Empathy and Morality

 

I've  observed that one's capacity for empathy tends to drive one's political character.  Libertarians lack any shred of empathy,  Traditional Conservatives possess  the ability to be  moderately empathetic - to their tribe, and  Liberals tend to be globally empathetic.  This  is demonstrated by attitudes towards social welfare, immigration and equal opportunity.    I think empathy is simply the ability to put your self in someone else's shoes, to understand what they are going through.   

I used to believe that a great leader gets the people to want what he/she wants.  But lately, I've concluded that an effective leader wants what the followers want.    Trump, the consummate faker,  has been effective  by getting a lot of people to believe he "gets" them, by appealing to their fears and lesser angels.   Others (like me)  correctly see him as  an autocrat who thinks everything is (or should be) about him.  He cares nothing for others.  Just look at how he treats Mike Pence -- the textbook brown-noser and loyal sycophant for 4 years.   Think of how he treats anyone who disagrees with him.  The streets are figuratively littered with the bodies of those enablers who may have acted, however briefly, to set things right -- and were tossed under the bus.

I think empathy and morality are coupled.  I notice that many on the right of the political spectrum display a situational morality.  The may preach a message of lofty ideals (patriotism, sanctity of life, strong national borders) but many lack the capacity to feel the pain of starvation, hopelessness and fear in their fellow humans  on this planet and even in their own communities.   Further, we note that 70% of Republicans would overturn results of the 2020 election.  They have no credible proof that there was fraud but the fact is, they do not care about Democracy. The calculus is about winning, not about principles, or honor, or even decency.   They would toss the Constitution in the dumpster to get Trump or someone like him back in power.  Several Republican run states have already passed new laws  cynically designed to keep minority voters from casting ballots in the next election.  This is immoral and wrong.

Oyster Shucking Update

Dear Diary,

Since my December 5th posting, my obsession with raw oysters has continued unabated.  I estimate that I have now shucked about 50 oysters, which 25 have been shared with my wife.  On New Years Eve, I shucked a dozen.  

  

During the past month, I have been researching the local sources for oysters, and learning a lot about their cultivation and variety.  There is a website full of oyster lore and useful information called  Oysterater.  They identify virtually every variety you might bump into.  

As I mentioned previously, the typical restaurant price for oysters on the half shell is around $3 each.  We have paid this amount on rare occasion, but we are more likely to dine at those venues that offer a reduced price for this delicious little blob of briny heaven.  In pre-pandemic times we found several locations that offer oysters at $1.00 -- almost always at "slow" times.  Typically, these are the hours between 4pm and 6pm - or what used to be called "happy hour" here in Mass.  (Happy hour 2 for 1 drinks have been banned statewide.) However, bars and restaurants have creatively turned to other promotions to get folks to come in during those otherwise "dead" periods.  

Thus was born the "buck-a-shuck" concept.

We eventually settled on our new favorite local venue for oysters -- The Dolphin, in Natick.  They offered $1 oysters during weekday happy hours, and ALL DAY on Sunday.  So The Dolphin on Sunday afternoons became a frequent destination.  We would often meet friends there and have a great time sucking down oysters, guzzling refreshing adult beverages and munching on 65 cent Buffalo chicken wings.  Good times.

By mid-March, 2020 everything changed suddenly. COVID-19.  Pandemic.  Lockdown. Cancel your plans, Pilgrim!  We were strongly advised to stay home, and we did (partly because there was nowhere to go.)  Although the Dolphin re-opened during the summer, serving al fresco under a tent, we felt it necessary to refrain from any level of gathering with the dreaded public.  That resulted in 8+ months without any oysters.  Who knew how to shuck them?  Wasn't it hard to do, and dangerous?  Fear of the unknown can close one's mind to possibilities.

Finally, in desperation, I started looking at YouTube videos about oysters and was amazed at the dozens of tutorials about how to shuck an oyster.  I resolved to become an Apprentice Oyster Shucker.

Today January 9th, after opening 50 oysters, I can report that it is definitely worth the effort.   I think the technique can be mastered by anyone with sufficient wrist strength, and determination.  The Oyster does not want to give up.  Prying open the hinge on the pointed end of the shell takes some force and confidence, but I can confirm that it gets easier with each batch.   

