Wednesday - May 04, 2016

First Out, Last In

Today in History ...

On this day, May 4, 1776, the colonial leaders of Rhode Island decided not to wait for the Continental Congress and formally declared their own independence from Great Britain. When the Continental Congress did declare independence on July 4, 1776, Rhode Island was still not sure if they wanted to be part of the new American nation or go it on their own. Financially, they were in great shape to go it alone, but others in the colony wanted to be part of America. The conflict between independence and statehood carried on for over a decade. Eventually statehood in the new United States prevailed and Rhode Island, the first colony to declare independence was the last colony to ratify the Constitution of the United States in 1790.

By the mid-1700s, the tiny colony of Rhode Island was prospering more than most of the other colonies. The ports at Providence and Newport were doing a booming business in what was called the triangle-business. They purchased molasses from the West Indies. The distilleries in Rhode Island made rum from the molasses, which they sold to slave traders in West Africa for slaves. They shipped the slaves to the West Indies in exchange for more molasses and the process was repeated over and over.

The ports of Providence and Newport were also homes to privateers and smugglers who helped contribute to the thriving economy.

Posted by Drew458     on 05/04/2016 at 11:48 PM   
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another off day

At least I didn’t spend the whole day sleeping again. I don’t know from allergies to p-new-monia, but I’ve got a rotten tight cough that makes my mornings miserable.  And, joy of joys, it’s rained for the past week, and it’s still raining now. Looks like we picked up about 4” in the past couple of days.

All the semi-feral kittehs have come out of their soggy dens on the hillside and have taken over all the chairs outside here on the covered patios. We’ve got covers and padded cushions and stuff on them for just that reason. I guess I’m Ok with that; they stay dry and mostly they sleep all the time. Tipsy surprised me today by bringing her entire brood up here and claiming the old down blanket on the wicker chaise. We had thought she had 3 kittens, a whitish calico, a ginger, and a grey/black tabby, and then we saw her with two little dark tabbies. So, 4 kittens. But today she had THREE itty bitty gingers along with the others, and I think that makes 6. Six teeny tiny little puff balls, OMG. Squee!! Baby cats, 5” long. She has to lie on her back to nurse them all at once. Now add in the 2 or 3 young adult gingers living the high life down in the KatSpa all inclusive resort down on the main patio, plus visits by grubby old MomKat (aka Scowler) who stops by a couple times a day to dry off and mooch some kibbs. Things are quickly spiraling out of control. No more. When this giant bag of kibble is gone, that’s it. Winter will be over, hopefully it will warm up and dry out, and the kittehs can get back in the bushes and start catching mice again, of which we seem to have a limitless supply.

I got into a heated political debate with Bernie while working the guard shack this morning. He is not a Trump supporter. I’m not really sure if I am or not; I can see both sides of that coin, and I don’t know if it’s one I want in circulation. Anyway, B’s contention is that some survey says that most of Trump’s supporters are uneducated rednecks. That’s so biased, I told him. A lot of what Trump says resonates with me, and I’ve got a box full of degrees. A box full? Yeah ... 5 Associate’s, a BS, X credits towards a Master’s, 2 graduate level technical training certificates, each equal to about a semester’s study, and who knows how many mini-certs for all the “employee development” training we used to get back in the day. So what? So why are you here? he comes back with. What? Why are you sitting in this little hut in the rain if you’ve got all this education and ability? He’s right. I quit the rat race. There was no niche for me and I could never learn to play the basic dishonest corporate game. They squeezed me out, but I left almost willingly; I like to work and create and make things better, not rot my days away going to empty meetings and regurgitating buzzwords. But I threw my life away. Thanks old man. Put me in a dark funk for the rest of the day.

Another easy dinner featuring Maesri Thai green curry in a can. Make 2 cups of rice. Skin and bone a big chicken breast and a couple drumsticks or thighs, cut the meat into little bits. Chop up half a big onion. Or all of it. Into the pan with both and a splash of oil to slightly brown up. Add the curry paste. Stir to coat. Add a whole can of coconut milk (always get the first pressing stuff) and set it all to simmer. Want heat? Drop in 2-15 dry red Asian chilies. Take a 12oz bag of Asian Stir Fry frozen veg and a big handful of either frozen okra slices or green beans. 2 minutes in the microwave to thaw it all, then add it to the pan once the chicken has simmered for a bit. Add another can of coconut milk. “Add fresh kaffir lime leaves” it says on the curry label. Yeah right, I just happen to have a lime tree growing right here in my ass. No. I took a slice of lemon and gave it a squeeze over the pan. Good enough. Ladle the meat and sauce onto a plate full of rice, done. Serves at least 5. Once the chilies have softened you can eat them for some zing, but you don’t have to. Dead easy dinner, and it’s actually pretty good.

If it ever dries out I’m going to try to fix the power window in my car. I made it through the winter once we got it closed, but I really want to be able to open it again when it warms up. I’ve got a spool of wire so I can run power right from the battery. Now I need to locate my little Allen wrenches so I can take off the inside fascia of the outside mirror so I can get the door panel off. Then I can actually test the motor and inspect the gears and tracks and stuff.

Ack. It’s time for bed and I have at least 4 loads of laundry to do. Hey, tomorrow is another day.

[ oh shit, sinus eruption. Coughing fit. crap. Can’t hack this stuff loose, dammit. ]

No new word on Peiper. Aww, I miss him and think about him all the time. Hope he’s recovering fully.

Posted by Drew458     on 05/04/2016 at 10:33 PM   
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   Tuesday - May 03, 2016

Somebody Warm Up Yogi Berra

“It ain’t over ‘til it’s over.” But is it over? Is there a large contralto lady getting ready to belt out an aria for us??

Cruz suspends campaign, clearing Trump path to GOP nomination

Texas Sen. Ted Cruz cleared the path Tuesday night for Donald Trump to claim the Republican presidential nomination, suspending his underdog campaign following a crushing defeat in the Indiana primary – allowing the billionaire businessman to effectively leave the raucous primary behind and turn his attention squarely to the general election.

“We’re gonna win in November,” Trump said.

John Kasich’s campaign said the Ohio governor would remain in the race until a candidate reaches the necessary 1,237 delegates. But with Cruz ending his bid, Trump would appear on a glide path to hitting that, having vanquished almost everyone in what was once a 17-person field – and now within easy reach of the party mantle, an outcome some pundits and power-brokers once refused to even contemplate.

Cruz announced his decision to dismayed supporters in Indianapolis.

“I said I would continue on as long as there was a viable path to victory. Tonight, I’m sorry to say it appears that path has been foreclosed,” Cruz said. 

While a Trump-Hillary Clinton match-up now appears inevitable, Sen. Bernie Sanders kept the race alive on the Democratic side Tuesday night by pulling off a projected upset victory in Indiana.

Trump vs. Clinton?  Be afraid.

Posted by Drew458     on 05/03/2016 at 09:49 PM   
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