Father's Day...Emma's Grandma Rose Day...and More

Woke to heat and humidity this morning...tropical heat and humidity. It is 92 (and nearly as humid). New Orleans heat and humidity.  Suppose to reach almost 100 by noon.

If you're a Dad...I'd exchange the grill for a pool and a iced drink today.

After a quick bask this morning, I am planning my day around the air-con.

The rain, heat and humidity this week made the herbs and patio plants very happy!

And my Tea basket has just started as well (not pictured)

I've Chamomile, Mint, Valerian Root, and Catnip currently. Will be adding a few more starts as soon as they are big enough to transplant.

We shall have good tea!

Emma and I had our Grandma Rose Day together this week

With shopping and plants

Dairy Queen Brunch and Sundaes.

(...a girl after my own heart who enjoys her sundae right along with her meal...lol...who started this silly "after you have eaten your food" business anyway???)

And lots and lots of "Arting"

I finished my sign for North Patio Beach!

By late afternoon we both settled in to our books.
Emma's proclamation

"Books Before Boys"

and a shot of her with her Kindle in her Natural Habitat.

It was a wonderful day!

Although I have a Kindle that I can carry with me...I prefer the real old fashion bound books for at home.

Luddite that I am. 

Yesterday finished out the Tournament and softball is done for the season. Her team did very well this year winning the last 7 games straight.

Spent most of Wednesday "Mall-Ratting" the Tippecanoe Mall in Lafayette (near Purdue). 

Which may be my New Favorite Mall..actually.

Diane and I started the day with Cinnabons and Coffee...and it just got better from there!

This Center has EVERYTHING!

My favorites included a New Age shoppe. Spencer's Gifts, The Earthbound Shop, as well as the staples (Bath and Body and Yankee Candles) and a great new loose tea and coffee shop better than Teavana!

There is Kohls, Pennys, Sears and Macys and so much more.

We ended our shop-til-you-dropathon with Applebees.

I am so predictable. There was a Sirloin in Garlic Parmesan Shrimp Sauce with my name right on it.

"No...I don't think it gets a lot better than THIS."

John and I enjoyed Saturday's early morning Farmer's Market together. Everyone seems to have Kohlrabi this year.
Must try it soon!

We also found this.

Not an edible or a candle, but a Soap. An incredible soap that smelled just like fresh baked cake with buttercream icing. We also found a candle with the same scent.

Last night's bath was just indulgent...but next time there will have to be REAL CAKE for afters.

We plundered Almost Home for Brunch, and pre-empted Car Plans for an Air-Con Afternoon instead.

It was an amazing, perfect day!

We are already plotting and planning our next upcoming Adventure!

John finally captured Shel-Cat doing the Mom-is-my-Teddy Bear while Sleeping Hug...

Spoiled Diva.

I AM the cat's "woobie".

(...at night...this is how she always sleeps with me...)

This week's book:

Working my way through Bryson's account of his journey through the Aussie Outback.

I found this book to go along with my Virtual Australian Adventure and am really enjoying it.

Bryson has not always been one of my favorite authors, but he certainly hit the mark with this. You'll smell the red earth, taste the roasted 'roo, and feel the blasting heat.

Highly recommended! 
Especially if you are following along with the Virtual Adventure.

This week's movie:

A nicely done sequel to the original Pixar film.

When the family falls into shame over a misunderstanding (...they were ONLY saving the day...) Mom picks up the slack...and Dad stays at home with the rest of the Super-Family.

Mr. Incredible-Mom?

Samuel Jackson is wildly entertaining as Frozone, of course.

But the one that really makes this film is the baby (Jack-Jack) who has more Super-Powers than the lot of them combined.

He can make multiple copies of himself.

He turns into this Purple Demon when he gets angry.
(...okay...every kid can do that...but still...)

He can burst into flames...and set things on fire.

He can shoot green laser beams from his eyes.

He can get larger and stronger at will.

He can travel through different dimensions.

