(#6055) No work today

      I am usually working on Sundays getting vehicles to the shop for the mechanics to have for Monday mornings. Yet tomorrow is observed Labor Day and as such there will be no mechanics working. So instead of me working today I will work tomorrow which gives my dispatcher a wider variety of possible routes for moving equipment. I am flexible on these situations since I only work two days a week. Two days a week may not seem like a big deal but for me it is because I need the work but also I am worn out after just days work. A sort of love/hate relationship. Eventually in a few years I hope to taper down to one day a week if I am able.
     I have just had 5 days off to do work and chores around the house at my leisure so I am good and rested for the next two consecutive days of work. I work hard all day long when employed so I really do feel the wear and tear of the tasks by the end of each day. Two days in a row will not be too bad for me though as I will pace myself by not trying to do more than I am asked to do. I do anyway but maybe not so feverishly. I bust myself up chuckling to myself as I do try to work very hard regardless of me telling myself to pace a bit now and then. I am a creature of habit when it comes to work so slowing down is antithetical to my nature.
     However I am now a septuagenarian now and as such must take more health related compromises than I would have just a decade ago. I will always push hard when working and although the hard may be a step slower it is still relentless. But today I am going to relax as much as possible so that I can pace myself better over the next two on the job work days. Work around the house and daily chores will not do themselves so I am always still a bit active even when I try to rest and nap as much as possible. My animals love that I am home with them and they follow me around pretty much everywhere so even sleeping is difficult because of their constant much appreciated attention.

(#6054) Anticipating anyone's demise is a bit ghoulish

      Yet feeling or being ghoulish is a small sacrifice in the big picture of things. The end of a person who has spent his life destroying the lives of others for his own delight and pleasure is worth the temporary inhuman stench that is valued more to me than the person. I would rather we all do good and great things but it isn't up to me so I must live in the world where all others are not decent nor respectable. So altering how I feel about how I live my life is grudgingly part of who I am. If need be I can be someone else for a matter of time to help with providing a solution to a troubling problem, even if it is only between my ears.
     If feeling ghoulish about wanting the end of someone who is not a value to the ideals of promise and hope then so be it. I will bounce back with the thought that I am only part of this world not all of it. I can be less than what I want for myself if that being less is a value greater than my tolerance for continuing depravity. We all have our calculations we make that trigger our extraordinary responses. We each are just human beings trying to be better human beings until we run into those who would not. Then we have to adjust our modus operandi to fit the best solution to a problem that cannot be allowed to continue.
     So I will continue to await the moment I hear that he is not part of our world any longer. There are a couple of others as well but trump is the one we have to have less and less of in our lives. He is out playing golf today but I think that is just a publicity stunt to neuter the growing talk of his imminent demise. However he fakes his own health we all know that he hasn't got much longer and that is the most ghoulish favorite thing I can feel. I don't revel in his demise but I am anticipating it with focus. He did this to himself when all he had to do was be a good steward to our democracy and those of us who make up the majority of it.

(#6053) trump will likely die in office

      Looking at his health it is clear that he is declining at a steady pace. He can hide his ailments all he wants but when he is out in person the tell tale signs are there. He has always shown himself as a self absorbed narcissist so the fact of his decline is difficult for him to accept. He has let out that he wants to go to heaven regardless if a heaven even exists. So there is some recognition on his part that his mortality cannot be extended. I have thought that him realizing he is getting closer to death might make him more kind and compassionate but that is just me hoping.
     Instead he has not changed and is if anything still determined to harm people whenever and wherever he can. To put it bluntly him declining is only a positive in the fact of that eventuality. He may have some deathbed turnaround but for most people it won't make one bit of difference. He has spent his life being an obstacle to improving society and lifting up the downtrodden. His scold for all good things about opportunity and tolerance is engraved on my brain and will only fade with time. Misogyny and racism will forever be his epitaph. As well will be his greed and disdain for democracy.
     We Americans cannot erase the stain he has left on our reputation nor should we try. What we should do is set up unbreakable roadblocks to anyone else being able to manipulate our political and judicial processes. We overall are not a bad country in that we all hate and deceive. However there is proof that enough of us do and that needs our specific attention to correct. When we survive the debacle of trump it is my hope that reparations to those harmed and olive branches to those we have been offended and betrayed can bring us back into the better graces of our democracy loving allies.

(#6052) Will we Americans protect our democracy?

      What will it take for a vast majority of we Americans to realize that we have a president who wants to harm us instead of help us? How far down the loss of liberty and equality scale will we fall before too many of us wake up and see what is happening? Abortion had been cast by trump as murder yet when women die because they can't get a medical abortion he is silent and so are his followers. What the fuck are they following when they cannot see that death is death and blaming someone else for it when it is trump's fault is deep into cultism.
     When trump raises the cost of goods by adding tariffs and then blames the higher cost on other countries can that logic be squared? Obviously it can be to his followers. He claims that the government has collected all this revenue when the countries are not paying trump any tariff money. That money is coming from higher prices we Americans are paying at the store. When will his followers get that? Not yet it seems. The research and development grants the government used commit to are now going away so the idea that any new technology or innovation is going to continue is a pipe dream. Is that the purpose of trump and his demented ideology? Is America becoming a third world country his goal?
     That trump is already warring against education should be a tell as to what his vision really is. He wants us less educated and more subservient. His manifest destiny is going back to a time when dirty fuel ruled and people worked hard for little. He doesn't want new advancements in science and physics because that would mean robotics would become the day laborer. All trump wants for Americans is to be silent and thankful for his table scraps. He wants his perversions to be legal and justice to be a thing he decides. He has a crippled soul and it is all about him and his lust for lasciviousness, adulation, and power.

