Life of Wry

If it’s Thursday it must be Purgeday. Today’s conquest: I went through seven (of eight) large baskets stuffed to the gills with paperwork that needed some kind of attention… filing or tossing or, in the case of quite a bit of unopened mail, opening! 

Some of those baskets have been sitting on the shelves in my office for years.

It usually works like this: mail, bills, expired memberships notices, receipts, to do lists, travel items (like brochures and maps), birthday cards, etc., begin to collect on my desk (it’s a good thing it’s a huge desk). They turn into piles and the piles begin to multiply until I can’t stand it anymore, at which point I hunt down a nice, large basket (baskets are so friendly and non-threatening). I sweep all the piles into the basket, slap a “to file” label on it and put it on a shelf. Then I have a spacious, clean desk and a renewed commitment to address each incoming immediately. This lasts a little while. It’s a happy time. Six or twelve months later, I’m searching for another basket. I intend to deal with the baskets’ content, but just never do.

The shelves of which I speak: a huge industrial grade metal unit (6 shelves, 4′ wide) that I picked up from the UC Davis bargain barn (for $100) about five years ago because I needed a place to store the overwhelming accumulation of vessels awaiting some kind of attention…. the aforementioned baskets as well as numerous [exciting] projects.

Anyway.. Jim helped me carry those eight baskets into the laundry/pantry/project room this afternoon where I could spread way out and get to work culling. I got rid of so many unopened solicitations, catalogs, voter pamphlets, and just endless easy-to-toss things. (I filled the paper recycle bin twice!) I sorted the rest into health, travel, political, cards and letters, and business-y things (all to be further culled later). AND I unearthed a trove of really fun stuff… like a flyer from Peter’s first junior high dance, a copy of the [incredibly beautiful] letter I wrote to him when he graduated from college (during the pandemic), a detailed journal of every cold and rash Peter got from birth to about age 5, which includes my early breastfeeding travails, some uncashed checks, some gift cards, countless memorial service programs (including my mom’s and Jim’s dad’s). I mean, fantastic, right?

I quite enjoyed myself. It gets harder from here with all the additional culling. But that’s what future Purgedays are for.

After what feels like years leading up to the 2024 presidential race (because it HAS been years… the presidential race began pretty much the day after Biden took office in 2021 and it’s all the media’s been talking about for the last three years), the Iowa caucus is in five days where the first votes will finally be cast (though they aren’t really votes per se, since it’s a caucus, but it’ll give everyone a sense of how the candidates rank). And we’ll have to endure a truly agonizing year of presidential campaign politics as the primaries winnow down the republican field (we know the outcome already) and the poor democrats have to wince their way through a very painful race. I just can’t. But we must.

Nobody wants it. Nobody’s ready for the torture.

Tonight was the final debate before Iowa on Monday. It was a stupid little slugfest between Haley and DeSantis, the only two non-Trump candidates left (Christie pulled out late this afternoon, having not even qualified for the debate and seeing the writing on the wall). Trump, doesn’t lower himself to debates. Iowans seem to love him no matter, especially the hardcore evangelicals who think he was sent by God. Gov Chris Sununu said tonight that, while he supports Haley now, he’ll support whoever the Republican nominee is, even Trump, even if he’s a convicted felon, even if that felony is about trying to overturn the results of a free and fair election in order to stay in power after having lost by seven million votes. And Sununu’s one of the more sensible Republicans. That’s our country now.

It’s supposed to be something like -20 degrees on Monday… wonder who’ll even come out to caucus??

Anyway… here they are, the last two standing, but only for about another month. Haley hopes to be selected at Trump’s VP.

Of course I don’t know what’s going to really happen. Conventional wisdom — and polls — suggests that Trump will be the eventual nominee (hard to fathom those silly republicans think an obvious psychopath who literally instigated an insurrection against our government, abuses women, cheats in business, lies through his teeth, dabbles in treason and sprays on a golden tan is the best choice, but whatevs), but ya never know. And maybe he does select Haley, but who knows. Either way, I’m still of the mind that Trump is easier to beat than either of these two. But I worry.. I mean: Biden. He’s not the Biden of 2020 and that Biden was sketchy enough.

Like I say: 2024’s got dread written all over it.

Let’s do a couple good meme-y things… I don’t really have anything to blog about. Both of these came through one social media feed or another today.

