If you could erase one trend from history, what would it be?
I’ll tell you what trend I’d like to eliminate: charismatic psychopaths taking over the leadership of powerful countries and embarking on unstoppable campaigns to satisfy their need for praise and power.
Can we make this trend go away? Not without a destructive struggle, I fear.
Blurry butterfly, Gulf Fritillary
Okay, people who came here to read the prompt response can stop reading. I’ll go on to ranch news. First, the dogs are making progress. And, hey, I discovered in the archives that we got Penney seven years ago this week, and she was my most recent acquisition. So we aren’t grabbing dogs Willy-nilly. (Kathleen rescued Goldie.)
The Snooze Brothers
Benito has started to both play with and assert himself with Harvey. I just hope they establish their boundaries quickly. It’s hard to keep B calm for his heart worm treatment when everyone wants to play and play. But they do sleep a lot.
Harvey is playing!They have much funThey hear Penney comingI’m trying to be calm!The girl sleeps solo (as does Alfred)
We have noticed much less mounting and marking from Benito, which is really good. I’m not fond of that stuff.
As for the rest of us, we are muddling along, with no one feeling all that great. My jaw swelling has gone down, but I still hurt. I’ll let the dentist know, and I’m taking the antibiotics on schedule.
Sharing some white-mouthed day flowers, which got sprayed today. They were pretty, but it was time to trim some overgrowth.
Big thing for me: I am finally going through all my clothing from work and ranch and will be making some lucky thrift store shopper very happy. I got two boxes full of clothes today. More to come! This is one of my “issues,” having too many clothes. Comes from not having many growing up. But I go overboard. Sigh. I guess I could have worse issues (and probably do).
Which outdated technology do you miss the most, and why?
I still feel bad in the tooth department but I’m gonna answer this question anyway, since nothing exciting happened today(which is good). Anyway, I miss two things from the olden days of my youth, back in the 20th century.
One is standard transmissions in cars. It was just plain fun to drive a stick shift when I was younger. You felt like you were actually telling the car what to do, as opposed to today’s cars that control the speed, yell at you if you stray out of your lane, and park for you. Cars used to be fun.
You could shift these babies.
The other thing I miss is just for the fun aspect, and that’s intercom systems in homes and offices. It was so much fun to yell at your siblings on intercoms (we didn’t have one, but well-off friends did.) I know it was supposed to be so cool to play the radio throughout the house…but I liked paging parents. And oh, my, did we have fun in my first “real” job in Illinois, calling each other into our offices and being silly until we were reminded that it WAS a business.
That’s kind of the idea (Pexels photo)
All I know is we removed a lot of those systems when remodeling houses.
Genuine news! Finally have the first half of the year of temperatures in my blanket. July was hot!
I’m trying really hard to feel less down in the dumps and to make sure my mouth is healing. The dogs are still entertaining, though!
Today’s question was quite appropriate. I did something monumentally dumb and my best excuse is that I read too fast. My other excuse is mouth pain making me grumpy and prone to misinterpreting things. So I embarrassed myself in front of many Internet strangers (and a person I know).
Positive note: our property is covered with these beautiful golden rain lilies. A reward from the storms.
What happened is I got a text telling me that my subscription club was ending and that I had until September to use all my points or they’d expire. Or something to that effect. My mind immediately leapt to my monthly subscription to nail strips from Color Street (such a weird name, I know). I look forward to the monthly surprises, so I got sad.
You know, my extreme nail vanity I can’t control for long.
I immediately told my friend who sells the strips, who was shocked. I then posted about it on a Facebook group for super-users of the strips. Before I was able to see any responses, Rebecca asked me to show her the text I’d gotten. I then saw my mistake. It wasn’t my Color Play subscription that was ending, but the Color Club for my hair coloring stuff, Overtone. Oops.
I do like the denim colored hair.
By the time I got back on Facebook, a tizzy was occurring in the nail group, since no one else had heard anything, including the “stylists” (MLM marketing term). I quickly changed my post and apologized, though people kept demanding I change my original post, which I had already done. I felt so embarrassed.
Luckily people were mostly forgiving and one even asked about Overtone.
But wow, my excuse for that mistake, while honest, was merely the best I could do, not a good one.
Do you think we’re shaped more by our experiences or by who we are?
Oh. I have been reading so much about the self, nature versus nurture, what the heck reality is…my main conclusion boils down to:
I don’t know and don’t think it matters
This doesn’t imply that it’s not fascinating to seek insight into how experiences and genetics affect your physical and mental health — after all I enjoyed The Myth of Normal just recently, and I’m currently reading about the nature of consciousness.
Flowers are conscious beings, according to Michael Pollan.
My point is that I’m fine not knowing the answers to these questions. In fact, I think I enjoy pondering the possibilities and learning about other scientists and spiritual practitioners propose so much that if we knew exactly how much nature and nurture contribute to who we are, I’d be sad.
Ruellia and cricket
Perhaps it’s human nature to want an explanation for what we perceive. On the other hand, for some cultures and individuals, not knowing is something to be treasured, a great mystery. (I do not advocate for choosing ignorance of course—you need to know what you don’t know.)
