A Dog’s Breakfast

Going to share several links this morning, as I have to go help a friend move and then attend a church thing or two. I had planned to write yesterday; however, my body and I were having a small disagreement that kept me at home (had planned to go grill at a friend’s) and down most of the day. It was my fault as I should have known better than to eat something I did. Have some more columns to come in regards Germany, France, and concerns stupid people may do stupid things and cause serious problems.

First up, Sarah A. Hoyt linked to this wonderful post at Instapundit. In hanging around the military, one generally finds that those who Kipel (Kiple, Kipple?) are the ones who seem to have a clue. Derided by the literati (or at least the credentialed ‘elite’), the man was and is spot on. It is well worth the read.

Next up, three good posts from L’Ombre de l’Olivier, tying into my posts on England. Start here, though this and this provide further background. Also, yes I saw the ‘interesting’ comment left here, which is a cut and paste of one left at Insty, and I’ve got a suspicion is the product of a Paki bot farm as it or something very similar seems to be hitting a lot of sites and platforms all at once. Thanks to all who have responded to it, as a lie should not be allowed to stand unchallenged.

This is some food for thought in regards Europe and the future. I would like to think Europe will stand, though I don’t think the EU will stand. Instead, the only hope for them lies in the individual countries. Italy and Spain may have a chance, but that depends on some complex factors that may or may not come together.

If you’ve been following the work of DataRepublican in regards NGOs, influence, and money laundering, this post will be interesting. On a somewhat related note, check out this from David Strom.

Finally, this post fits in nicely with previous discussions (here, here, & here) of reproduction in microgravity. I find it interesting that mice, who would make great subjects for much needed research, feel so bad in microgravity that they just aren’t interested in sex.

Also, thanks to the anonymous donor who hit the tip jar. Much appreciated!

More soon I hope. Meantime, be prepared. Keep your friends and family close, and your things where you can find them in the dark.

Getting hit by lightning is not fun! If you would like to help me in my recovery efforts, feel free to hit the fundraiser at A New Life on GiveSendGo, use the options in the Tip Jar in the upper right, or drop me a line to discuss other methods. If you want to know some of what it is going for, read here. There is also the Amazon Wish List in the Bard’s Jar. It is thanks to your gifts and prayers that I am still going. Thank you.

A Bit Of Musing

With Jen Psaki, Frey, and others jumping in hard against prayer (if you have BP problems avoid the Congresscritter chastizing a 16-year-old for prayer), I agree with those on X who are asking variations of the following question: If you were a servant of the evil one, a demon, or demonically possessed and wanted to attack Christianity and prevent the power of prayer, what would you do differently from these people?

In Case You Missed It

A brief follow-up on yesterday’s post. How many of you realized that the video of Mayah Sommers brandishing weapons to keep her sister safe was made and posted by the would-be assaulter? That he, speaking clear English, goaded her to show the weapons so he could film her and have her arrested?

He knew that law enforcement would back him, and that she would get in trouble, probably arrested. It was deliberate on his part to to harm her because she kept him from doing whatever it was he wanted to do to her younger sister. She resisted, and resistance must be crushed, not to mention that she was a female who defied him and as such must be punished. That is the Islamist way.

The British caste system is already jumping in on his side, with people referring to her as ‘from a rough family,’ trash, scum, and worse. She is not just lower caste, but what many consider the lowest caste of native Brit (Scot actually).

Now, with international negative feedback, the government and local police have apparently arrested the man, who now apparently speaks no English according to a (very disbelieving) post I read. Oh, and don’t expect to see much on the BBC or other corporate outlets, as this (along with the flag displays, see the link in the note to my original post for a very good read on such) is being suppressed hard. There is some independent/semi-independent media in the United Kingdom, but they are subject to censorship and legal actions media here are not. Makes it hard to cover stories the government doesn’t want covered.

UPDATE: Corrected a typo.

Getting hit by lightning is not fun! If you would like to help me in my recovery efforts, feel free to hit the fundraiser at A New Life on GiveSendGo, use the options in the Tip Jar in the upper right, or drop me a line to discuss other methods. If you want to know some of what it is going for, read here. There is also the Amazon Wish List in the Bard’s Jar. It is thanks to your gifts and prayers that I am still going. Thank you.