He can change into anything or anyone.

He has Super strength and invulnerability. 

He can float (like zero-G stuff)

He has telekinetic powers.

When he sneezes he is propelled in the air like a rocket.

He can spontaneously make electricity.

He can walk through walls (and glass)

He can turn himself into a gelatinous mass during a fight.

He can mimic anybody.

Yes...it may be the Incredibles film...but Jack-Jack steals this show!

So much fun. Wonderful family film.

(...and with the exhibit of Jack-Jack's new-found powers...how can there NOT be an Incredibles 3 in the works...)


and, of course...now it is time for

And NOW WHAT?

Which I am calling

WTF?

 this week.

When last we left our dysfunctional government we had

Trump insulting our Allies and embracing brutal dictators.

And Kids in Cages.

A short time after which President Trump had a change of heart...saw how reprehensible all of this was...apologized to our Allies and removed the tariffs,  denounced the North Korean Dictator, Used part of his money to get Dennis Rodman the help he so badly needs, let all of the Kids out of their cages and reunited them with their parents, told Putin to go fuck himself and confessed to Mueller...resigned the Presidency and is now serving his lifetime prison sentence for Treason in lieu of being hanged.

Okay...just kidding.

Although it did FEEL good to at least imagine that.

No...actually

He has continued to diss our Allies...and the tariffs stand.
And they are fighting back with tariffs of their own.

So. Much. Fucking. Winning.

He and Kim are BFF, and he actually made the comment that he wished

"His people would stand up at attention and salute him...the way Kim's do."

(...Dear Donald...that would be because he killed hundreds of them including some of his own relatives when he took power...what you are seeing isn't respect...it is fear of a blood-thirsty dictator...but whatever.)

This is the face of the caged children now.

And doctors...psychologists...the UN...et al...are trying to convey how DAMAGING this separation (forcibly) of children into what amounts to detention centers and concentration camps is now (and is going to be in the future) to an entire generation of children.

With it falling on the deaf ears of Miller, Sessions and Trump.

But it hasn't been all been doom and gloom this week.

Remember Trump screaming about THE WITCH HUNT

(...even with all the indictments...guilty pleas...jailings...and so forth...)

Apparently, THIS GUY (Paul...don't drop the soap...Manafort)
or as I like to call him

Prisoner # 45343

Is a witch...er...warlock.  

Who knew, right?

Paul was out on bail, sporting not one but two ankle bracelets, screwed the pooch and tampered with federal witnesses...okay....allegedly....

Earning him a one way trip back to jail.

Do not pass go.

Send your tie, belt and wallet home with your wife.

Trading his expensive blue suit for a luxurious issued jumpsuit...and a room-mate named Bubba, hopefully. 

And The World has taken notice of our Kids in Cages...and are hell-bent on getting it stopped!

And a few of the MSM are now calling ALL of them (including Trump) out when they lie. 

Something we should have been doing all along...but something everyone needs to do now.

Every. Single. Fucking. Time. 

Press Secretary Sarah (Lying) Sanders announced her Resignation at the end of the year!

And Only 142 Days until the Midterm Elections.

Let me be the first to tell the GOP...

 More Anon...
 

Virtual Australia: Kangaroo Island (South, Australia)

Welcome to the coastal part of the Australian State of South.

Our (virtual) first stop...Kangaroo Island.

Kangaroo wasn't always an Island. About 1000 years ago it was attached to the mainland of South. A peninsula.  Aborigines could walk right across to its sandy beaches.

Then the ocean began to rise.

Sound familiar?

Cutting Kangaroo Island off from the mainland and making it...well...an island.

The wildlife remained.

Today the aborigines no longer inhabit this beautiful bit of OZ...but tourists from around the globe flock to its sandy beaches to see the seals, kangaroos, koala bears, and other assorted wildlife here.

Photographers capture its pristine beauty.

Hikers and adventurers explore the trails, grassland, sand dunes, forests and caves.