The research part of this project has been interesting as well.  I mentioned that the price of an oyster can range between $1 and $3 in a restaurant, but how much do they charge at the fish market?  Not to get too detailed, I found that Whole Foods offers a nice selection of local oysters priced at $1.49.  My local fish market also priced oysters at $1.50 but jacked-up the price to $1.75 for the holidays.  Another market had Duxbury Bays on sale for $1.25.     

My favorite varieties are Wellfleets from Cape Cod area  and two types from Damariscotta River in Maine -- Glidden Points and Pemiquids.  These varieties are midsized, sweet, briny and plump.  They also tend to be cleaner with less shell fragments to deal with.  Check out the Oysterater for more info on these and other varieties. 

When you buy oysters be sure and ask for a small bag of crushed ice to serve them on, to keep them from spilling the tasty juices (liquor) out.  Alternative, a thin bed of Kosher salt on a plate will keep them from tipping.  If you do not plan to use right away, they can store unshucked in the fridge for a few days, in a bowl covered with a damp dish towel (not sitting in melting ice).  Some say that if you put them in the freezer an hour before shucking --they will open easier.  I have not confirmed this.

It helps to have all the things you need ready for serving before you start to shuck.  Protective gloves, knife, lemon wedges, cocktail sauce, etc.  I also use a dishtowel to hold the shell while I'm working on it.   I wont lie, it is work.  But, good work. 

Fresh oysters are delicious.  Even during "Dry January."    9 days, but who's counting?

Jan 14 Update:  Due to unsettling events in the news this week,  Dry January has morphed into Slightly less wet January.  

The Epiphany We Deserved

 (January 6th, Washington D.C.)  

As they have since the Civil War days,  the US Senate convened to read the electoral college votes to certify the winner.  Naturally, they found that the most votes went to Joe Biden and Kamala Harris.

The inauguration will take place on January 20th

A completely peaceful group of demonstrators marched to the steps of the Capital building in a show of support for the outgoing president   They wore MAGA hats and carried pro-trump signs.

Trump said that he was disappointed with the vote, but, as usual, he was a good sport. He had a spokesman tweet-out that the transition of power would be smooth. "The election is over and we lost," he said. "Let's all get behind the new White House team." 

After the counting of votes, the congress members came out, announced the results,  and were cheered by the mask-wearing patriots gathered peacefully on the steps. 

 

Treason or Sedition?

Those who are advocating the tossing-out of legal votes in order to get their candidate to be named winner are nothing less than traitors to Democracy and should be punished for their crimes.  They claim massive fraud, but can offer no credible evidence of fraud.  They are enemies of decency and democracy.  They are willing to use any means to achieve their ends.  They are autocrats at best and fascists at worst.   

Yesterday's call between Trump and Georgia election officials demonstrates a President attempting to badger and beg an official to change the results of the vote based on rumors that he believes to be true.  It is shocking that such a blatant attack on election integrity is tolerated by anyone who has taken an oath to defend the Constitution.  Why is the president not in jail right now?

I salute those Georgia patriots who value country and democracy over partisan politics.  

All elected reps who challenge the election results on Jan 6th  need to be condemned by their peers at the very least.  And there should be gallows. 

"Just Shot Me"

Now that the end of the Pandemic seems to be in sight, we are all jostling in line to get The Shot (aka COVID-19 Vaccine).

I see celebrities and government officials doing photo-ops of them getting The Shot.  They rationalize being among the first because of their status as opinion-leaders, or "essential workers" but I am skeptical that seeing Nancy Pelosi or Mitch McConnel getting a shot is persuading any VAX skeptic to offer their arm to allow  alien sperm to be injected.  Nor do I consider either of them to be "essential" since they have accomplished nothing to ensure that the citizens are safe or well-fed. 

It seems to me that the way to stop the pandemic is to offer the vaccine to people who have the most human interactions.  First Priority should be the nurses and doctors who are personally involved with caring for sick patients.  Then other hospital and group facility staff that directly work with residents (and inmates)  and those who have customer facing positions like cashiers, cooks, servers, barbers, letter carriers, tradespeople like plumbers, repair technicians and electricians who need enter residences to do their jobs, people who work at counters, anyone who has hands-on food preparation or delivery. Also Classroom Teachers doing in person classes.  Then anyone in residential homes setting, including visitors.

If folks at these transmission points can be immunized as a priority.  The spread should be easier to stop. Then I would consider offering the vaccine to "essential workers." Active military, cops, firemen, persons who  need to show-up to keep the wheels of society running.  (This excludes most government workers, especially elected representatives.)

