Odd inconveniences, a good dinner, and Omigosh! What are Republicans doing to poor Ukraine
This morning I woke to a gray,dull day that seemed to threaten rain at any moment. Stretching and lying inbed enjoying the moment, I thought a day of reading and napping sounded just perfect.Of course, that’s not what happened. Jordan and I were out the door at 9:15 fora doctor’s appointment for me. All is well, and I got a good report, includingpraise for doing all the things I should—vaccinations, mammograms, etc. But Iwill have to take a swallow test because I’ve been having difficulty swallowinglarge pills lately, pills that I’ve taken for years with no problem. My doctorexplained I would drink barium and they would x-ray it going down—yuck! It’sbeen over thirty years since I had to drink barium and I still havenot-so-pleasant memories. What struck this osteopathic child was that my doctordid not palpate my throat (he said if it were thyroid there’d be a big andvisible mass) and he didn’t look down my throat. He knew, without touching me,what the problem was—almost certainly not serious—and how to deal with it. ButI grew up in the old days when a doctor laid hands on. I guess, like manythings, I have to learn to adapt. He did come in physical contact to listen tohear and lungs and examine the healing lesion on my scalp.
When we left the doctor’soffice, the sun was peeking out, and the day ultimately turned out to bepretty. I meant to get someone to take pictures of my wildflowers but didn’tget it done. But we came home to no water—it’s not as though the whole blockwas cut off. It was just our house. Christian called the water department, andthey said it was probably a problem with our meter. They would have someone outto fix it today. Fortunately, I had leftovers in the fridge for lunch, but itwas a bit frustrating to leave the unrinsed decision in the sink. To saynothing of not flushing the toilet. My nap came in handy because when I wokeup, the water was back on. I don’t say this often, so here’s a cheer for theFort Worth Water Department.
Christian fixed chickenpiccata tonight following a Southern Living recipe and I made cheesegrits from the same source, plus we had the cucumber salad I made earlier inthe week. A really good dinner, if a bit lemony. After all these years, SouthernLiving is still my go-to.
Tonight I shared Dan Rather’sdaily column on my Facebook page. I hope you’ll take time to read it. Rather,whom I admire a great deal, points out that by stalling aid to UkraineRepublicans in the House are fulfilling Putin’s every wish. Ukraine, which hasalready suffered so badly in the name of democracy for all of us, is losingterritory (and men) in the eastern part of the country. MAGA Republicans don’tseem to get it through their thick heads that the freedom of Europe is a stake,and if Europe falls America is at best isolated, at the worst without tradepartners and vulnerable to miliary takeover. To me, it’s as simple as teachingmath to a first grader—two plus two equals Russia steamrolls across Europe.Marjorie Taylor Greene, the dimmest bulb in Congress, says Putin claims he wantsno more land, just Ukraine, and she believes him. I have a bridge in Arizona tosell her. As Rather says, men like Mike Johnson are playing politics withpeople’s lives. Is Johnson stalling because he’s afraid of losing his speakership?I cannot tell. It’s too late to hold his caucus together—that ship sailed longago. I suspect his motivation lies in his recent trips to Mar-a-Largo, and theidea that trump is pulling political strings to get back in the presidency, asthe cost of man’s lives on the battlefield, is so abhorrent I’m speechless. AndI can’t even begin to contemplate what would happen to poor Ukraine if trumpweaseled his way back into the Whie House.
Please do whatever you can—writeyour congressman, your senator, anyone who can put pressure on Johnson. Isuspect Democrats will swallow hard and support him because they simply don’twant the upheaval of having to choose another speaker, poor choice though heis. Without saying that, maybe reassure him. We’ve got to raise our voices andget the off dead center. It’s unconscionable.
Seems rather silly after thatto say, “Sweet Dreams,” but that’s my wish for you. And maybe positive thoughtsabout the world situation.
