Shock the Monkey

Great. The CDC says they will have 300,000 doses of a vaccine ready in the next few week to combat Monkeypox. 

Monkeypox. 

It's been a thing for like eight weeks, only 300 cases reported in the U.S.  No deaths.  And yet, "they" already have something to inject into you. 

I'm not an anti-vaxx'r, but c'mon.  We are on year 40 (!!) of HIV, and we got nothin'. Substantially more cases and deaths. And a fuck of a lot more time to develop something.  ANYTHING. 

As you might expect, it's a two-shot thing. So.......yay. 

Most of use are not eligible. 

The vaccine will now be given to people with confirmed and presumed monkeypox exposure. That includes "those who had close physical contact with someone diagnosed with monkeypox, those who know their sexual partner was diagnosed with monkeypox, and men who have sex with men who have recently had multiple sex partners in a venue where there was known to be monkeypox or in an area where monkeypox is spreading," 

Seriously. 

Let's do the math - shall we?   

300 known U.S. cases.  300,000 doses. And the parameters. Even at two does per person, are there 150,000 folks to whom they could even give this?  Yeah yeah yeah - I get it:  "...... and men who have sex with men who have recently had multiple sex partners in a venue where there was known to be monkeypox". 

I don't know this place / these places. And that would be a LOT of 'multiple partners'...............I've heard. 

As it turns out - currently, I don't qualify.  Right??:  I know!  But as you can see by my pic, I at least stand in support of those who do. 

Song by: Peter Gabriel

Record of the Month

I figured I'd do a monthly 'what I'm listening to' kind of thing. This could be viewed as a lame placeholder kind of post. And probably it is. But it's my blog! So there!

These may or may not be newly released disks. They might not even be a good disk - just what is been in heavy rotation in my car (as usually the iPod is playing anywhere else).   

Lately, my 'shuffle' seems to be mostly about the Black Keys.  I'm not complaining. 

Working out is where I hear the most music these days. 70-100 minutes per day of music passing through the phone of i. 

During this pandemic, the Black Keys have been fairly prolific. Three albums in as many years, though their last one was of other folk's blues material. Their newest is Dropout Boogie. 

The Keys have been knowing for merging Southern rock and the blues. They don't stray from what they know here. It's more of the same - some of it good, some of it fair, some I don't need to revisit. That trait would be different than El Camino or Let's Rock. I continually went (and go) back to those recordings. 

I'd say most of their disks have 1-2 radio friendly "hits" and Boogie is no exception. The first two tracks are unsurprisingly the album's first two releases:  "Wild Child" and "It Ain't Over".  But unless you're my iPhone, you're not really going to hear them on radio - satellite or terrestrial - played to death. 

They are good songs, but there are others. The off-beat "Your Team is Looking Good" and the closer "Didn't I Love You". 

The rest of the sons are serviceable and fine, but 34 minutes of music is a little skimpy. But again - three albums in as many years. Material might be dwindling. And Billy Gibbons from ZZTop doesn't make that big of impression with me. I get he's a good guitarist, but so is the Keys' Dan Auerbach.

Unlike some Keys songs / albums, I will put them on to listen. Boogie comes on while I'm lifting or doing cardio and it is fine. It helps me power through, but I'm not necessarily pulling it back just to play. Again, none of  it bad, but most of it done before. 

App of the Month

Actually this is an app for you NOT to get.  Well, Apps........plural. 

.....and this applies really only to my child bearing years female readers.  You know - probably none of you. Still, it's not bad information to pass along. 

While clearly not in my wheelhouse, or anywhere on my would-be radar, there are any number of apps that will track a woman's cycle - be it for her period or fertile friendly days. 

You can assume one uses them when they want to know when Aunt Flo might be stopping by for a visit.  Some probably do want the stork to stop by, and are gauging that. 

In the past, I've always assumed that whomever can track your phone usage. I just never cared. My thought if they want to see my browser and app history, that's on them on what may or may not shock them. Or bore them. If I shock or bore them to death - either way I win. 

However, in light of recent SCOTUS events, well......and the U.S. becoming more and more of a police state and Germany circa 1932-39; it probably pays to take a few steps to slow them down. 

Women of child-bearing years, who are tracking their cycle should probably delete any of the period tracking apps - and there are many.   Clue. Flo. Eve by Glow. My Flo. Cycles.   The list keeps going. 

Still, if any state is imposing fines for NOT having a child - yes, Texas, I'm looking at you......and I'm sure many to follow......it's probably best you delete those fucking apps and go back to a paper calendar hanging in your office cube with red X's through certain days of the month. 