(#6051) Geopolitics, or more specifically, geographical politics

      I find myself as an obsessive compulsive type person on some things. Specifically on things that are cut short without the need. Apparently too many think that mashing words together saves them time. When in most cases it just makes the listener of them more confused. The reason we have words that define emotions and actions is because we are a very complicated species and often words that are combined take away our ability to think clearly. Some will argue that an occasional combining is not complicated to understand. But I would say why short cut when the need isn't there?
     Although combining two or more terms into one word may make us sound important or wise it is mostly not true. I find that not combining words together shows more knowledge and wisdom. Allowing the hearer of a thought, opinion, or fact the logical concept without having to discern a specific meaning. When I saw geopolitical my first thought was it must be geographical political. But being unsure I looked it up and found I was instinctively correct. But that was not a certainty with me thus the looking it up. So instead of saying geographical politics they said geopolitical which then made me focus on the term instead of the rest of the sentence.
     Maybe I wasn't the target audience of the speaker and that could be the case but if we, educated and laymen are to understand why not just use the correct definitions so that we all may gain from some insight, without having lost the thread so to speak. Anyway, as to great problems of our time this is but a minor one but still an important one. Because understanding each other makes us closer to understanding what we think and feel. Which to me is lacking in great proportions. As to geographical politics it is different for many countries which is why we have foes and allies doing things that we think they shouldn't or should because of their specific needs. Which is where we should have gone instead without me having a break in thought to look up to make sure geopolitical was actually geographical politics.

(#6050) A propensity to drift

      I am sometimes reminded what it is to be an innocent within my head. Like the lazy summer river current I catch myself adrift just peacefully going down the stream of life. To me this is a great thing that I can lose myself in time and space with nothing of anything happening between my ears. It is curious at the same time that my mind is just at such an ease as to allow me an escape from all that has ever been or will ever be me. I also somewhat have a small fear that this is not something I want to expand on its own. I know that my mind has the ability to "cure" the pressures and stresses I experience as a default mechanism. A survival tact if you will.
     So as much as I appreciate my occasional drifting I do not want to grow it into more. My body may well want me to slow down and enjoy existence on the most basic level but my will to know what I need to do at all times is a constant that I am unwilling to compromise. Yet I will have to understand that two forces are at play here and ignoring one of them is not an answer. So I will continue to monitor how often I find myself drifting through time and space and the durations of such. This drifting is something I would know in my dreams but that I can experience them now in the reality of awakening is noteworthy.
     In the big picture I have always seen myself as the captain of the good ship Carl. I feel no different than the first consciousness I remember. But time and space are not within my scope of control so it must be so that my aging has a say in how I continue. It is one thing to logically know something but it is a little more in depth to actually feel it. Either way with me the conclusion remains the same. If my body is trying to let me know that I need to age gracefully with a tempered approach to all my passions then I will listen carefully. Meanwhile when I do find myself having a moment of serenely beautiful nothingness I will allow myself to immerse within it when appropriate.

(#6049) Kent State revisited?

      Now that trump wants to have the national guard troops in DC to carry weapons how soon will we be mourning the loss of civilian life on American soil? What trump wants is a military state so that he can control state officials and our right to vote. He wants his tyranny along with some kind of crown with a throne. He will order the troops to open fire if protests become too intolerant for him. He has a simple plan laid out by putin. Control the people and everything gets much easier like it is in Russia. What we have as a defense are the courts and if not them then civil disobedience. All at a cost however.
     In our previous civil war the South tried its claim protecting state rights as their cause even though it was all about keeping black folks enslaved. Well if we are to reach another civil war it will truly be about preserving state rights over federal overreach. This time there isn't a not so hidden agenda like slavery. It is purely about protecting the republic as it was established. Our national constitution will be our rallying cry against trump and his minions as he attempts to use force as best he will. Will the national guard obey his orders in violation of our constitution? Or will they understand that there is a greater duty to our constitution to preserve than any order to shoot from trump?
     I expect that will be a mixed bag with too many national guard troops. Fighting against our citizenry for protecting our democracy is not wise if national guard troops refuse to know their true duty. When they start killing citizens is when the gloves come off and they become an enemy of our constitution. There are a lot of moving parts that must occur before a shot is fired but if it gets to that point then there will be little to be done to stop the ambitious attempt of trump and his cabal. Never in my mind did I think we as a citizenry would ever elect or install trump, but here we are about to pay the grave price of it!

(#6048) Getting things done

      The list never ends with things to do but it is nice to accomplish some bigger things then relax for a moment to recharge. However long that moment takes is adjustable. Some things that need doing are so comprehensive that the work on them may take years. Much like our resistance to republican politics. There is no real relaxing in that scenario. When I say we did this to ourselves I do include myself because I think of all we Americans as either knowing of the problem of duped by it. Either way we need to solve it. As for the other smaller issues in my life I can handle the stress and strain with calming techniques and enduring effort.
     I still have no idea how our American society will survive this trump takeover of our democracy but I know mine and others' efforts to thwart him remains constant. I will not be one of those who goes silently in the night like Dylan Thomas wrote. I will rage against the dying of the light. The light being our democracy and my rage is my passionate response. I may temper it with abstractions but always beneath the surface is my white hot vigilance. Getting things done is somewhat a euphemism for living every second with a purpose. Existing is not just being here it is also creating an atmosphere of unity and destiny. Taking all of what we are and finding a way to maximize our utility.
     We are more than what we have previously shown and certainly more than what we are currently showing. The thing is though that our progress is being threatened by a concept of division. Why we would ever let division overtake commonality is dumbfounding to me. There is no awesomeness to hurting and causing suffering when teamwork and success is the better alternative. Getting things done is the little things I do everyday and the big things that I want for all of us to experience. None of us should be left without hope and opportunity. So together getting things done is my mantra!

(#6047) The force of good will not be deterred!