Prognostication

Or at least ruminations on some potential futures, and the dangers and opportunities that await within them. In many respects, I am more optimistic about our future in this country than I have been in many decades. That said, things can go south in a heartbeat, and not necessarily because of what happens here.

So, in the days ahead, I plan to write a bit about some of those potential futures and what we can do to try to avoid the bad ones. Or at least to ride things out as best possible if they do come to pass.

I’m going to start today with the United Kingdom. I’ve alluded to the fact that I think the United Kingdom will fall, and in fact it has already fallen. For part of it, read here, here, and here. For a different perspective on the problem, read here. Today, I’m going to try to put together the outline of the problem (as I see it) and what I see as likely to happen.

Of the totems the progressive “elite” worldwide have bought into world-wide, massive immigration has to be one of the most dangerous and pernicious to the concepts of freedom and individual liberty. That is very deliberate (if short sighted) on their part. First, let’s take the time to define a few things.

Yes, it is a totem, though a better phrase might be doctrine. For it is a religious belief (in terms of the Doctrine of Persuasibility), and even outside that it is a doctrine in the creed of Progressive dogma. Keep in mind that Progressiveism is a religious belief intended to both fill the void left with the removal of Christianity from much of public life, and to help ensure that Christianity is eliminated, and not just from the public sphere.

If you study the dogma of Progressive politics, it is because Christianity was (and is) one of the major drivers of Western Civilization. Western Civilization is evil precisely because it raised the standard of living for much of the world, brought forth the ideas of individual liberty and freedom, the concept of natural rights (rights granted by God, not the government), and as part of this put them into practice (the Great Experiment that is our Republic) and abolished slavery in much of the world (at least for a time).

The very idea that you are smart enough to make informed decisions for yourself is an anathema to Progressive beliefs. According to them, you are not capable of such, nor are you capable or willing to vote against your own self-interest in the interest of the Greater Good. We are not always good with that, but on the whole I think America has done pretty good about it overall.

That said, the goal of Progressives is rule by the elite over a reduced population that can be and will be controlled in the best interest of the elite. After all, they know what is right, best, and good for everyone and the entire planet. On the latter, note that ending space exploration and exploitation is also a Progressive doctrine as it’s hard enough to control people on Earth, let them get off Earth and there is no way to control them.

This explains many things, such as the fight against Western Civilization, Christianity, and the oh-so-charming commitment to all things trans. After all, if you trans youth, you not only sterilize them, but happen to create objects for the use and amusement of said betters. Yes, I am saying that many are open and honest about the perversions of the flesh they enjoy. And, yes, I am saying (actually, pretty much just repeating their words) that you are the carbon they want to reduce.

Now, there is more but the key thing to remember is that this is a world-wide religious movement. No where in the world has it progressed further than in the United Kingdom. Now Germany and France are not far behind, but I think there is still a chance for them. I’m far less optimistic about the UK. Why?

Simply because Progressiveism has infected most of the leadership and affiliated classes. It dominates the news and entertainment media; it has gutted the Anglican Church; law enforcement is corrupted by it (and keep in mind that law enforcement in the UK has made it’s choice, and it is all in on Progressive and not the people); and, it would appear the majority of the political class is all in as well. For all that at least a couple of parties are now calling for reform and removal of illegal immigrants and those legal who break the law, the majority are not. Look to the local councils who are trying to ban or take down the flag(s) of the UK, and realize these are the same people who were good with the child rape gangs. How many turned a blind eye, or were willing participants (reports state that more than one member of law enforcement turned a blind eye in exchange for raping some of the children).

Two other points need to be raised for purposes of discussion. First, the whole open borders idea is designed to do several things. The first is to overwhelm and destroy the “native” population. Destroy the culture, the history, and then the literal people themselves, and you destroy Western Civilization. Keep in mind that here or there, it was never about the statues or books, but it was about what they represented. Just as the Taliban destroyed the buddhas in Afghanistan as they served as a constant reminder that there were other religions and beliefs, so too do Progressives seek to eliminate all reminders of the past, and in particular past glories.