  

It has been called the BEST that South has to offer and a MUST SEE.

Today we can....come along with me!

Just a 45 minute ferry ride from the mainland

Usually 19.00 AUS

(today, for us, it is free)

Let's go!

Ferry to the Island 

https://youtu.be/PCxEtzC7iLo

Guided Tour (BEST)

https://youtu.be/Nrrp_0Tmy9w

From the Air

https://youtu.be/LbwA20A38fs

Drone over Kangaroo Island

https://youtu.be/O-a_982T7dM

Kangaroo Island Cape Du Couedic Lighthouse

 

Kangaroo Island Cape Willoughby Lighthouse

https://youtu.be/dOf_KNlv5cs

And from the air

https://youtu.be/-LUDDIFZ2fY

Next up Adelaide, South

More anon...

South Australia (Virtually)

As we head back to the mainland we rejoin our (virtual) Australian Tour with the Australian State of South.

The inhabitants (just this April) involved in a hopeful renaming.

As one thoughtfully remarked

"It (the name) just sounds so dead boring!"

We'll see what they come up with.

South is anything but boring...but it is very hard to define as these are all shots from South OZ.

(coastal- Kangaroo Island)

(urban)

 (Suburban...and The Bush)

Quickly melding into The Outback

As you can see South is a state of many faces.

We're going to try and explore them all.

In addition we will be learning some of the more frequently heard Aussie Slang.

"G,day"

Enjoying a bit of Bill Bryson's novel: In a Sunburned Country

Learn about all the critters, reptiles and creepy crawlies that can't WAIT to kill you Down Under.

We will tour Adelaide (Capital city of South)

 and the coastline including Kangaroo Island

 

Make our way through The Bush

until we reach

THE OUTBACK

Flinders Range and the beginning of The Outback.

Forget about the 1200+ things that want to kill you out here. The #1 killer here is heat...dehydration and being unprepared.

The Outback makes up about 80% of this Australian state. It is red rusty clay, sand, desert, unbearable heat (can easily get to 140 degrees) low scrub and vegetation.

Every year over confident tourists wander in to its inhospitable environment. Some never make it back out alive. 

Also in The Outback-

The Dingo Barrier Fence...known simply as 
The Dog Fence...or just The Fence. 

It stretches across the entire country!

We will try some of the Outback Cuisine as well!

                                          Emu Steak with Cherry Sauce

And whatever else we stumble across along the way!

More soon!

This Week's Morning Cup

A beautiful beginning to June.

The weather almost tropical. 80 and 90 degree days punctuated by pop up downpours that looked like something out of S.E. Asia. Ending as suddenly as they arrived and leaving the air steamy and the plants and birds ecstatic.

My herb basket and patio plants are loving it.

Cooking with fresh herbs daily now...and the pinching back just makes them bushier and more prolific.

Ending the week Friday on a sad note, as we have lost one of the world's true adventurers.

Anthony Michael Bourdain

1956-2018 
RIP


A kindred spirit who loved travel, cuisine,  different cultures...and life in general.

Until he didn't.

Like Robin Williams, his suicide leaves most wondering if THIS GUY could get depressed, overwhelmed, whatever...enough to end his own life...what HOPE is there for the rest of us?

His show with CNN: Parts Unknown gave many (including myself) the ability to have adventures, see things, learn about the cultures of places that we may never have seen otherwise. There are 89 Episodes.

It is hard to know why...we may never.  Depression or a bad diagnosis. 61 and maybe he just wanted to go out on his own terms. On top and in good shape instead of weathering the ravages of advanced aging.

What I do know is that he LIVED.

Truly lived. 

Thoreau once commented that "...most men lead lives of quiet desperation."

Tony Bourdain was never one of those men.


 My good friend, Loretta, hospitalized and in surgery last week. Requiring at least 4 weeks follow up rehab. Talked with her yesterday and today and she has handled surgery well and is now on the long road to recovery.

