For God's Sake, Don't Do The Again...

 

Trumps words...

The West Wing and The Lincoln Project

I know I probably only have a few of you out there still reading this blog, but even it I am only reaching one of you, please know I appreciate you for still visiting me. I want the best for you, and all of us, so please VOTE on Tuesday. If you haven't already done so, please really consider the character of the candidates. Consider whether they will have a higher agenda that serves the general population or whether their agenda serves only themselves. And most importantly, write down what is important to you, what will affect you in the future, so think beyond the here and now.

 

 Choose wisely.

"This Is How Dictators Destroy Free Nations"

 

 

"This is how dictators destroy free nations. They threaten those who speak against them with death," Cheney posted Friday on X. "We cannot entrust our country and our freedom to a petty, vindictive, cruel, unstable man who wants to be a tyrant."

 

~Liz Cheney

November 1st, 2024

 

In response to the comments made to Tucker Carlson,

by Donald John Trump on October 31st, 2024 

 

With only a few days to go, Donald Trump is spewing violent rhetoric against, Liz Cheney, and against women in general. He stated that he will "protect women whether they like it or not." Make NO MISTAKE, those are the words of a man who feels like he has control over women in all aspects. Trump is a violent man, a man who was found guilty of sexual abuse. Remember the Access Hollywood tape?No man with that in their past, should be never allowed anywhere near the presidency of the United States, but here we are. Fortunately, the Attorney General of the state of Arizona is investigating his comments about Liz Cheney, and it seems he may have just added yet another felony to his long rap sheet! Please talk to your daughters and granddaughters, nieces, and friends about who should be elected to the presidency. What their character should be. About talk about trust issues and ask them to think long and hard about what they want their future rights to be.

"When people show you who they are, believe them."

~Maya Angelou

 

 

 

The Promise From The Ellipse

 

“But when you can’t sleep at night, how can you dream?”

 
― Kamala Harris, 

 The Truths We Hold: An American Journey

75 thousand people showed up to the Ellipse, and the National Mall to hear the closing statement by Kamala Harris. And she rocked it! She was determined, straight forward, optimistic, dynamic and more than anything, not insulting to the very people who support her! I feel encouraged after her speech. The vibe lifted my spirits. If you didn't watch it, please do now. It's worth watching, especially if you haven't quite made up your mind. We are standing at the crossroads of freedom and a dictatorship. I choose freedom. How about you?

Autumn Leaf Of The Day #36/Help Me Jacqueline Kennedy Onassis

 “I love the Autumn,
And yet I cannot say
All the thoughts and things
That make me feel this way.

I love walking on the angry shore,
To watch the angry sea;
Where summer people were before,
But now there's only me.

I love wood fires at night
That have a ruddy glow.
I stare at the flames
And think of long ago.

I love the feeling down inside me
That says to run away
To come and be a gypsy
And laugh the gypsy way.

The tangy taste of apples,
The snowy mist at morn,
The wanderlust inside you
When you hear the huntsman's horn.

Nostalgia - that's the Autumn,
Dreaming through September
Just a million lovely things
I always will remember.” 

~Jacqueline Kennedy Onassis 

 

With a little bit more than a week to go, until the election, I am a nervous wreck. My final order from the Harris/Walz store hasn't arrived yet. It's a Kamala Harris poster, and a set of "Ka-Ma-La" campaign buttons. I am hoping it will get here soon, so that I can put it in a frame on the wall. I waited on putting Hillary's poster up, and I was really sad on election night that I hadn't. It was at least a couple years before I finally did add it to my office. And then we had to move, and well, shit happens. We finally put the poster in our upstairs hallway, and now I can see here from my office. I am hoping to put the poster that's coming, next to Hillary, in the hallway, but I might also bring both of them into my office, after the election. We will see how thing go. Anyway... I need strength. And I need my Kamala Harris poster.

 

 Autumn, and Jacqueline Kennedy Onassis, help me.

Autumn Leaf Of The Day #30/Don't Wanna

 

“Well, the old Autumn didn't know anything about reality. The old Autumn was quite happy living in a childish make-believe world where bad things didn't happen and where you could make up whatever silly story you liked and tell yourself it was true.” 