When SCOTUS and Congress want to control a woman's body and choice, trust me, they seem to be all in, which means you will all be out. 

You can call it paranoia, but these motherfuckers are playing hardball.  

My Music Monday

Music by which to run.  'Tis the theme. 

Thanks to 12 of 12, I only have three entries this month. I suppose I could extend the theme into next month but add "new music" to that too. We shall see. 

One of my go-to songs when running is "Stuck in My Car" from the Go-Go's much ignored last full-length album, 2001's G-d Bless the Go-Gos. 

The song has a good and up beat. It's not for warm-up or a cool down, but for the full-on gait. I don't play it every day, but probably twice per week. 

There are actually a few good songs from this disk for exercise time, but running, "Stuck in My Car" is the best. 

Erase and Rewind

I knew the abortion ruling was coming.  We all did. We knew what the ruling would be - and yet, I took it like a punch to the gut. 

The relaxed gun shit was a bit of a surprise too.  So the week for many of us wasn't great. We are living in the wild west - guns and where women's rights are dependent on white men. 

I will admit, I don't have fully formed thoughts on a lot of this. That gut punch knocked the proverbial wind right out of me. The decision announcement to drafting this has only been 36 hours too. 

Chatter on the intertubes has me up in arms - on all sides I might add. Mind you, I don't know a lot of pro-lifers, or they have the common decency not to say anything to, or around, me.  I stopped self-inflicing wounds by really not looking much at things like Faeebook.  

But butthole politicians are having the nerve to use my phone number to text me: Nancy Fucking Pelosi texting me for $$$ to fight this. 

Sorry you stupid twat, that fight is O-V-E-R. And guess what, it's over for my life time.  It took 50 years to overturn Roe v Wade. Do the math on these asshole judges sitting on that bench and anything that comes before them in their lifetime term.  Oh - and 2024?  Welcome to another republican president who will appoint more republican judges. 

Seriously Nancy - what the fuck are you going to do with the $20 you're asking from me? Building a time machine, are we? 

This was my response to "her":

I knew it was a bot, and I knew no one was actually reading it. But for a nanosecond, it made me feel better. 

I also got one from Ohio's wanna be a senator, pretty much asking for the same thing, but to defeat his wanna be rival.  I feel forced to vote for Tim Ryan in the fall, but honestly, he I believe he will be Joe Manchin II.  His current ads tout how often he agreed with BLOTUS.  I get he's trying to sway fringe righters, but he's alienating me.................big time. One of his sayings is roughly, "I don't represent ANY party".   Clearly.  So - then why should I give you my money? 

Of course, the second sting is from Clarence Fucking Thomas' written decision show way above. He's coming for contraception and same-sex marriage. 

I am fighting making this post about the potential dissolution of my marriage. Don't get me started on a threat to a woman's right to contraception and the pro-life shit. I get they don't see the irony in it, but it is a fucking dangerous irony. 

What they do get is that while saying no to abortion is not saying yes to the child.......after it's born. There will be no affordable housing for the working class (or impoverished) who are forced to have children.No one in this congress is increasing funding for WIC or food or heat for the families of these kids. Schools will not be funded for sex education and contraception (see C. Thomas reference two paragraphs above.

There will be no one picking these kids out for adoption or fostering - which are roughly 100,000 a year for adoption (and that's just US kids, not foreign ones) and the 424,000-672,000 children in the foster care system - depending on the year. 

The social services are not the GOP strong suit. 

The church is loving this though. An endless supply of pre-teen hole for all the priests!

When I say it's too late for Roe v Wade - and it is - it doesn't mean people should stop fighting this. All of it. Each of these things will get peeled away. In theory this could really jack up the mid-terms, but those are months away and we have a strong history of short term memory issues. 

But we are going to have to fight for gay marriage (again), voting rights and no doubt civil rights. More than half the justices lied when they said "Roe is settled law".  Maybe a few follow-up questions would have been prudent. 

So there is no reason to believe other laws in the books are not about to targeted. 

Welcome to the new reality.  

Song by: the Cardigans

Poses

Well, SCOTUS made sure it was. shitty end to a shitty week.  I'll need 48 hours to even think clearly, should I choose to blog about it.   Until then.........cats and dog. 

Shep even looks like a goof. 

She's just hanging - like usual. 

After school pick-up for Dr. Tongue. 

One of Becky's cats. 