As for destroying the population, that works on several levels. If you listen to the WEF types, the Progressive thought leaders, and even just some of the rank-and-file, you are the carbon they want to reduce. They believe that the Earth is overpopulated (and I agree with Elon and others that we are in a population decline that could gut humanity and end civilization as we know it) and that a radical reduction in the number of people is necessary to save the world. Letting the barbarians inside the walls can cause just that very thing through rampant crime, much less the destruction of high-trust societies and replacement with low.

Now, add to that the drive by Islam to create a world-wide caliphate. Yes, they are serious about it. You don’t even have to go overseas to hear this, and many of the details of what they are doing and why, you can just listen to a number of Imams here in the U.S. As for the UK, they openly boast that they are out breeding the English and will take over as the majority population in just a few years. They also are very open about breeding in other ways, such as by taking English girls and women and making them Sabaya (sex slaves). This is openly discussed in terms of strategy for the conquest/re-conquest of countries. The rapes that are being committed are not random acts, but a deliberate test. If no real push back, then keep doing it to raise new Muslim children while humiliating and breaking the will of the native population. If push back, play the victim, invoke Islamophobia, and otherwise use it to gut norms and set the stage for the next push (often creation of Sharia courts within the existing legal system). It’s simply a different form of Hudna, which is a truce or cease-fire until sufficient strength can be gathered to overwhelm the enemy.

Now that we have those precepts in place, let’s look at why I’m not sure the UK can be saved.

First, progressive ideology dominates leadership top to bottom. As part of this, subjects of the king have been disarmed to the point of not being allowed to even buy kitchen (cooking) knives. Seriously, look at the law, what they are allowed to buy, and the process for purchasing knives. They were also stupid enough to give up their guns.

Look at today’s headlines, where a young girl used a knife (and a hatchet) to prevent one of those charming Islamic immigrants from molesting/raping her even younger sister. Of course, the young girl who prevented the assault was the one arrested by the stalwart and upright police. The assailant wasn’t arrested until public outcry, and the Hudna playbook is in play. I’ve read that he now claims he can’t speak English (despite being heard speaking it on the video he took), he’s the victim, etc. Sad thing is, this is the norm now, and the young girl is far from the first person to be arrested for defending themselves or others. I hope this girl gets protection, as I expect so-called political leadership and the immigrant gangs to go after her hard. They both want to make an example of her to discourage resistance.

Now, add in the loss of any semblance of free speech by the English public. Rape a British child, get no time or a token sentence. Write a mean tweet that you delete later, get sentenced to three or more years in prison. Arrests and harassment by the police for thought (standing and possibly silently praying near the temple of Baal that are abortion clinics) or for saying something in the pub or online that your betters don’t like are common. So common that they far outnumber arrests for serious and real crimes. Don’t believe me, look it up as it is horrifying.

Also add in that for all there are now signs of resistance (fly those flags!), there is a more significant public sentiment against resistance than I would like. Look at the comments to the story of the young girl who fought back. Look at how many cheered her arrest for protecting her little sister. Look at how many proudly took the side of the attacker. It’s not just the leadership, it’s infected far too many of the public. A society that sick rarely is worth saving or has what it takes to save itself.

That said, keep in mind that their next elections are four years away. That’s four years for Starmer et cie to continue their destruction of the UK. For all that I think elections will come sooner than that, I’m not sure that even immediate elections can undo the damage done. So a new party takes the top spot. What about all those progressive leaders at the local and regional level? In the bureaucracy? In senior positions? The infection is systemic, and it needs a systemic cure.

Which leads me to the fall, or potential falls. For all that I would love to see the people of the UK pull this out, I don’t think it will come strictly through the ballot box. You vote yourself into the messes, but you rarely can vote your way out.