 
~Liz Kessler

  A Year Without Autumn

 

I don't wanna. I am tired. But onward I go! It's only two weeks until the election, and the slogan I must remember is, "When We Fight We Win!" So I get up every day, and I keep track of what's being said, and I try my best to ignore the polls. They are unreliable. Look what happened to Hillary Clinton. All the polls said she had it sewed up, and look what happened, her loss was one of the most devastating events in my life, but I am a little bit smarter now, or so I believe I am, I know that polls are bullshit. Right? We must pray at this point, or surround yourself with positive energy and thoughts. Keep your eyes clear and hope alive. We must speak to folks when possible and ignore those who refuse to see the speak with respect. We cannot despair over what we have no control over!

 

I want to quit Twitter/X for good. Just pull the plug completely. Sigh. But I can't. I have to continue to push back on the disinformation. That is what I can contribute... telling the truth. So, I get up every day, knowing I have to fill myself up with the media sources I trust, and fight back. That's my fight. Realistically, I am reaching about half of my 1,600 or so followers. If just one person who follows me sees my words understands, then I have done something for the American universe. But make no mistake, I am not unaware that my words will never save the world, but they will get me home. Lets face it, the real fight will more than likely begin on November 6th, 2024! And preparing for that is something I don't wanna do! Mostly because I don't know how to do it!

 

 

Autumn Leaf Of The Day #29/McUnhinged

 

“There was a filmy veil of soft dull mist obscuring, but not hiding, all objects, giving them a lilac hue, for the sun had not yet fully set; a robin was singing ... The leaves were more gorgeous than ever; the first touch of frost would lay them all low to the ground. Already one or two kept constantly floating down, amber and golden in the low slanting sun-rays.”

 

~Elizabeth Gaskell

 

Twitter is a Hellscape. Trump is simultaneously full of shit, and terrifying. I am tired, sad and scared for my future. I feel like shit, and I am tired of his unchecked threats! The link below is to the stupidest move a presidential candidate has ever engaged in. I feel like I am losing my mind! Can this all actually be real? The fucking McDonald's was closed. It was pretend! What 78 year old man does that? He could again be in charge of the nuclear codes, in three months or so. Why is this race so close? Fuck you, Donald Trump!

McUnhinged

 

 

Autumn Leaf Of The Day #24/Pennywise The President

 

“Everything's a lot tougher when it's for real. 

That's when you choke. When it's for real.” 

~Stephen King,

  It

 

“I started after him...and the clown looked back. I saw Its eyes,

 and all at once I understood who It was."
"Who was it, Don?" Harold Gardner asked softly.
"It was Derry," Don Hagarty said. "It was this town.” 

 
~Stephen King,

  It

 

I get up every day thinking that it will be the day when I hear that Donald Trump had fallen15 points behind Kamala Harris in the polls. Not only has that not happened, but Harris is the one slipping downward, despite the violent speech and promise of installing a fascist state once elected, coming from Trump. It's like living with Pennywise the Dancing Clown every day, and the citizens of the United States are just as cowardly and forgetful as the citizens of, Derry Maine. The people of Derry ignored the danger that cycled around every 30 years or so, but in America's case, it seems our memories fade a lot sooner than that. Case in point, did COVID fatigue cause you to forget the real danger Trump posed during the pandemic?And did you forget he incited a mob to attempt to overthrow the United States? I can go on with his list of evils, but do you really need me to help you remember, or do you know deep down, without me reminding you of a thing, that Donald John Trump poses a real and genuine threat to our very lives?

 

"Beep, Beep, Ritchie." 

 

~Stephen King,

IT 

 

 

 

They're Eating Cats And Dogs

 

 

 "I have a concept of a plan."

~DJT

2024 Debate, when asked about replacing the Affordable Care Act.

 

 

 Debate Transcript

ABC News 

September 10th 2024 

 

 

Trust me, she won.

 

 

I'm 21!

 

YES! She's talking about YOU! Asshole!

And I'm talking about you too! Especially on the anniversary of this blog! You see, you are a weirdo, as are your posse, J.D. Vance and Robert F. Kennedy Jr. . Two political losers, who out of personal bitterness and political greed, want to take us back in time not just to the dark days of the Trump administration, but to the even darker times of Jim Crow and beyond. These unhinged scared men want a dystopian America where women, minorities, and those who simply disagree with their political, social,  and cultural views and polices are cast aside and perhaps imprisoned. Where THEY get to choose who you love, and to police our medical records, beginning with abortion and ending up who knows where! They will end Social Security, and decided your worth on whether or not you have given birth or if you can contribute to society whether or not you are disabled!

