It’s raining.  My big toe still hurts.  Today should be a perfect day for writing.  But, it is not.  To write, one really should have something to say.  And, of course, I do.  Oooohhhh, do not get me started. But I say that at the outset because all that I have to say, I have said already.  Maybe more than once.  Readers don’t like repetition.  I need NEW stuff.

I will point out that there have been a number of counter-protesters who expressed themselves by driving into crowds and shooting people.  A few of them have been associated with the Boogaloo Bois, a KKK-styled alt-right group.  So, the crazy conspiracy blog of a few days ago is a bit less ‘out there’ and it turns out to be a recognized phenomena.  See: https://www.lexingtonchronicle.com/news/who-are-boogaloo-bois-and-what-do-they-want.  Jus’ sayin’…..

Another prophecy of sorts.  The US officially has 113,000 dead from the 2M Coronavirus victims.   I don’t believe it.  I think it is higher and the number is being suppressed.  I know, I know,  “Geez, Dave, conspiracy theories, Boogaloo Bois and now this!  Have you gone mad?”  Maybe.  But Dr Fauci has been removed from the NEWs and he was the only truth teller in the White House.  He hasn’t been seen since April 29 and hasn’t spoken with Trump in 3 weeks.  And the CDC has been muzzled.  And India and South America are peaking….I just think the US was headed for a higher figure and then………things seem to ‘all-of-a-sudden’ get better.  And I do not trust Trump.  Adds up to spin, lies and information suppression to me.  Jus’ sayin’…

The ‘Defund the Police’ movement has some momentum.  But it won’t happen.  Too many are too invested in having a police force.  Emphasis on FORCE.  Having said that, the now-retiring Toronto police chief had been working to ‘soften’ the ‘force’ side and emphasize the ‘service’ side and Cambden, New Jersey, went even further in that regard.  Now the Minneapolis City Council has gone the extra, extra step of actually ‘defunding’ the police.  I think all that will be a wake-up call to everyone in uniform and those attempting to manage them.  Most cities will give their cops the chance to change their macho, semi-militant, uber-belligerent cultures but I do not think we are going to see the end of the bully-boys quite yet.  Too bad.  It is inevitable.

On a different note, this summer is shaping up to be the quietest we’ve had in 15 years.  No one (‘cept daughter) is planning on coming.  A few are ‘considering’.  Sal said, “Holleee!  Without Wf’ers and guests our monthly budget is already much, much less than usual!  Who knew?”   We’d much prefer the guests and family, of course, but the ‘planned for’ budget saving was a small surprise.  It turns out that, with just Sal and me, with all our attendant ‘costs’ that go with living (food, fuel, cell phone and satellite services) our cost-to-live is pretty low right now.  Biggest single cost?  Wine!  Plus projects.  We’re living at less than $2,000 a month and that includes taxes!

Of course, of course, that does NOT translate into an annual projection.  Nor does it include such obscure costs as depreciation of equipment and surprises that are so common, they should be a line item.  But it is still interesting to see how isolation and being unvisited has so altered our cashflow.  I’m guessing a 33% deduction at the very least.  It really just reveals that we have less fixed costs and more variable and discretionary expenses that we have more control over.  That is an OTG thing.

So, we are gonna save up….and buy MORE wine!