And now polio. NYC had a polio case in an unvaxed individual. I worry about this starting to go around and overwhelming hospiyald. Anti-vax is strong in our area. Pur county has less than 75% of children vaxed for polio. My great nieces have been vaxed for exactly nothing. Not even tetanus. Something like polio if it starts raging among unvaxed persons could mutate and begin evading the current vaccine. Mark and I were talking about how in all likelihood epidemics and pandemics are here to stay. This is the new "normal". What does the future look like? We have no idea. However, it does make sense to us to make it priority one to get the Alabama house more homestead worthy. It is a place where we can grow a lot of food, can be converted to off grid solar, and is large enough to hold all of our adult children and their spouses, the grandmothers, our grandchildren as well as us. Mark turns 59.5 in 18 months so he can access his 401K without tax penalty. We will probably withdraw enough to pay off the house, and dig a well so we aren't dependent on city water. I hate even thinking this way. But, current data would suggest that we are not returning to our former lifestyle any time soon. The thing is, it doesn't have to be this way. Our leadership DOES know what will greatly improve the chances of tamping down outbreaks of dangerous viruses. They learned a lot this time around. But here is the deal. N.o.n.e. of them care. They only care about being re-elected and holding onto power. We have seen that half this country will not comply with public health safety measures. The end. They aren't going to go get a smallpox vaccine, or get their unvaxed kids a polio vaccine, or anything else. They aren't going to mask, or wash their hands more, or avoid large groups when asked to do so. They are not going to do "the dance" which is what must be done to make life move forward. So then it becomes up to us to figure out how to carve out a life for our kids in a world that is being brought down by climate change bringing us disease, famine, drought, and increasing numbers of devastating storms. I hate that this is the way it is. I am reading "Field Notes of a Catastrophe" by Elizabeth Kolbert, and it is clear that the point of no return has already been reached. We will have more viruses coming to us courtesy of ravaging rainforests, more natural disasters, more drought and famine. Don't read the book unless you are steeled for it emotionally. Sometimes ignorance is bliss.

Now, as to Michigan lefts, basically you have to hang a right, to get into the left lane immediately, to go through a turn around, to get back on the road way in the direction you wanted. Here is a diagram.

Okay, first of all the U.P. (like the very wild, Northern Minnesota) is the Alaska of the lower 48. It is absolutely gorgeous, waterfalls (Tahquamenon is pretty special), trout streams, Porcupine Mountains (not to be missed), Copper Harbor, and bordered on both sides by Great Lakes that from the naked eye looking across seem like oceans, and they actually do behave like oceans. Lakes Michigan, Superior, and northern Lake Huron can even be surfed upon, and they look pure blue as you gaze across. Out in the middle of Lake Superior is Isle Royale National Park one of the wildest, most remote NP's in the 48. You have to ferry to it, and it takes 45 minutes to get there. No vehicles, and you can only take what you can backpack in. Wolves are studied in the park so camp with caution because there is a nice size pack of them. In the winter, what appear to be ice tsunamis form along the beaches as the tides come in bringing slushy water to the already frozen shallower water. These things look like massive ice sculptures. Yoopers (U.P. Michiganders) are some of the friendliest and most helpful people in the world. Mackinaw City, at the tippy top of the Lower Pen, has a fur trading outpost and British Fort that has been well excavated and restored. It is super neat to tour. The town is fairly touristy, and if you have never had my husband's family's secret fudge recipe before then you will for sure think Mackinac Fudge is all that. You can take the fairy to Mackinac Island where much of the village and all of the fort was restored as well as the Grand Hotel (Google for images). The town is delightful to walk, the fort is massive and worth the walking tour, and if you get tired you could splurge for a carriage ride or rent a bike and go all the way around the island. The views pretty great from the fort which was built before the Revolution. Some of the colloquialisms in the U.P. are also unique because after running the Huron, Erie, and Ojibwa people's off their lands (😡😡😡) , the British colonized it but only after the French and Finnish people had been there for a while fur trapping. In the Keeweenaw, there are still people who speak Finnish, and the little college in Hancock offers classes in Finish. In Sault Ste. Marie, you will find the Soo Locks which are part of the Sea way allowing freighters to make their way through the St. Mary River and into either Lake Superior or Lake Huron, and by extension of Lake Huron into Lake Michigan and then to Chicago. The International Bridge provides the border crossing with Canada. Most people who come to this U.P. from out of state are pretty in love with it when they leave IF they are outdoorsy people. ETA: if you make it to the Keweenaw in July or August, you need to stop by Jampot. Jampot is where there is a Benedictine Monastery, and the monks specialize in Thimbleberry Jam and artisan loaves of bread. This is not to be missed! My middle son did some water ecology study with Michigan Tech (the geeky science university in Houghton) in the Copper Harbor area and spent two weeks living off Jampot peanut butter and jam sandwiches. The stuff is legendary. Also, the abbey is really beautiful.