Kamala Harris was indeed talking about him last night at the, Democratic National Convention, as she accepted the nomination for President of the United States, but she was also talking about her love for her family. Her love of country. Her determination to see America be that "shining city on the hill."She spoke of her career as a prosecutor in Alameda County, as District Attorney of San Francisco. As a senator who took on big banks, and yes, handed Trump his ass, when she and other attorneys general from around the country sued Donald him for fraud over the phony Trump University scam!

So yes Trump, she was talking about you. But she was mostly talking to us about a brighter future that waiting for us, just a few months from now. If we let it be. When I began this blog, I never dreamed where my blog and I would go together. Highs. Lows. Autumn leaves and Sandhill Crane. Deadly pandemics, and Donald Trump. Hillary. Leonardo DiCaprio and Robert Di Nero. Grief. Healing. Mindfulness, Music. Sorrow. But the greatest of all things, will always be LOVE. Those are the posts that I think make this blog worth existing. I pray as I write this that when I wish my blog Happy Anniversary next year, the world will be a little happier then it is at this moment. That life will feel good again, and that our country will be coming together as one. 

 

This blog turns 21 years old today. It's old enough to drive, drink and vote.

 

It's a person all it's own. For now. Because if Trump wins, he will control what we read, the media, the music we listen to, the shows we stream, and all of that is what has gone into to bring this blog to life.

 

If that happens. I will pull the plug on this blog. No more photography. 

 

But I am not really afraid of that happening, because Kamala Harris will when in November, and take us forward, because WE'RE NOT GOING BACK! WE MUST VOTE!

 

  This is my prayer.

 

AMEN!

 

 

For Immediate Release

  “So, for anyone who questions whether allies matter, they do. Today is a powerful example of why it’s vital to have friends in this world. Friends you can trust, work with and depend upon, especially on matters of great consequence and sensitivity like this.

 Our alliances make our people safer.”

 

President Joe Biden

August 1st 2024

 

I hope folks remember that, when preparing to vote this coming November. Right now, in Trump, people on the right are seeing the entertainer, not the dangerous reality TV buffoon. Joe Biden has been an amazing president, and he will work for us until his last day in office. I can sleep at night because of him, so I honestly don't understand why folks can't see what a decent man he is. I am hoping by November, the voting public with begin to see, Trump for who, and what, he is! A selfish man, who is in it to keep himself out of prison. I have the greatest of faith in the Biden/Harris administration, and for Kamala Harris as president one day soon! Lately, every day seems better than the last. I am almost afraid to be this happy!

Weird

 

"I have never been asked a question in such a horrible manner, first question. You don't even say "Hello, how are you." Are you with ABC?

 Because I think they are a fake news network,

 a terrible network"

 

July 31st, 2024

National Association Of Black Journalists Convention

Chicago, Illinois

 

WEIRD! Or the usual Trump fuckery? No, after contemplation it was weird, because he imploded in an spectacular manner, like he wants to lose the election! Life, lately, has almost been too good to be true! I am almost afraid to be this happy!

George W. Bush saw the weird all the way back in 2017!

via @CBoTheEggman

·

 

 

Kamala Harris, For The People

Via New York Times

 

Existence

 

“A seagull flying beautifully is heaven; a seagull hunting an innocent fish is hell!

 Existence is heaven and hell, joy and horror!” 

~Mehmet Murat ildan 

 

Right? A little later today, I will be attending a meeting of the Democratic club of Lodi. Sigh. I want to go, but I am unsure of how diplomatic I can be anymore, and to make it all worse, I have a big opinionated mouth. Can I hold my tongue and how some folks want to dump Joe Biden over the Israel/Hamas war? The economy? His age? Will we have another protest vote over these things? Maybe! And wouldn't that suck? Yes, yes it would. I guess my real concern is the fact that if you put any number of people in the same room, there will be someone who thinks radically different than you do. Which is okay, but I am passionate about my politics, and all I really want is to help defeat Donald Trump. I am not in it to shoot myself in the foot by picking apart our best hope for survival. Joe Biden isn't too old for me. Joe Biden is smart enough for me. Joe Biden is handling the middle east well enough... for now... but I may revisit that subject at a later date. Joe Biden is our best hope for saving democracy, and he has Kamala Harris at his side. If he should pass away in office, I am completely at ease with her becoming president. That's how our government works, and I was proud to vote for a Biden/Harris ticket in 2020 and will happily do so again. So, I have high hopes for my first meeting, I really do, but I am also prepared to run from the crazy!

