Overnight snowfall Friday night, a big heavy one, which meant Saturday was pretty much going to be full-on hygge. Made stock from a pile of chicken parts. Made tomato soup from scratch. Made grilled cheese sandwiches for dinner, and we were able to eat together because Kate rolled in from her gig in Chicago just in time.
This miracle of family togetherness repeated itself at breakfast. Then there was a long Sunday Funday brunch with some nice ladies — virgin Marys for the January teetotaler and no one tried to get me to add the vodka — and now I’m lolling around in my long janes, er, base layers and Mister Rogers cardigan. Because I can. Winter sucks, but it has its charms.
And on cold nights when you simply do not feel like cooking, you can have a bowl of Honey-Nut Cheerios for dinner, along with two clementines, because you’re committed to eating healthy.
In the meantime, feel free to check out Kate’s band’s new video and single, which dropped Friday. Featuring Moxi Skates, their first corporate sponsor. Much Detroit, shot on Super8, too.
So. Topic A. Impeachment.
I am tired of talking about it, we all know the issues well enough, but this cannot be emphasized enough: This may be the biggest display of wide-scale cowardice of our lifetimes. Neil Steinberg:
I am certain that opposing Donald Trump is a patriotic duty, almost sacred in its alignment with all concepts of democracy, freedom, morals, human decency. I have no doubt whatsoever that no matter what occurs in this country, it is something I will look back on with pride, or my children will look back on with pride, and if that is in conflict with the general consensus, it will mean that Trump has triumphed—as he might—and we are still in the dark age that follows. But that dark age will end because all dark ages do. The story can’t end with Trump winning. It can’t it can’t it can’t. Enough people will stand up, vote, resist. It has to happen.
I can’t understand it. I love my job, but if my bosses told me I had to ballyhoo Trump, I would give it up. Go do something else. Greet people at Home Depot. At least I hope I would. You can’t predict your own courage with absolute certainty. Nobody expects himself to be hiding in the pickle barrel when the bugle sounds. But I like to think I would stand tall. People do such things all the time, leap into rivers to save drowning people, walk the point on patrol in Afghanistan. Run into burning buildings, charge up dark staircases, guns drawn. Not that I’m comparing rhetoric to actual physical heroism. But putting yourself at risk for a cause. Why is heroism so common in some professions, and so rare in others? So scarce in the United States Senate? This could have been their moment to shine. Instead it is their moment of shame.
(Martha McSally is) terrified. Her state, Arizona, is increasingly purple. She lost her 2018 race for the Senate and ended up in the chamber only by appointment following John McCain’s death. She has to run again this year, against Mark Kelly, the former astronaut, who’s a popular figure. She’s vulnerable, and standing with Trump is almost as much of a gamble as standing up to him would be.
But she once did stand up to him. She used to have guts. Before going into politics, she blazed trails as an Air Force pilot and even sued the secretary of defense when she detected discrimination against women. During her successful campaign for the House in 2016, she pointedly didn’t endorse Trump and just as pointedly spoke out against the behavior that he copped to — no, bragged about — in that infamous “Access Hollywood” tape. McSally had a moral compass then.
Now she just has a hunger to hold onto her suite of offices in the Capitol. She has wagered that emulating Trump is her best bet. At the conclusion of this pathetic excuse for a trial, she’ll vote to acquit him — impartially, of course.
Steinberg points out, in his blog, that while being a U.S. Senator is a big deal, absolutely none of those risking not being re-elected have that much to worry about, materially. They’ll land on their feet in some well-paid post, somewhere. It’s not like they won’t be able to put bread on the table, and they’ll have the peace of mind that comes with being on the right side of history. “Who opposes Trump and wonders if they are doing the right thing? And worries how the future will look back on us? Anyone? I don’t,” he writes. Yep. I don’t, either. They have to know, these senators, what is coming for them, for Trump, and for anyone who stands with him now. They have to. But stand they will.
This is so wearying. Make Twitter silly again — that’s my pointless wish these days.