She busted into my private time in the bathroom.  She got ear scratches. I got purrs. 

He really should have a modeling career. 

Top of the landing. No one gets past without approval. 

Song by: Rufus Wainwright

Yes, We Have No Bananas

I am exhausted. And I have nothing planned or drafted. 

This the blog version of a 'snow day' for you. 

Count on Me

Inadvertently, I caught snippets of news yesterday. Luckily, it was bad news with a slight bow. 

Well, some of it. 

This insurance guy / agency in Maine who wasn't even passive-aggressive when it comes to his / their racism. 

I get he probably isn't technically employed by Progressive, but they should be cutting ties with him, and would expect that any day now.  I hope. 

On the better news pieces - both revolve around the insurrection of January 2021. 

g-d love the election guy from Georgia (attorney general?) who would not budge and countered each of BLOTUS & Co's lies about election fraud. Of course, BLOTUS lovers broke into his house and threatened his family. But he stuck to his guns - and then testified in Congress about it. 

And then, the British documentary crew who was with BLOTUS & Co on the Ellipse - hearing, seeing and FILMING everything. And that this investigative committee got unaired, unedited footage of these file, law-breaking people.  And I LOVE how the BLOTUS & Co are collectively shitting their pants over this, as his legal team seems to be blindsided.  

Perfection. 

....which is more than you can say about the lying dirtbag of one of the Dakotas (does it really matter which one? I mean, IS there a difference.........really?) who was driving, hit, killed a guy, skipped and lied (because you want a lying legal head of your state government).  I mean, allegedly, the guy's glasses were in the accused's car, either because he picked them up or because the guy's face went through the windshield.  Oh - and he thought he hit a deer.  ......who wears glasses.  

Anyhoo - he was impeached and barred from holding office again.  At least in that state.  A GOP sentator thinks the guy didn't meet criteria for impeachment.  I'm not sure what that threshold would be with this party.  Look at January 6th - there is no criteria for impeachment, even if it's orchestrating a coup. 

Song by: Jefferson Starship

Site of the Month

Technically, the 'site' is Instagram, but the Tips from the Emergency Room clips are also on YouTube and I'm guessinTikTok. I don't know about that last one, because I am not of that demographic. i.e. I'm old!

If you haven't worked in a hospital - even if not specifically in an Emergency Department (as yours truly has done) at worst you get an education on how and why and ER works the way it works. 

At best, you get entertained at the same time. 

The Asian "doctor" (I don't know he really is one), has a nice patter and tells you about Time of Death, CPR and Bedpans...........and the like. He speaks somewhat quickly, but clearly and I don't think he's gotten through one without letting the word "motherfucker" roll off his tongue - but in a good way. 

He cute-ish and very affable. 

And believe it or not, he is accurate. 

All of the videos - and there are a number of them - are kept upbeat and somewhat humourous, while it educates you should be be the patient there, or bringing one in. 

Should you not have - or want - Instagram, just type in "Tips from the Emergency Room" into your YouTube search.  I think you'll be glad you did. 

Here's a sample: 

Shopping with Blobby

Yet another installment in the drudgery that is everyday shopping. The camera-phone makes it a bit more fun - though I get looks whenever I take pics of products. Like I care what people think. 

For the second time in my life, I've tried getting glasses on-line. Time #2, while not a home run, at least is a lot better than time #1. 

I have expensive tastes when it comes to eyewear. More often than not, that "perfect" pair wears out its welcome before my next eye exam. That said, I still like my last two sets of glasses. But it had been two years and I thought it was time for a new set. 

However, I figgered since I had two decent and pricey pair, I'd go the much less expensive route. After perusing a couple of on-line vendors, I stumbled upon Payne Glasses. Going a little further, I stumbled upon the frames on their entry page for Men's Eyewear. 

Of course, I looked at other options on their site, but I kept coming back to this 'new arrival'. 

Coloured frames hadn't been in my repertoire. Black, brown, brushed silver maybe. And out and out colour?  Nah.  But the contrast of the brown arms and the front-facing green portion intrigued me. 

It didn't hurt that with progressive lenses, these were only $52. 

Blobby couldn't stop there though Yes, I got lenses that would transition in the sun. Or that should, I should say. That added $60 to the pair. Still, $112 is a lot cheaper than the 5-6 times I'd pay at the optical store. 

Oh, and since it was my first pair from them, $32 for insurance. If I didn't like them, they'd take them back. I'd get reimbursed except for shipping and well, the insurance. 

From order to delivery, it took six days. 

