February

 

January 6 2021 -

 Wednesday January 6 armed insurgents stormed the Capital with both houses in session.

Many of us watched or listened , horrified, as our Capital was overrun. We watched and waited , horrified, as our elected representatives had to hide from these armed insurgents. We watched and waited , horrified, for the outcome of whether or not our government would be toppled, TOPPLED, by a mob. We watched and waited and prayed worrying for the safety of all.

As an adult I recognize that some people will agree with me on some things and others will not. As an adult I recognize that because someone disagrees with me they are not automatically evil or an idiot. As an adult I recognize that most of us have blind spots, myself included. As an adult I recognize that there is evil in the world and there are people who will manipulate people for their own gain and I one hundred percent believe this of our current president.

As an adult who has voted for years, I trust our electoral process. Each state sets its own parameters of how the process works within their own state. Year in and year out people vote. Why is this year any different? Why do some think fraud occurred on a massive scale this year as opposed to last year or four years ago or eight years ago - IT DID NOT.

The president has, for years, been seeding the idea of fraudulent votes/voters. It is no more true today then it was four years, or ten or fifteen years ago. (yes, I know there has always been some & will always be some). More Americans voted for Biden and he won. There is legal recourse when there is a disagreement. Those processes were used and the result was, more Americans voted for Biden and he won.

What I am having the most difficult time with is those who, rather then condemn an armed mob storming their Capital, post memes on the riots following the murder of George Floyd; or the riots that broke out after BLM protests. This is NOT the same. Using riots to ... defend? treason is a false equivalent. What I am having a very difficult time with is - why? Why would anyone defend the armed overthrow of our government, and that is what is being done when this insurgency is compared to a riot.

Murder, looting, rioting - these are bad; they are always bad.

Those rioters were not armed insurgents determined to overthrow a government .

As the purpose of the terrorists who stormed the Capital was to stop our government from functioning and to overturn a lawful election, this wasn't civil disobedience but an act of treason.

There is a difference between rioting and treason; rioting and sedition.

We should all be horrified and saddened by the act of terrorism that occurred Wednesday. Your support of trumps policies does not preclude you from damning the violent attack on our government yesterday. Every American citizen should be outraged.

( False equivalence is a logical fallacy that occurs when someone incorrectly asserts that two or more things are equivalent, simply because they share some characteristics, despite the fact that there are also notable differences between them. For example, a false equivalence is saying that cats and mice are the same animal, since they’re both mammals and have a tail. )

ode to frito

                                            ode to frito

cats like

ribbon

boxes 

bows

cats like

tissue paper

wrapping paper

scissors

cats like

to be in the know

cats like

lights on strings

ornaments on strings

trees with lights and ornaments on strings

cats like

to put their whiskers into  everything 

 

 The pain never ends

the pain never stops

The pain is always there

the pain never ends

The pain never stops

the pain is always there

The pain never ends 

the pain never stops

The pain is always there

power

 

there 

is

power

in

not

answering 

Frito

 

Schupie and the great lock out at Grandma’s house

(based on the true adventures of Schupie and set down by a human friend )

 

 

This is a story about a day in the life of a friend of mine.  His name is Schupie.  

This day started as most days do…..

 

 

 A nice stretch,a trot around outside followed by a nutritious breakfast.

Then, the day got even better.

 His Mom said he was going to grandma’s

 (dog being strapped into doggie car seat).

 ( background dog in car with streets and country scenes)

Schupie has a most excellent sense of smell.

 When he smells the bakery  he knows he is almost at his  grandma and grandpa’s house.  (dog in car passing a plaza with bakery)

He loves his grandma and grandpa. 

 When Schupie visits his grandparents he always runs straight  into the house,  and  jump up on grandpa and give him a kiss and then on grandma  and get hugs and kisses. 

 (dog imagining being petted and given treats) 

Now it is just grandma Grandma getting up from chair … chair next to her is an empty chair

Just in case she is sad and misses Grandpa he gives her extra kisses…...he misses grand pa too.

Grandma hugs Schupe  and tells him how good he is  and how she misses grandpa .  Schupie gives her an extra kiss.

Each and every visit Schupie checks to make sure his bowl is where it always is in the kitchen, under the bench that is  under the window. 

Each and every visit  grandma lets him outside so he can check and make sure the back yard is safe and secure. grandma lets him outside to play. 

You already know what an excellent sense of smell schupie has, his sense of smell tells him when there’s been a squirrel in ‘his’yard, or a cat or a bird. That’s why dogs are always sniffing, they are ‘reading’ the smells.

He loves to explore the whole yard and follow the smells and see who has been there and where they went and some days he likes to chase them out of “his”yard. 

This day he was busy sniffing and  followed those good smells right under  the hedge and through a hole into the neighbor’s yard.

 (doggie sniffs along hedges and fences with other little critters getting safely out of his way)  he sniffs and we see him go through a hole in the fence into the neighbors yard). 

 

  And then……….(Schupie looks up) 

 He realized  he  was not in his grandma’s back yard anymore.

He was next door.

He could see his grandma’s yard.

He could sniff along and smell his grandma’s yard.  But he could not find how to get back into the  yard.

So he tried shouting  for his grandma;  he barked.

 

She did not hear him. (grandmanapping)

He barked as  he ran along the hedge and  when  the hedge ended he found was now  in in the front yard and he ran over to his grandma’s front door and barked.

 

When his Mom brought him he’d run  up to the door and grandma would open it for him and he’d go in  but… not today.

No one opened the door.

He did not  know Grandma was at the back door looking for him.

He waited.  

He laid down on the top step wondering what to do. 

He wanted to be inside.  Every time he visits he has a snack. He wanted to be inside sitting on grandma’s lap having his snack. 

He heard a car and looked up and saw the lady next door .

He knew her. He’d met her.  She and grandpa used to talk  when he would take Schupie with him to the mail box.

Schupie sat up and  barked.

He ran across the lawn barking.

He stood on his hind legs and he barked at the neighbor

 He turned and stood on his hind legs and barked at his Grandma’s house.

He stood and barked at the neighbor again.

And she understood. “You want to go to your Grandma’s?”.

 And he barked. YES!

She carried him across the lawn, and up the steps and rang the bell.

When Grand ma answered the door she was so happy to see Schupie.  

She thought he’d gotten lost. 

She thanks her neighbor. 

She tells Schupie how smart he is and how brave he is.

They share his favorite people food, graham crackers.

Schupie cuddles up with Grandma and takes a nap.

Turns out  this has been the best day ever.