Ah, Monday awaits. Such a busy week ahead. I hope I have the energy to cook.
Ann said on January 19, 2020 at 8:45 pm
Wow. I never really got the idea of people making videos or photos looking like they were all scratched up from being in someone’s attic too long, but that video really works. I even liked the music.
And Trump, and the Senate. A pox on all of them. But I am greatly enjoying the megathread of photos of Lev Parnas with pretty much every grubby Republican in the country, including Michigan’s own John James. https://twitter.com/SethAbramson/status/1218722810283069441
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susan said on January 19, 2020 at 9:23 pm
Ha ha ha! Ann, that tweet is hilarious. I couldn’t even get to the end of it. So many vile Republicans, so little time…except Lev had the time!
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beb said on January 20, 2020 at 4:36 am
I can;t understand why Lev Parnas is doing all this. Is he’s trying to buy his way out of prison? Probably. But it’s almost like he expects there’s a bullet out there with his name on it. Maybe it’s from Trump, maybe its from Putin, and he is trying to avenge his death by releasing all these documents now so they won’t be made to disappear.
Meanwhile Trump’d lawyers are repeating his claim that this impeachment is unconstitutional. That there are no crimes that rise to “High Crimes and Misdemeanors.” But one charge is bribery, which is in the Constitution, the other is abuse of power which may not be named in the Constitution but certainly falls under misdemeanors.
Then I read tonight on “Nomoremisterniceguy” that there’s a clause on the Senate rules which will allow then to abort the trial in the Democrats treat the Republicans unfairly. I’m not sure he’s stating an actual fact or is repeating something found on Breitbart.com. It all makes it seem dicy whether the trial will last long enough for the House Managers to present all their evidence.
I understand that the Devil is expanding the 10th level of Hell to accommodate as the traitors of the Trump Administration.
Our hygge was 15-bean soup with a big ol’ ham bone and corn bread hot out of the oven. And there’s enough left-overs to keep me putin for the rest of the week.
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alex said on January 20, 2020 at 7:55 am
Broke a tooth on my leftover split pea soup. So decided my Sunday hygge would be stout beer chili. (Canned beans never have stones in them.) The recipe uses eight count ’em eight tablespoons of chili powder, in addition to two tablespoons of cumin and one of paprika. I always thought I was overseasoning my chili using a lot less than that, but the recipe works.
Doucheowitz took on Trump as a client because he doesn’t care about getting stiffed. He just wants publicity, and he’s always gotten it by taking on repugnant clients and making ludicrous legal arguments. It’s only fitting that this will probably be the last and biggest exploit of his career.
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Jeff (the mild-mannered one) said on January 20, 2020 at 7:59 am
Dinner here was a bowl of Cinnamon Toast cereal, sans milk, eaten like popcorn, because the crazy of the day was just excessive. And that was without turning the TV on.
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Alan Stamm said on January 20, 2020 at 8:15 am
What a great video and song! Kate and bandmates are as talented as I figured all along.
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basset said on January 20, 2020 at 8:53 am
Good song with a strong hook, how’s the tour going?
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Suzanne said on January 20, 2020 at 8:55 am
Alex, is that stout beer chili recipe online? It’s sounds tasty.
Watched the first half of the SF/Green Bay game last night and it got so bad, I decided to give up and work out. And I hate working out.
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Jeff Borden said on January 20, 2020 at 9:16 am
Why politicians should STFU about sports. . .
https://www.rawstory.com/2020/01/packers-fans-pile-on-pence-for-jinxing-team-with-boast-theyd-beat-nancy-pelosis-49ers-at-rally-last-week/
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nancy said on January 20, 2020 at 9:48 am
Tour doesn’t start for another few weeks — the official release date for the record is Feb. 14, and they’ll head out sometime after that.
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alex said on January 20, 2020 at 10:23 am
Suzanne, it’s this one:
https://tasty.co/recipe/easy-stout-beer-chili
My tweaks: I chopped up two red sweet peppers that I needed to use up and added those to the onions, along with a nice helping of minced garlic at the end of the sauteeing. Also threw in half a small jar of mild pickled jalapenos.
