Come for the politics, stay for the snark.

… riddled with inexplicable and elementary errors of law and fact

Why is it so hard for them to condemn hate?

Technically true, but collectively nonsense

I’m pretty sure there’s only one Jack Smith.

Historically it was a little unusual for the president to be an incoherent babbling moron.

Take hopelessness and turn it into resilience.

So it was an October Surprise A Day, like an Advent calendar but for crime.

Republicans are radicals, not conservatives.

Peak wingnut was a lie.

The poor and middle-class pay taxes, the rich pay accountants, the wealthy pay politicians.

Wow, you are pre-disappointed. How surprising.

Republicans don’t want a speaker to lead them; they want a hostage.

Consistently wrong since 2002

New McCarthy, same old McCarthyism.

Being the leader of the world means to be the leader of peace.

Presidents are not kings, and Plaintiff is not President.

If you tweet it in all caps, that makes it true!

Impressively dumb. Congratulations.

I know this must be bad for Joe Biden, I just don’t know how.

Republican obstruction dressed up as bipartisanship. Again.

All your base are belong to Tunch.

In my day, never was longer.

Anyone who bans teaching American history has no right to shape America’s future.

Let’s not be the monsters we hate.

You are here: Home / Open Threads / Another Relaxing Open Thread

Another Relaxing Open Thread

by | 81 Comments

This post is in: 

First up:  Werebear has written up something for a Writer Group Post, so we’ll have one of those tomorrow. Same chat time, same chat place (12:30/11:30/10:30/9:30).

To continue our lazy Saturday theme:

Even though she’s almost 70 lbs, she’s still a puppy and still falls asleep whenever she runs out of gas, wherever that might be. I think she was barking out the window moments before this:

And here are some pretty flowers…this was a few weeks ago, they’ve really popped since. The iris and poppies are just about ready to bloom next.

I’m off to plant peppers (to join the tomatoes) and mow the lawn. What are you up to?

Open thread.

ETA: I had to front page this from Raven:

I’m still laughing.

Reader Interactions

81Comments

  1. 1.

    donnah

    I have spent the past week and a half doing spring cleaning in my house. I mean, serious cleaning with much purging of clutter and junk. Now I get to sit down and work on my Christopher Robin and Pooh rug. Happy!

    here’s a link:
    https://i.imgur.com/yIqe2zg.jpg

  3. 3.

    RedDirtGirl

    Did laundry and errands as well as an early grocery shop. Feeling virtuous. And now I can play for the rest of the weekend!

  8. 8.

    donnah

    @RedDirtGirl:

    Thanks! It will be 30” by 43”

    My goal is to finish it for a major event show in August, then donate it to the children’s section of our local library, which was just remodeled last year. I’m happy with it so far!

  9. 9.

    scav

    Unexpected trip out for rhubarb picking and greenhouse tour as a treat for digging up weeds under a garden fence. Spear grass is up too and baby radishes. May everyone’s gardens provide similar treats anong with the needed blooming things!

  15. 15.

    WaterGirl

    @donnah: Can’t wait to see the finished product, and it will be our gain when you’re able to post here more.

  16. 16.

    Felanius Kootea

    I’ve been following the case of the two Native American (Mohawk nation) teens from New Mexico who went on a college tour in Colorado and had a white mom call the cops on them because she felt they didn’t belong. She says she thought they were Mexican, as if that makes it any better. I’m most worried about the entitled crazy Trump has unleashed, the fact that so many conservative white people see the police as their personal white supremacy enforcement go-to, and that there are never any legal consequences for the white people who deliberately use the police to abuse minorities. The police also seem to be very willing to be used except in a few cases since the Starbucks incident backlash (NJ fitness club where staff called the cops on a black member and his guest for no reason, and the PA case where the golf club called the cops on black women golfers for playing too slow – in both cases, the police arrived but declined to get involved. Maybe some police chiefs are slowly learning something).

  18. 18.

    Shell

    Tasha does NOT want to come in!

    I know this year Ive been kinda out of the loop on so many things, between my moms passing, having to move and sell our old home (which has been its own saga) , getting used to living in a new apartment and a new State, being seperated from my dog Kate and what is now, probably her final days…

    But I just saw a story about the 2018 Tony awards and Sponge Bob Square Pants is a musical?

  19. 19.

    Josie

    @donnah: Beautiful. I’ll be excited to see the finished product. That was one of my oldest son’s favorite stories and always reminds me of him. He passed away a little more than a year ago, and I still can’t believe he is gone.

