Should We Set Up Table And Chairs On The Porch?

We are having January 28 and if it wasn't for the calendar showing it, I wouldn't believe it. The thermometer is jojoing up and down and right now it's waaay up at 6C. Needless to say, there is not one tiny little bit of snow left on the ground. I am just back from a walk down to the ferry landing, which happens to be right down below our property, but one has to kinda make a loop to get down there. All in all not a lengthy walk. I was wearing my usual light sweater and a winter jacket, but had to unbutton the jacket halfway to the beach. Dixie enjoyed our little walk and was eager to "clean up" the ditches along the way. This has become quite the habit of her to find empty cans, bottles and other trash. If she finds it near the road she picks it up and dumps it again in a "suitable" spot. However, arriving at the beach she found a "delicacy" of an old rotten fish, which she started to eat from. Before I noticed what was going on, she had taken a good mouthful. I had to pull her off it otherwise she would have gotten herself quite the meal there. Yuk!

I had used the mild temps for splitting some firewood I had dragged out of the woods yesterday and the pile is now waiting to be stacked for drying until next winter. By the way it is only 144 days until the beginning of SUMMER! Yahoooui....

So, yes, winter has been quite friendly so far, though there have been times when the mercury seemed to disappear in the bottom of the thermometer. I can handle the cold, but snow has to be shoveled or pushed and I just hate that. Also, I can't really do up more firewood, when there is a pile of snow everywhere. 

The pictures of our icicles were taken only a few days ago, now we are looking at our bare lawn.  

 And after the walk we need a good power nap. Live is good!

The Stable Genius Has Spoken

Of course, 9 months is way too long. For the sake of a higher birth rate you should negotiate with GOD to make pregnancy end with a finished product at 7 months.

Congratulations Mr. President!

On the very 1-year anniversary of your inauguration and with Washington and all branches of government under full control of your party, the United States Government has shut down due to a disagreement over a spending bill. If anything, it shows the total inability of the GOP to govern. 
You and your cronies have just managed to give-away 1.4trillions to the rich, you have made cuts to social programs serving the poor and the weak and now you are lacking the money to run your country. And to top it off you are asking for billions to build a silly wall along your southern border. 
Congratulations Mr. President, you really made America look ridiculous.
Within only 1 year you have achieved to divide your country more than any President before you. You have shown a total disregard for learning how to lead this formerly great country. Your approval ratings are still between the lowest in the history of the U.S. and your legal battles and scandals are numerous enough that one could fill the Encyclopedia Britannica with it and still run out of paper. 

Shut-downs are specific for the U.S. as
no other country makes its legislature vote to raise the country's borrowing limit, for example, to pay for spending the legislature has already approved.
And no other country shuts down its government in the same way the U.S. does.

That's not to say that other nations don't have budgetary disagreements and worse. They do. But "for most of the world, a government shutdown is very bad news — the result of revolution, invasion, or disaster," says Anthony Zurcher at BBC News. Seriously, "even in the middle of its ongoing civil war, the Syrian government has continued to pay its bills and workers' wages."

Syria's not alone. "Countries like Pakistan and Colombia have had civil wars, coups, financial crises, even defaults but never a government shutdown," says Erik Voeten at The Washington Post's Monkey Cage blog. (and those you call Sh*thole Countries?)

In Belgium, tensions between the Flemish (Dutch speakers) and Walloons (French speakers) got so heated in 2010 and 2011 that the country had no elected government for 589 days — "yet, budgets were passed, government workers were paid, and government services continued to be provided," says Voeten. In fact, Voeten adds, "I cannot think of a single foreign analogy to what is happening in the U.S. today."

And that is true. The U.S. is like a kindergarten, where the kids refuse to play with each other when they disagree about something. But every kindergarten also has a leader. The U.S. has too. But when the leader is a moron and unable to use his position to unify, full disagreements break out and the kids are throwing tantrums. But other than in the kindergarten, there are victims on the American battlefield. Workers are getting no wages, social programs don't make payouts while the shut-down is in effect.

But, strangely, the very men and women who are causing the shut-down are still getting paid - big time. Trump voters, I assume, you are happy with that. You must love the chaos and the destruction.

What a country, eh!

OK, We've Got Some Snow And Oh Sooo Pretty

We finally got what can be expected in January. Yup, we got some snow. Not too much, just 8 inches, but sooo very pretty that we needed to get ourselves out there in between all that Winter-Wonder-Land and we took tons of pictures. With us was the little Dixie-Pixie, who had even more fun with all that snow racing, and jumping around like crazy. It is truly gratifying to see this happy little dog enjoying life to its fullest. I will spare you for more verbal praise, just let the pictures tell the tale.

This posting is still done directly via Blogger, as Open Life Writer still refuses to cooperate.

Blue skies are temping us to get outside

                                                  Below: Eastport in the distance

 

Head Harbour Lightstation w. ferry to Grand Manan in back