THE ULTIMATE THUG

Two of a kind?
I'm confused. How our president deem groups
of armed MAGA capped renegades storming
state capitals as "noble"? Why does he support
protests against legislation enacted to protect
those he is elected to serve ? Only to name a
community of locals mourning the unlawful
killing of a fellow resident "THUGS"! What
makes expressing one's anger over not being
able to get a haircut or manicure comparable
to protesting one's outrage over MURDER?
When will we finally be ready acknowledge
Mr. Trump's racism, prejudice, and hate for
the poison that it truly is?

X marks the blot
Sorry, but there is no excuse for his behavior.
No rational explanation for Mr. Trump's racist
slurs against our fellow Americans. There can
be no justification for giving his supporters an
unfair advantage. Rather than offensively call
a spade a spade - let's call out Trump for what
he truly is. An unchecked politically pandering
megalomaniac. Sadly the Minneapolis protests
degenerated into violence, mayhem, along with
destruction of property. However instead of
rising in response to inspire ALL Americans to
respect each other - Mr. Trump chose to slur
Minnesotans, And to fan the flames of hate.

The great divide
We are living in very scary times. As I write
this protestors across American have been
aggressively making their voices heard. As
sadly aggressive and destructive behavior
was also unleashed. Who knows where the
night will end? Will cooler heads prevail?
These crowds are as diverse as the cities they
are happening in. White, black, hispanic, all
representing the real America. Meanwhile in
Washington D.C. the White House went into
lockdown mode. As Donald Trump claimed
he didn't mean what he had said. His weak
excuses ample proof a compromised leader.

Point of no return
Change starts at the top. Hence this crisis is yet
another opportunity for Mr. Trump to rise to the
occasion. To inspire and motivate all involved
to work together to change for the better. While
not an easy process, facilitating such a seismic
shift requires bravery, honor, and dignity. Three
character traits that Mr. Trump lacks. Time and
again he has proved unable to inspire anything
more than hatred, animosity, spite, and discord.
Reason enough to end his role in leading this
great country for another four years. Donald
Trump must be held accountable for his crimes
against freedom, equality, and justice for all.

EXPOSURE TO THE ELEMENTS

Totally out of it?
Lately I've attempted to resist temptation. Or
to be led down a primrose path to a point of
no return. If nothing else to avoid the obvious.
Which as the days go on is neither pretty nor
inspiring. Hence for the past few days I have
tuned out. Purposefully limiting my intake of
unnecessary evils. Which doesn't mean that
I don't know what's going on. Every morning
reading the papers (on-line) and watching an
hour or so of "news". Then instead of going
deeper into the pit I flip the switch. Moving
to things that edify. Like vacuuming, dusting,
or paying bills. Avoiding the inevitable.

You can run but you can't hide
Why am I running away? Is distancing myself
from life's harsh reality a way of processing all
that's wrong with our world? After all, it's not
easy to make sense of what we all are doing to
ourselves. Vital young men are being shot dead
while jogging. Or having the life snuffed out of
them via a knee to the neck. All as more than
a hundred thousand friends and neighbors have
succumbed to Covid 19. Which many consider
a hoax. No wonder I'm trying to buffer myself
from such ignorance. Knowing all too well that
there is little I can do until November. Except
attempt to deal with the nightmare of life itself.

Futile gestures
There is no use trying to argue on Facebook.
False prophets tell all sides whatever they
want to hear. Immersing them in a cocoon
of warped smoke and mirrors. Insuring that
few if any can see things for what they are.
Be they liberal leftists, deep state plotters,
rabid racists, greedy capitalists, or crazed
conservatives. Nobody has our back. All
want a piece of us. Along with our support.
Hence one might suggest that the best way
to survive our political storm is to keep to
ourselves. Strengthening our resolve for the
next battle at hand. The fight for democracy.

The ultimate antidote
The harsh reality is that there are many viral
forces seeking to poison and destroy America.
The majority of which are self imposed. Could
it be that rather than make America great - the
last three plus years have all but destroyed our
American dream? Or is it yet another chapter
in our shared saga of derision, divisiveness, or
delusion? Maybe it's time that we all check out.
To put an end to the foolishishness. Rather than
insure that our collective demise is nothing but
a group sport. We the people are the only ones
who can put a stop to what's wrong in America.
And starting this November let's hope we do...

HIDE & SEEK

Where's the beef?