      When trump was declared the victor again in 2024 I thought well this is the end. If we couldn't keep him from winning it would be just as bad as trying to stop his movement toward tyranny. But to my surprise he hasn't been able to roll out his destructive agenda with impunity. There is a force in the air that is enough and growing to blunt his ambitions. I feel it thickly around me and I am sure others do as well. The next few state elections coming up will either prove my gut feeling or disprove it. We shall see. If it is strong enough then the outcome of these elections will continue to devalue the trump experience.
     There is nothing good about trump and I mean nothing. To listen to his followers there is nothing wrong with him. Which is its own anomaly. We shall see which opinion the majority of voters follow come next years election. This is all too familiar to me in that in the first appointed presidency of trump in the midterms he was soundly trounced. I am not getting that heavy of a vibe but I am getting a similar one. What he did that time was to promise us the moon and then little did we know that he would deliver by dropping his drawers and mooning us instead.
     So here we go again after an election has installed him. His creepiness is non stop and his disapproval of anyone who is not like him continues to grow. If he has not rigged the midterm election before the election he is in trouble. If he does rig the midterm election in time then he will grow his power to the point where he will finally be able to destroy our democracy. What happens in that scenario will likely resemble anarchy and vigilantism. We can stop that scenario by not letting him rig our next election and defeating his prospects in the special elections leading up the the next midterm election.

(#6046) Is the end of trump near?

      All I have to go in is two statements made in the last few days. One by trump himself and the other by a radio person from the right. The one trump made was sort of cryptic in that he had hoped to end the Russian invasion of Ukraine so he could have a better chance of getting into his version of heaven. The other was not as cryptic and said that we should be worried about the failing health of trump. These two taken apart are not grave in interpretation but taken together they do send a signal that even trump knows he doesn't have long left. He never speaks about the afterlife so why all of a sudden should he now unless it was something that he knows is imminent?
     All of this could be played off as trump being weird like he is prone to being and the radio person just trying to drum up viewership. Yet the close proximity of each other is what has caught my attention. First of all I see from afar his health issues. He is not well and whoever is in charge of making him look somewhat presentable is doing a great job. His lifestyle is not a healthy one so he will be prone to leaving the planet in a shorter span than if he had been more conscious and active about his health. He has been struggling lately with rudimentary movements and we know he has a foul smelling incontinence.
     My point is that given the visible nature of his failing health and the latest comments made I suspect that trump knows his time is short and he is starting to feel the desperation of it. None of us is keen to have our lives end before we think it should but reality is not beholden to what we think. It all may be just a coincidence of curious intersections but I think not. I am biased and hope that whatever makes our world better will happen but I am also logical and accept I know very little. In the meantime I will keep about watching to see if any other unusual clues are offered. There are a few certain people who are really undermining normalcy of life and, although a bit morbid, when they are gone the world will be a better place.

(#6045) It Russia exploded munitions on American soil would trump condemn Russia or defend Russia?

      We are one step away from knowing the answer to this question. An American factory operating in Ukraine was targeted by a Russian air strike last night and so far I haven't seen anything from the trump regime about it. Silence is just as clear a signal as a comment. I asked this question about American soil because it seems trump is not worried about American interests being hit with munitions by Russia in Ukraine. So logically it follows he won't be worried about a factory being hit in America if putin can justify it to him. Now maybe I am wrong but until trump comments on the American factory strike in Ukraine I can only follow the logic.
     None of this is a surprise to we democrats who knew trump to be in the pocket of putin. What we didn't know was how deep he was in there. We are seeing that he is indeed nestled well down into putin's pocket. Just how deep we Americans may well find out if putin decides he can manipulate trump on American soil. I bring this up because putin is doing exactly that with neighboring countries to his borders in Eastern Europe and Asia already As you should know America is only 90 or so miles from the main Russian border with Alaska. After trump's failed attempts to convince Ukraine that giving into putin is the only option I can assume that trump will let putin do more if putin demands it.
     Most of the logical thinking world already considers trump to be a putin asset and his quietness about this latest air strike hit on an American enterprise adds more weight to the consideration. For those of us who do know that trump is not a defender and protector of democracy this is just more evidence of that. As for those who voted for trump and still support him I hope this moment doesn't escape you. You are about to get a real education in how naive you were/are when the Russian aggression in Ukraine comes home to us here in America. Unless of course you think Alaska should be part of Russia.

(#6044) Turning 70 today is kind of nice

      I know that the age is well along in my timeline but for me it is something that has been at the back of my mind. I was born at 3:46 in the pm today 70 years ago so specifically I am still 69 until later this afternoon. However generally we get to say we are a new age at the moment that day is turned on the calendar. I will take the general description. As the first day of the new decade of the seventies has arrived I am revitalized in the innocence of it. I am a freshly minted septuagenarian. I am proud to have achieved this milestone of age in life.
     I think of all those who have passed and are not around while I still am. A moment of reflection on how my life has evolved and who was in it that made my life memorable. Persons of great character and at times really wild behavior. I was born well before the technology boom and so living life outside with others was the measure of how we learned and experienced. I have so many memories of experiences that could only have come about because of the energy and effort we expended together on the fly. Seldom did we plan much ahead and mostly made our way by the seats of our pants.
     This world we live in now is dependent upon staged and orchestrated events that draw us in but don't tax our imaginations like the vanguard we had to make up. It is a different time and that is not a devaluation just a fact. I do admire the utility of ease that has grown over the years in some respects but abhor the struggle of others that never seems to end. All told the world is in a better place now but there are still some dangers out there that could reverse that trend. As far as my mental and physical states go they are up to the challenge of learning new paradigms while also holding to trusted values. The mind is willing however the body is less so and that I cannot do much about at this later stage in my timeline.