  20. 20.

    donnah

    @Shell:

    Yeah, not doing that! I had to get permission from the New York City Public Library to use the image of the stuffed animals. They actually have all of them, including Pooh Bear. I paid $50 to be able to use them in my rug, but it’s worth it to me.

    Those were favorites of mine, and always will be.

  24. 24.

    Cermet

    Read a scientific paper on why large breeds age so fast compared to smaller breeds. The results should be considered by someone owning such a breed – far greater oxidation stress from the rapid growth as a pup. I’d think extra anti-oxidatives might counter those effects to some extent and maybe improve the dog’s lifespan. Worth considering.

  25. 25.

    zhena gogolia

    @germy:

    I need those for the ushers in my church! We had to go into Defcon 1 on Easter because someone was wearing a headscarf.

  26. 26.

    MelissaM

    The Tasha vid reminds me of a great book, Find Momo. The photogs border collie was an excellent poser and he would stash the dog someplace in the scene. At times, it was truly difficult to find Momo.

    Puppy is cute.

  27. 27.

    germy

    "If you see something, stop for five seconds and consider whether a constant stream of media demonization of people of color might be skewing your reactions."
    — Susan Schorn (@SusanSchorn) May 4, 2018

  29. 29.

    delk

    Got the second pathologist’s report on my dog Gav’s liver biopsy. He has been diagnosed with copper storage and this test would tell us how much copper is in his system. A normal dog’s range is between 120 and 400. 1500 is considered toxic. Sadly, Gav’s number clocked in at 1520.

    So he started on a steroid and we had to order some rather expensive pills to try to remove the copper. They’ll check him again in a couple of months and take it from there.

    Be careful outside. The new refrigerator I wanted just sprouted wings and is flying away from my kitchen!

  30. 30.

    germy

    BREAKING: AP learns that special counsel's office has interviewed Tom Barrack, one of President Trump's closest friends.— The Associated Press (@AP) May 5, 2018

  31. 31.

    MattF

    @Cermet: I’d be very surprised if extra anti-oxidants in your dog’s diet had any effect on aging stresses. All sorts of cures and fixes have been tried, but it’s still true that aging is pretty much a mystery.

    Also, there’s some question about what happens if you go beyond the ‘normal’ lifespan. See “After Many a Summer Dies The Swan“.

  35. 35.

    rikyrah

    @Felanius Kootea:
    I have been furious reading that story.
    Now the lie that they told was that they were “too quiet”
    TOO QUIET??????
    They were on a phucking tour. You’re supposed to walk and listen.
    I am soo pissed about this happening to those children.

  36. 36.

    Nicole

    @delk: Ugh, I’m sorry. I remember, back in my working-at-the-zoo days, there was a gorgeous, very social bird in the Tropics exhibit named Cookie (I can’t remember the species). Cookie would eat anything, and after a very expensive run with medicine to address the metal from the coins Cookie had eaten, Cookie had to be taken off exhibit.

    On the bright side, any number of toddlers were probably grateful, as Cookie had learned that trays on kids’ strollers were fine places to find things to eat and would fly down and land on them and she was a pretty big bird.

  38. 38.

    chris

    @jeffreyw: That’s hilarious and practical too.

    I hang my hummingbird feeders on lengths of stiff wire and put vaseline on the wire to keep the ants out. Have seen a little group of ants on the branch by the wire conferring on their next move.

  39. 39.

    germy

    @B.B.A.:
    https://talkingpointsmemo.com/livewire/breaking-mueller-team-questions-close-trump-friend-tom-barrack

    Barrack spoke glowingly of Trump in a CNBC interview in early 2016.

    “He’s one of the kindest, and actually most humble, friends that I’ve had,” Barrack said. “I have so much respect for him because at this point in his career, wandering into the milieu was not easy, and he’s changed the dialogue of the debate.”

    Barrack also was among the featured speakers at the Republican convention where Trump formally received the nomination.

    Days after Trump’s victory in November 2016, Barrack told CBS’ “This Morning” that Trump was like an ultimate fighter during the campaign who used “whatever tools necessary to convey a really disruptive message.” Barrack said America would see “a softer, kinder” Trump now that Trump had won the presidency

    I’ll have whatever he’s smoking.

  40. 40.

    trollhattan

    @Cermet:
    Would absolutely love to have an Irish wolfhound but could not bear the thought of having a big, fuzzy friend for such a brief time. I don’t have the strength.

  41. 41.

    Jay

    “I’m sorry, Dave. I’m afraid I can’t do that.”
    “Dave’s not here, man!”

  43. 43.

    trollhattan

    @chris:
    I’ve used a sticky product called “Tanglefoot” to keep ants at bay. It lasts a good long while between applications.