Oh - and this is mega important: I don't understand glass sizing in the slightest. I did zero research on it and since it was a brand new release, somehow their software wouldn't let on virtually try the glasses on. So, I bought them not knowing how they'd fit or how they'd even generally look.  So..........ya me?

As it turns out - they fit. 

The nose bridge is fine. The arm length is fine. I think they might be a little too wide in the lens area, but no one else seems to agree with me. It seems I'm more than easing into my Jewish old man look. A slightly hipper Swifty Lazar. And only slightly younger. 

The lenses themselves are A+.  Clear. Clean. The progressive part changes where it's supposed to.  The tint? Not great. Almost non-existent. 

It's looks darker than it is in this picture, but I went with a brown tint to somewhat match the frame arms. 

If I get a next pair, since they did such a good job, I could ditch the tinting and the insurance and save myself $100. I would buy 7-8 pair for the price I paid for my "real" glasses.

The green looks great, but it doesn't truly stand out, depending on what you're wearing. It gives more than a hint of colour, but doesn't smack you over the head for attention. 

Even for roughly $150, it's a decent price for a decent, if not perfect, pair. 

My Music Monday

Song to which I can run, is the theme.  Some of them are less expected than others, I would think. I suppose it depends on the runner, 

For me, the rhythm section has to be solid, but the tempo has to be 2/4 time. This is true for the warm-up and run.  Cool down can be anything it wants. 

As I often double-tap my Apple earpods, I sometimes needs to skip a few songs on the way to one that works.  And one must be careful, as up songs often have a break into a slower section that just fucks up my stride, even though it shouldn't. 

So while I like the Dandy Warhols' "Smoke It", until it popped up last week while running, I don't think I would have considered it one of those songs to which I can move. 

I was wrong. 

Now, I get it. This is how I run and my gait isn't everything it could be. I'm not one of those elegant runners with a great stride. So - do what works for you. 

But here are the Dandy Warhols. 

Ad of the Month

A.   I'm drunk.  Way drunk. 

B. I'm getting this under the wire. Or later than my usual 00:07 publish time. 

C. This wasn't my original post for the day, but...........well......see A. 

'Tis true.  I am drunk and I am racing (well.........relatively) to finish this post. 

As we were day and night drinking (again.....see A!!!), my friend Morty mentioned a commercial that is playing on local stations in the Dayton area.  We stood around, drinks in hand (or adjacent) watching this......multiple times and laughing. 

That said, I hope it gets its point across. 

I'm missing my publishing time by 2 minutes.  Not bad for being on a semi-bender.

Room with a Vew

The work week was stressful. Still, as always, you put those things to the side when it comes to the pets. They need the love and attention more than I do, and they really kind of live for all of it, so why not? 

Sleepytime Girl. 

Something had his interest. I'm guessing a squirrel. 

Bailey had a spa day. 

710 has the best co-worker, ever. 

Checkin' out the scene. 

Birthday dinner. She was not patient. 

Picnic with a view. 

Song by: Marti Jones

You're So Vain

I am a wee bit tired, but this made me laugh.........more than I care to admit. 

I've read blurbs about her Netflix special, which seems more common than special. She films herself - or has others film herself - getting news she didn't get nominated for her being in a movie about stripping.  I mean, for fuck sake, you don't hear Tatum Channing (Channing Tatum?) whining about the same thing, do ya? 

I am with her on her assessment that is was stupid have two acts at the Super Bowl. Shakira and J.Lo?  Exactly!  Having none would have been a lot better.  Shakira's hips might not lie, but neither do my lips. At least in this case. 

I'm a little surprised she doesn't have a Grammy since they give those things away like candy on Halloween. Oscars too. Yeah - I'm looking at you Cuba Gooding Jr. 

But to whomever wrote the meme above.......thank you!  It was not in vain. 

Song by: Carly Simon

You're Sixteen

My friend, Jon, has commented on how inappropriate this Ringo Starr song is / was......even back in 1973. I suppose it is, unless he might be singing about his cat, and not the teenager he's trying to bang. 

See, I can say "singing about his cat" because yesterday, Sophie had her Sweet 16. 

It's amazing we got her back in 2006, months after Kylie passed. But Tovah was so lonely - until this monster came into the house. How a 2.2 lb kitten could be alpha to a full grown cat amazed me. 

But Soph is a good girl, who, overall, is in pretty good health, though I am experienced enough to know this time is a critical age area for cats.  