Nope. In Michigan, M-dot an organization run by people with the attention span of a gnat, will begin a long detour many miles, on side roads that constantly twist and turn. They will make sure to include some roads for whom the road signs have all been stolen. After about three signs, they start chasing butterflies or picking wildflowers for their hair or chasing cars and barking, not really sure, but the rest of the signs do not go up. At the very top of this organization is someone with the strategic mentality of Megamind. Honestly, the citizens of Michigan should get freaking awards for what we put up with eight months of every year. Also, if you want to go to the U.P., and not route through Wisconsin, just remember that you have almost five miles of suspension bridge that is closed several days per year (most of them occurring during the winter, but occasionally during the summer) for high winds or falling ice that can kill you. I love to drive the bridge, but some people ought not to attempt it. Now that said, the state knows some of y'all aren't up to the task, and if you pull off in Mackinaw City and call the advertised, toll free number, someone will come along in a reasonable time, and drive your vehicle over. But there is no car ferry across. I wish there was. I love ferries! If you got to Detroit, there will be many Michigan lefts. If you don't know what a Michigan left is, don't go there. Oh, Kalamazoo has them too. In addition, you out of town folk need to know that in Detroit on I75 and 94, the posted speed limits is merely a suggestion but definitely not a rule to the local folks, and when the automobile factories let out the first shit at 3 pm, the average speed rivals that of the Indianapolis 500. So if someone gets on your tail when you are doing 85 in a 70 and honks, you did not imagine this. You are indeed witnessing Spring Car Racing on a congested interstate. I am neither jesting nor joking when I say that police sit every so many miles on the side NOT because they are dumb enough to try to siphon off a car and write it a ticket in that mess, but to make everyone think they might consider it in order to try to keep the speed under 100. I am not exaggerating. We know LEO's from the burbs there. Also if you go to Mackinaw, they are working on the exit ramp down by the fort. You have to get off the exit before, and drive through downtown. Now that is not a big deal except that tourists are also insanely addicted to Mackinaw Fudge, like cocaine, LSD, addictions and you have to play chicken with them on every street and intersection. If the direct path to that fudge lies between your car and their body, they will attempt to defy the laws of physics to get to that fudge ahead of the next zombie headed that direction. So be aware of the pedestrian landscape.

Oh, and it gets worse. Michiganders are unable to read maps. Like, this is NOT a thing anymore. Rand McNally does not exist to them. Soooooo, on Easter, Memorial Day weekend, 4th of July, and Labor Day, they ALL, something like I don't know, five million it seems, head north at 3 pm on I75. All of them. Every one of them. It is like salmon going home to spawn! I am not freaking kidding. This should be studied for the incredible, psychological phenomenon it is. As if five million people went to Vegas, got hypnotized at the show and were told "you must tow your trailer up north on the holidays on Friday at 3 pm or you will die", and then the next time they hear the word " holiday", they are programmed to do this. 2.5 million of them do it on free fishing weekend if it coincides with Father's Day because the average Michigan wife is NOT stupid, and knows that if she programs Buford and Petunia to tell daddy they want to take him fishing for daddy day, he will look at their innocent, chocolate smeared faces, and acquiesce spending the days doing nothing but being caught in the ear by hooks, baiting them after removing them from his flesh, and then removing leeches and snapping turtles from those same hooks all day long. This seems fair since most of these guys will.not.cook. on Mother's Day and insist on making Grimhilda wait in line for three hours with Buford and Petunia in tow, ready to eat the people in line if necessary like a reenactment of the Donner Party at the Applebee's. This is Michigan. I do.not.know.what.to.tell.you. If you feel inclined to come at these times of the year, just hear the immortal words of Star Trek IV, the Voyage Home, in your head, "Save Yourselves! Avoid the planet earth at all costs!" Then just substitute Michigan for earth and stay home. This way no harm will come to you. Memorial Day I75 gridlock is not a sport to be attempted by newbies!

