Pisstification

My wife and I were both amazed back in 2015 when The Orange Shit Gibbon secured enough support to actually become President.

As he squatted in the White House for four years, our incredulity over his impact has only grown in the ensuing years since then. Many discussions ended and still do with both of us shaking our heads at the rampant stupidity spread across this country today.

I had not been able to nail down one word that really describes how I currently feel about the USA; that is until the other day when I caught a meme on my friend Jackiesue's Facebook page. 

"Pisstified" is the perfect word that covers my befuddlement with, well, pretty much everything that is currently playing out politically, religiously, sexually, climately, and educationally of late. The World seems to have embraced stupidity and willful ignorance as the primary source of policy and power moving forward.

The planet and its occupants appear to be headed down a path I am not sure will pan out as well as most of us hoped. By then I will most likely be ashes scattered on Blue Job when the bill for our current stupidity comes due and my feelings will not matter then just as they don't matter now.

In the meantime, I am battling this old fart tendency to be angry all the time. Defining it has helped. At least now I know what to call it. I am Pisstified; Lost in an evil never ending cycle of Pisstification.

Keep it 'tween the ditches ..........................................

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So the first tune I taste for this post is one from Limp Bizkit. The video is an experience all right. Here is  "Break Stuff". Play it loud. 

Kumbaya ...... Yeah Right.

I was recently dressed down in a PM regarding my less than supportive words about Democrats. I won't mention any names, but they had a point. I am increasingly frustrated and angry by the Hillary mentality that seems to again be grabbing many Democrats by their short hairs. Many seem to think winning the White House this next November is a slam dunk: just as they did in 2016.

In the meantime, the chronic hand wringers in the Democratic party are afraid if we act with the same anger Republicans use to keep their base fired up, we have somehow become that which we hate. 

Maybe they are right. Maybe the Left is becoming as harsh and hard as the Right. Maybe that is exactly what the Left should do. When in a street fight, Kumbaya mentality doesn't cut it. The "can't we just get along" Democrats don't get it. The Right has no interest in "getting along". They are intent on burying liberalism and thus Democracy deep in some swamp somewhere.

It would seem many Liberals think the means is still more important the the ends. I would tend to agree , or at least I used to. The Right long ago adopted a "any means" approach to winning. The Left does not have to adopt the same policy, but they should stand up more and call out the Right for their evil, sleazy ways. 

The Left needs to lose the PC mentality when dealing with the Right. If a Winger is lying, call them liars. If a Winger is a hypocrite, call them a hypocrite. Pound these jerks hard with language average people understand. No more using terms like "misinformation". No more using terms like "our esteemed colleagues on the Right". If we think they are being assholes, call them assholes. Americans understand and respect bald faced anger better than the pussy footing anger that is so popular with the politer Left. The time for gratuitous civility is over. The Left needs to give as good as it gets.

The Right wants to destroy liberalism in this country. That is currently their stated goal. We should believe them. What we should NOT be doing, is constantly holding out our hands trying to win them over. The Right has decided that this is the time to finally put liberalism on the dust heap of history and beckon in a new era of world wide autocracies that serve the few over the many.

That does not mean everyone on the Left needs to be an asshole. What it means is we need attack dogs; people who have big mouths and can talk to the GOP base in the simple words they can sometimes understand. Talking above them is seen as an insult. We need pols who get in their face. That seems to be what they admire the most.

Bipartisanship should not be lost; only tabled until the liberal movement re-establishes itself  as a worthy foil to the worst tendencies the Right is currently championing. The way back for the Left is doing a better job than the Right and making sure America knows about it. The "speak softly'" garbage the mainstream Left favors is not working. 

In Politics, nice guys more often than not lose the high ground while fooling themselves winning is not as important as how the fight is managed. The Left needs to consolidate and push as hard on the Right as the Right is pushing the Left. The time for Kumbaya moments should be put on pause until such time the Right has become sufficiently humbled enough so they return to the playground and play nice again.  