(#6043) The difference between politics and sports

      Too often I see folks who are far more passionate about sports than they are about politics. Which leaves me concerned about why we are. Apparently the entertainment business is getting much more coverage than the state of our democracy and why it is essential to everything in our lives including sports. Let me be clear! Politics is everything and sports are just a subset of that. If you neglect the politics in your life then your sports will begin to change from exciting to an afterthought. It is hard rooting on a sports team when your back is shackled with demands from some figurehead.
     When we secure our democracy and defend it from all attacks is when we are truly free to enjoy the thrills of victory in our sports arenas. Our sports are a reflection of our common health. If we are generally happy our favored sports teams become more important to us. When we are oppressed the sports teams diminish because we are not as happy nor free in our thoughts and actions. I think of our politics like this. We are team America and whatever strategy we must employ to protect and defend our democracy is how we ensure the victory of our democracy over all who would take it from us. I know politics isn't a sport but it is strategy and sports this day and age is mostly about strategy.
     Let me reiterate: Politics is everything to our societies and keeping our democracy is and always will be our number one priority. Sports is a subset of our democracy, just a subset. To keep our sports in a thrilling manner we must protect our democracy so that the free will of all can flow throughout. I get passionate about my sports teams like most all of us. However, it is friendly banter, not life and death like protecting our democracy. Scoring points and declaring a victor is satisfying but it is nothing in comparison to putting your life on the line to protect what is good and worthy of sacrifice. Defending democracy will always be a greater achievement than any success attained on a field of play.

(#6042) Bullies, dictators, and just generally selfish people

      I am talking about the trump supporters. I have a banished family member who fits into this category. He denies it of course because he says he is a christian. He thinks he is being a servant of god and his intentions are good and true. Yet his practices are to be intolerant to others who are not his race, nor his belief system. But he doesn't admit to that even though he lives for his religion and the parts that keep him safe. He also discriminates against those who weren't lucky enough to be born into opportunity like he was. None of us were wealthy but at least we had chances to climb the ladder so to speak.
     But what really gives this person away is that he supports trump. That in a nutshell separates out his selfishness toward himself and not his selflessness toward others. What I have also noticed is his silence on the putin/trump bromance. Let me be absolutely clear here. No one gets to be in my circle if they are against democracy. That is all Ukraine is trying to be is free to choose their identity as a nation. This family member doesn't see this as a priority. he likes that trump can dictate his will over others despite the others wanting to dictate their own free will. He is a mini dictator himself and wants to tell all the rest of us to be like his christian choice.
     Those are the people trump draws to himself. Those who want to tell everyone else how to live. The absurdity is evident yet not recognizable to those who are in a tunnel of ego. There is no getting through either as I have tried many times. So my final solution was to disassociate. It came as a surprise to my expelled family member but nonetheless it holds. The answers to everything wrong can be found by studying problems yet so many refuse to be objective in their understandings. They have chosen their hills to die on and nothing I say will change them. The door will never be fully closed in case the family member proves that they have indeed finally corrected themselves to only trying to master their own lives and not the lives of others.

(#6041) I will tell you getting old sucks!

      When it hurts everywhere all the time is when you know that you are getting older. Okay, not everywhere but too many places. The things I did as a younger person are now nearly impossible for me to do. Even the simple muscling of things is now so limited that I must calculate ease of utility into my muscling plan. The other day when I was drilling into concrete I was in my usual position of putting forward pressure on the drill. Afterwards and still this moment I feel like I have been hit with a cricket bat on my back left side. There are no bruises to see but inside my body is like a huge strain. The torque I mustered must have strained my innards in ways that I must now reconcile.
     In the past no such problems ever occurred when drilling into concrete. I know as I am aging that I am losing strength but I didn't think I was losing my dexterity as well. So now I know that all those chances i took as a youngster are over and lucky me for at least experiencing them when I physically could. For all those who are planning for their golden years before having fun let me add some caution. Your body may well betray you before you can retire. This is the third day since I worked at my neighbors and the ache and still sharp pain is present. Not only do I get more pain for my efforts but the healing time is now much longer.
     Of course there are benefits to getting older and wisdom being one of those benefits. What wisdom I have I will now apply to how I work and what projects I can actually accomplish. I am a bit old school in that I usually work alone and therefore have to be creative in my muscling tasks. I realize that I am going to have to call on help in the future because all those decades of learning framing crafts have found a soft spot in my heart. I enjoy the math and the work with my hands and tools. But I do not enjoy the new found pain that is quicker to show up and longer to stay.

(#6040) So trumps threats of backlash on putin get blown over by putin visit

      It was just last week when trump said that putin had better agree to a ceasefire or he would be upping his game against Russia. Then all of a sudden putin agrees to a meeting in Alaska and all is forgiven by trump. Instead we get the message that it was a great meeting with more hope to come. Meanwhile Russia continues its march to destroy Ukraine. Looking at this from the outside I see putin manipulating trump from being angry with him to being his bestie. One thing has always been clear to me and that is that if trump had his own way Russia would already be flying their flag in Kyiv.
     So all the bluster around trump and his back and forth about Ukraine is just nothing but trying to figure out how best to help himself and eventually putin. Those two are the primary focus with the Ukrainians and the rest of America somewhere off the radar. We are talking about protecting democracy in Ukraine and to see our disgusting leader betray the oath of protection signed into law after the first invasion of Ukraine by Russia in 2014 is traitorous and not worthy of life. So many of our American citizens gave up life and limb to protect and defend democracy over the course of our history and for trump now to betray that is an abomination to our constitution, rule of law, and our moral compass.
     The red carpet is reserved for dignitaries who honor democratic values. Now that symbolism is shattered. How trump gushed over shaking putin's hand is also a disgrace that will go down in history as an act of utter contempt to honorable people. That putin has been adjudged a war criminal makes no difference to the 34 count felon trump. This whole affair with putin and trump is like being in a nightmare that won't let us wake from. Something will have to change if we are to stop their chaos from destroying our ethics and civility. Can we do it without resorting to vigilantism or extrajudicial actions? We will see.

