What will I ever do for blog material when I no longer have my goofy dog providing me with an endless stream of ridiculous photos? This was her yesterday, just getting up after rolling on her back on the lawn. Here she was a few moments before:
What a spectacle!
Our climbing hydrangeas are having perhaps their best year ever. In fact I've had to cut one of them back because it keeps threatening to smother the Solomon's seal.
Here's the rescued hydrangea (right) that I mentioned in yesterday's post. At least, I think it's a hydrangea. There aren't many distinguishing features left! We'll see what happens when it produces more leaves, assuming it survives. I also rescued those two ferns, from the same place as the hydrangea, last fall. The one on the left is doing OK but the one in the middle is still iffy.
Nothing very noteworthy happened yesterday. I am so ready for this weekend. It's a three-day weekend because Monday is a UK bank holiday. Yes, another one! May has the distinction of being the only month with two bank holidays not pegged to a religious occasion like Christmas or Easter. I don't have any specific plans but I think I need to get off my butt and take a walk somewhere.
I've had some more health drama going on -- mostly of my own invention, I think -- and of course I'm dismayed and horrified daily by everything in the news. Reading about Trump's campaign against international students at Harvard was the latest outrage, having the potential to affect our students from the school where I work. Did you ever think you'd see the day when the president actively works to destabilize the country's leading universities, to ruin people's educations?
Has Trump advanced any positive ideas since he took office? Has he sent any message of hope or enthusiasm? As far as I can see it's just been a continuous campaign of vitriol and destruction, from public attempts to humiliate foreign leaders to coddling authoritarians. And that odious Kristi Noem, swanning around with her Rolex and purse stuffed with cash while sending hard-working immigrants to foreign gulags. There is a special place in hell for that woman.
(What would Dante think of the Trump administration? Which circle would they inhabit?)
At the risk of rendering these horrors more superficial than they deserve to be, I wanted to link to a couple of articles about the ideals of MAGA beauty, involving overly made-up, lip-injected, long-haired women (Noem, for example) and square-jawed but inept men (Gaetz, Hegseth). We are being ruled by a cast of grotesques from reality television. Trump understands the world only through the lens of a TV camera, or via short, bilious bursts on social media. How did we get here?
Has Trump advanced any positive ideas since he took office? Has he sent any message of hope or enthusiasm? As far as I can see it's just been a continuous campaign of vitriol and destruction, from public attempts to humiliate foreign leaders to coddling authoritarians. And that odious Kristi Noem, swanning around with her Rolex and purse stuffed with cash while sending hard-working immigrants to foreign gulags. There is a special place in hell for that woman.
(What would Dante think of the Trump administration? Which circle would they inhabit?)
At the risk of rendering these horrors more superficial than they deserve to be, I wanted to link to a couple of articles about the ideals of MAGA beauty, involving overly made-up, lip-injected, long-haired women (Noem, for example) and square-jawed but inept men (Gaetz, Hegseth). We are being ruled by a cast of grotesques from reality television. Trump understands the world only through the lens of a TV camera, or via short, bilious bursts on social media. How did we get here?
What he understands doesn't seem real.
ReplyDeleteGood for Olga... enjoying herself!!
She's living in the immediate moment, which is a good way to deal with our current world.
DeleteYour reflections cut to the heart of our political and cultural crisis. It is staggering how far spectacle and cruelty have displaced substance and integrity in leadership.
ReplyDeleteIt's shocking what American voters will tolerate. I think we're facing a real rebellion against standards of acceptability, respect and politeness.
DeleteIt's all about the deal, people are not considered.
ReplyDeleteAbsolutely -- and even then, it's really about Trump himself. The deal reinforces his sense of self-respect. I think any benefit it provides to the American people is purely secondary.
DeletePossibly he wants to ruin people's education because he can't stand anyone being smarter than he is. That would be everyone everywhere over the age of three or four.
ReplyDeleteI suggest ditching that iffy fern. If it was rescued at the same time as the other and hasn't made progress by now then it isn't going to.
Ha! Yeah, you're probably right about Trump's anti-education stance. The fern has made a tiny bit of progress. That smaller leaf came out this spring. I want to see what it does.