Scenario One: Starmer et cie stay in power for further two or more years, token efforts to deal with financial and immigration issues come too late and are typical half measures. The immigrant population does real resistance and pushes current gains (Sharia courts, etc.) to even further heights. Demographics being what they are, they become the dominant population and vote accordingly. Which leaves the native population to either accept dhimmi status or flee. They are already being groomed by their own government (and the immigrant population) for the former. The UK as we know it, as a historic entity, ceases to exist and becomes another Islamic state.

Scenario Two: Starmer et cie are removed from office within two years, and efforts are made to try to undo the financial and immigration disasters. Despite the encouragement of our current administration, the group in official charge continues to eliminate and punish free speech and such in a misguided attempt to “stabilize” the situation and prevent unrest. It will, of course, have the opposite effect. The police, who have already made their choice, come in on the side of the immigrants. Numbers and weapons matter, and the native population does not have either. Within a few short years, again, the UK as we know it is gone replaced by an Islamic state.

Scenario Three (best case): Starmer et cie depart office soon. New leadership comes in, takes a page from Trump, and puts in place real and effective changes to deal with the financial, immigration, and other disasters. The jihadi’s are not going to go quietly, but leadership perseveres and appropriate force is used to restore the peace and deal with the situation. I will note that while I will hope, and even pray, for this scenario, I think it is the most unrealistic given current British politics and politicians.

Scenario Four (worst case): Starmer et cie depart office soon. New leadership comes in, makes token efforts with lots of talk, and the native population of the UK has had enough. It will be a very uncivil war, and is likely to be full of horrors. The jihad side has machetes and a lot of edged weapons, plus will likely have the backing of the police (at least at first), while the native population is limited to bricks and such as they are effectively disarmed. Efforts by the immigrants to use terror and brutality will beget even more such from the natives. The political class is likely to find themselves lumped in with the immigrants and treated accordingly, which has the potential to make the French Revolution Terror seem tame. With the aid of arms and supplies from outside the country, the natives win for values of win. Whatever comes out the other side of that will not be the UK we know, but it could become something better than it is now, or wind up a shadow of its former self. Too many variables to predict much. Without outside aid, however, I don’t see the natives winning, or at least not quickly. If it turns into a long-term reign of terror time, the natives might still win in the end, but a stable and lasting government is not likely. Keep in mind most revolutions fail; and, of those that do succeed, few create governments that last more than a year or three.

There are several more scenarios, but the basic take is that in most scenarios things get bloody. Frankly, I would love to see it avoided, but doing so depends on competence, real leadership, and changes in British government and society that I’m not sure are possible. Just dealing with the financial disaster(s) that is the British economy is going to cause a lot of hardship and heartache such that few politicians will be willing to face it. And that’s something that I’ve left out of these scenarios as factoring them in would add pages to this post. Suffice it to say, their economy is in serious trouble, their current welfare state unsustainable, and I don’t see a Milei (or a Trump) anywhere on the British horizon.

If there is one such out there, sing out. Because, if they do have someone who can take this on and does so successfully, it would greatly increase the odds of the UK as we know it surviving. Fact is, if they are strong-willed enough to take on the disaster that is the British economy, they are also likely to be strong enough to take on the immigration issue. The two are interrelated in more ways than I have time to get into today.

I think the UK needs a modern “Chinese” Gordon (Gen. Charles George Gordon, who’s time as governor-general of Sudan saw the crushing of rebellion and more; though I would hope a modern version would avoid what happened at Khartoum a few years later). Again, don’t see one but can hope. The Islamists have their hooks in England and are not going to give up easily or willingly in their efforts to make it an Islamic state. It will take more strength of will and integrity than I see in the Throne or British political class to resist this.

I really would like to see the best case scenario take place. I’ve much enjoyed my visits to England and Scotland, and would have liked to have visited Wales. If you’ve not had Welsh whiskey, try it if you can as it is a perfect fit between Irish and Scotch. So, while I don’t see good things coming, I will pray that they do as I would like to see England/the UK survive and visit there again. Meantime, I hope that we have someone looking at how we might secure the UK’s nukes (or encourage their migration here) if it falls.

More soon, and possibly a discussion on mercy, false mercy, and being cruel to be kind. Then we can look at a few other scenarios and figure ways to avoid them.