(#6039) Gavin Newsom has hit the spot on confronting trump

      As a logical person, what trump has been doing his whole career is a bit dumbfounding. He is an under educated person who talks like a know it all with a bravado. His ignorance is not a deterrent to him, instead it is a weapon. He has little to no shame at being called out on untruths and lies. To me untruths are mostly or somewhat false to fit a narrative and lies are just bald faced lies. He doesn't distinguish between that hair splitting because trump is a simpleton who has found a way to be successful while remaining a simpleton. So when trump uses his ignorant bravado to declare whatever current fancy he is advocating it is refreshing and hopeful that another ideological opposing politician has copied him in a mocking way.
     Gavin Newsom has found that using trump's own lingo to mock him is getting rave reviews from all non maga corners of the universe. It is nice that Gavin has found a way to cut to the truth of things by lying and telling untruths in such a trumpian way. What now gives Gavin the upper hand is that not only has he mastered the gibberish trump is constantly bloviating but Gavin is also an educated person with a vocabulary that dwarfs trump. That trump has no such vocabulary is the difference. Gavin can cut trump down with trump's own childish diction but Gavin can also explain why he does these things to those who need more discernment.
     What had been a space that trump dominated has now become less so. Even to the point of silencing trump where before he had no such limitations. He knows that Gavin is stealing his limelight and I expect trump, the childish bully, to react in a way that is not civil. I am sure the tantrums at the White House are not pleasant for his acolytes but they chose their paths. It is satisfying to me and so many others that finally someone like Gavin Newsom, a powerful politician of good intent, is the one belittling the politician with bad intent. This has only just begun a few days ago and is coming fast and furious from Gavin Newsom. Well done and keep it up!

(#6038) Back to my neighbor...

     So last week my next door neighbor had a fall coming out of her house at a back sliding door. It is less than 3 feet to the next elevation so a handrail was never installed. It is all concrete so then would have been the best time to put in a handrail while the concrete was still soft. Now after all these decades I have taken on the task of putting in a handrail for now so that when she gets back home from rehabilitation she can use it from now on. I figured while she is gone at the rehab center I can get the work done before she gets back home next week it looks like. So this morning I went to Home Depot and bought what I needed to secure the treated 2x4's and finished redwood.
     I won't be cutting into any existing concrete so the attachment is with bracing and blue screws. Not the best solution but at least a safe one for now. I am going to recommend to her that cutting the concrete at the base of the bottom step is the wisest course down the road. We will see how my engineering holds up but I know I feel good about it. Nothing guarantees someone from falling when we live in such an imperfect world but at least her having a secured handrail will reduce those odds. She has another pathway to get out back through her side door but the slider is convenient so I figured she will keep trying to go through the slider in the future which is why I decided to put up a handrail.
     The material is in the back of my truck waiting for me to finish this blog post. Soon I will be out measuring and cutting so I can go over there with the pieces I need to drill into concrete and then make the final cuts for the slope of the handrail. It should be secure with the method I am going to use to attach the cripples in the handrail but as an added feature I am going to put a cross member back to the house from the end of the handrail. With not only the blue screws securing the cripples of the handrail but the diagonal member, a hypotenuse if you will, adding extra stability. I think of it this way. She is not using her backyard as a showpiece, just a functional place for her animals and herself. As a side note my housemate is taking care of her animals several times a day for the foreseeable future.

(#6037) We need to remember all the trump enablers

      All those arrogant fools who knew that trump was and is a disgusting criminal and still voted for him shall not be forgotten. All those who knew trump was a lascivious natured pedophile and still not only voted for him but protected him at every turn are never going to be forgotten. Not for some noble reason will they be remembered but for the stain of absolute dishonor. This dishonor will follow them into their later years should they survive the unknown trump is still capable of manufacturing but their namesakes will also carry that burden like a millstone around their necks.
     For those who will end up being the ones ferreting out the culprits to the trump criminal enterprise the duty to be thorough is accepted. None should walk away from their decision to protect the person so corrupted by every aspect of greed and lust. That is the beauty of democracy, we get to make decisions that not only pave the way for our individual destinies but that define who we are and what kind of person we want to be. Those who stayed in the fight to protect trump have no excuse when the judging time comes. Those of us who knew who he was all along and warned of his foul nature will be the ones heralded as the level headed ones who were true warriors of democracy!
     Much like the Nuremberg trials trump will have his own reckoning. Those who were with hitler were found complicit much like those who allied with trump. Ignorance will not be forgivable as a defense. There will be no wiggling out of judgment regardless of wealth and/or fame. All will be held to account the same and that sameness will be harsh and merciless. Just know whichever side you end up being on that the penalty and/or reward is coming. If you think your allegiance to trump and his rotting mindset is a virtue for you then know your destiny is being written even before you are judged. For those of us who continue to fight to preserve honor and dignity through democracy then well done you!

(#6036) My intent is to always be honest

      I made a decision a long time ago that I would live my life trying to be a good guy. I had previously been ambivalent as to whether I would be a good guy because I hadn't yet figured out that my nature is to be helpful, not selfish. So I had to go through that learning phase in order to know how I was affected by decisions I myself made. I found that I didn't like myself when I was selfish. I felt petty and guilty of being greedy. I had to know who I was before I could become whom I am now. I wish I had learned my lessons earlier on and didn't have to spend way too much time not being the best me I try to be.
     My first step toward my true nature was to be honest with myself. It was not an overnight evolution. It took me decades to finally get the point of it all. But when I did get past that first step of being honest about all I was doing was when I knew I was on the correct path for living my life. The foundation of honesty is perfect for me and I suspect perfect for many others as well. I know the truth of things is often a painful and/or greedy reality, but in that comes about a peace and a sense of tranquility that I could not attain before. As the years have gone by the pain and guilt of not being honest is far less in scope and the benefit of being honest is far more rewarding.
     Because of my growth into honesty the pain and greed have mostly disappeared because my expectations and intentions are at the forefront of my present. I am what I represent and that is a lot to me if not a lot to those who see me. The simplicity of honesty is a growth evolution from the pushes and pulls of a world where selfishness is often a forced requirement. I moved past self gratification to a place where I am not what I acquire but what I think. I place value in the living of a life that is free from guilt and dishonesty. That relief is invaluable and for me cannot be measured. My intent is to be honest and that really is the best of me.