America is a country full of angry, unhappy people. Everyone, Right and Left, are primed and ready to blow. Allowing the Right to drive the messages is a recipe for disaster. The Democrats need to stop their petty infighting and offer a united front at least for the foreseeable future until the Right is soundly defeated or if by some miracle, they rein in their current idiocy of their own accord.

Whew!

I could feel the pressure. My ability to hold my tongue on anything political has a very short rope. But I feel better now. 

Keep it 'tween the ditches .......................................

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Nine Inch Nails recorded this tune in 1989. It is certainly more pertinent today that it was then. Or maybe it is still as pertinent as it was then. Anyway, here is "Head like a Hole". 

Wild Flowers

On our walk over to Mary's Woods yesterday, Maggie took me out at the knees. I am sure she meant no harm. Just playing. Problem is, it hurt like Hell. She hit me at full speed on my right knee and drove it backwards. As I went down I remembered thinking this was going to take awhile to heal. 

It is now the next day and I was right. The knee is stiff and swollen and complains with every step. I try to limit the discomfort of being 72 by first, not falling down and second, not taking any kind of hit on my knees, ankles or hips. Yesterday's tumble it seems has created unhappiness in all three joints. 

Just fuckin great. 

This morning I was determined to not cave to the aches and pains I woke up with. Maggie and I headed across the road and I gimped and limped my way through a 45 minute walk. I didn't cover much ground in those 45 minutes, but Maggie sure did. She came home happy. I came home.

While we were traipsing around Mary's Preserve, I decided to check on the small cluster of Rattlesnake orchids that have existed 70 feet off the trail for over 50 years. I was concerned as the last snowstorm turned southern Maine into a FEMA site. Acton specifically, was close to, if not right on top of Ground Zero. Lots of branches down. Lots of trees uprooted. The deadfalls were everywhere.

Because these little orchids are hard to find, especially in the Spring and early summer, it took me a few minutes to locate them. Their site had been spared any major disturbance and I was happy to see the Rattlesnake patch doing well. There may even have been some expansion.

There are several kinds of Rattlesnake Orchids. The patches I find in the woods around here are specifically named "Downy rattlesnake-plantain". They exist in odd spaces and blend in so well, they seem to be invisible; that is, until the end of summer when they might produce flowers. I have only seen this patch produce flowers a few times. Another bunch further into the pucker on private property is larger and I always find flowers there when I check in August.

Downy rattlesnake-plantains are found throughout the USA and southern Canada. Maine recommends leaving them alone as they are not common and very rarely are they successfully transplanted. Their nutritional needs are specific and don't exist many places.

So there you have it; another successful post by MRMacrum that does not mention the orange shit gibbon or the total clusterfuck that makes up current events today. I hope to continue my boycott of all things MAGA. Each day I do, I can feel a little more sanity creeping back into my soul.

Later Gators .................................

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I definitely created a monster when I decided to add a musical number to each post. Some days it is easy; the post points to a tune or a tune points to a post and finding a song is the easiest part of  of creating the post. Other days like today, I am floundering hard. ........ What song works here?

It took awhile before I had an epiphany. A song I have always liked came to mind. Not only did it fit my mindset, It gave me the title for the post. Please enjoy "Wildflowers" by Tom Petty.

A Rite of Spring

This morning while I walked with Maggie across the road in Mary's Woods, another Rite of Spring slammed me hard as I approached the lower section of the preserve. I walked right into my first seasonal cloud of black flies. And yes, this years crew is as numb as all the others who have passed in my lifetime. It only took a second or two for three of the dumb little bastids to get caught behind my glasses. Frantic  and with no where to go they beat themselves silly before I was able to remove my glasses and set them free. 

Spring has finally set up shop as it always does. I don't know why the cycle surprises me each year. I always seem a little taken aback when confronted with the first onslaught of Black Flies. 

