This Week's Cup...

Still in "Recovery Mode" from our Cave Adventure.

Sometimes there really isn't ENOUGH coffee.

The place was pretty amazing and the decor was so well done that with candlelighting and the faux firebowls...it looked real.
Loved some of the detail.

The grotto hot tub was amazing...and even had a section cut out with tiny multi-sized lights on a black background that looked as though you were looking up through a hole in the cave roof to a night sky.

All in all...pretty well thought out.

Except for the waterfall type faucet that filled the hot tub.
I had never seen one of these before.

                              (not the actual one...found this on Google.)

To say that this was a slow way to fill a two-person hot tub...would be...well...a vast understatement.

Spurring

#ThingsToDoWhileWaitingfortheTubtoFill

1.  Clean the Cave.

2.  Paint A House.

3. Make a 6 Course Dinner.

4. Take a 2 Hour Nap

5. Read War and Peace

6. Watch Dances with Wolves (...all three hours of it...)

7. Figure and File Your Taxes...and possibly get the Return Back.

8. Write a Novel.

9. Read the New Congressional Tax Bill.

10. Create a Child, and Raise him to Adulthood.

Yeah, you get the idea.

But it was great...and

               BUBBLES!

Took the Tour de Terre Haute (and Farmersburg, Shelburn, & Bridgeton) the next day. Our bank is now up for sale. Tried to find John's old farmhouse from his childhood only to find it is now gone...and in its stead...a BASS Lake.  We may have to come back with fishing poles!

Ended the day with ice cream from the Bridgeton Mill.

and came home to THIS...

                                                       "SERIOUSLY"
                                     "You left me...you freaking left me" 

John's Gizmo-Cat was just as bad...climbing in his suitcase before our trip ever began.

 
LOL!  She is so expressive. This is her

"You aren't actually LEAVING me???"

face.

Shelby may have Resting Bitch Face. But Gizzy has Guilt Induction Face down to an Art-Form!


A Grand Adventure...and looking forward to our next, soon!


My friend, Loretta, settling in to assisted living life now.  Enjoying the fact someone else is cleaning and cooking. Also that worrying over paying bills and maintaining a home is a thing of the past.

 She is active in their church service, and likes their midweek Bible study.

Looking forward to seeing her (there) soon and Judy, Sharon, Diane and I are assembling a "care-box" of a few things we know she will love, needs, or just wants.

We still talk on the phone about every day and write back and forth weekly.

The best thing is, of course, that she is safe and has 24 hour nursing care.

 Worked on the patio and played in the plants and borders (here) late this week.

 

My herb basket now overflowing and some of the mini-sunflowers already bloomed!

No movie or book of the week, this time...Just started the book and waiting to see a new release.

Next week.

Now it is time for-

And Now What?????????????????

If you are not just shaking your head in disgust and a bit gob-smacked at this point. Well, you must be a Trump Supporter.  
(...bless your heart...) 

Spent three wonderful Trump and News-Free Days just after his open televised treason. 

Did I come home to find that the GOP had suddenly realized what being Americans was all about and began the impeachment process?

Hardly.

Like Kids in Cages and a lot of the other crap they have turned their heads from or tried to explain away.  Made excuses for.

I now realize that this GOP Congress is not going to hold this President accountable for ANYTHING. 

Not. Even. Treason. 

So we must.

There have been protests in front of the Whitehouse since the televised meeting with Putin...which occurred only hours after we learned that our Nation's elections were (and are) under cyber-attack from Russia. 

They have popped up Nationwide now.

And Trump has, since, invited Putin to the White House in November.

Seriously....isn't this like catching someone in the middle of breaking into your house...and then inviting them to a dinner party later??? 

What the actual fuck? 

Emboldened by his party- this guy

GOP Congressional Rep. Minnesota Jason Lewis actually bemoaned the fact he could no longer call women

 "SLUTS" 

(...by the way Minnesotans...Angie Craig is running against this POS in November...let's fix this...shall we...) 

But back to Our Orange Wackadoo for a moment.

