"Either you deal with what is the reality, or you can be sure the reality is going to deal with you." - Alex Haley

Very misc. thoughts on a Saturday morning.....

Cities and states are thumbing their noses at Pres. Trump by committing to adhering to the Paris Accord despite our nation's withdrawal from the agreement.
Amen!!
That's how it should be - decisions made at the local level. One of the great problems of the Accord (though not one cited by the President) is that the executive branch unilaterally committed our entire country to an international agreement without the approval or endorsement of either of the other branches of govt., never mind a public mandate after adequate discussion.
The move by mayors and governors illustrates the adage, "All politics is local." Under this scenario citizens can effectively endorse the stipulations of the accord or throw their local officials out at the next election based on their action.
Bottom up is both the central tenet of democracy and the most effective way of getting things done. Less D.C. and more Main St.

Poor Kathy Griffin is a victim. President Trump "broke" her with vicious attacks.
Really??

Did you ever notice that there was no prison system in the OT? God set up a judicial system in which incarceration didn't exist. Certainly there was detention until guilt/innocence was determined (jail), but they didn't have prisons. Why? Why did it work then, and would it work now?

I read an article the other day with a title something "Guys, if you want a date ditch these fashion errors." I don't want a date, but I thought it would be interesting to see how many of these fashion faux pas I'm committing, so I clicked through.

• Cargo shorts - yep, got two pair and wear them at least twice a summer. They're comfortable, and most importantly, I already own them. (have for several years now) The fact the extra pockets are gratuitous and "look silly" doesn't trouble me at all. If that's going to be the new standard most of what women wear/carry is out the window and into the trash bin.
• Flip flops and sandals - I'm good here. When you live in the woods those don't really work. I've always been bothered by the way flip flops irritate that space between my toes and I have funny looking feet. So I'm good on this one. 
• Muscle shirts and tank tops - Ha! On a soda straw body??
• Backward sunglasses or baseball caps - My sunglasses are Rx 'cause I'm so near blind, so if I put them on the back of my head I'll hit the front of my head on the corner of the house. I've never seen the point in a backwards ball cap and nothing looks sillier than a guy wearing it that way and then shielding his eyes from the sun.
• Athletic shorts as causal wear - Guilty! They're comfortable, cool on a hot day (it gets into the high 80's and low 90's here sometimes), and best of all, cheap. So ladies, deal with it; I'm not giving up on this one. And at least so far Pam will still be seen in public with me when so attired. 

I don't care much for baseball. It's too slow for my tastes and I don't see and/or appreciate the strategy and tactics involved. At least soccer involves running around (to no discernible end 90% of the time). But I have a passing interest in two teams: the Seattle Mariners from my home town, and the AZ Diamondbacks from the place we most recently lived for 10 years. None of the other places we've lived have an MLB team close enough to engender any loyalty.

The Mariners are 13.5 games out of first in their division and ... stink.

The D'backs are .5 games out of first and actually look like a decent team this year, at least per their win/loss record. However, they have a long record of suckering us in with early season success only to leave fans crestfallen come August and beyond. 

Note: I won't actually bother to watch any games until maybe the World Series, but I do check the standings every few days. 

[The above was written this morning. What follows, just before dinner.]

I've ordered the parts for Sally's steering rebuild, one of which isn't being reproduced, so that piece (Pitman arm) had to come used off eBay. That is scheduled to arrive Friday and the rest via UPS Wednesday. Once they're installed the necessary mechanical work will be done, with only cosmetic restoration left. Unless you put driver door hinges in the former category. 

But once she's mechanically sound Sally will be a fun and reliable driver. 

We celebrated Pam's return to Baker Rd. by running errands in town together. We went to Walmart (she went in Walmart, I waited in the car), then to Midgley's Stoves to learn about options for a new wood stove, to Hobby Lobby to get paint for a barn sign, lunch at Chipotle (fancy for us), and then Lowe's to look at toilets (how exciting is that?!). 

Mostly, it was nice to spend time together.

On the way into town and then on the way home I had her listen to one of my favorite stories from this Librivox collection, "The Man With Two Left Feet" by P.G. Wodehouse. She agreed that it's a great story. 

You can find it (free) here in several formats. 

Church tomorrow. What to wear, what to wear.