Go Joe!

January 20th 2021 Part Two

It's a slightly different format for this post. It was an unusual day, and it called for an unusual post on this blog.

 

First this happened

 "Power is okay, and stupidity is usually harmless.

 Stupidity and power together are dangerous."

~Patrick Rothfuss

The Name Of The Wind

As you might imagine, I didn't sleep very well during the overnight hours of January 20th 2021. I was sure it was over, and that he was going to leave, but there was the stomach churning feeling that he might still pull one last rabbit out of his hat. One last terrifying rabid rabbit, that would start a war, or perhaps nuclear war. Knowing him, both seemed a fairly reasonable possibility. If neither of those things happened, perhaps that recurring nightmare I told you about, could happen. But as of 8:17 AM Eastern Time, it was wheels up, and my camera was ready to take a photo, off the TV in our bedroom, as Trump was on his way to Joint Base Andrews, and ultimately Mara-Lago. Leaving behind his disgraced presidency, as the only president to be Impeached twice!

Next Came This...

Kamala Harris Took The Oath Of Office

Making History By Becoming The First Female

 Vice President Of The United States

At 11:42 AM ET

Finally...

Joseph R. Biden Became The 46th President Of The United States
 

And with that, I decided to get caught up with all the sleep I had missed the last 4 years. We (America) were safe again. Or at least for a while. Trump, and his death cult, will still be hovering like a dark cloud, especially during his second Impeachment trial, which will begin, by the way, on February 9th 2021. But in the moment I, and most of the world, sighed a deep sigh of relief because were were finally safe again. We did it! We survived it.

 

Here are the headlines from around the world...

Plenty happened later that day, but I decided to take a few days off, and let history handle it. There will be plenty to share on this blog, as I move forward with regaining my footing. I'll get there, but there is no way I am going to push it. I am retired from politics now, or at least for the time being. I love my country, so I will share my happiness, and heartache, from time to time, but right now I'd much rather talk about my photography, and the silly little mishaps I tend to get myself into. This blog schedule will be more consistent going forward. Adjusting for Alan's hours, I will be posting as stated below. And that's that! I am going to enjoy not having a pit in the bottom of my stomach. Of not living with that abusive relationship. Just life, my life, our life, lived to the fullest. At least until 2024, when the next national election takes place. With any luck at all, every single one of the Trump's, and their sycophants, will be behind bars. With the exception of Mary Trump. She can stay.

 

But One Thing At A Time. Lets Enjoy This For A While.

Everything In It's Time.

 

(Blog Schedule For 2021)

 

Tuesday Through Friday

 

~Carly

January 20th 2021 Part One

 

"The most beautiful people we have known are those who have known defeat, known suffering, known struggle, known loss, and have found their way out of the depths. These persons have an appreciation, a sensitivity, and a deep loving concern. Beautiful people do mot just happen."

 

~Elisabeth Kubler-Ross

 

400,000 Americans have died from Covid-19. Many, if not most, could have probably been prevented, if not for all the misinformation, lies, conspiracy theories, of one man, Donald John Trump. As dreadful and depressing as it all is, I'm not thinking about him so much right now, because I am choosing to think of the souls lost to the virus, and the feeling of gratitude I feel deep down for Joe Biden and Kamala Harris, and their efforts to bring us out of the darkness, before they have even assumed office. 

 

Last night they held a remembrance ceremony, at the Lincoln Memorial, as 400 lights were illuminated, along the sides of the reflecting pool, each representing 1,000 people lost to the disease since it was first diagnosed in America early last year. It was certainly a beautiful and profound event, but very surreal, because not only does my mind reel from the number of dead, but the number diagnosed... 23,839,868. But if that wasn't enough, there are armed guards surrounding the capitol, because of the very real possibility of violence from Trump supporters, later today, during the Inauguration. 