  44. 44.

    Litlebritdifrnt

    Beautiful weather here today too in the low 60s but it felt much warmer. We drove up to Wray for the Annual Scarecrow Festival. Wray is a small, very old (dating back to the 1620s) village that was devastated by a flood back in 1967. (https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Wray,_Lancashire). Anyhow they now have the Scarecrow festival which almost the entire village takes part in with all of the residents making and displaying scarecrows in their gardens or outside of their houses in town. This year’s theme was “Lights, Camera, Action”. My two favourites were a Dirty Dancing one (the final lift) and the funniest one was just a couple of sticks with bits of straw attached to them called “Gone with the Wind” (think about it). We ate lunch at the pub with Mum and Norman (who we had arranged to meet there). Walked around the village then as the weather was so beautiful we drove to The Crook O’ Lune. http://www.baldhiker.com/2014/06/26/wanders-and-views-at-the-crook-olune/. It was a cherished spot of mine as a child when we used to go for picnics and swimming (the water always seems to be freezing) and it is beautiful at this time of year with wild garlic, bluebells, forget me nots and buttercups all over the place. Tried skipping stones but turns out I am rubbish at it, and Nick beat me every time :) From there we went to The Lancaster Food and Drink Festival which was great fun. Got some wheels of spicy cheese for Nick as he loves it. About this time my feet were about to fall off so we headed home. Like I said it was a brilliant day. I am so lucky to be home and away from all the madness. Seeing as I have no interest in standing in the kitchen cooking we are ordering out for dinner. Relaxing indeed.

  45. 45.

    realbtl

    @trollhattan: There used to be a killer local’s restaurant in Santa Fe NM called Dave’s Not Here. I still have a book of matches from there.

  46. 46.

    realbtl

    @Jay:There used to be a killer local’s restaurant in Santa Fe NM called Dave’s Not Here. I still have a book of matches from there.

  49. 49.

    Gelfling 545

    My daughter took me to several area plant nurseries to look at potting plants. When the hatch and bsck seat were full we came home. I need to go on these expeditions accompanied because I’ve got 2 months of not lifting more than 10 lbs ahead of me. She is a bad influence (Oh, look at this one, Mom!)

  50. 50.

    frosty

    Just finished cutting back the hedge next to the driveway so we can get the car past it. Finished with my patented method of cleaning up: mow the cuttings with the bag on the mower, repeat as necessary, dump the chopped remains in the compost bin. Easy peasy and nothing goes to the landfill. Although, yes, I do burn some fossil fuels in the process. :-(

  52. 52.

    Fair Economist

    @Cermet:

    Read a scientific paper on why large breeds age so fast compared to smaller breeds. The results should be considered by someone owning such a breed – far greater oxidation stress from the rapid growth as a pup. I’d think extra anti-oxidatives might counter those effects to some extent and maybe improve the dog’s lifespan.

    Unlikely. 30 years of research have shown that antioxidant supplementation only improves lifespan in certain inbred (=genetically messed up) strains and actually shortens it for typical members of a species. More likely it results from a combination of some body structures being too big for what they are adapted for (this is pretty well established for humans) and increased genetic damage from more cell divisions. In addition, the actual electron transfer systems in living systems are very long and complex and adding supplements for one or two stages is not likely to help and might hurt (which might explain the negative results from the large clinical trials).

  55. 55.

    Mary G

    This is kind of funny if you have seven minutes to spare:

    Mulaney's (@mulaney) "horse in the hospital" riff was dubbed the best political joke of the Trump era for calling out the "constant panicked drivel of the 24-hour-news cycle" https://t.co/KFANYrn6yV(His Radio City Music Hall performance (on Netflix) is a comedic tour de force) pic.twitter.com/IU3tVD9WDN— Adam Khan (@Khanoisseur) May 5, 2018

    My favorite line was “I didn’t pay attention to the last guy, he seemed smart and like he knew what he was doing, and I’m lazy.” (Might not be the exact words.)

  61. 61.

    Mary G

    David Fahrenthold and two other WaPo writers strike again: As the ‘King of Debt,’ Trump borrowed to build his empire. Then he began spending hundreds of millions in cash.

    In the nine years before he ran for president, Donald Trump’s company spent more than $400 million in cash on new properties — including 14 transactions paid for in full, without borrowing from banks — during a buying binge that defied real estate industry practices and Trump’s own history as the self-described “King of Debt.”

    Trump’s vast outlay of cash, tracked through public records and totaled publicly here for the first time, provides a new window into the president’s private company, which discloses few details about its finances.