The news hasn't all been bad.

Because (to paraphrase James Comey)

"Lordy...there WAS tapes!!!"

Christmas came early in the form of several. Delivered, not by St. Nick, but  by Trump's former Fixer...er...lawyer. 

Cohen releasing them. Including one of their (his and Donald's) conversation concerning the payoff to a former affair/playboy bunny. You know...the one he said he didn't HAVE an affair with just after the birth of his son...and didn't pay off. 

Kind of like he didn't DO or pay off Stormy Daniels and then forget to sign the NDA.

In Trump's defense...when you lie about as many things as he does on a regular basis...who can keep them all straight?

And because he (Trump) is as dumb as he is ugly...his first remarks upon hearing that his buddy-who-apparently-won't-take-a-bullet (or a lengthy prison sentence) for him were

"I can't believe he would DO this to me!"

(...not exactly the utterance of an innocent man...)

A deliciously karmic moment...when you remember how he betrayed all the women he has ever been married to.

"Betrayal sucks...doesn't it, Donnie?"

Wondering how Melania "stand by your man" is feeling right about now.

You know , honey...you're right.

I REALLY don't care.

 So yeah...we need to stand shoulder to shoulder during midterms (less than 100 days away, now) and flip the Senate and House. 

Blue No Matter Who.

Straight Party Ticket for 2018 and 2020.

And as soon as we get Congress back we need to FIX this mess.

IMPEACHMENT

Suffering from Trump Derangement Syndrome?

Does the current political atmosphere leaving you feeling exhausted, hopeless, anxious,sleepless, angry?

 Ask your Congressman in IMPEACHMENT is right for you.

Side Effects  May Include: Sudden Bursts of Happiness, A Return to Democracy, Over-all Sense of Well-being, Better Sleep, Singing in the Shower, and Dancing in the Street.

IMPEACHMENT- It's not just for Nixon, anymore.

Have a Wonderful Weekend!

  

"And VOTE in November!"

Virtual Australia: The Fence

Known is some areas as The Dingo Barrier. In others- Western Australia- as The Rabbit Proof Fence. This is the longest stretch of fencing in the world.  It was built from 1880-1885 and its purpose was to keep the dingoes out of SE Australia and protect the sheep flocks of Southern Queensland. The Fence is 3,500 miles long and runs from sea across the state of South to the sea.

To put this in perspective...this is like running a fence from New York to San Francisco...and then continuing to fence another 500 miles into the Pacific Ocean.

Most of the barrier fence is close to 6 feet high and several sections are even electrified. 

The greatest threat to the fence today is sections flattened (and repaired) because of the number of feral camel...and flooding during the winter rains.

It was originally built to exclude rabbits...and later reinforced to repel the wild dogs.

Great video on The Barrier Fence

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=WPE5qxt413U

 
Parts of the fence are illuminated at night with solar powered lights.

The upkeep is maintained by ranchers whose property is bordered by the fence and regular patrol...whose job is to make sure it is intact/repaired.

Any dingo pelt fetches a $10. bounty.

Although their numbers are still nearly 200,000 most of the pureblood dingoes are gone and the remaining are dingo/domestic dog hybrids now.

A fact lamented by conservationists who say that soon the pure dingo population will be extinct...but applauded by the ranchers, who have had to deal with the decimation of their flocks to this predator.

More anon.

This Week's Cup...Antman and Wasp...and Call it What it is...TREASON

Please...No more NEWS!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

Shelby is suffering the burnout of this week's news-cycle and my obsession with the political circus, I think.

We'll get to that later!

Finally some rain today...just the edge of a little cloud. No much more than sprinkles, really. That steamy smell of wet cement and asphalt on a nearly 100 degree day. But after 4 days of high 90's and hauling water, water, and more water to my plants...they are still a bit droopy and the petunia blooms are positively crunchy, it was welcome. The sunflowers are doing great and the first batch is ready to bloom any day.