(#6035) putin conned trump a long time ago!

      trump is like his most ardent followers. Once hooked they remain hooked no matter what. As goes his followers trump is hooked on putin. You may think it is some incriminating evidence that keeps trump hooked and that may be true to an extent. But to me it is the siren call that putin put in his ear that has kept trump from breaking away from putin. That putin financed him and told him stories of trump's future has further cemented the bond between the two. Even to the point of trump trusting putin with his lascivious tendencies. trump worships putin as a role model and will never be able to oppose putin in the ways that protect democracy.
     So all this theater of meetings and threats from trump to putin is not real. It is a strategy to help trump win over America to help putin in any way possible. trump is not yet the king of America so he must be careful now how he presents the worlds head to putin on a plate. None of this that trump is doing is a shock to me because I know what trump is like and how he is with his ego. So as the many in the world continue to hold out for trump to do what is correct and good, I keep waiting for the other shoe to drop. trump is a despicable man who is not going to give up his vision of putin nor his own ego in order to be a good guy.
     I know what must be done and sadly that is against all my own core principles. Yet we live in a world of imperfect solutions and some that are egregious even to a furious person like me. The worst means to an end is rarely desired but the change in society at that time would be enormous. How do you balance the life of a murderer like putin and the hundreds of thousands he has killed with his own existence? The scales are in a heavy favorite with his victims. To rationalize is to consider the result. I am no perfect human being but my life is not being used to destroy the good in the world that is also harming other beings. We have been at this crossroads for some time and no matter who the mad destroyer is the better outcome is what is needed.

(#6034) The audacity of putin and trump!

      The very idea of punishing a perpetrator of harm to instead rewarding them is something I would expect of putin and trump since neither of them is a proper human being. They are more like the Cro magnons of our earlier human evolution. The stark difference in their approach to reality is one of dominion instead of shared values. They both are the worst of what humanity still is and for them to be in positions of power is the fault of all the rest of us. As the rest of us continue to live under the rule of law these two decrepit souls consider themselves beyond it.
     To the point that they have in place others who are willing to disrupt the rule of law to keep them out of any just consequence. I think that we the people here in America need to understand that playing nice with monsters is a failed strategy and will only increase our misery factor. Instead we need to play by their rules and temporarily disregard our honor to being civil when barbarism is our only real choice. I know in my soul I have already reconciled my own behavior toward solutions that are beyond typical rule of law expectations. I think all of us need to prepare ourselves for the chaos that is a remedy.
     Wherever tyranny comes into being we need to know that our rule of laws cannot be moderated. The end of tyranny should always come about when justice and fairness are properly adjudicated. When adjudication is circumvented then an anger needs to swell within all the rest of us to apply extrajudicial remedies that conquer and reverse the tyrannical oppression. To keep our democracy we must fight for it when the fighting time comes. That requires us to draw on our previously controlled animal tendencies the courage to be vigilant in our focus to act with a survival instinct that holds no bounds when our precious democracy is threatened.

(#6033) My part time job is not an easy set of tasks

      I am a transfer driver for UHaul metro Sacramento. I also occasionally drive routes for areas east, west, north, and south of Sacramento. But the abundance of my driving is within the Sacramento County boundary. Which puts me in traffic on freeway systems that are currently under construction. So not only are the lanes restricted to choke points but the more daring drivers out there are being even more daring to beat the flow. That being said I move equipment like small and big box trucks, cargo vans, and pickup trucks with their wide variety of trailers from UHaul store centers to dealers to shop repair locations rather well.
     In less than two weeks I will be 70 years old. Now being of an older age is not automatically a detriment. In fact I would say it is a positive. Because not only do I know how to drive in traffic but I am adept at reading the traffic. Yes, even the dare devils who think they own the highway. But there are some less than positive aspects of this job for me. I need to move trailers and attaching them to the trucks is not always a convenient thing to get done. Some awkward positioning of the trailers leaves me with some lifting and maneuvering that is still within my ability but not by much. Often I feel the strain of manipulating the equipment in order to couple the equipment.
     I don't know how many people are like me but I do know a few myself. I am one of those guys who doesn't slow down much. I just keep after things until my dispatcher tells me that the day's work is done. I am like a machine that way. However this machine is not a brand new model I am a seasoned model in need of careful maintenance in order to keep humming along. I don't know how much longer I can keep doing this but I haven't hit the wall yet. I know it is coming and take precautions to monitor my actions. So far so good but one day I will have to stop and despite missing all the people I keep meeting and the challenge of being a part of something successful, I look forward to the day when my time is spent on doing what I want to do with all my time.