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Suzanne said on January 20, 2020 at 11:13 am
Thanks for the chili recipe!
This looks good, too: https://food52.com/recipes/66390-stout-beer-chili
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Deborah said on January 20, 2020 at 11:13 am
I made that delicious French pork stew with prunes again. I made it Saturday evening in Santa Fe then reheated it on the wood burning stove in Abiquiu yesterday, we’ll have it again tonight and Tuesday night. Then we go back to Santa Fe on Weds. my husband goes back to Chicago on Friday morning, he comes back to NM on Feb 8th. LB and I will be busy in SF doing projects until he gets back.
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Icarus said on January 20, 2020 at 12:50 pm
brian stouder @ 78 on the previous thread…
I copied what you quoted to my FB page. my FIL liked it, even though he is a Trump supporter (I think he is more anti-Hilary/Demoncrats, libtards, etc than actually thinking The Donald is a good thing).
the thing is, FB does that thing where you will only see so much of the text and then the Read More in italics…so he is only seeing this part:
“If the allegations are not impeachable, then this trial should result in an acquittal, regardless of whether the conduct is regarded as okay by you or by me or by voters,” he said on “This Week.” “That’s an issue for the voters.”
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Dorothy said on January 20, 2020 at 12:59 pm
Kate and her band mates sound terrific. There aren’t enough closeups of Kate, though. I loved the early 70’s vibe of their hair and clothing. Sure hoping that was intentional and not 62 year old me coming to a wrong conclusion!
We’re off today so I made some potato soup this morning to use up potatoes and half and half. In a little bit we’re going to see Parasite at the Neon. I also pieced some more of a large piece of fabric to make it big enough for the back of my newest large quilt, a 40th anniversary piece I started months ago. I need it to be ready to hand off to my friend Holly who will machine quilt it. A nice, relaxing day off while temps are in the teens. Think I’ll go run outside with Nestle for some bracing back and forth with her Frisbee.
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Scout said on January 20, 2020 at 1:08 pm
My friends and I marched for the 4th year in a row yesterday. We even made the news. That’s us in pictures 19 and 20, and that’s me in the pink hat in #20. https://www.azcentral.com/story/news/politics/arizona/2020/01/20/hundreds-attend-phoenix-womens-rally-state-capitol/4519254002/
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Scout said on January 20, 2020 at 4:02 pm
This was an interesting exercise. I was surprised that the candidate who most aligns with me is Steyer. Warren was a close second, though, and she is my primary vote choice unless something drastic happens between now and March.
https://www.washingtonpost.com/graphics/politics/policy-2020/quiz-which-candidate-agrees-with-me/?fbclid=IwAR2gLSh6LqXysizmTuOmYvqy8vsT6qh7vxhLEOYC42GVkkaCNcX3e6HK40Y
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Jakash said on January 20, 2020 at 5:05 pm
A minute-and-a-half-long video portraying the “zipper merge.” Not just for jerks, as is commonly assumed, it’s the best way to facilitate traffic flow. If drivers understood it and one could somehow get them to focus on driving, of course…
https://twitter.com/monicaeng/status/1217887067461554176
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alex said on January 20, 2020 at 5:22 pm
Yeegads. The candidate who aligns with me most is Bloomberg. Followed by Yang. Warren comes up next to last on the list but that’s who I’m planning to vote for.
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David C. said on January 20, 2020 at 6:16 pm
Anyone here ever have a cast on your arm and have it bother your spouse when trying to sleep, even wrapped with foam? Either she turns over and hits it with her arm, or I turn and hit the headboard and wake her up. The size and weight of it seem to be the biggest problem because like I said wrapped in foam. I don’t want to sleep in jerk prison for the next month.
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Julie Robinson said on January 20, 2020 at 6:57 pm
Is jerk prison the spare room? Your wife might think you were less jerky by voluntarily relocating. Happy wife, happy life and all that. We’ve been lucky when it comes to broken bones, and have only had a pinkie finger broken by one child. They taped it up and it was healed in three weeks.