Afternoon visit by James who brought me fillets from his latest kayak and cat-fishing adventure. Greatly appreciated and I am thinking catfish nuggets cornmealed and deep fried, hushpuppies, cole slaw and sweet tea for Sunday!

Nicki says Sofi's eyes are open now and she is beginning to tumble and play with her sisters.

                                                   "I can haz eyes!" 

                                                "Mom...halp!!!"


John and I getting ready for our Mini-Getaway soon!

Can't wait.

He off on his own adventure with our (mutual) friend Andy...who had not rode in the Charger yet...and photo-proof

of their wild ride.

The Movie this Week:

 I should probably preface this by saying that Antman isn't one of my favorite Marvel super-heroes...but...this was an entertaining and engaging film. Loved Michael Douglas as The Wasp's dad. Good storyline...great CGI...feel good Hollywood ending.

Well worth a watch!

This Week's Book:

Papa's observational humor sets its eye firmly on the ties that bind (and sometimes GAG) us.

This is everyman's family.

Sometimes outrageously funny. Sometimes just outrageous. Often a bit bittersweet. Beautiful ending.

Very good read!

Oh...and FRANCE won The World Cup!

 

Now it's time for

AND NOW WHAT???

Which probably needs renamed for this week...but I have no words.

Well, none fit to print anyway.

How about we sum the whole thing up and just call it

TREASON

okay?

Never mind that Trump started insulting NATO members on his arrival. Or that Angela Merkel (once again) looked like she wanted to slap him into next week but decorum and news cameras kept it from happening.

Forget the fact that Trump blew off the reunification deadline (that was court ordered) for the kids in cages under 5 and that the rest of the kids deadline is quickly approaching...and he is doing fuck all to fix the problem.

Forget the freak-show that was Trump in England...where he proclaimed (before the visit) the people loved him there.

Then the 250,000 protesters showed up...and the Trump Baby Blimp

And at one point he actually said he felt "Unwelcome!

Ya think, Sherlock?

(...and maybe we need a bunch of these Baby Trump Blimps...here...)


Some of the signage was bloody brilliant, though...

Forget the Faux Pas when he referred to Ireland as "Part of Britian"

(...and seriously...where IS Gerry Adams...when you need him the most???)

And don't give me that RETIRED shite, okay? 

Or the fact he strode ahead of The Queen down the line of Beefeater Guards, nearly trodding on her in the process, like a golfer down a course.

"...Unleash the Corgis..."
  

 

Even forget the GOP ~vs~ FBI interrogation of Peter Strozok- where Peter ended up (very satisfyingly) handing Trey Gowdy's ass to him.

I kept waiting for it to be like  the McCarthy trials

"Sir, have you no decency?"

But it was more like

"How fucking DARE you!"

And surprisingly...that worked for me.

Damn near needed a cigarette when the thing was over....lol! 

Yeah...politics.


But I digress...

Forget about Scotland...or the fact Melenia wore the drapes to Europe.

 But remember that President Trump is set to meet Russian President Valdimir Putin in two days. 

Alone.

You will see where I am headed with this in a moment.

Because yesterday, Mueller issued 12 indictments for 12 Russian Operatives for the crime of manipulating the US 2016 Elections.

OMFG.

At first Trump had absolutely NOTHING to say.

Faux News ran a headline something along the lines of finally getting to the bottom of Hillary's Emails...SMH.

And this morning Trump tried to blame the entire thing on Obama (and Hillary) in the same tweet.

Oh...and he is still planning to meet with "his good friend" Putin.

What the actual FUCK?

So let's review...

The sitting POTUS has just been notified that Russia did indeed launch cyber-attacks on our US Elections

(...forget obstruction...forget collusion...forget everything for a minute...)

FOCUS on that.

Our sitting US President has just been given proof that a foreign nation interfered with our democratic election process...

and does he

Immediately return to Washington DC and issue a statement and encourage the FBI and Mueller to find out as must as possible and possibly STOP any tampering with the upcoming November Elections.

Immediately tell Putin the upcoming meeting is off...and maybe ask Congress to invoke even more sanctions and actually see them through this time instead of waiting months and then watering them down.

