it really is beginning to look a lot like Christmas

With the release of Trump’s tax returns and the findings of the January 6th Committee, the game is afoot (@ .3 metres). I will leave the unwrapping of these gifts to those who parse well, but how aboot a gargantuan shoutout to Benny Thompson, Liz Cheney and the gang for their courage and determination. This may be the only time I ever agree with Cheney. It was amusing to see a rock-ribbed Conservative remind the Repubs that they once had some principles.

You know that Aging Orange is in uncharted waters when he rips off Neitzsche’s “what does not kill me makes me stronger” aphorism. Most assuredly, Trump will exploit every opportunity to slow the glacial pace of the U.S. justice system, but that just keeps his transgressions in the public eye even longer. There is mounting evidence that the public is as weary of his stalling tactics as it is of his actual sins. No matter how it unfolds, I can’t envision how his crime spree could be resolved before November 2024. Especially since he keeps piling up the wrongdoings.

So that leaves me ample free time to celebrate the Giants’ signing a primo shortstop, to worry about the Warriors’ terrible road record, and to revel in the 49ers wreaking havoc with a rookie quarterback who was the last choice in the most recent NFL draft. Oh, and there are some good bowl games coming up soon.

As I await the next watchable game, my mind wanders (ambles, really) to other topics over which I have no control. Much more often than not, it’s the weather. More specifically, winter. Quite specifically, this winter. It is -7 degrees Centigrade (+19 F.) outside, 10/50 in my office and 18/66 in the room where the woodstove is. That room is so multi-functional, it’s difficult to name. Right now it’s generally referred to as the fire room.

Yesterday, the sliding door in the fire room refused to slide. This is problematic because the dogs go through it often to relieve themselves in the fenced back yard, sometimes pausing to warn off deer, wolves and the occasional beaver. We had to take out the door to clean the rollers on the bottom. This created a @ 30 square foot (@ 3 square metres) hole in the wall for about an hour. The stove has been playing catch-up since.

The current cold snap is our third tour under zero since November. It added 75 mm (3 inches) of snow to our very slowly melting accumulation of 60 cm (15), all of which is supposed to get clobbered by some serious rain this weekend. I find some comfort in breaking down time into bite-sized quantities. Right now, for example, it is only 26 hours until the winter solstice, which will also mark that December is 67% done.

Happy holidays. Better days, as always, are just ahead.