June 10, 2025 ~ Tuesday morning (gonna be a hot one)
What is that saying? “Wherever you go, there you are?” Well, here we are.
The song “Eve of Destruction” (a protest song written by P.F. Sloan in 1965) is running through my head … again. Too bad it’s so appropriate. Sigh.
And I’m feeling like what Yogi Beara said so long ago … “It’s like deja vu – all over again.”
The euphemisms keep flying out of me on this increasingly hot (and tension escalating) morning … we are already at 85° (real feel of 93°). Goodbye Spring – and turn on the a/c – Hello Summer. I just checked the forecast and we don’t have a day under 85° in the next three weeks. So, here we go. But there’s no global warming. The planet is not liquifying. It’s just our imagination.
In many ways I’m feeling like a frog in a stew pot. We are all slowly being cooked … in one way or another … by climate or politically. Why aren’t we realizing this more?
I don’t want to go on a political rant, but for a short paragraph (or two or five) – I will. The reason that song keeps playing in my head is because of the BBB (Big, Beautiful Bill) being pushed by the Maga-letes. It’s 1000 pages (and then some) long and I have NO idea what is all in it – other than the dissolution of our government as we currently know it. If it passes, we will not see the 250th anniversary next summer of our democracy. What we will see is the reign of billionaires and incompetents and the average American under a regime of discord and carelessness and probably a military state. It’s starting.
Once again, I’m relieved that my dad and grandpa (who fought in WWI) are no longer here to witness this blatant abuse of power, the constant and confounding lying, the obsequiousness of so many, and the outright cruelty, stupidity, selfishness, and greed of this administration. We will know soon if we still live in a democracy … or not.
I am back from two weeks in England – London, the Cotswolds, the Lake District. It was astoundingly gorgeous. I was surprised that I couldn’t come up with more adjectives as I just kept saying it was gorgeous … because, well – it was. Green, rolling hills, some soft mountains, picturesque landscapes, thousands of sheep, cobbled streets, stone walls, ancient buildings. Just gorgeous and profoundly and stunningly beautiful – everywhere. For more than one reason, I didn’t want to come home. The general feeling of what is going on here in America was one of absolute incomprehension and questioning by the Englanders. More than once I was asked, “What’s going on over there? What are you people thinking?” I had no answers – just heartfelt apologies for our collective idiocy.
And that is where the dichotomy part of today’s post comes into play. I left an early spring here – flowers were blooming (a month early), it was greening up, my lilacs had already bloomed and frizzled. But in England – it was already SO green. Swaying grasses in the breeze, hundreds of lambies munching away while dotting the rolling hills, riotous roses, and everywhere there was a sense of calm. SO unlike anything I’ve felt for a long time. Yes, Biden was in office last year at this time, but the country was still conflicted – we knew that the OA (Orange Asshole) was a possible “in”. It was nice to get away … to wake up without dread. It was wonderful to not turn on my computer and be bombarded by media posts. It was delightful to pretend that it all wasn’t happening. Until we got back home and in a matter of hours, I was saturated with political upheaval, news (fake or not), and that gut-churning upset. And here we are again.
And while the difference between the English countryside and home could not have been more different – even the language used over the pond was gentler. Instead of (like here in the states) saying to passengers to “keep their head and arms in the train at all time” – in a bombastic/nasal directive … in the UK, a soft, lilting accented voice came over the PA and reminded passengers to “mind the gap” and to “help each other”. So civil. So NICE.
We’ve all heard how dreadful English food is. Well, not so fast! I thought it was yummy! And, yes, while mostly meat and potatoes (salads, vegs, fruits were not in abundance and vegetarians would probably have a difficult time in most places) … it was surprisingly GOOD. I think the fish and chips my daughter had in Windsor will be in my mind for years to come. I had an end and it was like biting into an enormous cornflake (so crunchy!) with the flakiest, most tender, sweet cod ever! And, for better or worse, I am now (and forever will be) addicted to sticky toffee pudding. And while I’m not much of a pastry gal … we had some really lovely pastries. And everything was reasonably priced. No iced tea, however. How have they not gotten on board with that yet?
After my arrival back home I met a good friend for lunch. We went to a French cafe and I ordered a savory ham and swiss crepe because who better than a French cafe to order a crepe from? Well, apparently, ANYONE. What I got was a gloppy whole wheat (underdone) tortilla with a piece of ham inside and a slice of swiss microwave-melted on top and it was beyond disgusting. And $18. I longed for a warm, flaky ham croissant from (pretty much anywhere) in England that would be tasty and cost me about $6. Sigh.
Dichotomy … the contrast between two things.
Apparently, like sanity and insanity. Civility and rudeness. Calm and protest. Here and there.
It’s been two months since the lobster last posted. I guess my heart hasn’t been into things much of late. It’s hard to when it feels like the world, as we know it, is crumbling and being needlessly destroyed. I keep thinking of all the GOOD these lunatics could be doing with all that money and all that power. Curing illnesses (not removing all advisors from health boards or closing offices and departments) … feeding children/families (and not letting food rot in warehouses and taking away benefits and support) … lifting people up and acknowledging the beauty and strength of their differences instead of detaining them and sometimes sending them off to foreign prisons … helping women and marginalized factions of our society to prosper and grow and contribute instead of discounting and demolishing their rights. And so on and so forth.
There is so much going on that I fear we don’t see much of anything anymore. The constant drone of crap is overwhelming and blinds us from the other “real” and important stuff. Stuff that they are doing that (we don’t hear/know about) will destroy our lives as we know them to be. I fear that we truly are on the eve of destruction.
But, hey – there’s to be a parade!