Great video by the band, and I see they’re all wearing bangs. I didn’t know they were a thing again, and am happy to know I’m suddenly in fashion. Hah!
So far we’ve made ham, green bean & potato soup, split pea and ham soup, scalloped potatoes and ham, and beef stew. We are definitely in the comfort food phase of winter. I’ve had a lousy stinking cold for over a week and do little but cough and blow my nose.
Thanks for marching, Scout. I tried to see the pictures but it wouldn’t let me in.
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David C. said on January 20, 2020 at 7:12 pm
Yup, that’s jerk prison. I volunteered, so that’s not a problem. But we would both like a better solution.
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Deborah said on January 20, 2020 at 8:28 pm
Yes Scout, thanks for marching. I went to two of the women’s marches in Chicago, they did have one in Santa Fe on Saturday but I was just back from Abiquiu and I had a million errands to run before going back to Abiquiu on Sunday. I saw in the paper that it was small but energetic at the state capital in SF, that they call the Roundhouse.
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alex said on January 20, 2020 at 9:43 pm
Was literally peeing out of one nostril all weekend, no cold symptoms otherwise, and looked it up online to find all kinda scary stuff about cerebrospinal fluid leaks and meningitis. It has stopped thank God but I still have half a mind to get it checked out.
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Dexter Friend said on January 21, 2020 at 2:27 am
“Curb Your Enthusiasm ” returned and Larry’s bit on MAGA and p-word grabbing was hilarious. He has not lost a step and he does not age.
Since CJ Roberts has to start his day over at SCOTUS and then referee the trial in the Senate in the afternoon, the proceedings cannot start until at least 1:30 PM. The deal is the Republicans in the Senate have rigged it so all articles must be entered as evidence in a 48 hour span on the clock, no exceptions. Rachel Maddow says this will require important trial activity will proceed deep into the early morning hours, all-nighters.
It was encouraging to see Bernie and Warren walking arm in arm Monday at Dr. MLK, Jr. remembrances.
I cook a little…Sunday I made a pot of baked beans and a pork roll, left over from Saturday, was cut up and stewed-up with onions and spices like garlic, added to the mix were a few chopped onion pieces, and the beans and pork plopped into a bowl . I mixed mine together.
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Dorothy said on January 21, 2020 at 6:59 am
Sleeping in the spare room for a month means both parties will likely get a good night’s sleep and isn’t that more important than where the sleeping takes place? I vote for that solution. At our age I don’t discount a good night of sleep with minimal disturbances. It makes all the difference in my attitude (and my spouse’s) the next day.
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alex said on January 21, 2020 at 7:13 am
Kudos to Kate on the video (and the sound!). Much better on my computer at home plugged into a real sound system.
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Suzanne said on January 21, 2020 at 8:10 am
The video was great!
The down side is that now I have to go to work and I am going to have to hold myself back when asked to do something I don’t want to bother with. Hold myself back from breaking into a rousing chorus of “I can’t be what you want!”
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diane said on January 21, 2020 at 8:56 am
The video is awesome!
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Deborah said on January 21, 2020 at 12:43 pm
Well damn, I have to wait until tomorrow before I can watch the video, when I’m back in Santa Fe.
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Scout said on January 21, 2020 at 1:33 pm
Definitely watch the video, everyone! I posted it on FB to help spread the word about Shadow Show. I think they’re awesome. I love their Velvet Underground / Dandy Warhol vibe.
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David C. said on January 21, 2020 at 6:05 pm
Dorothy, the thing is I was sleeping in the spare room and within a half hour, Mary joined me because she was cold and she hates being weighted down with extra blankets. We did better last night than the last couple before that. I’m hoping it’s a matter of getting used to it. We increased the foam padding from 1 inch to two inches and we’ve made a dam of pillows between us. I look like I have elephantiasis and it’s weird turning over, but she says she’s not worried anymore about being hit by it. I’m still a bit worried. We’ll manage, I guess.
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