Good morning, America! How are you? 614 days until America turns 250! Probably as soon as next autumn you’ll be able once again to buy Spirit of America branded smog bletching unreliable automobiles and all kinds of products celebrating America’s big birthday, showcased between the garbage heaps and grimy city streets.

Fun times, focus on the future 🔮 as they say. I don’t care about the election, I voted weeks ago. Somebody is going to win, life will go on, winter will come and go, then summer and the Sestercentennial and yet another election. And it will be one more year closer to retirement or at least figuring out what I really want to do with my life. 🤷‍♂️

Another really dark morning with apple 🍏 pancakes 🥞 and much too much caffeine. ☕ As apparently I need more jitters. Heading into the suburban office 🏢 as I start working on updating the database for 2025. Singing 🎤 along with Arlo Guthrie’s City of New Orleans. Big pot with 2 lb of black beans and chickpeas boiling down on the stove, which will provide many good eats for the coming week.

Riding off to work once the sun rise, ⛅ though like many autumn mornings it will be fairly cloudy. I do wish we would get some rain ☔ as it would be good for things to be a bit wetter before the next time I head up to the wilderness for a big ol fire and some cold beer and marijuana. I mean, I could return the used motor oil for recycling ♻️ or heat generation, but what fun is that? As we dream in the red, white blue, dream as a big as we want to, as Brooks and Dunn sing. But won’t America be over if my preferred candidate doesn’t win? 🇺🇸 Doubt it, the air will still taste like silage and manure, winter will still come, and then summer then there will be the 2026 elections to play this silly game all over. 🤡 That said, I’m still a bit sad about the news of Phil Lesh’s death, I’ ve gotten so into the Grateful Dead 🎸 these days. It’s all about the grass. Fun times, at least after my two or three reset for maximum fun between traveling.