All four goldfish!
Right now, I’m choosing to be curious while enjoying being alive without really knowing what that means. I’d make a lot more sense if I were more awake and less achy from the tooth thing. I feel pain, therefore I am, said some wise person.
Update on dogs. Benito is fine. It’s hard to stop him and Carlton from playing in the evening, though. Curiously, the dynamic has changed, and Carlton is now doing dominance behavior over Benito. Hmm. Maybe they’re equals now. In any case, they sure stick together.
Today was Anita’s and my first full day on our genuine vacation with NO WORK involved. Throughout the day, I was reminded of why we still have a chance to recover and be proud of our 250-year-old country.
The day started out with a dreaded condominium sales pitch. Anita agreed to do it so I could get a bunch of Hilton Honors points. There’s no way Anita should be buying a timeshare, but we went through the motions with a sweet young salesman. I think he’d never heard a story like hers, but he tried real hard to do the pitch he was supposed to do, knowing he would not make a sale.
Wandering around looking at condos and getting sales pitches.
We got to the very end, when they bring in “the closer” to try one more time to get her to buy. While that didn’t work, somehow the topic of birds came up. He was a big-time birder! He turned into his human, non-salesperson self and we had a great talk. He told me about a fascinating sanctuary to go to, drew me a map and everything. Faith in Americans revived! We all have things in common!
An interesting group of new and old military planes and helicopters flew by the beach. That was fun.
We took a walk on the boardwalk here at Myrtle Beach and looked at the wide variety of humans who visit here. You name the ethnic group, there were some of them here. It’s not a snooty place like Hilton Head can be. Middle America was well represented, and everyone was cheerful, friendly, and having fun. That’s how it should be. No signs of divisiveness at all.
Anita had fun I think.
We took naps this afternoon, a real treat for both of us, then headed off to get food at the sports bar. Everyone we talked to was friendly and happy to be here. We had fun with a new young woman friend from Georgia and discussed more with Kevin the bartender/history professor about how our families interacted. He was related to my childhood pediatrician. Weird.
Unrelated: Anita spotted this Osprey with a large fish flying around our balcony.
But that’s the point. If you actually talk to people you will find commonality. That’s my favorite part of relaxed travel, getting to know new people. America doesn’t seem as full of hate and division when you interact with the people around you.
Ooh aah.
That brings me to Independence Day fun. We were going to try to get high up in the building to see fireworks, when they started and we realized we could see them from where we were. A young couple invited us to join them on a comfy bench, so we watched a huge display with them.
Our view of fireworks and other condo folks
The young people were having a nice break from their sleeping baby (who they were watching via a video call—clever), which means all four of us were relaxed and happy to enjoy the show with low stress. We had to do the oohing and aahing, because it’s mandatory. It was great to enjoy the festivities with them.
We went back to our room and were charmed by the impressive shows regular people were putting on up and down the beach. We did get our fill of pyrotechnics and were glad nothing burned.
Fireworks to the left and right!
All in all, I felt better today than I thought I would. Just being around people doing their jobs with respect and kindness, catching up with old friends, and meeting friendly and gracious people reminded me that this country is full of good citizens who do care about each other. I’ll hold on to this hope as long as I can.
I was pleased to be able to drag my friend Anita out of her house and on an adventure with me to the condos on Myrtle Beach, South Carolina. I didn’t go last year and I’m glad I dragged myself, too. This will be my first actual vacation in a long time. No work will be done!
50 years after graduating high school, here we are.
We went from Austin to Anita’s favorite city, Baltimore, and finally to Myrtle Beach. I’d never flown here. It’s a nice place. The trip was long, but I did enjoy airplane WiFi and got to do many, many crossword puzzles on the plane. I recommend getting the extra legroom on Southwest. It was pleasant.
We even met a cute dog with a very large tongue.
I survived driving a rental car to the condos, then sort of collapsed after the arduous check-in process that was all my fault. We lived.
Ready for some beach fun tomorrow.
Nothing revived me like a trip to the bar to find my favorite bartender was still there. We met a new friend , too, and ate pizza. Anita and I both had a good evening. onward for more of the same this week. I’m so happy Anita’s back going places with me again!
What’s the best way to deal with negative thoughts?
As an expert on negative thoughts (my own) I have much to say about dealing with negative thoughts. I’ve written plenty about it over the years. And, as I’ve mentioned, I’ve gotten a lot better at dealing with my negative self talk.
Reasons to be positive.
Being human, and living in 2026, I do still have negative thoughts, both about myself and the state of the world. I don’t know what’s the “best” way to deal them, but I can share what I do.
When I’m thinking negative thoughts about myself, I remind myself that I’m just fine and that other people’s opinions of me are their issue, not mine. And over the years I’ve simply gotten more comfortable with my imperfections and oddities. That helps. Just reminding myself that no one’s perfect and that’s FINE helps me push aside negative self talk.