After these folks, then the general public should be next in line according to risk factors such as age, ethnicity, economic status, location, compromising health conditions.   This will be tricky.  I think there should be an outreach to "at risk" communities where infection spread is more of a problem.   Although I would be glad to get The Shot because I am over 75 with high BP  and fat (and therefore at higher risk from Covid complications), I think I would rather see a healthy 50 year old who needs to take public transportation to get to work get immunized before me.    

In other words the risk factor should not be solely based on who is most likely to die, but who is most likely to get and spread the disease.  Since I live in a suburb where there are fewer cases, since I stay home except for food and supplies, and I wash my hands, stay masked and distanced when out.  I am less of a spread risk than someone who is in constant close interaction with other folks.

All this intellectualizing is mere virtue signaling,  of course.  My survival instinct hopes that I am called tomorrow and told I am on "the list".  You can be assured:  I will show-up for my shot.

AFTERTHOUGHT: 

When they give you the second Covid shot you should get a card that certifies that you have had vaccine.  Restaurants and other businesses could then post signs saying "Only those who have had vaccine are welcome inside."  New job title for bouncers:  Virus checker.

Mythomania and Idiocracy

Mythomania is a term to describe an abnormal or pathological tendency to exaggerate or tell lies. 

We immediately imagine Donald Trump's picture next to this word in the dictionary, but while he may be the poster boy for this pathology, many of his supporters display the same character flaw.

The November Presidential election provides a good example of how this inability to accept disagreeable facts is manifested.

In Trump's mind, he is a winner.  He never loses, even when he loses.  Forget all those failed businesses (casinos, airline, university, et al.).  They were part of the winning.   He is incapable of admitting to being wrong. He will never apologize for anything.  Why should he?  

Sensible persons recognize that all humans are subject to error (even your humble blogger), and that occasionally, we need to admit our mistakes.  Generally, we subscribe to Swift's famous observation - "To err is human..." - and we can realistically forgive ourselves for an occasional error.

But what if a person cannot admit error?  What psychosis allows them to be blind to unpleasant facts?  I guess it is the same chemical imbalance that convinces the resident of the loony bin to maintain that he is Napoleon.  Logic cannot fix crazy.

 Trump followers are likewise convinced, so much so that they would support overturning  the results (tossing out the legitimate votes) based on an unsubstantiated belief that the evil Democrats have committed  massive fraud.  That is not Democracy, folks.  It's Idiocracy.

Apprentice Oyster Shucker

Not everyone has appreciation for raw oysters on the half shell. Personally, I avoid almost all forms of raw seafood. I come from the Larry Bird school of sushi philosophy -- "Back in Salt Lick, we call it bait." But, somewhere along the way, my wife and I were introduced to the delight of fresh raw oysters and became ardent fans of this lovely bivalve, served on a bed of crushed ice, with lemon wedges --often with cocktail sauce and horseradish. I recall one time when we were being served at a restaurant, the waitress asked, "Can I grab you some hot sauce?" I responded, "Why would anyone want to sully the taste of oysters with hot sauce?" She nodded her agreement, "Maybe someone who doesn't like oysters?" Why anyone who would pay the going rate of around $3 per, would drown the delicate flavor of an oyster with such an odious addition remains an eternal mystery. These days, I have eschewed any condiment beyond a few drops of fresh squeezed lemon juice. Ideally, this dish is accompanied by a dry* Tanqueray martini served straight-up with 3 giant queen olives. My wife prefers a fine** Sauvignon Blanc.

Before the pandemic, like a lot of you, we would go out to eat-in restaurants at least once a week. I won't claim that it was always fine dining, but on occasion, we would splurge for some place like Legal Seafoods, a pricy but excellent restaurant chain in our area. Several years ago, Legal had a wonderful promotion that they called "Six for six before six." Meaning that between four and six PM, you could get a tray of 6 oysters for $6. That promotion went on for a long time and we took advantage of it. We were gravely disappointed when they dropped that promotion. So we started our never-ending search for cheap oysters.

We started going to the Dolphin on Sundays where they offered oysters for $1 each which we call "Buck a shuck.". The normal price for these suckers is about $3 each which is a lot for a little glob of marine protoplasm.