Meantime, be prepared. Keep your family and friends close, and your things where you can find them in the dark.

UPDATE I: Over on X, Larry Correia suggested we restart manufacturing Liberator pistols and air drop them to the British people. I say add in edged weapons and expand it to include the citizens of Germany and France. Also, Francis Turner has (as usual) a good post up on the situation. Well worth the read.

UPDATE II: Two more good posts on the brave Scottish girl Mayah up at Legal Insurrection and Hot Air. Leslie and Beege are well worth the read.

Getting hit by lightning is not fun! If you would like to help me in my recovery efforts, feel free to hit the fundraiser at A New Life on GiveSendGo, use the options in the Tip Jar in the upper right, or drop me a line to discuss other methods. If you want to know some of what it is going for, read here. There is also the Amazon Wish List in the Bard’s Jar. It is thanks to your gifts and prayers that I am still going. Thank you.

Recovering

I really do need to do a post about my Godfather soon, but right now I’m fried. Not going to lie or try to hide it. I’ve been at the Church almost non-stop since his repose. In the Orthodox Church, when a priest dies, they lie in state at the Church and to honor their teaching of the Gospel, the Gospel (books of the New Testament) and the Psalter (the Psalms) are read over them 24-7 until around the time of the formal funeral.

Took some of the night shifts and was also involved in various other services. Didn’t get a lot of sleep since last Thursday, wasn’t really hungry so did just one small meal a day, and knew I was not alone. As I noted before, a Bishop came to conduct his funeral, and more than a dozen other priests showed up as well. I think there were 10-12 priests involved with the service, and a lot of others were there but just no room or way for them to participate.

Not all of them were from our branch of Orthodoxy either, which tells you a lot about him right there. For all I wasn’t surprised, it was a bit staggering to find out how many people flew in from across the country to see him off. I didn’t have the time to do a proper count, but it looked like more than 200 of his closest friends came to pay last respects. Our little Church was standing room only and packed.

This morning, several of us took him out of the Church and put him into a funeral van to be driven to his final resting place in Missouri. His family was traveling with him (our priests can marry) and in a few hours he will be interred at a monastery in Missouri. In a few weeks, several of us are looking at going and spending some time there.

I’ve made some decisions, but more on that later. Right now, I’m exhausted, sad, happy, and a few other things. Still feels like a gut punch, but when seasoned priests choke up during the proceedings it pretty much says it all. Then again, to go peacefully in one’s sleep is a good ending in my book. I miss him. I will miss him. I am so very, very glad he was a part of my life. I can’t wait to share more of you with him. I wish each of you could have met him, as he had wit and a great sense of humor; an amazing intellect and more importantly a curiosity; and, a way about him that made everyone at home around him.

It is going to be hard for so many. Many grew up with him as their Priest, their Confessor, their friend. He was my Confessor and a good one. I can’t say how hard that is going to be on so many, as a Confessor just doesn’t hear your sins, they help you to grow so you don’t do the same sins again. A sub-Deacon at another Church and I had a great talk during all this about how good it was to have a Confessor who had extensive experience in the “real” world as well as simple lived life experience. Add in things like studying psychology and such, and you had someone who could and would truly help you grow. No offense against my Priest, but he is young. I am old and steeped in sin. I need someone with a lot more life experience to help me.

Too long, too much, too maudlin. May your week be blessed, and more regular posting will resume soon. After I catch up on some sleep and get my emotional feet back under me. Be good, be safe, keep your family and friends close, and your things where you can find them in the dark.

Two For Your Pleasure

And hopefully for your edification as well. I’m going to be offline for a good bit of the day as I am being presented an icon of my name Saint by a noted Iconographer. May do a little post about this, as there’s a twist to the story of the Iconographer that you may appreciate.

First up, spiders — for all they do a lot of good in many cases — are not well loved. I suspect that one of the fastest ways to get a female out of her clothes is to tell her a spider is in them. We’ve been overrun with them this summer, and despite one apparently biting me, I’ve let most live as they have been dealing with the gnats, flies, and other abundant insect life quite nicely.