She plays, she jumps on things when she shouldn't. She purrs. But she HOWLS.  Something g-d awful, a sound you haven't heard before. 

We are guessing some kitty kat dementia maybe?  I know she knows where we are, but she will just HOWL.   .....and at times you'd really rather she didn't. 

Since just past kittenhood, she's always been Rubenesque. But in the last 18 months, she is down to what a cat should weigh - about 9lbs. It's hard to see her and think she isn't thriving because she isn't chunky, but I have to tell myself it's a new phase. 

We monitor her food intake and box output, just to ensure all systems are semi-normal. 

Most importantly - and for the most part - she gets along with her brother. He rarely sees her as prey anymore, which is good. 

Still............16. I'm amazed and we are lucky she is still bringing us love all these years later. 

Song by: Ringo Starr

Dallas

I've been writing this blog a long time - and have mentioned this before, but I get no one is retaining things from 6,300 or so posts. 

When I was in 6th grade, I read the entire Warren Commission. For whatever reason, I was semi-obsessed with the Kennedy assassination. It was the first book I read on it, but hardly the last, as I'd end up going through dozens. 

Fast forward a few dozen years, and I'm having breakfast tea with my friend Jeanne. We were just chatting and I heard these two old(er) men next to us talking about the Kennedy assassination. I only eavesdropped a little. 

I told Jeanne, and mentioned my reading of the Warren report. It was the only book I wanted when I cleaned out my parent's house, and it wasn't there. I'm assuming it got pitched years ago in some purge my mother went through. 

As it turns out, Jeanne knew the guys next to us (through her mother) - both in their 90s. One guy was making a movie (I know it didn't sound right to me either) about the assassination.  The other was a former judge who - wait for it - served on the Warren Commission!!! 

I said, 'no offense, but I'd rather be sitting at their table!'.  It wasn't quite untrue. 

Fast forward another two weeks, and Jeanne had me stop by to give me something - two 1st editions of the Warren Commission. She hoped one would be the same as what my parents had. They weren't. 

Now, I haven't looked it up, but there are two different publishers, so I'm not 100% sure that both (or either?) are actually 1st editions. Still, it was a great gesture. 

Even better, Jeanne, via her mom, said the judge would love to have coffee some time and talk. With me, that is. 

I have to believe this would be better than meeting Coldplay backstage. But I'm guessing so would having pink eye. 

....and now I have two copies of the Warren Commission on my bookshelves. 

Song by: Johnny Winter

(K)Nights in White Satin

In case you weren't aware - White Supremacy is alive and thriving in the U.S. 

When we bought this house two years ago, the previous owners left behind 4-5 tiki torches. At one point they were probably whimsical for a backyard evening party.  All I see are white folks in Brooks Brothers shirts marching in Charlottesville. 

Of course, maybe the previous owner took them to (and brought them back from) Virginia to march through their streets to scare off the black and Jewish populations. I mean, what do we really know about our neighbors and acquaintances? 

We're never using these torches. 

Like clockwork, I said after the backwards fucktards got their hands on regulating women's bodies, they're coming after the 'mos.   ......and they did. 

31 white nationalist pussies from all over the country gathered in northern Idaho with probable plans to riot at a Pride rally in Coeur d'Alene, the gayest named city in the state. 

I call them pussies because of course, they covered their faces at time of arrest, so they wouldn't be identified. I LOVE that the Coeur d'Alene police released their mugshots, names and where they resided. They're "man enough" to take on the homos, but fragile enough to fold like a house of cards. 

Still, the Patriot Front are scary as fuck. 

Here's a little info from the Anti-Defamation League: 

• members maintain that their ancestors conquered America and bequeathed it to them, and no one else
• Patriot Front justifies its ideology of hate and intolerance under the guise of preserving the ethnic and cultural origins of its members' European ancestors. 
• An African may have lived, worked, and even been classed as a citizen in America for centuries, yet he is not American. He is, as he likely prefers to be labeled, an African in America
• A central tactic to Patriot Front is 'flash demonstrations' -- privately planned and unannounced events that allow groups to promote their beliefs while limiting the risk of individual exposure, negative media coverage, arrests and public backlash

Oh - and now the police department are getting death threats for arresting the dipshits. That was just a matter of time, and only a little while longer before one of these groups acts upon that. 

This country sucks. 

And just to fuck with them, here they are, and I'm linking to their arrest records with their names for all to see for years to come.  Or until I end this blog.  Neanderthals, all. 

Song by: Moody Blues

12 of 12

So I'm doing my 146th 12 of 12.