 Nope.

The giant bloated orange dumpster-fire

Continued his overseas golf game.

Tweets insults at the FBI and Mueller 

Tweets that he will continue to meet with "His Friend" Putin.

Blames Hillary and Previous President Obama for any Russian Interference.

(...yeah...that is pretty much where my HEAD exploded this morning...)

and the Congressional GOP were

*cricket chirping*

And the MAGA people were too stupid to even realize what it all means.

Which is probably best for them...in the long run.

Really.

Oh and conveniently (As Dan Coates pointed out today) we have no Chief of Cyber Security.

One has not been appointed.

Seriously?

So....yeah...I am thinking we are way past Obstruction and Collusion at this point.

We have reached TREASON.

And with their complicity...so has the traitorous GOP.


Now it is time to do something about it and reclaim Our Country!

Virtual Australia: The Outback...Simpson Desert...and The Great Emu War of 1932

Yeah...so now would be a good time to come clean, I guess.  Before this Australian Adventure I honestly believed the entire country was like this.

And a great deal of it (in the middle) is...but there are also rain-forests and mountains, beautiful beaches and waterfalls...just beautiful.

But we won't be seeing those for a while.

We've left the bush and heading across South.

100 degrees plus in the shade.

Iron red clay and dust working its way into every crack and crevasse.

The Fence...stretching from sea to sea across the country.

Desolation, short scrub and the occasional gnarled tree.

All manners of critters and bugs...most of which are poisonous.

Why are we here again?

And aren't you glad this is virtual.

 The Simpson Desert located in the middle of South is beautiful, but brutal. Because of numerous deaths...the area is closed to tourists in high summer
(December to March 15th) when the daytime temperatures reach 140 degrees and the sand can reach 203 degrees and can melt though shoes.

Good call.

The desert has an area of 68,000 square miles. The only semblance of a road is The Donahue Highway...an unpaved trace that runs across.  It is the Wold's largest sand dune desert.

Sand Dune Climb (Big and Little Red)

https://youtu.be/wTl2U86jhuA

Herds of feral camels are found in The Outback.

These remnants from the early 19th Century when the area was being mapped and explorers used them to cross the vastness. With the replacement by motor car a great many camel were simply let loose (and thrived) in the Outback. So much so, that when their estimated numbers reached 1 million in 2008 (and it was projected to double in the upcoming years)...the government sponsored hunts and they were brought in line to a much more manageable 300,000.

And then there was The Emu War.

(...no...I am NOT making this up...Google it yourself...)

It seems that camels aren't the only creature who found this baked land hospitable.  By 1932 the Emu population was in excess of 20,000 in the Campion district of Western Australia.  The local government decided something must be done. 

They employed soldiers, ex-soldiers and farmers with Lewis guns to solve the flightless bird problem.

The public dubbed the entire affair

The Emu War

The Lewis Gun.

They weren't screwing around.
This was the Machine Gun of the day.

The Battle began on November 2nd decreed by this man, Sir George Pearce...who would go down in history as The Minister of The Emu War.

The troops were dispatched.

By November 8th over 2500 round of ammunition been discharged...and only 50 birds had been killed.

An ornithologist would later remark

The machine-gunners' dreams of point blank fire into serried masses of Emus were soon dissipated. The Emu command had evidently ordered guerrilla tactics, and its unwieldy army soon split up into innumerable small units that made use of the military equipment uneconomic. A crestfallen field force therefore withdrew from the combat area after about a month  

The Australian House of Representatives discussed the matter and Pearce was forced to withdraw his troops.

After the withdrawal Major Meridith would compare the Emus to Zulu Warriors

If we had a military division with the bullet-carrying capacity of these birds it would face any army in the world... They can face machine guns with the invulnerability of tanks. They are like Zulus whom even dum-dum bullets could not stop.  

That is right.

Australia lost a WAR to Emus.

(...and don't even get me started about them bloody 'roos, mate...)

                                           "War is Hell"  Emu War Survivor


More Anon...