So glad to hear it is getting better!

My issue with so many sitcoms is that the man is "stupid" or whatever, and then the wife or girlfriend or closest female friend is his default mom. Ugh. Everybody Loves Raymond, Home Improvement, etc. And fat shaming was a big deal, Wings was one that engaged with that, the main female character constantly being harassed about the size she used to be. Family Ties seems to have been a bit more "functional" in that regard, aged better.

I think that the mini home idea with a central bath, shower, kitchen center that one community in Oregon tried seemed to really help. It gave each homeless person their own space/privacy, an address which so important for applying for jobs and social safety net benefits, and a safe place to be. But, it has been a few years since I read up on it so I don't know if it was effective in the long term.

I never liked Friends. And it seems like most 80's shows and movies are just a mine field of yuckiness. At least that is how I feel every time I try to watch things from that era.

Yes, I think so too. That seems like a simplistic approach to a complex problem. I guess at least they tried which is more than what some communities do. I feel sorry for the business owners who face this.

Okay sorry. I guess I inferred from the post that he expected forgiveness from his teen. I will delete my comment.

Also, we do have a fast food restaurant in the county who has faced this same issue of employee safety. It is the Taco Bell in the county seat. The owner closed it for one month and had a renovation done. The dining area was torn out, and the kitchen expanded as well as the drive through lane. It will be a drive through only now with all the employees who once worked the front taking orders, cleaning the dining area, etc, now working in the kitchen and filling orders. They have always done more of their business as drive through than dine-in, so I think it will work. Starbucks may be at a disadvantage because some of their stores do not have drive through, and cannot expand to offer that.

I think situations like these require community action. Individual businesses can solve them alone.

Nm

P.S.A. if you cannot handle detours, do NOT come to Michigan this summer. If you cannot handle road construction, bypass this state. Michigan had always had two seasons: winter and construction. My kids laughing say that the orange road cone is the state flower. It is exponentially worse this year. Senators Stabenow and Peters worked with Another to get a ton of federal dollars to help rebuild the decaying infrastructure. Great! Awesome! Finally. BUT M-DOT got it in its head that ALL of it should be done at once. I am not kidding. m-DOT also screwed up believing that they would be able to hire a lot more people for the construction crews than they have actually been able to hire. Tearing up doesn't require so many hands. Building it back, many more people needed. So it is all torn up, and it is going to be "forever plus a Boob's age " (to coin a Michigan rural saying) before it is done. There is one lane traffic jam traffic on I-94 in multiple areas for miles and miles at a time, same on I-69, massive not fun detour on US23, 20 miles or so of one lane traffic and constant switching of lanes on US127, 696, 496, 275, the list goes on and on, and then numerous bridges on state and county roads being torn out and rebuilt causing detours everywhere. We have bridge here that had been out for two years, and according to the state, it will be five more years until they actually have time to do anything about it. For the residents on that road, it is a 21 mile detour to go what used to be 5 miles to the grocery store if one is determined to stay on paved roads. No joke, and at current gas prices extra maddening. (PS, road commission rarely plows those dirt roads in the winter so the 21 miles thing has no short cuts from mid-December through March). So if you come here, do not believe your GPS, Google Maps, WAZE, etc. Get out an old fashioned atlas. Look for the most convoluted way you can go north without an interstate or freeway of any kind. In order to visit my middle son four hours from here. I have to use a couple of small state roads and then a long portion of old Route 66. Otherwise I would be out on the freeway in construction gridlock going 10-20 miles per hour in a sea of semis.