DeleteI suppose the Orange Menace and his cronies would inhabit Circles 2 thru 9. And may they all go soon. Glad Olga isn’t aware of them.
ReplyDeleteYeah, you're right -- they'd be distributed through all the circles, each according to his/her own reprehensible behavior.
Delete"a cast of grotesques" indeed. Like their political actions, even their appearances are superficial, fake - just like their god with his orange tan and his weird enhanced hair-do. Speaking of Satan, the way he ambushed Cyril Ramaphosa and made him watch a questionable video was disgusting. Is this how world leaders are welcomed to The White House now? What happened to respect? What happened to diplomacy? Parts of South Africa can be dangerous but that danger affects many more black and coloured people than it does white farmers.
ReplyDeleteThe default position of disrespect and scorn for others is one of the things that bothers me most about Trump.
DeleteYour last paragraph is beautifully written.
ReplyDeleteAnd passionately felt!
DeleteTrump wants to be King and has surrounded himself with sycophants. They are very unattractive people.
ReplyDeleteBoth inwardly and outwardly.
DeleteIt is almost overwhelming at this point, I think. And the military parade? That they're selling tickets for? Jesus. This has got to be a joke. We can't have universal health care or environmental protections or school lunches but we can pay for a parade, along w/Trump's golf trips and a Golden Dome. And I agree w/Andrew: your final paragraph describes Trump's approach to everything.
ReplyDeleteOh, this parade is appalling. He's really taking a page from the authoritarian playbook on that one.
DeleteShirley LOVES to roll on her back too. I am heartsick about what is happening in this country. What makes me even more depressed is that the felon and his cronies have support from people that he could not care less about. He never says anything uplifting or positive. He is an embarrassment to the USA.
ReplyDeleteI keep waiting for people to turn against him. Some of his appointees have been getting a lot of criticism from the MAGA base but somehow Trump is untouched.
Delete"We are being ruled by a cast of grotesques from reality television."
ReplyDeleteVery well said, Steve.
I'm almost sick with anxiety every damn day over the actions of this administration. It almost feels like the whole country is locked in an abusive relationship with a sociopath. I'm so very, very tired of it all.
It's true! We're all being abused by our own government!
DeleteI'm so happy for the palate cleanser that is Olga! We all need an Olga right now.
ReplyDeleteThis is why my blog is all Olga, all the time. :)
DeleteThe question I constantly ask is why hasn't he been thrown out yet. How can any country go along with this stupid man?
ReplyDeleteIt's actually pretty hard to remove a president once he's in office, especially if the party still backs him -- which in this case, the Republicans do.
DeleteYup , I Only Swing By For The Queen - That First Photo Is Absolutely Hilariously Entertaining For Sure Sure - Its A Friday So Let's Not Think About An Olga Girl-Less Blog - Enjoy Your Three Day Weekend
ReplyDeleteStay Brilliant ,
Cheers
Isn't that picture funny? I laughed when I saw it.
DeleteHis attacks on Harvard are sheer jealousy that he wasn't asked to attend the school. His attacks are always personal.
ReplyDeleteAnd, no, he has accomplished nothing positive since taking power.
Now, I have a five-day weekend ahead and I'd rather start by reveling in the sheer joy of Olga.
Yeah, you're right -- with Trump it's always personal. The personal is political and vice versa.
DeleteYour dog is a delight and may her life continue to be wonderful and long.
ReplyDeleteI listened to a radio interview with a Harvard researcher currently involved in joint research with European counterparts and they mentioned that outsourcing Harvard to various international universities is being contemplated as a way to maintain international student participation.
That's an interesting idea. I've seen that Harvard is contemplating several routes to deal with this situation. Olga is a delight, I agree. :)
DeleteI dread the day you don't have a goofy dog photo. Yes, as Boud said, we all need an Olga. "...a continuous campaign of vitriol and destruction"... that's for sure. I think I may have read the same thing as you about the MAGA woman's style -- sheath dress, loads of make-up, probably long hair, youngish. A press secretary who argues with the press like a second grader arguing with its mom, and Kirsty Noem, an oddity unto herself. Every day it gets worse and worse -- the budget explodes, the wealthy laugh their way to the bank and those who really need help will suffer more and more. Even with a change in midterms, this cannot be fixed for years. I never thought I'd see this.
