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One of our two political parties is a cult whose leader admires Vladimir Putin.

Do we throw up our hands or do we roll up our sleeves? (hint, door #2)

When they say they are pro-life, they do not mean yours.

You cannot shame the shameless.

They love authoritarianism, but only when they get to be the authoritarians.

Hey hey, RFK, how many kids did you kill today?

Wake up. Grow up. Get in the fight.

Roe is not about choice. It is about freedom.

Republicans do not pay their debts.

Let there be snark.

Trump’s cabinet: like a magic 8 ball that only gives wrong answers.

Bad people in a position to do bad things will do bad things because they are bad people. End of story.

There is no compromise when it comes to body autonomy. You either have it or you do not.

Insiders who complain to politico: please report to the white house office of shut the fuck up.

Everybody saw this coming.

Hell hath no fury like a farmer bankrupted.

I’m more christian than these people and i’m an atheist.

Good lord, these people are nuts.

I’d like to think you all would remain faithful to me if i ever tried to have some of you killed.

I am pretty sure these ‘journalists’ were not always such a bootlicking sycophants.

No one could have predicted…

Hey Washington Post, “Democracy Dies in Darkness” was supposed to be a warning, not a mission statement.

Jesus watching the most hateful people claiming to be his followers

It’s all just conspiracy shit beamed down from the mothership.

You are here: Home / Open Threads / Good Birthday

Good Birthday

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The birthday dinner:

Crabcakes, broccoli from the garden, and tomatoes with mozz. and basil. Gonna have some raspberries later.

It was a perfect day again- 80 and sunny with a breeze and no humidity. Washed the car, went and got a pedicure, painted the pipes for the shelves, did a little bit of weeding and powerwashed part of the front porch before quitting and saying it can wait until tomorrow and I went and cooked dinner.

I just love this time of year.

*** Update ***

Currently wedged underneath a vicious attack dog:

Send help.

Reader Interactions

57Comments

  4. 4.

    SiubhanDuinne

    That dinner looks wonderful! Hope you have had, are having, and will continue to have, a splendid birthday.

    Thank you again for the miracle you have wrought with this Balloon Juice thing. It’s really an amazing, magical community. I feel vastly privileged to be part of it.

  7. 7.

    debbie

    This time of year, I subsist almost exclusively on farmers’ market tomatoes with basil leaves on toasted sourdough bread. The roof of my mouth is already sore from the toast.

  10. 10.

    NotMax

    Currently wedged underneath a vicious attack dog

    Playing the role of the ottoman umpire.

  12. 12.

    Barbara

    @debbie: I love tomato sandwiches! We spent four hours not far from WV canoeing in the mild whitewater of the Shenandoah. It was just about perfect.

    ETA: WV has the best whitewater in the East.

  13. 13.

    dmsilev

    Happy birthday!

    Made a run to the farmers market this morning, so my dinner tonight was actually not too different. Chicken instead of crab cake, but a salad made with fresh tomatoes, fresh basil, and fresh mozzarella (which, granted, came from the regular grocery store…). Also about 2 pounds of strawberries and a very nice chocolate raspberry scone. And so on.

  15. 15.

    Steppy

    Best wishes. I am mostly a lurker that surfaces occasionally. This community is so important to me and that’s because of your stewardship. Thanks and Happy Birthday!

  16. 16.

    Steppy

    @debbie: that time of year has not quite arrived. Once our slicing tomatoes come in, it’s tomato sandwiches with salt, pepper and mayonnaise nearly every day.

  20. 20.

    HRA

    Happy Birthday, John!
    I am still very impressed with the broccoli from your garden. The rest of your dinner looks very good, too.
    Enjoy your evening!

  24. 24.

    Odie Hugh Manatee

    Happy birthday, Meester Cole! May you have many more and without any mopping/mustard incidents. Same with four-wheeling your rig into a field. ;)

  25. 25.

    SiubhanDuinne

    @John:

    Today, he is a man.

    A very happy 13th to your son. May he make it through his teens with a minimum of surliness.

  27. 27.

    geg6

    @Barbara:

    Agreed. The Cheat is an awesome run. Though PA’s Youghiagheny and the ‘96 Olympic run in the Ocoee in TN are also pretty good runs. I love white water rafting.