You can choose to do so especially if you can understand their problems and have some empathy. That does not means the person will ever be trusted again. Forgiveness means letting go of the stress of constantly replaying the wrongs in order to move forward. It is NOT for waving accountability for the one who has been so hurtful. There is nothing wrong with the one who has been wronged/abused setting a strict boundary going forward that makes them feel safe continuing the relationship. Forgiveness does not mean the waiving of consequences. It is like the difference between prison and probation. Forgiveness may mean that person in your life gets probation. The terms of the release from prison has restrictions because trust must be earned. The thing is, NO ONE should even be thinking of demanding forgiveness from a child or teen. To forgive, the person has to be capable of nuanced thinking, emotional control, and have a measure also of feeling fairly safe that they do not have to allow this behavior to hurt them again or can sever the relationship if they feel that is for the best for them. Not only are frontal lobes not fully developed until about 21ish, minors also have no control of their lives, no real ability to make choices that are healthy for them. Relationships are pretty much by force, at the will of the adults in control of their lives, and deep down, that is frightening to them. If his father is trying to extract forgiveness and trust again from his minor son that is an act of abuse. He is asking from his son something only a mature adult can provide in a circumstance in which his son has no choice of how to handle this relationship in order to protect his own heart, his mental health. He has no ability to express himself freely even if you or your husband says he does because at the end of the day, he knows henis not the one making decisions about his life and may fear punishment or retribution for not feeling the same way about the situation that the adults think he should, all of the boundaries or lack thereof are set by others. So I will say this. If your dh is trying to get forgiveness from his teen son, he is being abusive. That is 100% wrong. Adults have no right to ask children to do something their brains literally aren't capable of in situations in which the adults hold all the cards, and the kid is pretty much helpless. If dh wants forgiveness, he needs to work his butt off to show he is working hard at getting better. Then when ds is an adult and has had some time to mature and be in control of his own life, think critically about where his own relationship comfort level is a forgiveness discussion can go forward.

40c in an ER? That just breaks my heart! I really hope you all get a break in this very soon. My sister in Nice, France says it is stifling there, and some folks are in real danger. She and bil have a ground floor apartment just above the underground parking structure so their apartment is a little cooler than the ones upstairs. But, her health problems make it difficult for her to regulate body temp. She can sweat, but she doesn't sweat much. Bil managed to score a window air unit. He put that in their bedroom, and moved kitty and litter in there. They set up their computers as well. So they dart out to the kitchen for cool food (they are pretty much doing only sandwiches with salads and fresh fruit) or to use the bathroom, and otherwise just stay in the bedroom. MIL's place of work sent everyone home because even though the building has a.c., it broke. Bad bad timing for that to happen! It was 97 here yesterday. The humidity was not too bad. That is not common at all in my part of Michigan so they had to issue heat warnings, and remind everyone to stay out of the sun. Still, one of neighbors did some yard work anyway and ended up in the ER getting IV fluids. He came home a few hours later, but since he lives alone, I went to check on him, and took some fruit and berries, and broccoli pasta salad with me to make sure he had cold, hearty food to eat. For the most part though, I am NOT complaining at all. Pretty much everyone locally has the ability to stay cool enough in this weather since nearly all the houses here have basements, some are made of stone and stay cooler naturally, and a lot have shade because this is a heavily treed/forested area. They will be okay IF they keep their heads on straight and do not pull a neighbor stunt. What he was thinking, I do.not.know. Hugs to everyone going through this! Sitting here wondering what it takes to get action on climate change, and feeling frustrated.

That sounds really yummy!