ReplyDeleteThe MAGA beauty standard really becomes apparent when you compare older photos of Noem (when she was first elected in SD) to what she looks like now. The transformation is shocking.
DeleteWell said Steve.
ReplyDeleteIt is a nightmare of epic proportions.
I am told: Harvard is going to file an injunction against the latest ruling.
Sweet Olga loves her garden antics. At least she does not roll over the plants like my dog sometimes does leaving squashed plants showing the outline of a dog.
Oh, she does that too! :)
DeletePots full of orphans , caretaker of the lost...and found. A raccoon just fell out of the tree into one of my large pots of flowers, mashed quite a few.
ReplyDeleteLOVE Olga's antics just being herself. She is a lovely girl. You can tell her I said that.
Olga says thank you. (She barks it, actually.)
DeleteI wonder how future history will portray him and his gang. They get worse and worse and must be stopped.
ReplyDeleteI suspect this will be looked at as a period of great institutional stress, but I am optimistic that the government will survive it.
DeleteI just finished reading a book which was partly about the Communist taker of China by Mao and that is one of the things they did- tear apart the universities and science programs, send the scientists to work in the fields. So much easier to control millions if they are ignorant. HOW ARE WE LETTING THIS HAPPEN? Last night's crypto dinner should be the end of him. Absolute corruption, blatant, plain, and simple. And yes, Trump's women have a look. Two excellent articles and yes, you're right- the men do too. Too bad his own sons don't have it.
ReplyDeleteIt's true -- autocrats always go after intellectuals. Pol Pot did the same thing in Cambodia. I suspect Trump would send all the professors to the killing fields if he thought he could get away with it.
DeleteI keep thinking I should write a post about what's going on but it's just all too horrible, surreal, bizzare. And the republicans in Congress giving it all away out of fear for their own positions to just be yes men (and women)? And the MAGAts fist pumping sticking it to the libs when it's the libs that protect their stupid selves. And now restricting covid boosters to just certain demographics. Keep 'em stupid, keep 'em sick, keep 'em hungry. What's so great about that?
ReplyDeleteSo it's dog and flower photos.
I have never in my lifetime seen a weaker, more complacent Congress.
DeleteWhen will somebody or some group of people strike back brutally enough to put trump off his game?
ReplyDeleteWell, I don't want him struck in any physical sense, but yeah, I hope the opposition can better organize and articulate a competing vision to challenge him.
DeleteIt’s a daily shit show for sure. I hope we can recover but I’m afraid I won’t see it in my lifetime.
ReplyDeleteXoxo
Barbara
It's going to take decades. I don't know how the government can be rebuilt after it's been stripped to the bare bones.
Delete"... it's just been a continuous campaign of vitriol and destruction, ..." Trump is all about "getting even!" He needs to be charged with treason and thrown in prison along with the rest of his treasonous family and goons!
ReplyDeleteI'm wondering if "they" are waiting for a better sharpshooter! No one seems to have the balls 🏀🏀 to get him out! Al Green is going for another impeachment! A lotta damned good that's going to do because of the ass kissing Republicans!
Aaaarrrgghhhh! Sorry for the rant ... he is so hated!
Yeah, impeachment efforts are purely performative at this point. It will never fly in our current Congress.
DeletePerhaps because I see things differently from my Independent seat, I think Trump has done some good though I would be the first to admit, the ways he went about creating that good may be bad if not immoral. He has essentially stopped the undocumented and uncontrolled flood of people crossing our borders and straining our poor and under equipped infrastructure for dealing with these people. My hope is that we can now reallocate resources and start letting people into our country in a controlled and cared for manner. I think Trumps reset of foreign relations is refreshing and needed. We don’t need to be sending our young men and women to die for other’s problems that they aren’t willing to fix. Finally, although I abhor the way he went about it, we are in serious financial problems as a country and it getting worse fast. If we don’t solve it soon, we are going to make this year look like a sunny day picnicking at the park. Cutting spending and increasing taxes needs to happen but we demonize anyone who attempts these things because it is easy to pick someone affected and throw them in front of a camera to cry about their situation. Eventually we are going to have to admit we can’t help everyone especially those who refuse to help themselves.
