one thing.

My dad (93) and step mom (87) are both hospitalized (in different hospitals) with covid-strep-pneumonia. They were both in ICU. They are doing well. Both are sitting in chairs and out of the beds and both are eating well. My stepmom has a breathing thing in her nose; dad is fine and breathing on his own. They are tested daily for covid. Did you know that every test that is positive is counted as a new case? Even if it is for a person who already tests positive? Yeah. Did you know no one is in masks on the covid floor of the hospital, except staff? They have been in there for 3 days and Dad insists it is 3 weeks. Gotta love dementia. They are not allowed anything personal – no phone, clothing, books, iPads, magazines. A patient on the floor had to petition for his hearing aides because he is deaf!! And absolutely no visitors. In the dark places hidden in my brain, I feel like they are being kept at some gulag and will be disposed of when the hospitals have drained the last little bit of federal funding out of them. It is ridiculous. And I am angry at all of it. I just feel like we, as a culture, are being played. I’ll bet all the covid nonsense is gone by November 4th. All of it. Did you notice how no one is dying of the flu? Heart attacks? That swabs are being sent in that have not touched a person, and the results are coming back positive? Or people go to get in line (6 feet apart) to be tested and walk away because the line is too long or wait is too long, and yet they receive a notice their test was positive? C’mom, people!? Doesn’t your soul just itch with the idea something is not right???

I’ll just close with this: I think that most of us realize this is not the “new normal” and we do not accept an existence spent in fear, or distancing from loved ones, friends, and associates. We do not accept we cannot walk the beach or go to a concert or any of these ridiculous strangleholds those with some power are placing on our freedoms. Why is it okay to demonstrate violently without restrictions, but we cannot attend Church, or sing while we are there? Do you notice our right to worship is being trampled on? Do you notice we are being told what we can and cannot wear, and where we have to wear what “they” say? A woman was arrested for not wearing a mask. What is happening in this country? Do you get all your information from the TV? Do you think they are honest with you? That they news media is fully covering the issues? If they are censoring those with opposing views, doesn’t that tell you something? Have you looked at Hong Kong recently and seen their rights disappear? Watch out , my fellow citizens, or what you hold dear, the freedom to live as you choose, will be gone. The freedom to gather, to pray, to sing in Church will be erased. We are in an epic battle in this country and in this world. And it is for our souls. This election is all about right vs wrong, good vs evil, a democratic republic vs absolute and total tyranny. Hang on, it’s gonna get bumpy, my patriotic frens!

 

 

 

 

“… our flag was still there…”

Well, it’s the 4th of July this weekend. And to be frank, I was not aware it was this close. I had totally spaced on the exact date. Oops! Been busy but I am not sure what I have been doing. My brain is fried a little bit. LOL. The weather is finally feeling more like summer, and our flowers and plants look glorious.

I’m a die-hard Dahlia fan and the one above is one of my new ones. I just love the colors. I also planted peonies and one of them is blooming. It is a bright and glorious pink. I love peonies, but they make me sneeze and my eyes water. So I plant them where I don’t have to be near them, except to look at them from afar! LOL! I ran outside and took a photo of it…

And then I saw all these blooming beauties, and here are some more flowers. I am of the mind that you plant once and enjoy every year, so all these have overwintered and are still looking gorgeous!

And as I walked back inside, I grabbed quick photos of these little pots on our front porch area. I know it’s crazy, but I love that curly grass so much. It doesn’t bloom. It just curls. And for whatever reason, it brings a smile to my face! This year, two pots have it…isn’t it fun???

And you know what? Just being in the sunshine and clear skies, with wonderfully smog-free air, does your whole psyche good. This weekend is the 4th of July, as I said above. So many governors and mayors and people with their over-inflated sense of power are trying to take our Nation’s Birthday away from us. I say, if you cannot have fireworks, cannot gather on the beaches, or cannot have a big BBQ party, that is fine. But fight back! Hang your flags off your porches, fly a flag in your yard. You can always go outside and clang pots and pans in celebration, like we did as kids. We also celebrated with those twisty noisemakers you whirled around. Bake a red-white-and blue cake for America. Have fun with patriotic decorations. This year is so critical to remember we are America the Beautiful! America the Great! Home of the free, because of the brave! Celebrate with those near and dear (since we are limited by all these dumb restrictions). Remember why July 4th is such an important day. For all of us. Because this day marks the day in history when our founders declared their independence. They refused to be held down by an oppressive government. They declared that all men are free. They gave us a government that is “for the people.” I don’t feel like very many of these little despots who are closing down entire cities and counties and states even remember that they work at our pleasure – each vote matters!! Personally, I think it is time to drain the swamp (regardless of party affiliation) from school boards to the House and Senate in Washington DC. Before they steal this country right out from under our noses. The signs are everywhere, if you choose to see them.

So go outside in this gloriously sunny weather. Sunshine is good for what ails you…like viruses. Hold your family members close. Pray unceasingly for good to rule this world and evil to be rousted from all the dark hidey-holes! The only way to root out evil is to bring it into the fullness of the Light. Thanks be to God for your faith, family, and this wonderful place we call home. God Bless America.