Update: I am harvesting a ton of cherry tomatoes. I made regard lie (homemade) noodles tonight, and then used scallions and cherry tomatoes from the garden as well as fresh basil to make a cooked tomato salad for the noodles which we topped with fresh mozzarella. I wasn't going to attempt homemade pasta because I tend to be bad with anything related to dough. But, last second, I decided to do it, and they turned out pretty well. I am nor going to get eggplant or bell peppers. I have been struggling with some sort of insect that eats the leaves. I finally have them under control using diatomacous (sp?) earth. I dont think there is enough time left in the growing season for them to blossom and produce fruit before we get a frost. The drought is deepening. Thankfully, we have a deep well so we can irrigate. But, I haven't irrigated enough for the apple trees, and now some of the apples are already ripening, and they are very small so I think I can kiss that harvest goodbye. Green beans at my mom's garden are doing well, and we will be canning and freezing them soon. I am going to have a crazy grape harvest, even more than I originally thought. At the Alabama house, the fig and kiwi are growing nicely. The young grape vine is going to produce two nice clumps of grapes. The blueberries have been done for a while as have the strawberries, but they ate well off them. Dd has a quart of dehydrated cherry tomatoes so far. The little volunteer pumpkins are doing fine. We are planning on building two, 16'x4' raised beds this fall. Dd has saved up enough pallets, found some free for the hauling, that with just a small amount of lumber, we can get them made. We are going to do a quasi-hugelkultre (sp?) thing. Since these will be 4' tall to discourage the ants, and some other ground insects, we are going to fill the first 2' of depth with sticks, leaves, grass, anything compost worthy after laying down agricultural fabric, and then fill with top soil and compost so we don't have to buy quite so much up front. Then as the organics compost down, we can add soil, but not have to buy as much up front because then budget will be tight at that time. They will have mulch from.the property. We have a dead maple that is losing branches at a high rate. It isn't near the house, so Mark and I will be felling it this fall as well. We will rent a wood chipper so there will be a good pile of mulch. We have decided to fill the sunroom with herbs in pots, and put a dwarf tangerine tree and a dwarf lemon in the living room because there is so much space and light. we are still on deck to plant two dwarf peach trees as well as a pear tree. Dd found a deer tick on our youngest grandson yesterday. It was barely engorged at all so we are hoping he is okay. The pediatrician was informed. However, this is making us evaluate the possibility of getting four laying hens and four guinea hens. We do have a shed that can be made into a nice coup, and enough fencing to keep them in the yard. I do wonder how easy it will be to keep the birds of prey away from the poultry. The downside is that at this time, dd doesn't know anyone who can watch the livestock when they are gone. Since we are still figuring it out, she purchased several bags of diatoms again to spread around the yard. We looked it up, and apparently it does help. It isn't cheap, that's for sure!

Okay then. The apocalypse. This explains why my dog is so clingy! 😂

Also, the reputation of the court really should not be a consideration when it comes to discipline. Haven't we learned this lesson before? Accountability always. No reputation should come ahead of tossing those to the curb who impugn themselves and their colleagues by ethical and potentially illegal behavior. I think we put too much stock in reputation and saving face in this country.

I am so worried about everyone. The heat waves are just so intense, and seems to be wide spread. Be safe out there!!! Check in when you can. Anyone who doesn't have air or a.c. that isn't able to keep up, here is a tip. If you have cold water coming out of your tap, you can fill a bowl with it, and set a fan behind it aimed at yourself. It will act as a personal cooler for a little while. It might help you make it through, and if you have a freezer of ice cubes, it will act pretty well with some ice in the water.

Yes, and the court is really backed up because we don't expand it. There should be a justice for each circuit because they all take turns researching cases and writing briefs. So they are backed up because there aren't enough justices. There are 13 circuit appellate courts. That said, though this could be a basic civics discussion, I think the thread will be locked.

Yes. I get that too. I once worked for a school district in which I thought, "Wouldn't it be nice to get pneumonia or a ruptured appendix so I can have a nice break from this hell hole!" It isn't like I wanted to actually risk my life, but that it was so mentally draining that being off work for a serious illness felt like it would be less stress than going to work every day. Tiggy's sentiment is something I 100% get.

My dream house isn't glamorous or massive. I think we actually purchased it last summer. The criteria was: No harsh winters Three growing seasons or extra long growing season 2 acres Mature trees and shade, but plenty of sunny spots also for gardening Tree for tree house, possible place to keep backyard hens Quiet Rural for the quiet, but close to a good size city with excellent health care available so not more than 45 minutes away Large enough to accommodate us and our adult children, mothers, and grand children if the economy demanded, and with enough bedrooms and bathrooms that everyone has a private space to go to Not so unique or weird or trendy that resale value would be impacted Ability to accommodate solar power Has a view, a bit of shangra la as they say because the shut down convinced us that as much as we want to travel, having home be a refuge is good Handicap accessibility We found that house and in our price range last summer and purchased it. My main regret now is that it is in Alabama with its trigger ban, and crazy anti-woman legislative body. My only hope is maybe that will change in the future because we are stuck with this place for a while. So onward an upward. Planting more fruit trees this fall.