ReplyDeleteProject 2025 and FOX and Steve Bannon laid it all out clearly, burn it to the ground , rebuild in their vision of authoritarianism . The Orange thug , as puppet, has been working according to a sped up schedule. Democracy is not for everyone. It has been experimental and has failed. The cruelty of the Orange administration and profound ignorance , the counter productivity of cabinet chosen, blatant corruption , defying agreed upon laws of the land, and courts, destroying education, health, science, culture, and alliances is a sure way to reduce this country's experiment to rubble. Success! Can't wait for the Glory Parade on the Orange Birthday! That'll be fun.
DeleteI hear that response quite often. It is a shame that people behave like they are on a grade school playground trying to see who can come up with the best insult to hurt someone's feelings. Imagine what could be accomplished if we all were more respectful of the opinions of others! Instead of trying to divide us, perhaps we could find common ground and do some good.
DeleteEd, I can only think of two things Trump has done that I would call good. One, he got rid of the penny. Two, he's pledged to open the files on JFK. I don't think immigration was ever "undocumented and uncontrolled" in the way that Fox News and other right-wing media outlets portray. We had a lot of people showing up at our southern border during Biden's term, yes, but we mostly know who they are. As for sending young men and women overseas to fight foreign wars, I completely agree with you -- but that doesn't mean not supporting foreign allies in any way. There are many ways to lend support that don't involve troops on the ground. It is shameful the way we've abandoned Ukraine, a country that leans westward but has been invaded by an autocratic neighbor and longtime historic enemy of freedom. Finally, it's interesting that when people talk about cutting spending they never point to the Defense Department, which is our second-greatest expense. Why is Trump talking about pouring hundreds of billions of dollars into a "golden dome" (back to Reagan's "Star Wars") when so many Americans are in material need? Why is he eviscerating USAid when foreign aid is a drop in the bucket expense-wise? I'm all for economizing but he's not looking at where the real money goes.
DeleteI think the immigration problem is largely a matter of location. I live in a town with a meat packing plant that attracts a lot of immigrants, many undocumented. Local churches and other organizations try to help the children especially get introduced into our society but struggle to provide the necessary resources.
DeleteI have a good friend who is an undocumented immigrant who has been here for around 25 years now. We have spent many hours talking about how hard it has been for him here because of his lack of citizenship status. He would change it if he could, and I would whole heartedly approve him as a citizen if I had any say, but at this point, his bed is made so to speak. At one point under Biden's administration, he was meeting with a lawyer to try and obtain some sort of legal status but I think it fell through with the Trump administration now in office. My friend has told me repeatedly, if he could do it all over again, he wouldn't have come illegally but with American citizen children here and a citizen wife, he can't rectify his situation under current laws.
I should add that another thing that affects my opinion on immigration is the fact that my wife volunteers as a doctor at a free clinic that largely caters to the undocumented immigrants because they are unable to get health insurance. She provides the best care she can for them but often doesn't have the ability to give them the best care possible. They only have so much funding to pay for all the tests and when it runs out, those that need them are unable to get them until more funding is obtained. Her free clinic has been overrun with undocumented immigrants in recent years. If you aren't there within 15 minutes or so of it opening, you likely won't be seen. These sorts of things aren't very visible and don't get much attention by the media but they are present none the less, especially for those towns such as ours which are on the front lines of the epidemic.
DeleteSee, that's tragic about your friend. People who have made a life in the USA over a period of years and even decades should have a path to citizenship, regardless of their method of arrival.
DeleteI don't doubt that resources are strained, especially in areas with many migrants. But the answer, I think, is to funnel resources to those communities. The US Government has the money. Why are we throwing a military parade and considering the aforementioned "golden dome"? Why is Trump rebuilding the rose garden? Let's put the money where it matters -- taking care of people within the borders of the country, regardless of where they come from.