Now, however, there is a new wrinkle. Spiders are firemakers. And the author of this wonderfully worded article gets a bow for the wordplay. It’s worth reading for that alone; but, lot of good info and links in there too. Hat tip and thanks to Sarah A. Hoyt at Instapundit for that one.

Second, is a post by Sarah at her own site. She talks about a concern which I share, and hope can be avoided. As I pull back from pure politics a bit, need to do a post this week on the things that worry me, that I see as entirely too probable.

Enjoy the links, and more soon.

Getting hit by lightning is not fun! If you would like to help me in my recovery efforts, feel free to hit the fundraiser at A New Life on GiveSendGo, use the options in the Tip Jar in the upper right, or drop me a line to discuss other methods. If you want to know some of what it is going for, read here. There is also the Amazon Wish List in the Bard’s Jar. It is thanks to your gifts and prayers that I am still going. Thank you.

Doctors Of Death

UPDATES BELOW

For years, I was an organ donor. Growing up, I had been taught that it was a good thing and I saw some of the good that came out of organ donation. Not that long ago, someone I knew got some extra time from a heart transplant. I’ve always checked the box on the driver’s license form and been glad to do so.

However, this editorial from three doctors in the Shady Lady, was the last straw for me. Things have been building for a while, and this post from Amy Poindexter put it into perspective for me. Long before COVID, I had begun hearing of bureaucrats run wild in regards transplants. Both in terms of harvesting and in terms of denying transplants for petty reasons.

The COVID-related denials were really just icing on the cake as far as I was concerned. There was no medical reason for requiring the jab, it was all about power, control, and greed. And, yes, there are economic “incentives” involved, just as there are to let chronic patients go. The health establishment squandered the trust of the public for greed, and they are so insulated and self-absorbed they have no idea how little people trust them.

Now we have these Doctors Of Death come out and argue for expanded harvesting and new definitions of death to facilitate it. It is evil, it is unethical, it is illegal currently (but that’s the point of this, to get the laws changed to allow it), and it is morally repulsive. They don’t get that, which says all that need be said.

Nor are they in isolation. David Strom does an excellent takedown of their equally reprehensible brothers-in-medicine who seek to use biological warfare against the population of the U.S./World. These so-called ethicists (a complete inversion of the term) feel that eating meat is bad; therefore, it is right, just, and proper to make everyone allergic to red meat so that they quit eating it. The world is saved; save, for those who die as a result of this biological warfare. And make no mistake, that is exactly what it is. Warfare. Warfare to produce a better world and a better human according to their sick and twisted standards.

Why is it sick and twisted? Well, let’s start with no freedom of choice, no mercy, no exceptions for those who have other conditions that require them to eat red meat (but, hey, the genetic cleansing is a bonus!), and no consideration that others don’t share their view on meat or supermen. They believe it, they believe it is right and good; therefore it is right and good and they will play god and make it so.

I can get really into the weeds on how both sets are sick, twisted, and evil; but, I think you get the start. On many levels what they are proposing is no different than that done by those behind the Tuskegee Experiment and others in the U.S., or Mengele and others in Nazi Germany. It is the same lack of humanity, the same overweening arrogance, and that their beliefs give them the knowledge and position make them better than those they would rule and experiment upon.

They are the master class, and you, peasant, should know your place and since you won’t do what they think you should do, they will force you to do what they want. After all, they know better than you, or me, or anyone outside their class.

It does bring to mind the timeless C.S. Lewis quote: “Of all tyrannies, a tyranny sincerely exercised for the good of its victims may be the most oppressive. It would be better to live under robber barons than under omnipotent moral busybodies. The robber baron’s cruelty may sometimes sleep, his cupidity may at some point be satiated; but those who torment us for our own good will torment us without end for they do so with the approval of their own conscience.”

All of these people need to be shunned from polite society (at the least), and they should never be given access to power. May God illumine them. As for me, I took myself off the state and national organ donor systems last night. Next week, I will find the time to go to the BMV and request a driver’s license that says I am NOT a donor. That’s important if you do this, because hospitals can claim they went by that even if you pull yourself off the donor networks.