Normally it is 12 pictures taken on the 12th of the month. Since I only post once per day, you get my images the following day. All pictures taken with my iPhone. Click images to enlarge, if you choose.

Created by Chad Darnell and picked up from, what I can tell, any number of random bloggers who then link back to him and vice versa. Chad is no longer doing this, nor is successor coordinating the linking of other 12 of 12'ers anymore. Erik is back and I think he's picking up 12 of 12 again.

05:46. Sunday. So I slept in. Till 6:15 ish. 

06:49. I start each day with Worldle (did it in one!), then Wordle (did it in four) and peppered in there is Spelling Bee, which took far too long. 

08:48. Gym time. 

So now you know I've been to the gym at least three times.  OR, I was clever and went once and took a lot of pics for pretend.  Only my scale knows the truth. 

10:24. Tea time with my cousin. 

We used to do this twice per weekend. Now I'm lucky if we do it twice per quarter year. I need to change this. 

12:06. Groceries. 

Most everything is healthy. Relatively. 

13:02. Shep's weekly adventure to a park and walk. 

Well, actually, every Saturday and Sunday. Regardless of weather. 

Driving through the Cleveland Cultural Gardens. 

14:55. Enjoying some sandwiches from a local smokehouse (thanks for the tip David!) and enjoying the shade and Lake Erie as a backdrop.  

Far too many kids cavorting around. Shep no likee. 

15:23.  After his 18th trip around the park, I said to 710 - "man, he must be drowning in so much pussy!"

17:51.  One stone. 

17:00. Ready for weekly Zoom drinking meeting with friends. The only good thing to come out of Covid - except for not having to shake people's hands. 

I used the wine glass, for sure (x 3) but ended up using my phone and not the laptop for the meeting. 

19:31. Drunk-ish grilling. 

Bone-in, skin-on chicken with a teriyaki glaze. 

20:23.  Pre-trash day. 

The only thing worse than putting these out the day before, is rolling them down the driveway before 05:00. 

There you have it. Yet another month of this. 

Don't Came Home a-Drinkin' (with Lovin' on Your Mind)

I'm struggling for an entry. 

January 6th hearing?  Meh.  And to be honest, I can't bring myself to watch them or read about them. I get snippets from my friends, and even that is painful to hear. Mostly, because I know the ending:  nothing is going to happen to anyone. 

Even the timing is to fuck with the mid-terms and the Dems will be weak on that too, and I believe they can (and will) easily lose the House and Senate. 

The bigger reason for my struggle is:  I might be drunk. 

....and of course, by "might be", I think we all know that I am. 

Not like it was a bender. I just met two friends at 17:00 for a beer, which became three. And the alcohol percentage might have been higher than normal. 

Now I'm just trying to stay awake until bed time. 

More tomorrow. 

Song by: Loretta Lynn

Cats and Dogs

It is Saturday, so it is dog and cat day. 

Sophie's spot of choice, when she's not with us. 

Sunday hike in a reserve. It was chilly out. 

Bailey turned 3 yesterday. 

Her words per minute are in the low single digits. 

Goofball. 

Shep could not claim his space, as someone else had already done so. 

He was perplexed as to what to do next.  Sophie gives no fucks. 

Song by: the Head and the Heart

in Bloom

As is the usual, after work, we walk Shep. Our 'new' neighborhood gives us a number of different routes, depending on how far we want to go, or in which direction. 

Now and then we veer off our intended path, usually due to an oncoming dog, often who are not on leash. And we aren't wearing masks...........or taking chances. 

Yesterday, Shep was in the grass near a school, so he could roll around. 710 had me come over and look at something. 

You'll have to click on it and enlarge to read what, to me, amounted to a tombstone. 

It's marker, for the class of 2004. 

As this was an elementary school, was it for the class that would graduate in 2004, or "graduate" to middle school in that same year?  If the former, those kids are, what - 36 now?  If the latter, ore like 29.

If you noticed, their 'tree' did not grow and bloom like the class of 2004. 

Or did it? 

Has anyone checked on them - these 29-36 year olds (and some guy probably named Gary, who was held back twice)?  Maybe they "bloomed" exactly like this tree - unsuccessfully..........and then they died. 

The marker, and failed tree, could be a metaphor for the class. No doubt, someone named Abigail is heading the 20th reunion that is coming up in just under two years. But if the tree is an indicator, half the class fell victim to fentanyl mixed in their street heroin. 

FYI - my dad attended this school...............in 1926!

Song by: Nirvana