    It shows that Trump had access to far more cash than previously known, despite his string of commercial bankruptcies and the Great Recession’s hammering of the real estate industry.

    Why did the “King of Debt,” as he has called himself in interviews, turn away from that strategy, defying the real estate wisdom that it’s unwise to risk so much of one’s own money in a few projects?

    And how did Trump — who had money tied up in golf courses and buildings — raise enough liquid assets to go on this cash buying spree?

    Qusay said their enterprises were bringing in so much money, they didn’t need to get loans. Yeah, right. Somehow, I get the feeling that Mueller et. al are all over this.

  63. 63.

    Felanius Kootea

    @rikyrah: Colorado State is now offering them an all expenses paid VIP tour (and says the tour guide didn’t know the mother of another prospective student had called the cops). I wonder whether they’ll take it.

  64. 64.

    germy

    @Mary G:

    And how did Trump raise enough liquid assets to go on this cash buying spree?

    If Mueller asks, he’ll be crossing the infamous “red line”

  66. 66.

    Old Dan and Little Anne

    I’m riding back from Newark. The swankiest wedding I’ve ever attended. I was chatting with a 30ish drunk, bubbly, lady about kids. I told her one and done for me. She proceeded to happily tell me I should have more kids because “we need more white babies because they’re becomong outnumbered. If you couldn’t guess I am a Republican.” No shit.

  67. 67.

    germy

    https://shareblue.com/nra-attack-ellens-restaurant-dallas/

    Ellen’s, a restaurant in downtown Dallas where the NRA is holding its annual convention, had a message printed on its customer receipts: “Thanks for visiting Ellen’s! A portion of this week’s proceeds will be donated to organizations dedicated to implementing reasonable and effective gun regulation.”

    Most Americans consider that a sensible message — especially following the mass shootings at Columbine, Sandy Hook, Aurora, Parkland and the daily murders all around the country. But it angered the NRA.

    The group tweeted an image of an Ellen’s receipt. “Attn @AnnualMeetings attendees. Steer clear of Ellen’s in downtown Dallas! Why go there when there are so many other great choices.”

    Joe Groves, the owner of Ellen’s, said he added the message because of what he heard from NRA convention attendees. “I’m making a list of the vile, racist, moronic conversations overheard from NRA attendees eating at the restaurant,” he wrote on Facebook. “They don’t even speak softly.”

    He told the website Eater that the attendees have insulted his wait staff with racial epithets. One person reportedly asked a Latino staff member, “Your illegals are kept in the kitchen, right?”

    Another NRA fan reportedly told black employees they “don’t sound black” and asked if they were from India.

    “The only reason we need our guns is because of the blacks,” another attendee reportedly declared.

    But these repugnant statements are part of a pattern for the NRA and its supporters. The group has embraced racism and bigotry as part of its pro-gun advocacy.

  68. 68.

    NotMax

    @germy

    I want to marry that restaurant.

    @Old Dan and Little Anne

    Yoicks. Too late now for the spit take followed by the comeback “Oh, just like Ben Carson and Bobby Jindal?” Out of curiosity, Newark in NJ or in DE?

  69. 69.

    Brachiator

    @NotMax:

    Looking for a time sink by any chance? Like food? Like history? Like nostalgia?

    Here ya go.

    Fascinating stuff. Love how eating habits are reflections of social habits.

    1830 to 1840 The French influence grows along with the number of eating places independent of hotels. Numbers of families save money by living in hotels and taking all their meals there. Temperance supporters go only to eating places that serve no hard alcohol.

    1880 to 1890
    The number and quality of restaurants increases as more people live in rented rooms and hotels without meals provided. A wider variety of foods are available and prices are going down. As cities develop shopping districts, women find more places they can eat in comfort.

  70. 70.

    Old Dan and Little Anne

    @NotMax: NJ. There are a dozens things i wanted to say but I had been having a fun time and didn’t want to start a fight with someone who looked and sounded like a kindergarten teacher.

  71. 71.

    germy

    If the Klan had as much money to dole out as the NRA, it would be fascinating to watch the GOP normalize them.— Bob Meyer (@Oscarbob) May 5, 2018

  73. 73.

    satby

    @Old Dan and Little Anne: @NotMax: The National Right to Life organization was very open back in the 1970s that they opposed abortion mainly because it was educated women getting them, not minorities, and that whites would be outnumbered. They weren’t secretive about that at all.
    They still seldom disturb Planned Parenthood offices in minority neighborhoods.

  74. 74.

    Quinerly

    @NotMax: I want to marry that restaurant, too.

    And have many little pop up restaurants and some taco trucks with it.

    ?

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