 

It's all out of my hands. None of us can control the future, but I can keep myself up to date on the virus, and what I need to do to stay healthy. As for the acts of domestic terrorists, I have no control over that either. Prayer won't even help. All I can do is hang on, and hope that folks will wake up to the fraud that Trump is before their bitterness is acted on, and someone gets hurt. Its all so out of control, but a little later today, we will be on our way to healing. At 12 noon ET, Joe Biden will be sworn in as the 46th president of the United States, and I will hang-up my job as an amateur political analyst. I just want to feel happy again.

 

Happiness is only a little under 12 hours away. 

 

"To heal we must remember. It's hard sometimes to remember. But that's how we heal. It's important to do that as a nation."

 

~Joe Biden

1/19/21

 

"We gather tonight, a nation in mourning, to pay tribute to the lives we lost. For many months, we grieved by ourselves. Tonight we grieve together."

 

~Kamala Harris

1/19/21

 

~Carly

Whispering... It Will Be Better!

 "Hope smiles from the threshold of the year to come,

 whispering, 'It will be happier'... ."

~Alfred Lord Tennyson

It's the last day of 2020... whew... I made it! Alan and I made it! We are okay, we didn't get Covid-19, despite the surging numbers in San Joaquin County, Covidiots in the wild, like the couple I spotted at Walmart, while we shopped for Thanksgiving dinner and selfish co-workers Alan has to work with! We have done all we could to keep ourselves free of the virus. We both wear a mask when we leave the house, and we wash our hands often, but there is a new mutation of Covid-19 that is 70% more transmissible than previous strains, so who knows what we can do now to avoid it. This mutation was first identified in England, and surprise, Donald Trump did not do a thing about temporarily halting travel from that part of the world! He knew this was happening, thank God Prime Minister Boris Johnson told the truth about this strain. All it took was his own diagnosis of Covid-19 earlier in 2020, to make him see the light!

Anyway, I was looking back through my image folders from 2020 to maybe do a post with my favorite photos from the year, but I decided to just post the photos that were most important. I narrowed those down to those which dealt with two main catagories... Politics and the pandemic. As important as this years politics was, especially to me, it was the pandemic that effected me the most profoundly. I have spent the better part of the last four years living in fear of Donald Trump, and what he was capable of doing with all the power he was handed in 2016, but it was Covid-19 that outdid him when it came to deadly potential. Unfortunately, Trump and Covid-19 ended up becoming codependent. They have been quite the team!

 

I wanted to make the post about my joy over the win of Joe Biden and Kamala Harris, because believe me I do feel that joy, but I just couldn't! So, these are the photos that stuck with me. The signs reminding us in California that there were simple things we could do to stop the spread. Unfortunately, residents of San Joaquin county, the county I live in, still have a problem doing the simplest of things to help themselves, and those around them. Oh well, you can't fix stupid. Right? So, forward, march. 2021 will begin in less than 24 hours, and personally, I don't plan to look back. But, I do have an album on Google that will document the year in photographs, all the words worth mentioning will be documented in history. As for my personal 2020 history, there are moments good and bad I won't forget, like how I burst into tears of joy, upon learning Joe Biden had chosen Kamala Harris as his running mate. I slept so good for several nights after that. It was a relief I can't really describe, but alas it did not last, it was broken by some scary, bonehead move Trump did, that I don't even remember now. Strange how Trump moments bleed into each other like that!

2021 will be happier. I will do more photography. I will learn more about birds. I will finally fullfill a lifelong ambition of baking a Lady Baltimore cake from scratch. I will read a book that has nothing to do with politics, although it might be a historical biography. I will get my health back on track, and drop some of the Trump weight I have gained. 15 pounds might be good! I will keep a more realistic schedule. I will disengage from all the doom and gloom. I will stay informed, but I will not go back into drowning in politics. I will finish the home improvement projects we have started, and I will spend more time with Alan than I do with Trump. Trust me, my worrying over Trump killing all of us, took over a huge part of my life. I can't get that time back, but I can march into 2021 with my eyes focused on the future. These ideas are not resolutions mind you, they are just my idea of hope.

 

 My favorite Leaf Of The Day

Stockton, California

October 10th 2020

 Nikon

 

 

 

GO VOTE!

"Bad politicians are sent to Washington by good people who don't vote."

-William E. Simon

GO VOTE! :)


-Carly