All that changed with the pandemic. Fearful of even al fresco dining, we had gone oysterless for 8+ months.
My friend Rich came by a week ago, bringing with him a half a dozen fresh oysters which he had just received by courier from Damariscotta, Maine. He shucked them for us (in the backyard of course) and we were presented with a delight that we had not known since perhaps last March or even February. It was a wondrous treat, washed down with a cold Sierra Nevada. Heaven, I tell you.

Now, we are obsessed with the prospect of getting our own fresh oysters and having them at home.

Today, I am announcing that I have decided to become an apprentice oyster shucker. I have ordered an oyster knife and a protective glove online from Amazon, and have watched several YouTube videos showing how to shuck an oyster. Thus, I feel armed to venture forth into the world to actually buy oysters that someone else has not shucked. 

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Feetnotes
When I was stationed in Wyoming some of the bars had a jar full of something called "mountain oysters". When I inquired about them I was informed that they were pickled sheep's testicles. That was a delicacy that I eschewed and got polish sausages instead.

*By "dry" I mean that the bartender pours a small amount of white vermouth into the martini glass, swishes it around to coat the glass and then pours out the vermouth before adding the gin.)
**By "fine" I mean expensive. By "expensive" I use the term when one glass costs the same as whole bottle of everyday Sauv Blanc. At Legal Seafoods this is usually the Cloudy Bay @ $14 a pop.

A Disquieting Reluctance to Do The Right Thing

 

I find it disquieting that, according to some polls, most of the voters who cast a ballot for Trump still believe that the election was "rigged."   This, despite the failure of Trump team to produce a single case where there was proven intent to change the actual count of ballots.

No foreign ballot harvesting, no rigged election machinery, no illegal marking of ballots.  No argument presented in court of anything but vague allegations. Claims of hundreds of affidavits, but not one presented to the Court for scrutiny and investigation. Nada. Zilch.

What is appalling is the silence of the Republican leadership.  Instead of disavowing these specious claims, or at least, calling for the immediate proof,  members of congress, governors and leading conservative pundits remain mute.  "Let the process unfold," they say.  What process?   Do they think they can get a case or two bumped up to be ruled in their favor by having the stacked SCOTUS conservative majority help them steal the election?  I don't think this will work.  I apparently have more faith in the Supreme Court to uphold the law and the constitution, and do the right thing.

"Stop the Steal" is more appropriately applied to Trump and his followers.  They are so invested in their ideology that they would prefer to invalidate the legally cast votes for Biden than to stick-up for the democratic process.  

It is clear that most Trump supporters are both underinformed and gullible.   They are willing to sacrifice democracy to autocracy.  It is un-American and deplorable. 

Beyond a Shadow of a Doubt...

"I know beyond a shadow of a doubt, with no proof, this election was rigged."  Brent Terhune

@Brent Terhune has produced numerous videos as a mock Pro-Trump redneck on Twitter and Facebook.  He has a genius for capturing the oxymoronic stances of the under-informed citizen.

Re: Columbus Day vs Indigenous Peoples Day.   "My ancestors stole this land fair and square."

These videos are far more entertaining and informative than watching the talking heads on cable news.  But they also inform us, quasi-authentically, that some of our Fellow Americans are misguided, obstinately proud of their ignorance, and in the end, they will never accept the outcome of the recent election.

They say, "Let's check out all the allegations of fraud," even those that are fictitious.  Because they would cheat to win if they could get away with it, they cannot believe that the opposition did not engage in conspiracy.   The few actual errors did not amount to fraud.  They certainly would not affect the outcome.

Let us hope that those who falsely signed sworn affidavits alleging illegal voting activities are prosecuted, and anyone who tried to interfere with counting of legal votes is prosecuted harshly, as a lesson for the future.  

As to the disappointed Trump Kool-Aid drinkers,  I repeat: in the end, they will never accept the outcome of the election.

  

I don't Wanna Go

 Trump wants to stay.

No doubt, he had the same feelings about going into the military.

And The Loser is...

 

I'm writing this on the morning after election day 2020.  At the moment the electoral totals are close for both Biden and Trump, but no one knows how it will end up.  The pundits are leaning toward Biden as the mail-in ballots are still being counted in several swing states.  

However it eventually turns out, I have been proven wrong in my prediction for a landslide victory for Biden.  My calculus was that Biden would pick-up millions of "Bernie Bros." who reportedly sat out the 2016 election because they felt Hillary and the DNC had conspired to keep him from winning the nomination. Moreover, I was counting on a major shift in Trump voters who I assumed would  have been alienated by his unpresidential antics and lies.  I counted on former military supporters to become disillusioned by his lack of respect for military leaders, and that his denigration of captured and dead heroes would have made them vote against him.   I thought that decency and integrity were more important than "standing up" to foreign powers.