    ETA: Happy, happy birthday, Cole! Dinner looks delicious!

  29. 29.

    Alternative Fax, a hip hop artist from Idaho

    Happy Birthday Cole. Wishing you many more, even better ones.

  30. 30.

    raven

    @geg6: Section 4 of the Chatooga is awesome.

    “Each mode of travel comes with our expert instruction, as each kind of craft is unique and rides differently in the water and over rapids. We’ll take you along section IV of the Chattooga, where you’re going to confront the steepest dives of any commercially rafted river in the South. Through a quarter mile flume the river descends over 75 feet into the Five Falls. Each is named to give you an idea of what you’re getting into:

    Entrance
    Corkscrew
    Crack In The Rock
    Jawbone
    Sock Em Dog”

    https://nowhabersham.com/shoot-the-rapids-on-the-chattooga-river/

  31. 31.

    CaseyL

    Happy Birthday!

    And thank you, again, for creating this community. It’s been a sanity saver.

    My deck garden is going gangbusters!

    The tomato plants have about 7 ‘maters growing, all still green and, according to The Google, not likely to ripen for about another 6 weeks.

    The strawberries have lost their minds and are almost more blossom than leaf. One berry is already turning red; there are a bunch of others forming.

    Having never eaten anything I’ve grown myself, I am more excited than is probably good for me :)

    One strawberry plant has put out a long frond with a leaf at the end – is that a runner? Should I do something with it? They’re all in pots, so if it is a runner there’s no place for it to run to. Should I move that one plant to a planter with more room so the runner(s) can take root?

  37. 37.

    J R in WV

    @Barbara:

    ETA: WV has the best whitewater in the East.

    Quoted for truth!!

    Sweet Greenbrier River, Big New River… you can canoe the upper New, you had best kayak or raft the lower New. The Gauley is great, but should be done with experienced people, it is really rough, Class V all the way… I won’t do it, I’m too old.

  38. 38.

    SWMBO

    Happy Birthday!
    And I love the tongue sticking out. (The dog not you). Dinner looks tasty. Did you invite the parents over for dinner? How is your dad doing? How is Rosie? Much healing and happiness to all.

  39. 39.

    geg6

    @geg6:

    And having run all these waters, I still had the most heart rending run in the Yough inhigh water and guiding a bunch of amateurs in an eight man raft. We more experienced rafters were all in four man rafts and had to keep rescuing these idiots. I regretted not using one of the kayaks. Two couples in the big raft thought it was the thing to do to celebrate every rapid by making out instead of paddling or trying to steer. Ugh.

  44. 44.

    J R in WV

    Happy Birthday, John Cole!!

    Sorry I forgot to say that up front. Cute dog, also too.

    When the tomatoes come in at the Farmer’s Market, we start going through the bacon, for the BLTs. Ummm, good. They’re good with cheese and basil too, but nothin’ beats BLTs… nothing!

  48. 48.

    Amir Khalid

    Happy birthday O mighty Blog Lord, and may no plane ever crash on your anniversary.

  49. 49.

    Gemina13

    Happy Birthday, Cole!

    Crab cakes sound marvelous. It’s warming up here in WA, and I’m beginning to think about cold shrimp soup, crab salad, and Connecticut-style lobster rolls, myself. Oh, and grilled salmon, because I’ve got a shitload yet in my freezer, and my darling will need the room for his 50-lb bonus in September. So . . . anyone want wild-caught Alaskan salmon, from the Bering Sea?

  53. 53.

    sempronia

    @CaseyL:

    Plant it into the ground at the angle in the runner where the leaves are coming out to get a new plant, and once it takes, I think you can cut the runner away from the original plant. If you don’t want more plants, cut off the runners bc they’re taking energy away from growing fruit. mmm, strawberries… my plants fruited, and the second wave is in flowers now. Expecting a harvest in a couple weeks!

  54. 54.

    Rivers

    Happy birthday! I’m another occasionally surfacing lurker who appreciates Balloon Juice and the story of your life more than you can imagine. Thanks and many happy returns!

  56. 56.

    Rileys Enabler

    Happy birthday! Thank you for creating this small corner of sanity in an otherwise overwhelmingly horrible world.

    BJ is an island of humanity. Thank you.

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