(#6032) Helping my neighbot

     I have a next door neighbor whom I have known for decades. She is not really a friend although we are friendly and courteous to each other. Naturally we have each others phone number for those moments when a quick question or request comes around. Well this morning at about 6 am I did get a call from her. Which was out of the ordinary for that time frame. Normally she sleeps in later than 6 am. It just so happens though that I am one who is up early most every morning. Getting up at 4 am is not unheard of for me although this morning I did sleep in to 5:30 am. When I heard my phone ring I was busy in the kitchen doing morning chores and my first thought was work calling me in.
     I got to the phone after several rings and saw that it was from my neighbor. I answered the phone and the first thing she said was that she had fallen. Now just for some background my neighbor is in her later 70's and just last year lost her lifetime husband. So she is doing all the chores at her home that she used to share with her husband. This morning early it was letting her big dogs out for some relief. After telling me she had fallen she said she fell outside in the back of the house on the steps. Good thing she had her phone with her. As she hung up from me, I went out back to our shared fence and saw that she was indeed at the bottom of her steps now on the phone to emergency services.
     She and my housemate are thick as thieves now so I woke my housemate up and then went over to the gate where emergency services could easily access my neighbor and my housemate got instruction from my neighbor as to how to handle her pets.. She thought she broke her hip and the emergency workers treated her as such as they rushed her away to the hospital. This all just happened so I don't know how it is going to shape up but I did contact one of the few family members she has and will try to make sure her home and her pets are not left unattended.

(#6031) The wealthy have made the poor become selfish

      When the wealthy hoard the profits away from the workers the workers eventually become desperate and selfish. Workers are just as vital to a commercial success as the owners and customers. When the owners take the bigger slice of the profits and then pass another big slice to consumers the workers are left with little to prosper from. So instead of trying to fight a fight that gambles away their very economic existence, the workers become selfish and fight among themselves for a bigger piece of an already dwindled share. The owners are at fault not the workers even though the workers are portrayed as greedy by the owners.
     This has been going on for centuries and must stop if we are ever going to find peace in our societies. it isn't just peace we seek though, it is fairness! The American dream of being a part of a successful venture should be the hope of all who participate in it. The owners have traditionally been the benefactors of their innovations and creations and that isn't under protest here. But their percentage of the profits is. They cannot be honest partners with those who shoulder the workload and responsibilities while denying those who work with them to create the product for market, if they are greedy themselves in procuring their profit percentages.
     How do we stop the wealthy from not sharing profits with their workforce? What workers have always done throughout the modern era. We call for unionization everywhere there are owners who treat their workers like cattle and machinery instead of like human beings who also have a dream. Unions have been the backbone of the workforce in order to bring the standard of living up. Without unions the days of work would be longer with less time off. The pay would be paltry if not for guarantees obtained through union representation. Unions are the vehicle workers need to navigate negotiations with the owners. Otherwise workers have no leverage to force any fair allocation of profits.

(#6030) The cartoonish image trump has of reality

      Real people with real cerebral cortexes don't exist in the mind of trump. We don't have feelings because we are just caricatures that exist in his fantasy. Our two dimensional existence is what he sees and that is why he thinks he is some kind of god or king. The blithering idiot doesn't understand that reality is real. Instead he thinks that whatever he thinks is reality and the rest of it is just fake. I am sure there have been others who have existed who are similar to trump. Yet in this society of ours here in America where we treat the concept of wealth and fame like it is above all else is why trump is where he is despite him being as close to being a full fledged idiot in mental acuity.
     What is inescapable to me is that the republican party knows they are the minority in America which helps explain why they won't touch trump even if he seriously harms them. Because they know they will never get another shot at leadership in America like this one. So they will help trump burn our democracy down just so they don't have to learn what it is to become a better person. They like their incomplete selves so much that they would let dishonor and shame be on their heads as long as they can be in charge. This is not what I expected from my fellow citizens. Their disregard for ethics and personal honor is sadly astounding to me.
     So for the next now less than 3 1/2 years we have to survive the make believe world existing in trump's head. Our previously staunch allies understand this and are reacting strongly on the part of reality. If trump wants to act the fool then they will move on without the United States as a safe partner. They know that the time will come when hopefully he is out of power or no more. Then they can rebalance their friendship with America but now always with understandably a wary eye. The problem with trump's fantasy vision is that he doesn't get that we were all moving forward together and now one of us isn't even allowed to play in the world's sandbox without a care worker standing guard.

(#6029) Managing my accounts

      Every morning it is pretty much the same. I sit at my desk after getting my early morning chores done and check my finances. It isn't hard since my finances are somewhat simple. I owe and I try to pay what I owe. The difference with me is that I am acutely aware of how to avoid paying interest on my credit and bank cards. I have been fortunate enough to have built up a respectable credit rating over time and keeping it respectable along with not paying interest on any purchase is my goal. Now I couldn't avoid paying a modicum amount of interest on personal loan over 3 years ago because of a roof replacement but in about a year and a half that will be gone.
     So all the other cards I use I use strategically. Never allowing a statement balance to show above 0. So keeping my income ordered so that I am able to pay off any card usage before a new statement balance change is my priority, So the daily check of spending and income is how I do that. I still need to work a paying job to make the numbers succeed. So I try not to "bake" in any future income because we only have today in reality. But I do project out a head a bit to show myself what could be if things remain stable. I am always just staying above water on my finances and for that I am grateful. I am not one of those persons who lament even when they are winning.
     Certainly I wish I could be ahead further economically than being just above water but I know how life is for so many who have given up because they cannot seem to rise above their needs through spending. My needs have always been simple. I don't need to be validated by any action beyond just being a good person. Yet I do have needs and finding ways to keep what little I have is enough to keep me at this desk looking at projections and payments on a daily basis. I can say this. Build up a good credit score if you are able and then more options as far as ways to keep ahead of interest payments come available. It is tricky but doable. Little steps to help in life is what I offer and they seem to work for me if you would believe it.