I was wrong.

The mere fact that the counts are so close is a shock to me.  It tells me that I am out of touch with reality.   To quiet my mind, I had come to view the past 4 years as an anomaly, something we would someday look back and laugh the way we do about mistakes we made in our youth.   Certainly the electorate would come to its senses in the light of Trump's edging toward autocracy,  embarrassing ignorance of science and diplomacy, his narcissistic obsession to make everything about him, the bombastic and unsupported accusations of fraud and embracing of conspiracy groups.   But I was wrong.

Trying to assess why more people couldn't support Biden, I am flummoxed.    

AFTERWORD:  11/5/2020   In a Globe article  titled "A Liberal Dream meets the crushing reality of America"  the authors attempt to provide an answer to the shared surprise of many liberal/progressive Americans who thought that the electorate would be more decisively anti-Trump.   The biases of both camps created starkly different perceptions.  "It is as if the  two sides were watching different movies." 

VP Debate -- Who Won?

For 90 minutes last night Kamala Harris and Mike Pence did a stunning job of NOT answering the thoughtful questions posed by the moderator, USA journalist Susan Page.   Clearly, both candidates had been coached intensely and they were well prepared with the points they wanted to make.  

That Pence is adept at ducking questions was not surprising , but I expected more from Kamala - who was impressively on-point at the nominating debates.   

I only lasted 20 minutes before I had to leave the room, frustrated with  both candidates for boringly reiterating well worn accusations and talking points.    When asked what discussions she had had with Biden about succession, Harris gave us an autobiographical review --proudly noting  that she was the first woman of color to accomplish her accomplishments. (Ho-hum).  The most interesting thing about Pence apparently was a fly that was trying to lay eggs on his head.  (I did not see that live, because I was already playing Words With Friends on the computer with other bored escapees.)

I'm pretty sure nobody changed their minds, same as the Presidential debate  shouting match.  So the winner of the debate  IMHO was probably Pence, because I predicted that she would eat his lunch.  In the end he still had his baloney sandwich intact. If you are a progressive you probably thought Kamala won because she repeated all the stuff you wanted to hear.

It really doesn't matter, anyhow, since I have already voted, and dropped off the ballots at the Town Hall collection box.  You?

 

#ByDon

If Donald Got Fired

 

"Maybe I'm Immune, who knows?"

Humor is not gone.

Quo Vadimus?

The other day I had a discussion with an old High School classmate, who supports Trump's re-election. He dreads the thought of another liberal democrat in the White House.  He frames the contest as a fundamental choice between socialism (Biden-Harris) and capitalism (Trump and the other guy.)

 I said that it is more likely that we are heading towards Autocracy rather than Capitalism if Trump gets re-elected. He shows all the signs of a budding dictator:

• Raising the specter that he might not consider the election as legitimate (if he loses),
• rallying his followers to vague action, 
• making up stuff about ballots tossed in rivers  
• stoking fear that cities will burn if Biden is elected.  
• Repeating Nationalist propaganda pretending to be patriotism.
• Blaming immigrants and foreign powers for all ills. 
• Dumbing down the message to the least educated and most impressionable segment of society.
• Discrediting the Press if they print any criticism.  
• Being cozy with Hate groups.  
• Purging from the government positions anyone who might provide real  oversight and transparency.  
• Spreading misinformation and lies.  

When  Joe Biden gets elected president, the economy will be as strong as ever.  Kamala is not  AOC.  Joe is not Bernie.  I would agree that  there is a trope towards social democracy similar to some countries in western Europe. but that's not the end of the world as far as I'm concerned.  Universal health care is not an evil goal.  Affordable education seems like a good idea.   There is no plan to raise taxes on anyone earning less than $400K per year.    Canada has universal health care and free college tuition.  They seem to have a thriving economy.

When people like Trump and Jeff Bezos,  and big profitable corporations can get away not paying any taxes there's something wrong with unrestrained Capitalism.   We are  already dangerously close to being an Oligarchy -- with the real strings of power being pulled by obscenely rich patrons of politicians.  

