strong winds abounding

As Trump Redux gains strength below the 49th, our little island is having epic hard blowing of its own. We are in the midst of a cyclone bomb, which is an atmospheric river gone rogue. We’ve recorded 50mm (2 inches) of rain and winds gusting to 50 kph (30 miles per) so far. Downed trees are blocking roads and the main power system is out. It’s days like this that Jude and I are reminded that we’re happy to be off-grid.

It only took Aging Orange two weeks to get up to breakneck speed. As the recklessness of his appointment choices starts to shine through, the U.S. braces (or doesn’t) for another outrageous four years. I fully acknowledge that the American electorate clearly choose that, though I can’t fathom why.

I tried to distract myself by watching Ken Burns’ four-hour documentary about Leonardo da Vinci. As much as I enjoyed his treatment of the Civil War and absolutely loved his take on the history of jazz, I found this one a snoozer. Regrettably, because da Vinci was probably the Best Human Ever.

At one point, my mind wandered so far that I wondered what a limerick by Leo would sound like. I decided it would be this: There once was a young man from Venice/Who invented the sport table tennis./He said “This clearly calls/That a paddle hits balls/’Cuz it hurts when I serve with my penice.”