Despair not!

You can now order your Girl Scout  cookies online  for home delivery!  i have avoided them for years,  delicious though they are,  because of my screwy blood sugar,  but I may succumb to a box or two of thin mints for myself while ordering boxes for law enforcement and First Responders and medical staffs.  I must confess the Girl Scouts have become far too liberal for me.  They teach a whole range of things not in their original purview.  I was a Brownie Scout for a year or 2,  but I found what the Boy Scouts did much more interesting than the very useful home skills and crafts the Brownies focused on.  In fact I do have a BSA badge for journalism.  But the Girl Scouts still do some good work, and I have no objection to people supporting them by purchasing their truly tasty treats.

Classical boosters…

My late mother was fond of opera and classical music.    The only opera she ever dragged me to that I truly enjoyed was a full-stage outdoor production of “Aida”,  complete with horses, camels and elephants.   It was massively  impressive.    I have played many classical pieces on the piano,  but found Beethoven and Bach’s dissonant chords a bit difficult to deal with.   Still,  Barbara Hoffman’s  guide to  classical music to get you through self-isolation is actually helpful,  even if you’re not a big fan.

I may play the odd selection or two,  but I’m afraid I will mostly crank up my Mannheim Steamroller albums — yes, even the Christmas ones!   Happy listening to whatever you choose.    Music does help a plethora of troubles.

 

 

Virtual reconstruction…

…of the Halls of Scotland’s Lords of the Isles is complete.   Instead of the reality of semi -organized piles of stones where structures were from the 13th through 15th Centuries,  you can now  virtually tour  the site as it once existed.  I visited the original many years ago, and I must say the virtual experience is very worthy of your time.  And you are guaranteed safety from cold Scottish rain!

 

 

Jill’s the answer…

Does Jill Biden fancy herself as the next Edith Wilson?  She was the wife of President Woodrow Wilson and essentially took over as president after he suffered a stroke.   Joel Gilbert devoted some thought to this and offers  some rather frightening evidence.   Since I have a highly developed sense of self-preservation,  I do not care to live under either of the Bidens,  or anyone else the Democrats put up.  My last straw with the Party of Death was some years ago.  One can only hope that the sorry spectacle of the woman who impeached Trump over an allegation he withheld aid to Ukraine withholding aid to the American people on live television,  will put more people in my camp.

 

 

No N95 masks?

Blame the Obama Administration,  which  used the  stockpile during the H1N1 swine flu pandemic.   It was advised to replenish the national stockpile of respirator masks,  but never did,  so instead of having 100 million on hand,  there were only 12 million.

For your peace of mind,  John Hinderaker of PowerLine has prepared a  chart comparing  COVID-19 with regular flu.  Note that the U.S. has seen deaths from the virus,  but so few that you can’t see it on the chart without blowing it up to many times its size.   The current number of deaths is still less than 500.   Contrast that with nearly 500,000 deaths worldwide annually,  on average,  from seasonal flu.   Doesn’t seem so scary now,  does it?    Be aware  that Democrats and MSM are deliberately hyping this disease because they see it as a means to control the population,  increase their hold on power, and screw with the upcoming election.  The nation already has a fair amount of voter fraud that we know of —  mail-in ballots will mean that voters don’t elect anyone.   Soros-funded Secretaries of State and other officials will select the winners.   You give up any right at your own peril,  and you can not depend on anyone else to fight to keep it for you.

 

 

Wonder from home…

That’s the tagline to  a message  from the founders of Atlas Obscura,  one of my favorite quirky websites.   It is a fascinating mix of history,  culture,  quaintness,  and astonishing oddness.  This issue offers a virtual tour of museums, saving the seagrass, Japanese wind telephone,  caves from folklore,  oddities at the Smithsonian.   Modern technology makes it possible to travel while still lounging on your couch in your PJs.   At least check it out.

Dennis Prager also offers some  timely advice  about living and growing  under the current restrictions.  There are things we can use the time for and attitudes we should adopt for the future.

And listen to Michael Levitt,  a Nobel laureate and Stanford biophysicist,  who began analyzing the number of COVID-19 cases worldwide in January and correctly calculated that China would get through the worst of its coronavirus outbreak long before many health experts had predicted.   He sees similar  better outcomes  for the USA.   I recommend you do the same.

You should also remember that testing positive for COVID-19 doesn’t equal a death sentence.   If you don’t have symptoms,  let those who are elderly or have existing health problems go first.  If the testing protocol works like most do,  it tests for antibodies in the blood.  That means you can test positive without ever having had a single symptom.  Many people are exposed to seasonal flu and their immune systems produce the necessary antibodies and prevent them from feeling ill.   This new little monster works the same way,  so  yeah,  wash your hands,  take reasonable precautions,  but don’t let the fact-less presentations of the media panic you.   Yes,  many of us  may have  the virus,  but the number exposed isn’t the only thing which matters.

 

 

 

 

Yep…

Sen. John Kennedy from Louisiana isn’t as conservative as he’d like you to believe,  but he’ll do,  especially since  he frequently zings Democrats for their latest anti-America,  anti-American actions.  I cheered  his latest.

 

 

 

35 years cold…

…but never forgotten.   DNA has solved a 35-year-old murder case,  making  justice delayed,  but not denied.   Hats off to the police who didn’t quit,  and to the scientists who used modern technology to find the killer.

 

 

So can Texans…

…sing from  their windows and balconies,  that is.   They may not be as musically inclined as the Italians,  but the spirit of community and support is equally as helpful.   Americans are not as mentally or physically tough as they once were,  and I’m all for people working together to help others.   Being alone is torture for some people,  and even if they won’t participate,  the sounds of life have to help a bit.

 

 

 

Kenny Rogers, R.I.P.

Country music star Kenny Rogers  has died  at age 81.   It’s a shame ill health forced cancellation of the last shows of his 2018 farewell tour.   He was a guy who began with absolutely nothing but a voice and steely determination.   That earned him not only hit records,  but also Grammy and CMA Awards and worldwide recognition.   He developed his hit song “The Gambler” into a series of television movies.   And who can forget his duet with Dolly Parton, “Islands in the Stream”,  which he didn’t especially like until  Parton came into the studio.   She gave an  emotional tribute  upon hearing the news.

I always liked his voice,  which was soft and easy with an underlying layer of gravel —  you hear the latter on “the chorus of Ruby”.   There was no “Texas twang”  but there was  just a gentle touch of the South.   He was also quite  an accomplished  photographer.  Rogers was a multi-talented man who worked hard doing what he was good at,  had a rather messy personal life —  five wives and five children,  I believe —   and probably achieved more than he had ever dreamed possible.