Unlike mosquitoes, I cannot ignore black flies. Their stupidity and anarchist ways make them the ultimate pest. I might be able and do ignore their bites, I cannot escape their stupidity. Flying into my ears, mouth, nose, and becoming trapped behind my glasses drive me crazy. Thankfully their season is brief. 

I look forward to all of Nature's annual traditions, including black flies. They are an irritating comfort to me even as I cuss and fume when they find their ways into parts of my body usually left undisturbed. They remind me that the Cycle of Life will always carry on with or without my permission. 

Can't wait now for Deer Fly season. 

Keep it tween the Ditches .........................................

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I found a black fly song by Randy Spencer. It has a catchy title, "Black Flies" and was written while Randy was in Grand Lake Stream, Maine back in 1980. 

Cordless Revolution

I bought a corded Makita circular saw and a corded Makita drill over 40 years ago. The circular saw accumulated many hard miles as I used it at home and as my go to saw on the job as a carpenter. Both tools still function, albeit a tad noisier now than when they were new. I have changed the brushes in them several times.

Then, a little over 30 years ago I bought a cordless Makita drill. I beat the shit out of it on the job and at home for a long time. The first set of batteries finally shit the bed around 2005. I bought two knock off batteries, as that was all I could find quickly at the time. Makita had moved onto a newer, better, and more expensive drill with a different battery. The drill still works fine but one of the batteries finally died and the one that still holds a charge is only good for a short while before it tires out.

I had hoped these Makita tools would be the last ones I would ever need. They came close. But I now find myself in need of a new cordless drill. .......... 

God Dammit ................ I'm having a Hank Hill moment here.

Picking out a drill is not as easy as one would think. If anyone thinks it is easy, they have not a clue about the necessity to feel many different drills in their hand before they take one home.  

Finding a drill is only the beginning. If a long term relationship is being considered, one needs to hold the drill, fondle the drill, stroke it and and whisper sweet nothings into the keyless Jacobs chuck. Only after several drills have been caressed, can one really make the right choice. How does it feel in my hand is the first thing I look for. Any other consideration can follow, but how it feels is most important. And yes, holding a perfect tool can become a very sensual moment. If nothing else, if the tool reminds you of a thigh you once caressed years ago, you might want to go with that one.

I became very anxious when I knew I would have to learn to like a new power tool after so many years of using the old one. When I checked on what was available, I found the variety of cordless tools has exploded and the prices range from stupidly low to over the the top expensive. Back in the day, Makita was well thought of. They were considered well made and were known to last. My own experience with them is my anecdotal proof of their durability and dependability.  

I expected Makita would be offering a nice cordless tool now. It is compact and my hand loves it. But there are others that have been trying to turn my head and dammit, most of them feel good in my hand also.  Some are cheaper than Makita. Some are more expensive. 

I tabled any drill decision while I checked into cordless chain saws. I thought having a small one would help some of the pruning I have been ignoring for the last decade because my hands just don't have the power they once had. Just as the Cordless Revolution had taken over the power tool world, so it had also made major inroads in the lawncare world. I did not realize what a rabbit hole I was dropping into. There may actually be more cordless gizmos for lawn care than there are for woodworking. It is maddening how many choices exist.

After a month now of intermittent internet browsing in the many cordless tool pages, I finally chose a chainsaw; a sweet little 6 inch cordless Imoumlive. Imounlive is a brand I do not know. It is a cheaper brand than mainstream chainsaws, but when I compared everything, Price, battery power, tool internals, Imoumlive hit most of the high notes. What sold me was their tools use the same battery configuration as Makita. And because of that I also ordered up a new Makita cordless drill.

Maybe this Makita will be the last one I ever need. ....... Hope not.

Keep it 'tween the ditches ....................................

_________________________

Music for this post is courtesy of  Tool. Here is "Sober" from their 1993 debut album, "Under Tow". Just a fun little ditty about the downside of substance abuse. And if "Sober" doesn't pick your day up, maybe "Right In Two" from their "10,000 Days" album will bring a smile to your face as it points up the "we're all just monkeys on this bus" characteristics of Humanity.