Wednesday, September 23, 2020

This past weekend

This past weekend got off to a terrible start. The death of Ruth Bader Ginsburg hit me like a ton of bricks Friday night. I burst into tears, which alarmed my husband, and couldn't stop crying for a good half hour. Not because of her dying (although that in and of itself is sad enough) but because I knew that the Trumpers would be rubbing their hands in glee and would immediately pounce on the opportunity to fill another SCOTUS seat with a religious extremist. (I was right.) And it fills me with despair to think of that iconic woman battling to her last breath to hang in there until after November. She deserved so much better--a chance to rest and enjoy a few years of retirement, at least--not to feel compelled to leave a message with her granddaughter that her "last, fervent wish" was to not be replaced until after our election. She knew what her passing at this particular moment would mean. As my friend Marian so succinctly put it in a text she sent me later that night: WE ARE FUCKED

It's almost too much to bear. This whole year has been nothing but fear, despair, loss. I'm not sure how I'd cope if I didn't have a strong, happy marriage and several like-minded friends to share my anxieties and heartaches with. Marla and Martina came over for drinks on the porch Saturday night, and our first order of business was raising a glass to RBG. This was followed by hours of wine, food, and talk. It was exactly what I needed. The next morning, Sunday, I met up with some other friends, Marian, Paulette, Kathleen, and Karen for coffee at a cafe with outdoor seating. They're all having a tough time with everything that's going on, just like me. Again, it was good to be with like-minded, sympathetic people. We all had a chance to do some venting and blowing off steam. Then I came back home and made a strong effort to forget about the outside world for the rest of the day.

The weather was beautiful. It's finally turned cool, and the nights have been getting downright chilly. Hummingbirds have been sucking down sugar water at the feeder furiously for the past week or so. It's got to be about time for them to depart. I wonder what things will be like here when they return next spring? 

So that I don't end on a sour note, here's a little video of Marco on his porch swing the other day. Gregg said, "You shouldn't put that on your blog. He looks ratty right now!" and he does, but that's all part of molting which he's starting. He's growing new feathers, so I'm sure you all understand. :) Everyone likes a good Marco post, so this should make up for the lack of those lately and all the doom and gloom. 






29 comments:

  1. I couldn't agree more with you Jen. If I'm not angry...I'm very sadden and cry sometimes when watching the news at how he and the gop don't see what they are doing to this country. It's very sad indeed. It's a country I look out and see, but these days feels more like a stranger to me.

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  2. Ever since 2016 things have been constantly sliding downhill. Hold on. It's not going to last forever. I figure in about 3.5 months the Idiot Jerk is going to chose to self exile rather be taken into custody.

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    1. I so hope you're right, Dave. It's hard to keep hope alive these days.

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  3. marco is still a handsome boy! I was hoping he would say something. if I lived closer to you, much wine would be consumed.

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  4. Precious Marco. Does he ever converse with birds outside?

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    1. Sometimes he chatters, and he definitely watches them.

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  5. I am feeling pretty much the same as you, Jennifer. I have not watched news since Friday but today watched the ceremony when they brought RBG’s body to the Supreme Court. I cried again.

    Thank you for sharing the video of Marco to lift our spirits.

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    1. I tear up every time I see or read anything about her death so I do understand. It's all just so sad! Take care. ❤

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  6. Oh I love to see Marco! He is wonderful at taking our minds off you know who! How well I understand your feelings about the Trumpers moving in so fast after RBG's death. I think it is disgusting and immoral that they can not even wait until her funeral is past. Of course we knew they wouldn't. I can't hardly watch the news any longer because it makes me feel sick. I hate to say what really gets me - I am afraid there is a very real chance he could be re-elected. I can't handle that if it happens. I just want to bury my head in the sand as it is!

    How about we all live in a Marco world!

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    1. Hi Bonnie. We all have these same fears. Let's try to stay strong for each other, okay? Hugs.

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  7. I feel your pain! This morning I woke to the news that two police officers have been shot during demonstrations in Kentucky, and that Trump has made comments about Harry and Meghan. When will all this craziness end!

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    1. Hopefully all this craziness will end in January if we can manage to elect a new POTUS.

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  8. I’ve never considered keeping a house bird but Marco is delightful
    Be kind to yourself you are bruised xx

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  9. That's a great place for Marco to swing gently. He can look around and see what's going on. I wonder what the "T" stands for in Marco T. Barlow. I would bet a hundred bucks that it is not Trump. My guess is Theodore after Theodore Roosevelt who had a similar face but whose beak was not as pointy.

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  10. I’m with you. Sending cyber hugs and thanks for Marco.

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  11. You know I have a deep affection for your Marco. I loved seeing him swinging gently and ruminating on the state of the world, the hummingbird flying by. Honestly, most days I just keep thinking, One foot in front of the other. That's all I can do.

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  12. I think Marco looks pretty good, actually! And I caught that passing hummingbird too. And a squirrel on the fence! Olga would be going nuts.

    I couldn't agree more on the state of the world and Ginsburg's passing. It's just one thing after another lately, isn't it?!

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    1. George rarely bothers to chase squirrels. Cats, on the other hand....let's just say it's a good thing he's never out of the fence off leash. We have a lot of cats in this neighborhood and they drive him nuts!

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  13. I love seeing Marco and think he looks wonderful. Enjoyed the little head tilt when the hummingbird zoomed by. Only when you zoomed in did I see missing feathers.
    Since we changed over to Roku I can't get a whole local news program just bits and pieces and the national news I don't watch more than the half hour.
    It helps me deal with all the noise.
    Hugs to George !

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    1. I wondered if anyone would notice the hummingbird! I don't care much about local news (I do read some of it online) and maybe 30 minutes is about all I can stomach of the national news.

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  14. Jennifer,
    I think Marco looks great! He must be super great once he finishes the molting. When I saw the alert on my phone on Friday night, I immediately thought, here we go...and I was unfortunately right. She was a great person and will be missed. And it makes me angry what the Republicans are doing. I hope Lindsey Graham gets defeated in your state. But at the rate we're going, he'll probably win..it seems like one bad thing after another.

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  15. A lot of what is going on in the world in general and in my country in particular worries me these days, but I have developed my skill of keeping inside my own happy bubble as much as possible. For more than 10 days while we were in the mountains, we saw and heard no news. Last night was the first time we turned on the main news on TV. It did not make for nice watching, and it must be even harder in your country, dear Jennifer.
    I am glad to know you were able to meet with your friends, and of course that you have your best friend and love of your life with you all the time.

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