I’ve heard for years the crazed-sounding ‘they will kill you for your organs, man’ from various people. I didn’t believe them. Now, when the system stands up and says they want to kill you for your organs, and make major modifications to your body regardless of your wishes, believe them. You can’t trust the current system to do right. Prepare accordingly.

UPDATE I: I’m going to be interested on Monday in hearing how many people have done what I did. I know I am not alone, and am getting a lot of anecdotal info. Thing is, this may already be at a crisis point for the donation industry and it will be interesting to hear what they say and see how they handle this.

UPDATE II: You really want to read this as well…

Getting hit by lightning is not fun! If you would like to help me in my recovery efforts, feel free to hit the fundraiser at A New Life on GiveSendGo, use the options in the Tip Jar in the upper right, or drop me a line to discuss other methods. If you want to know some of what it is going for, read here. There is also the Amazon Wish List in the Bard’s Jar. It is thanks to your gifts and prayers that I am still going. Thank you.

Friday Musings

The Ring of Fire continues to be sparky. There are likely to be hundreds, if not thousands of aftershocks from the 8.8, though many are likely to only be noticed by the seismologists. There is a lot of volcanic activity around the rim, which is not unexpected but spectacular. The eruption of Mount Lewotobi Laki-laki in Indonesia featured some spectacular volcanic lightning. Given all, if you are on or near the Ring of Fire (including the San Andreas), double check your preparations as what you plan for never happens…

Here, the weather has moderated a bit and I’m glad. Makes it easier to use the bike to get around, and to get out and walk. One thing I’m keeping an eye on in regards the ring of fire are underwater volcanic eruptions, as the last big one (Hunga Tonga) did a number on the weather. I really would hate to see more water vapor added given how it did last time.

Today got consumed by paperwork and related. The state has decided to re-verify information even though I have been on disability for less than a year. So, have been jumping through hoops so I can get all the forms and printouts mailed out to them next week.

I realized I’ve talked about going to physical therapy a bit, but not about some of the core (pun intended) issues. When I was hit, most of the charge seems to have gone down the right side of my body. When I finally got to PT this year (as noted previously, original neurologist was pretty useless), gee, we discovered weakness and other issues in various parts of the right side. Who could have figured. (/sarc). There are also balance and coordination issues, vertigo, and a few other delights. PT is helping, and I’m also gearing up for what comes next.

One of the errands I ran today was to a gym I’ve been interested in. Seems my insurance includes something called Silver Sneakers. This gym is part of that network, and net result is that through Silver Sneakers my membership is covered. Which is good as I need to get serious about working out and continuing the PT after the current sessions stop. Nice thing is, I can take the bus close; ride my bike to this gym; and, get rides there as needed. Got a lot of work to do to build back from the lightning and this should be a huge help.

And to the anonymous donor who helped with the Bosu Ball: Thank You! I’m having to get a few other things for use at home, but I’m hoping soon to be able to match everything at the PT shop, even if some of it may be a bit rougher. Yes, I am improvising. I don’t care about the looks nearly as much as function. Anyone wanting to help, hit that tip jar please.

Lot of things going on in the world. Keep your eyes open, your friends and family close, and your things where you can find them in the dark. Preparedness always pays.

Getting hit by lightning is not fun! If you would like to help me in my recovery efforts, feel free to hit the fundraiser at A New Life on GiveSendGo, use the options in the Tip Jar in the upper right, or drop me a line to discuss other methods. If you want to know some of what it is going for, read here. There is also the Amazon Wish List in the Bard’s Jar. It is thanks to your gifts and prayers that I am still going. Thank you.

Blackhawk Investigation

F0r those that have been waiting, the NTSB is now doing a three day hearing on the crash of the Blackhawk and a commuter plane at Reagan. I’m not expecting a lot of surprises, but stay tuned. There are good reasons for letting things play out, and not making snap judgements even when some things may appear obvious. Sometimes the obvious isn’t real, and sometimes the obvious is even worse than it appears. Let the process play out. Then render judgement.