Continued Confessions
I love a rainy day . . .
As my title suggests, I am glad that it is spitting this morning which made me dash out to get my paper from the driveway. Glad that it is always delivered in a plastic bag these days.
But my leisurely reading may have to wait because I have to be ready for the next Hegseth hearing in Congress by the Senate Armed Services Committee. I watched yesterday’s House Committee hearing in horror as he did a credible impression of Bondi. Never have I known that government officials could obfuscate when the people’s representatives ask them questions. Especially when the questioner specifically says that it is a yes or no question. Today will be an epic clash between our hero Mark Kelly and the sniveling hair model.
So I actually wanted to tell a tale of unintended consequences. My yard has for a number of years hosted an invasion of the dreaded knotweed. But it seemed to be in check until this past year when it left me with an unmanageable mess. I recently paid too much of my piggy bank to have an expert come and clear away the detritus. It was suggested that if I could nip the plants in the bud (before getting leaves) I may be able to win the battle. So I got out there the minute the shoots appeared and proceeded to snap them all off. Yay for me. Except that somewhere along the way I got poison ivy! Yikes. So I nursed that for a week or so (I find that itch so intolerable—shout out to copyrighted Ivarest Maximum Strength cream by the way). But now the blasted plants have gotten away from me. It was suggested that the guy who cuts the grass should run the mower over them, and he even came early to try. But he refused to do so because there are rocks in the garden. So I will have a delightfully shaded back yard once again, and I will worry about the “bamboo” detritus again next year. If only the nice plants grew with such ferocity!
So, avoiding poison plants of any kind will be my goal, even if it means staying in the house. And I have a great deal of love for my family who has helped me catch the mouse that had scared the dickens out of me one night when I got up for my usual midnight cereal. Sorry for any mousie lovers, but we used the old-fashioned killing trap. I have a picture to prove that she died a peaceful death.
And speaking of death, I hope everyone realizes that the Voting Rights Act has also met an untimely death. John Lewis must be turning in his grave (if you believe in such things). My heart is broken for him and all the warriors who fought this battle for Civil Rights. The SPLC has a timeline of the over fifty years of victories that have been made. Leah Litman’s book LAWLESS describes in detail how the Supreme Court has been systematically rigged. Her writing makes the subject absolutely fascinating, and I find myself actually turning to the copious footnotes to learn even more. She noted on a recent podcast that the paperback will be out soon with an additional foreword to bring it sadly up to date.
Okay. So now I must do the dishes (always by hand as therapy), then give the newspaper a quick run through in time for the hearing. Not sure why my watching will do anything to stop this historic backsliding, but witnessing it in real time seems required. Oh, one last thought. I caught by chance my Senator Blumenthal questioning some candidates for some judicial positions who tried to squirm out of his direct ask about January 6th. Watch it in horror on Instagram.
Talk about going to hell in a hand basket . . .
RESIST ALWAYS
TTFN
We live trap the mice and release them far down the canyon (that geological feature that burns here in California every decade) well behind our house. We let the owls get the rats. Went nuclear on the gophers and buried gopher mesh under the entire backyard that wasn’t patio slab. If you lot is bigger, rent a goat.
Only one mouse? Lucky you! 😂 I’m with you on the spring-loaded traps. They’re the quickest, thus least stressful for the little critters. I like Don’s idea of a slathering of peanut butter (or whatever he uses.) They die happy.
We had a No Mow May movement in my neck of the woods—or I guess we still do. I think it’s propagated by the lawn companies to increase business for weed control. As for the birds and bees and their need for seeds, I leave my native gardens full of last year’s growth until there’s plenty of fresh food for them. I’ve not decided about the lawn other than to leave it as is and mow. There’s also some kind of new grub that’s eating our lawns at the roots. If I didn’t have a dog, I’d just throw a bunch of seeds from the garden over it all and watch the battle.