She may need to relocate closer to her eldest son as it is getting harder and harder to live independently.

Aging.

It's not for sissies.

I am doing well in the wheelchair.
No longer "CRASH"...lol!

Steering...who knew.

Soon begins the task of painting over all the black marks on the lower half of the walls from when I was learning.
Already have the paint!

(...thanks Michelle...)

The manual w/c has not only reduced a lot of the wear and tear (and safety issues) of ambulating with the walker...which is now impossible anyway, but is is greatly toning both my upper arms and strengthening my lower calf muscles...which is kind of nice.

This week's book:

Druckerman's midlife coming-of-age story.  Written in her early 40's I found her perspective at times cute...always amusing.

Listening to her sage "four decade" advise I reflect on my nearly 2 decades beyond experiences...boy...is she ever in for a surprise...lol!

(...not entirely age-ist...I'm sure those 80+ listen to me, and feel the same way...lol!)

If you are 20-something you will roll your eyes at this book.

If you are just beginning your 40's...it will be a helpful road-map...or at least keep you from complete panic.

And if you are my age or beyond it will give you a good laugh as you mutter under your breath

"Seriously...you ain't seen nothing yet, sister."

Well written, and at the very least, entertaining.


This week's movie:

A wonderfully romantic Love-in-the-Age-of-Arthritis story from  2014.
 
Suggested by a good friend, after revealing to her, a few weeks ago, that I was in one of these myself, now.

(...I think we actually had the restaurant conversation scene...lol!)

Shirley McClaine and Christopher Plummer in their best roles yet!

Worth a watch!

and, of course,

So....they have finally fired the aide that made the crass comment about /Senator John McCain

"...he will be dead soon..."

Yeah, but he outlived your career, honey...so it's all good.


The Superbowl Winners: The Philadelphia Eagles were disinvited from the White House for kneeling during the anthem...except they didn't. Kneel, that is.

Faux News showed (and later was called out and had to retract the story) three players kneeling together in a circle. One of the QB involved immediately lambasted them for using this photo where they were actually praying before the anthem was even played.

The Warriors and Cavs stood together and told Trump no matter who wins...they will decline a White House invite.

Trump imposed tariffs on our ALLIES...what the actual fuck????

Our allies were having none of it and imposed their own on us.

(...tired of all the winning, yet?)

This week began the G-7...

Trump has not only pissed off our allies there...but arrived late...refused to stay for the environmental issues and climate change discussion...and they decided that maybe it may have to be the G-6 + 1. And are planning to proceed accordingly.

                  "Donnie...go to your room this instant. The Adults will sort this."


(...I think in a fair fight Merkel could take him...don't you?"

This photo says it best

How sad that this is the man REPRESENTING the United States of America.

(...earlier in the week he had accused Canada of torching the White House during the Civil War...and even Trudeau knew it was Britain..okay?)

Trudeau did actually give him a photograph of the brothel his grandpa used to own.

This has to be a Troll-Level 11   :)

Just sayin'

ICE is separating children from their families...and (not making this up) have them inside holding warehouses in what amounts to yard kennels for dogs.

Don't believe me. Look it up. 

How is this America?

Oh, and that Phillips fellow (baker in Colorado) doesn't have to make a wedding cake for...well...you know...those gay people. Says it isn't personal...it just violates his religious rights as a Christian.

 I am sincerely hoping he applies his Christian Litmus Test to

Couples who are not virgins.

Couples who have been divorced.

Couples who eat shellfish, have tattoos or wear mixed fibers.

(...and the list goes on...)

Because otherwise, Phillips is just a Bigot and a
Homophobe, wrapping himself in Christianity- so he can be an Asshole.

Which is my suspicion.

Some good news though.

The ACLU is going to start supporting and endorsing candidates!

And the Blue Wave made a spectacular showing in the June 5th primaries. We CAN do this! I expect good things in November Midterms. 

And a move to impeach soon after.

Have a Great Weekend.

More Anon...