First, this one. I drink a hot frothy cup of coffee every morning, but I’m not addicted (in fact, these days, I mostly drink decaf). Even though it’s not the caffeine I’m after, I definitely look forward to my morning joe. All about the ritual. Morning and coffee are pavlovian for me. I’ll go way out of my way for my coffee, and very grumpy if I don’t get it (which is never, because I always drink coffee in the morning, and only then… oh, unless we’re out to dinner and then I like coffee with my dessert, again decaf). I *can* function without it, but I don’t want to. It’s not the first thing I do (one must workout first), but it must happen. This struck me as funny:

Then there’s this one. First off, I, like every sane person in the world, Can. Not. Stand. the former president. After eight years of this agony I have yet to find words harsh enough to describe my disdain. I’d say hate, but hate feels somehow.. unbecoming.. or unevolved.. or petulant, and it’s just way, way beyond that. He is just an incredibly loathsome, pathetic human being. I profoundly resent what he has done to us, and like I’ve said numerous times before, I blame him almost entirely for single-handedly ruining this country. Of course I know other factors and other bad actors come into play, but nobody will ever convince me he is not the main (by far) driver of this clown car, the writer/producer/director/lead actor in the putrid shit show that is our political reality these days. He’s pathologically self-obsessed.. and has just wrecked us… as this drawing perfectly and succinctly conveys:

This was fun.

HUGELY devoted, wildly enthusiastic, rabid Michigan football fans Jim and Kari (uh..well, tonight anyway!) went nuts as the University of Michigan Wolverines won the National College Football Championships tonight, beating the University of Washington Huskies 34-13! We high fived and fist bumped and whooped it up at every touchdown, field goal, caught pass, first down, QB sack… you name it. It was so exciting to root for the winning team. And then it was over and we went back to our regular programming (meaning our puzzles and evening routines). Lol.

We learned all about this guy — JJ McCarthy, the quarterback — who meditates barefooted at the base of the goal posts before every game, engages in lots of self care, and meets with a positive thinking guru.. AND is quite a passer, and can run, too.

AND, we learned about this guy…

.. head coach Jim Harbaugh, who was suspended TWICE this season for some untoward things, but who everyone still seems to like and respect. He used to coach in the NFL and may return to the NFL, but for now, he’s an Ann Arbor hero. He has a dad who evidently coached and a brother who still coaches in the NFL. Very much a football family affair. He undoubtedly knows his stuff to be able to bring UM to a 15-0 record and win a national championship.

Anyway, we had a blast! Can’t wait to attend a game in the fall.

Go Blue!

It’s fun to have such cute grand nieces… this one’s Diana, Maia’s little girl. (And okay, technically, Maia is our first cousin once removed, so Diana is our first cousin twice removed, but we think of Maia as our niece, so we therefore think of Diana as our grand niece. Generationally, it makes sense.)

Again, this is Diana, napping with Reddy, Monica (first cousin) and Dror’s (giant, old, patient) kitty.

Reboxed ornanents and took down the tree, lights, decorations and stockings. Reduced the large dining table to its round config and returned it to the west wing, swapping it out for our square table which took its rightful spot back in the kitchen. Re-shuffled some other tables, baskets, plants, and reclaimed some tchotchkes that had been temporarily banished in favor of holiday stuff.

All back to normal.

Looks bare around here. It’ll take a few days to adjust to the relative spareness (our house is anything but spare). I know I say it every year, but: it just feels great.

Here’s our tree in the gutter. Bye tree.

Jim and I both had the sensation that the season seemed short this year. Not sure why that would be; we went to most of the same events, repeated the usual activities, checked off all the traditional tasks on the list. Maya was here for five days, Peter for twelve. It was all just comfy and great.

Deeply grateful for all of it.

This is what we’re dealing with these days. I mean, polls schmolls, and the intractable maga base and all that… but still… really?

The majority of Americans — 51% — think the FBI instigated the riots at the Capitol on January 6th, or are not really sure one way or the other. 

That’s just bonkers.

A sample of some of the artwork we received as gifts this year…

From the ever-thoughtful Maya, a couple of handmade ceramic pieces.. a small pitcher and a bowl, both made in her ceramic class. Beautiful and practical and homemade. She has said she appreciates the act of gift giving because it gives her a chance to get to know the person she’s gifting. I love her.

And then Chris gave us something quite unexpected… a fairy house and some mushrooms (his words). I asked him what one does with them and he said to put them in a favorite potted plant or garden box.. so I put them in the Japanese maple on our front porch (currently leafless).

More whimsy than we’re used to around here, but there it is!

Throwback: Thirteen years ago today, the year is 2011, Peter is twelve:

I really like the one to Teri and Chad.

Thank you notes are still a grunt. I believe I was able to wring thank you notes out of him most years, but I don’t believe the importance of them ever really sunk in. I’d make a list of everything he got, supply the blank note cards, stamped envelopes and addresses… and he’d write the notes and address the envelopes. It was, and still is, a chore. I can’t make him do it anymore (I mean, he’s 25), but I did put some forever stamps in his stocking this year. 🙂

This was from a trip to San Francisco with Chenoa and her cousins on January 2, 2003 — 21 years ago — they are both four years old.

Sitting on Bart…

Four was a very cute age.