(#6028) I wasn't raised to be me

      Very little of what I was taught about who I should have been has been what I wanted. It seems much of my upbringing focused around what others wanted me to be or what they thought I should be given their understanding. As for me I never knew anything about what I wanted to be and to this very day still don't. I suppose I am no different than the majority of folks out there. This existence and our societies don't offer brilliant opportunities at every turn instead they only offer some and they are as hard to achieve as you probably already imagine. Some folks are lucky and are brought up in families where the vision for their futures is clear and desired.
     But for the many more of us the future doesn't hold clear and simple decisions. We fight and claw for basics and wonder why? How serene it must be for the few who do not worry about holes in their clothes and shoes. How satisfying it must be for those who make messes and watch others clean them up for them. How safe it must be for those who don't sleep on the street in a tent or a makeshift cardboard domicile. How fulfilling it must be to sit at a table with a hot cooked meal placed before us when so many eat from a wrapper out of their uncleaned hands. The many of us see the world and are not inspired to be a greater part of it. So just surviving and trying to stay out of the way is the goal.
     In my own particular case I was fortunate to have been a good enough person who helped others and through karma was helped by others. My plight isn't so bad yet my purpose to do greater things was never really an option. I live a good life and bring a smile wherever I can but that is something we all should be able to do just as a default. I will never know my potential because the attraction to something I desired to be never materialized. Well except the impossible through fantastic imaginings. But wishing to be something that cannot be is not purposeful. Our society is lacking a focus to bring our species along to a higher order of things and as we sit back and blame those who are not to blame, the work of giving more brilliant opportunities to our children keeps slipping away from us.

(#6027) The cost of capitalizing everything is that we lose our humanity

      I am a believer in capitalism to an extent. But not full on capitalism. Because with our populations being so numerous on this huge planet we cannot be fair to all at the same time. So some form of economic foundation must be instituted in the form of capitalism/socialism. Where no one starves, no one is without shelter, no one is without health care, and no one is without education. We have to have some form of balance that allows all of us to improve and be part of evolving into a better society. Not all things last forever so when a solution serves its purpose it can be adjusted into something else or wound back down.
     When we have the correct balance of capitalism and socialism is when our society can truly function in a democratic way. Even when some are massively successful their gain is not the loss of those who cannot create or innovate on the same scale. We keep our society in check with possibilities for all when we limit pure capitalism and its runaway nature to only satisfy those who are the best manipulators of it. Democracy should be a demand upon us to give all of us a leg up so that none of us are left with no upward mobility. When we set the foundation for existence we are showing the world that no matter who or when a person is born into our society the chances to improve are not riddled with structural obstructions.
     We each human is gifted as to our own existence. We decide who we may be by our curiosity and motivations. Merit is something we can all share with no intellectual boundary. What we do with our creativity and imaginings is what separates us. As it should be since we are not all cookie cutter souls. Capitalism is a method for rewarding those who work toward a goal, a barter system if you will. Not some political or philosophical exercise that dominates all else. Our democratic values are what guides our future and the correct mix of capitalism and socialism will make our journey together much more likeable and sustainable.

(#6026) The idealism of my posts

      I saw today a view of my yesterdays geographic viewership. For me it seems awkward saying that. Nevertheless, it was from countries all over the globe. Even Russia had 171 views of the 1500 or so views. Every largely populated continent had some viewership. I like that. It has been over sixteen and a half years of doing this daily blog and to finally see a spread out like that is success to me. I know that I write about idealism. It is permeated throughout all 6025 previous posts. As it should be. not because we all need to live perfect lives but that we should strive to where we are able.
     That is the underlying theme throughout every post I have ever written. To be better than we are even when being better causes us some sacrifice. Those less emotionally attached to life are a different breed apart from what a normal human being should be and they think in exceptions. They are not attune to sacrifice unless others are making them for their benefit. Those folks are not why I write. They have others who they can follow or read to get their unnaturalness satisfied. For the vast majority of the rest of us I do write for you and for me to find ways in our lives to individually and/or collectively to improve upon them.
     Now that many across the globe are slowly but surely finding their way to reading my blog I feel a sense of responsibility to keep writing about the things that should matter to us to make us more alive and together as a species. Building upon our humanity and curiosity we place the correct emphasis on how we spend our limited time in existence. What bothers me most is in this current reality is the cruel and brutal harm that is still being done whilst our time is being squandered. A double whammy if you will. Causing pain and harm while wasting precious time is chaos, not progress. I write about our progress and I start with the ideal in order to give us a first step. That is the path forward, the first step into striving for our personal idealism. We don't don't have to reach the plateau of idealism at every attempt but we have to try despite any shortcoming that may ensue.

(#6025) As a true American patriot Nathan Hale said, "I only regret that I have but one life to lose for my country,"

      Not only are his words immortalized as a really cry around freedom, liberty, and justice, but his words also demonstrate that we have only one life. In the early moments of our lives we seem to know that we have lots of time to enjoy or endure life as per our circumstances. Either way this is deceiving. Using my own experience as an example I know how in the beginning of my life I felt time was so abundant that by the time I got old I would have done many things and accomplished most of my goals. But what I have found is that time is not like what we think in our heads.
     It is relentless and unforgiving. To procrastinate is to fall behind in our imagined schedule. So putting our time to good use often finds us busy all the time and without the objectivity to see how time is flying by. For me it was so. No sooner had I done a few things I found myself 10 years down the road. The pattern repeats with fewer accomplishments and goals reached and age is upon me in ways that tell me I have less time to live and a body that is not like when I started. When I was 17 the world looked to be my existence to explore and understand. At nearly 70 the outlook is not even close to what I had hoped to experience.
     Nathan's 21 years not  only served him in his quest it inspired generations of like minded folks to a greater effort of purpose. Which brings me back to Nathan Hale. His understanding that pouring everything into his passion of helping to create the greatest democracy the world has ever seen was only limited by his inability to exist beyond death. What have I learned from this lesson? Simply to live with the gusto that Mr. Hale exemplified. Do everything to find a purpose and then focus all effort to achieving it. Whether we die at 21 like Nathan or we live to nearly 70 like me. the path forward is to live with your head held high and make the world better because you have been in it.