mood

In his farewell address to the nation the other night, Joe Biden said, “I want to warn the country of some things that give me great concern. And this is a dangerous — and that’s the dangerous concentration of power in the hands of a very few ultrawealthy people, and the dangerous consequences if their abuse of power is left unchecked. Today, an oligarchy is taking shape in America of extreme wealth, power and influence that literally threatens our entire democracy, our basic rights and freedoms and a fair shot for everyone to get ahead.”

currently reading

As a kid, I always got a Farmer’s Almanac in my stocking. I looked forward to reading the weather and crop predictions, along with the quirky stories and jokes. I’m not sure if it’s nostalgia that drives me to purchase the current edition every year, or if it’s my inner nerd wanting to know what might happen in the coming year. 

*also pictured: my favorite Sharpie® “Everybody swears” 

tin snips

Yesterday, when I picked up the folks to return their old iPhones, Dad found these tin snips laying in flower bed by the billiards room. They were full of rust, and looked pretty bleak.

Today, I used a wire brush to remove the loose rust, then soak them in naval jelly for an hour. A rinse, and some 3-in-1 oil brought them back to life.

Maybe there’s a metaphor in that story. Maybe I just wanted to play with chemicals. I’m not sure.

2025 day 1

Met the folks at 1pm today. Had to park in back, because there were no open spots in the front. Helped the folks reset & wipe their phones for trade-in credit. So that was fun.

This is the stairwell by the folks’ apartment. I’m not sure why but the lighting in stairwell caught my attention. Maybe because of all the gray tones. Gray walls. Gray carpet. Gray skies outside today and a gray mood.

bomb cyclone

The weather nerds are hyped about the bomb cyclone that formed off the coast of Washington state. And, they’re pretty certain that it will produce an atmospheric river here in Northern California. Rain all week, according to the forecast. 

It has rained most of the afternoon here. A slow, soaking rain. Yesterday, I brought some of my succulents inside. Even put in a grow bulb to keep them happy. I kinda like the blue hue to the light.