As for the state of the world, dealing with negative thoughts about the state of the world or the future, well, that’s harder. I latch onto any positive news like a life rope. Last weekend’s convention was helpful. But most important for me, I need to live in the moment and see the good and beauty around me. Nature, dogs, horses, family, and work are the things I can focus on. Anyone can do something like that!
Just think of a basket of puppies (I wish it were so easy)
When I was learning to not be so hard on myself, I taught myself to redirect negative thoughts by acknowledging them, then focusing on a positive statement. Things are difficult now. Your feelings are real and do matter—it’s just important not to dwell on them all the time, since it doesn’t make anything better.
Nowadays, when doomsday thoughts, hopelessness, or fear creep in I remind myself that there are way more people who just want a safe home for their families, meaningful work, and freedom to be themselves than there are oligarchs and their ilk. They have money, but we have numbers.
Did that help? Maybe?
PS: Happy Canada Day!
My friend Patty saw a parade like this today! Photo from Pexels
What do you love now, that you hated when you were younger?
When I was young, I was all for art that looked pretty and looked like it was depicting something. It’s probably another one of my mother’s aesthetic choices that influenced me (she also hated tattoos, and while I don’t love them, I appreciate some of them). Mom was an artist and she had strong, if (now I realize) kind of bourgeois preferences.
She did like florals, and I’ve stuck with that, more because I love flowers than because I love still life.
When I was learning as much as I could about art, music, and literature in college, I was more fond of painting and sculpture up through Impressionism. After that, I could intellectually appreciate those Picasso shapes and angles, and the Mondrian squares, but I didn’t enjoy them. I could read about interpretations, but nothing moved me emotionally.
I can still remember the day it finally clicked. I was with a friend visiting museums in Houston in the 2000s. We went to the Menil Collection, which is housed in a modern building surrounded by a sculpture garden. First, I was so entranced by a large installation outside that I could barely go in.
I was so intrigued at how it was in the lawn. Menil Collection.
Then, as we walked around I came to be standing in front of a painting by Mondrian of white, yellow, and blue rectangles. I could see every detail, and was fascinated by its depth and warmth. This abstract piece moved me. I got how the simplified presentation could help your subconscious form its own associations. Ah.
Composition in yellow, blue, and white, Piet Mondrian, 1922, Menil Collection
So, now I’m more far ranging in my art appreciation, and that’s good at least for me. I’m not an art historian or connoisseur, so I could be making stuff up, of course. But I did enjoy the whole collection of “modern” art that day.
By the way, I’m reading a novel that’s also an art history class. I’ll review it when I’m done, but Mona’s Eyes is quite fascinating!
What’s a time you followed your gut and it turned out to be exactly right?
This question threw me for a loop! When I mused about gut feelings nothing that worked out came to mind.
Hello, wolf spider. My only photo from today.
No, I just thought about the ones that didn’t, but worked out anyway. I can think of a few good friends of whom I had negative first impressions. I remember the horrible feeling I had when I heard I had to move to Texas, but it’s been a great life here, just unexpected.
And yes, there have been gut feelings about romantic relationships, jobs, and travel choices that had very poor outcomes. But I learn from them all!
Usually I’m right. But can a specific instance come to mind? Nope. My gut tells me I’m too tired to think.
Enjoy this flowering tree. Anacahuita or Mexican olive.
We got to sleep in today, since convention stuff didn’t start until 10 am. Pamela talked and met a few people, while I went to the beach outside the hotel to look at birds. Both of us had fun.
Beach at Corpus Christi Pretty pigeon plus trash.
We eventually made it to the Selena Arena and watched more speakers and talked to various minor celebrities. I enjoyed greatly hearing some of the candidates for office talk about their goals. It was a parade of regular folks who want to help Texas. Some were very good public speakers and some were not. But they were real people. Citizens like you and me. And it was so diverse. Encouraging.
Joaquin Castro
Finally, after a bunch of voting and stiff, we were treated to hearing a familiar voice with a familiar story. The great Bernie Sanders came down from Vermont to make us sad, then cheer us up.
He looked good.
It was encouraging to hear him agree that in Texas we can possibly make things better, even running against all those billionaires! Even to briefly have hope that us little guys can effect change is liberating for me.
Bernie! And proof I was there near a significant historical figure!
After the rest of the voting we fled. We had no trouble parking or leaving, which was great for Pamela, whose feet had been unhappy. Usually I dread all the crowds exiting parking lots. But, yay, we got back to the hotel safely.
The hotel and beach.
We decided to be decadent, so I found a very nice restaurant and made reservations there. We read our books for a while, then had a wonderful meal at Fork and Vines restaurant. My beverage was an amazing apricot version of an old fashioned.
Each of us holding my drink. The blue water bottle came home with Pamela.
It was such a pleasant evening lingering over amazing food, telling stories, and laughing with our server. A great way to end the trip!
I have to say I found the political convention more fun than I expected. Talking to so many new and interesting folks was encouraging and enlightening. People all across the state share my thoughts and my fears. I’m not alone. I’m a little more hopeful.
The Hermits' Rest 