Agreed! I always tell people, you can rationalize the irrational.
Deletecan=can't
DeleteAs for MAGA standards of beauty, don't forget all the horrible nose jobs these foolish women have had (once again, Noem for example).
ReplyDeleteYes, the wide and mesmerizing variety of plastic surgery on display is definitely another aspect of MAGA!
DeleteI was just talking with a friend last night about how horrible all these people are and we agreed, it's like a reality TV show only this one we can't switch off. How on earth will we ever break this cycle of craziness? I also have to mention that I cringe every time I see a photo of the president in the oval office. That office always had such a dignified look to it. Now it looks more like a bordello than the office of the leader of the free world. What is up with all those 'gold' trinkets on the mantle?
ReplyDeleteYeah, Trump's transformation of the Oval Office is a visual indicator of his vulgarian tendencies. The only way to break this "cycle of craziness" is for his supporters to turn against him, or against Trumpism in general. We'll see if that ever happens. I keep thinking at some point they're going to realize they're not benefitting from having him in office. (Except by continually having the satisfaction of "owning the libs.")
DeleteWhat always disturbs me more than anything - is that about 40% of the country actually AGREE with this administration & have no issues with it... to see the disgust in people I know - that's been the worst of it all
ReplyDeleteI suspect most of them aren't thinking very deeply about the administration or its actions. They just like Trump's contrarian persona.
DeleteYour analysis is spot on. It's just... I don't even have words. The sheer number of people affected by the awful things this administration is doing is mind-boggling. Sometimes I want to ask folks who didn't vote for Harris "for philosophical reasons" what they're thinking now.
ReplyDeleteLOL -- yeah, what "philosophical reasons" justify this insanity? ("Philosophical reasons" sounds like code for "I can't vote for a black woman.")
DeleteKristie Noem : dog killer. 😒
ReplyDeleteOlga has the right idea. Nothing as satisfying as a good roll in the grass (from a dog's perspective).
She will never live that dog-killer story down. (And rightly so!)
DeleteYes, Olga's love of everyday pleasures really is a source of inspiration. :)
Too many of our fellow Americans did not take the time to vote, I suspect.
ReplyDeleteDefinitely true.
Delete30 million people didn't vote. Too many people just could not bring themselves to vote for the smart black lady. By and large this country is just stump stupid. Olga looks ecstatic rolling in the grass.
ReplyDeleteI think a lot of people are profoundly unhappy, and there are a lot of reasons for that. Somehow "politics as usual" came to represent the causes of all those problems. Trump is definitely not "politics as usual" and his bluster has appeal for those who are angry, even though he's doing NOTHING for all those people in any material way. And yes, too many people just sat out the election.
Delete"Stump stupid" just about covers it, as Allison said. Good for Olga, truly enjoying her senior years.
ReplyDeleteWell, there are educational failures involved here, for sure! But I think it's less stupidity and more anger.
DeleteNailed it Steve, a complete horror show, from the orange moron on down, the most corrupt, evil, and monumentally stupid collection of people ever.
ReplyDeleteSome are stupid, some are evil (Stephen Miller, for example) and some are both.
DeleteGrotesques--what a great description! I can think of nothing positive that T has done or said. His plans are further pushing our health and health care, Medicare/Medicaid, education, foreign relations and DEFICIT into the toilet.
ReplyDeleteSo much of his presidency is based on performative BS. Banning paper straws? Come on.
DeleteThe Trump administration from top to bottom is indeed full of grotesques, but it is more than that - every one of the people in it are laser-focused on gaining complete control of the levers of power and wealth and turning the U.S. into a white, so-called Christian country run exclusively by the rich. And they are doing it in creatively evil ways, without a shred of humanity, compassion, or shame.
ReplyDeleteThank you for the wonderful photos of Olga, the dog who helps us all cope with the insanity of the world. Her spotted tummy is perfect.
Yes, you said it. I couldn't have put it better myself. Especially re. Olga's spotted tummy. :)
Delete