I stopped the earth and saw its wonder.

Today's Tids Issue 3,896

For simple Wonderment:

I stand alone in the dawning sun, like in a field of diamonds; glistening dew nourishes white daisies; I see new life in day lilies’ pregnant buds. It is a perfect morning; not a sound except for the songs of birds, the lapping of waves beyond the glow.

Last week I heard the marvelous playing of the Star-Spangled Banner by a Junior High School band that sent chills down my spine. Who says kids aren’t what they used to be.

Debt by any other name is still debt, Department:

A rather euphoric headline touts that the USA consumer is at a new low point in household debt. Hooray! The problem is that “official” debtdom doesn’t include large financial commitments like rents and auto leases! And, they are at an all-time high. Rents in fact are soaring and the greatest percentage of renters are typically the lowest segment of income producers. In addition, the auto lease has become popular for those who want big cars for less money or don’t qualify for auto loans. And even more worrisome is that many of those bound to leases are sub-sub Prime buyers. What it all means is that the demands for meeting he obligations of these two major portions of daily spending are squeezing the consumers ability to buy stuff. Could this be anew predicter of a slowdown.

Seasonal variations prove once again that global hominization is not good for human mental satisfaction and contentment. Last night fresh caught Blue fish was back on the menu, and it was amazing; sweet and delicious. The next big treat will be local corn, unless you like all the berries that are out their ripe and juicy for the picking right now. Special treats that happen once each year are worth the wait. And, they are different from region to region. Love what’s special and wait for it.

Exactly what disease did a cured ham actually have?

The Question:

Who did Cher marry after she divorced Sonny? Bonus: In some parts of Germany, President Kennedy’s famous “Ich bin Ein Berliner” (I am one with the people of Berlin) has another almost ridiculous meaning. What is it.

The Headlines:

--Stocks Open Stronger As Tech And Oil Rebound; Durable Gids Orders Fall In May.

--Rumors Saying That Justice Kennedy may Retire; Court To Rule On Trump Immigration Police This Morning; Next Battle For Scotus Seat Will Be Ugly Battle.

--McConnell Looks To Have Healthcare Vote By Friday.

--Senate Questioning Of Former AG Lynch Indicates Dems Should Be Concerned Over Deepening Election Investigations.

--Faulty Aid Bag Manufacturer, Takata, Files For Bankruptcy.

--Columbia SA Tour Boat Sinks – Fatalities Not Yet Determined; Oil Tanker In Pakistan Overturns And Resultant Explosion Kills 153; In China 200 Buried Under Landslide.

--Bernie’s Wife Jane Hires Lawyer After FBI Names Couple In Possible Fraud Situation.

How about the ending of that Travelers PGA champion ship yesterday? Zowie!

I’m sorry, I can’t watch CBS Nightly News any longer. Apparently, Pelley wasn’t the problem after all. The station just has no affinity towards anything conservative, nor does it seem to even attempt seeing positive parts of conservative issues. There is no question now that their basic premise is to get Trump, regardless of whether or not his decisions are good for America -- Always the negative. Always the mistakes. The only problem with not watching the nightly new is that it precedes Wheel of Fortune, and without it I may miss turning into The Wheel on time. Decisions, Decisions.

NASCAR’s Kyle Larson seems to have the pole position just about every week. And, he is winning in Monster and Infinity races – 10 total races: 4 wins, 2 seconds and 2 thirds.

The Dichotomy:

I would suspect that older people are still the largest subscriber segment for real hands-on newspapers. Yet, it is far easier for older eyes to see clearly the type when reading the on-line version.

Mortgage Execs got together to see what was going on in their industry. The vast majority reported that consumer borrowing for home loans has slowed to the point where many banks and lenders are considering relaxing loan requirements and restrictions. In other words, financial institutions are having trouble meeting revenue and profit objectives and they appear to be willing to get reckless again to make shareholders happy. A do anything panic could be dangerous to the economy.  Is this a start of another downturn?

Why would I not be surprised to see the big Cigarette companies getting involved in taking over the fledgling localized pot companies as more and more states approve legalization. I can see visuals of the Marlboro man riding High in the saddle.  Instead of LSMFT it will be FMCD. Instead of Joe Camel. It will be Joe Cannabis amd Mary Jane at the seashore.

But, the real problem with this emerging new industry is that many city and towns are simultaneously passing “No-smoking-in-City-Limits” laws. Don’t you smoke, Pot? Or am I that far out of the loop.

If Jimmy cracks corn and no one cares, why is there a stupid song about him?

One of the big events in town last Saturday was a bowl throwing competition at the ceramics studio of the Newport Art Museum. Hey, you have to do something. I wanted to call it the Hillary Clinton contest, but t didn’t go over well up there.

(Note: In case you aren’t familiar with ceramics, “Throwing” is a term in ceramics to describe creating shapes on a potter’s wheel. Think of Ghost Story – not ashtrays bouncing off of Bill Clinton’s head.)

Why do people keep running over a thread a dozen times with their vacuum cleaner, then reach down, pick it up, examine it, then put it down to give the vacuum one more chance?

Basically what I am seeing is that you need a little innate intelligence to go along with poll results.

It’s sad and hopefully not true, but I’m hearing people saying that we, The United Sates of America, ain’t so united anymore, and may in fact be in our second Civil War. No bullets but the divide between conservatives and liberals appears to have no room for discussion, much less understanding. Indicative of the overt hatred beyond the mindless mental meanderings of celebrities is this quote from the a just terminated Nebraska Democrat Party Operative, Phil Montag: “I’m glad he (Scalise) got shot.” And” “I wish he was (Expletive) dead”. Montag sad he was taken out of context. (?) ]

Is there a longer name in sports than that of LPGA Golfer Pannarat Thanapolboonyaras?

Well, it finally happened and it is disheartening. The local Sears store closed -- finally, after years of threats. I always found that Sears had just about everything anybody needed, and the quality was excellent. I can remember shopping at all of the currently popular stores like Target, Macy’s, WalMart et. al., and finding a better selection of what I needed at Sears. But times change, and unfortunately old timers are dismissed out of hand at times just because they have been around too long.

Remember when political miscreants always covered their asses by saying after some felonious act, “I made a mistake”? Now they all say, “I was taken out of context.”

The Answer:

--Cher left the lovable Sonny for Greg Allman, a marriage that went absolutely nowhere. Bonus: 54 years ago today, JFK stirred a global audience with a well-researched, well-rehearsed utterance of the words, Ich bin ein Berliner”. It was a monumental occasion at the time. But in a couple of regions of Germany, that phrase translates to “I am a jelly pastry”. But the “I am a jelly donut” popular myth translation of the words would not have been taken that way by the throngs at the wall, But in the hinterlands the word ”Berliner” is another name for a jelly pastry. Sweet!

Have great week everybody. Just inhale the beauty of the day, turnoff all media, and smile.

Thanks for listenin’