I prefer to think that America can help people who are less fortunate and without compromising anyone's ability to become financially successful, and I believe that will continue.  I don't know of any  popular push to totally eliminate wealth.  Moderate Liberals just want to have the wealthy pay more than they do now.   Don't forget,  they used to have a very high tax on wealth during the Go-Go years of the fifties, sixties and seventies and  this high earner tax rate in 1980 was 70% .  Those higher rates  didn't eliminate wealth and I don't think it will in the future. 

So the election is not about Capitalism vs Socialism; rather it is about Democracy vs Autocracy.

A Few Thoughts on Election Integrity

 Having worked at the polls as a sworn Inspector for the past 15 or so years, I can attest to the fact that everyone I've worked with at the polls takes election integrity very seriously.   We are committed to a fair process that allows every registered voter to have their vote counted.  

Recently, a certain president has made an effort to discredit elections that he might not win. (Don't forget in 2016, he lost several GOP state primary contests and immediately labeled them "rigged." )  

While I'm aware of historical efforts to "buy" election, and rare cases of ballot tampering, elections in this country and this state (Mass.) are reliably managed  by individuals who take the vow of neutrality seriously. 

The effort to discredit mail-in voting has been ramping-up.  The first issue is the registered voter database.  Critics have cited cases where the rolls still contain thousands of names of people who have died or moved away.  They say these are possible means of voter fraud.  They worry that someone could send mail-in ballots for these dead and gone people.  Except that's not what happens in real life.  Some states actually compare signatures on mailed-in ballots against registration signatures. Most of the horror stories that are shared on social media involve some conspiracy theory, easily believed by gullible partisans.  Very few actual cases have been proven. 

The penalties for tampering in an election are severe.  This dissuades most potential tamperer. 

I believe Trump has been tampering with the election process since he was nominated and even more so since he was inaugurated.   I will not be surprised when, after being soundly defeated in the coming the November election, Trump and some of his appointees are indicted for election tampering.    This time he will not have a claque of enabling senators to save him. 

Secret ballot.  Some have raised the question of mail-in ballots not being secret.  Again, in my experience poll workers are sworn to maintain secrecy.  Typically, absentee ballots were aggregated as received, and not opened until voting day, when the Warden would feed the ballots into the voting machine, only examining a ballot if there was a malfunction (e.g. mis-marking of the ballot, causing it to be rejected).  Sometimes a voter will have their ballot rejected by the machine.  The Warden will always ask for permission to look at the ballot to determine the problem.  If the voter says "No," the problem ballot is destroyed and a new blank ballot is issued.  I am not sure how they do this in places where there is not a paper ballot.

Provisional ballots.  These are ballots that are given to people who show-up to vote but are not on the rolls.  At the discretion of the Warden, a ballot may be issued but is not tabulated until the claim of the voter can be reviewed/cross checked.  (In practice, there are only  handful of provisional ballots and are counted only if they could affect the outcome, say, in a recount situation)

Ballot Harvesting.  I think this is a recent concern stemming from the recent changes to allow large numbers of mail-in (versus "absentee") ballots.  Ballot Harvesting is when a third party (other than a relative or postal worker) collects ballots to deliver to a polling place.  Massachusetts does not address the legality of this practice, but it does seem open to possible abuse, and I would support making ballot collecting or harvesting illegal. 

Due to the pandemic, I will  not be working the in-person polls this November, but I feel confident that the results will not be "rigged."

Pop Quiz

"Thin-skinned, self-obsessed, small-minded, intellectually lazy, and ill-disciplined" Who is the first person to pop into your head?

Plague Notes June 2020

 

During normal times, a few of us regulars would routinely gather our favorite Irish pub on Monday afternoons.  We would sit elbow-to-elbow at the bar to trade stories or chat about world events while quaffing a few pints.   Someone got the bright idea to call it "Book Club." 

Instead of telling our wives "I'm going to have a few beers with the guys," and getting The Look, we would say. "Off to Book Club." Now, who could scowl at such a noble endeavor?  Ironically, we are all active book readers, so in fact, the conversation often does turn to books that we've recently read.  No in-depth analysis of themes or symbolism; just a few words to describe how we liked it.  Thumbs up or thumbs down -- end of discussion.  Back to the news.

This is one of the routines I have missed most during the lockdown.  So we have decided to convene Book Club in the safety of my back yard, weather permitting.  This is our new normal:  Bring your favorite drink and sit at a safe social distance.   Sorry, I don’t provide chicken wings. The rest room is over there -- behind the shed.

new Uncle Dinny

Solitary - another experiment