Recently many shops run short on

essentials. But fortunately there is

no shortage of FABULOUS at 

C+V HOME. Like the set of four

dining chairs shown above. From

the Baker Furniture Archetype

Collection they are in "like new"

condition. And just one sample

from our most recent delivery of

new (yet old) treasures. Things

one can't easily find out west...

Click here to read the latest

C+V HOME BLOG

DAY BY DAY

To see thee more clearly
Day by day spring is creeping in to central
Montana. Months behind our friends out east,
the daffodils just finished. Our tulips are close
to done. The fruit trees are in bloom. While
the larger trees and lilacs should pop within
a week or so. Hence we're enjoying all that
most of our friends and family experienced
a month or so ago. Yet said delayed reaction
makes it seem all the better. Given we live
most of the year indoors, we can't get enough
external exposure. Especially given that last
year it snowed in September. Therefore we
plan to enjoy all we've got. Here and now.

Love thee more dearly
Can one have too much of a good thing? Most
of us tend to take our blessings for granted.
Considering all that is beautiful, magical, and
plentiful surrounding us to be rote. Which may
explain why so many of my fellow Montanans
can't see their forests for their trees. I'm fairly
certain that those blessed to live in temperate
California don't realize what they've got. That
is until some mudslide, fire, or drought takes it
away. The same applies for all of us no matter
where we live. It isn't until some treasure goes
missing that truly we treasure it. No wonder
I love the changes each season brings.

Follow thee more nearly
Which is why there may be something good
within our current Coronavirus crisis. Now
that camaraderie is a precious commodity
versus necessary evil. Given all of us crave
what we can't have. Whatever is missing on
the grocer's shelf is exactly what we desire.
And while not totally shut off from reality,
said hiatus has somewhat surpassed political
swirl. Now what was once deemed "normal"
is incredibly important. Families are dining
together. Parents have plenty of time to play
with their kids. And couples actually talk to
each other. Could we be better off for this?

MIDDLE MAN?

Clowns to the left of me
Recently a friend forwarded a missive full
of political opinion. From a source that I
consider oriented to the right. So I googled
said media organization. Post reviewing a
plethora of rating services I confirmed that
it was deemed "far right" and thus not totally
factual in it's opinions. Next I checked out
several of my tried (and theoretically) true
news resources. CNN was the exact opposite.
"Far left" but aligned in that it too was again
deemed skewed when in relationship to fact.
A quick review of Fox News proved to be
"far right" with questionable facts at best.

Jokers to the right
So who are we to believe? Those who speak
our minds and thus reinforce our opinions?
Or those who edify, educate, and enlighten
no matter the consequences. A quick review
of the New York Times, Wall Street Journal,
and Washington Post showed that two placed
"left center" while the third fell firmly in the
"right center." However all three scored high
on FACT based reporting. Which reinforces
my "gut" that it's best to trust the "papers"
versus opportunistic television empires. All
of the above proving that it's no wonder we're
so confused. And often just plain wrong!

Here I am
Which is why I've decided to do my best to
stay somewhere near the middle. Balancing
both sides of the story. Doing my homework
prior to expressing an opinion. For all of my
friends on both sides don't assume that means
I won't continue to comment of Mr. Trump
himself. You see, my issues have more to do
with his personal behavior, lack of morality,
and just plain lies. All of which I see and hear
myself on a daily basis. While I'll continue to
take Mr. Trump at face value, I going to try
my best to NOT jump to conclusions. And
maintain a balanced fact based perspective.

Stuck in the middle with you
In the end I want ALL Americans to win this
November. Meaning that rather than be mired
in a political schism that can't ever be filled -
I'll attempt to straddle the battle. To find some
form of common ground. And most important
do my part to resolve our political differences.
While we won't always agree, I'm confident we
have more in common than one might assume.
Once Rush Limbaugh and Rachel Maddow are
put in context you may watch Sean Hannity
while I stare at  Anderson Cooper. But let's all
agree to meet somewhere in the middle. Which
is wherever the facts take us. Imagine that...

GONE BUT NOT FORGOTTEN

In memoriam..

While most of our context is staid posed portraits of dead relatives,

in reality, people back then were exactly like us... people.

I've collected a series of "candid" photos

spanning the turn of the century through the thirties.

Let's reconnect with those long gone.

HERE TODAY, GONE TOMORROW.