Today’s Earworm
Posted by daddybear71 on February 24, 2025
https://daddybearsden.com/2025/02/24/todays-earworm-844/
3 Years On
Three years ago, the forces of the Russian Federation, on orders from the dictator Vladimir Putin, violated the borders of Ukraine with an aerial and ground assault. At the time, I gave the Ukrainians a few weeks, at best, before they were forced to capitulate. I wasn’t cheering for the Russians, but the numbers difference between the two nations, both in military equipment and in manpower, led me to believe that Russia would be able to steamroll its way at least through Kyiv.
I was overjoyed to be wrong. After soundly defeating the Russian airlift into Kyiv, the Ukrainians first held their own, then were able to take back territory in quick, coordinated strikes at key Russian positions. Wise purchases of western gear and training before the war, followed by a flood of western aid since, combined with the will and strength of the Ukrainian people, kept the Russian wolf at bay.
Since then, however, the war has been a meat grinder.
An entire generation of young men and women on both sides is being slaughtered, not to mention the civilians who have suffered and died due to Putin’s criminal methods. War crimes reminiscent of the worst days of the Yugoslav wars happen on a regular basis. While Ukraine has been able to hold the line in most places, and even advance in some unexpected directions, Russia is spending the lives of its young men like water in order to slowly wear down Ukrainian defenses and make progress in critical parts of the front. “The cost of a mile” should have died in 1918, but is alive and well in 2025.
Now, support for Ukraine balances on a knife’s edge. Ukrainians, no matter how brave and dedicated they are, rely on a steady influx of aid from Europe and the United States. The United States is questioning how that aid is spent, not without cause. Even the Ukrainian government admits that pilferage of materiel and funds accounts for a massive portion of what’s been provided.
President Trump, for better or worse, has begun shuttle diplomacy between Ukraine and Russia. His methods, and especially his rhetoric, leave something to be desired, but his goal to end the killing in a way that both sides can live with is to be commended.
Neither side, on its own, will be able to achieve its war aims. Russia can continue to treat the blood of her children and the treasure of her nation as grist for the mill, but for how long? Ukraine, no matter how just her demands that her territory be restored, will never be able to accomplish this militarily.
This war and what has happened in Russia since Putin took power breaks my heart. When I travelled and worked in the former Soviet Union, every young person dreamed of freedom and wealth. Everyone had a hustle, everyone had a plan. Now, I see all of that zeal to make their lives and their nations better squandered through a dictator’s dreams of restoring a corrupt, inhumane empire.
Let us all pray that the war is settled, at least for now, in a way that both sides can live with, and that peace of a kind returns to a land I know to be beautiful and a people I know to be gracious and brave.
In the end, a way must be found to push Russia out of the land she has stolen. Let us also pray that this can be achieved, in time, through peaceful means.
Until then, Slava Ukraini.
Posted by daddybear71 on February 24, 2025
https://daddybearsden.com/2025/02/24/3-years-on/
Today’s Earworm
Posted by daddybear71 on February 18, 2025
https://daddybearsden.com/2025/02/18/todays-earworm-843/
Rumblings
- When you plan for a weekend getaway in Indiucky in February, you cannot plan for the weather.
- Make sure you have contingencies for rain, snow, hail, and frogs falling from the sky.
- Note to self – Work on your facial expression when told that the breakfast buffet was $21 a person. Also, do not ask if for that price you are given your choice of pig the bacon is cut from and which chicken lays the eggs.
- While enjoying a delicious meal in a delightful little German restaurant, pay no mind to the marching music coming from the dining room speakers. They don’t mean it that way.
- Also, waitresses in southern Indiana may have a hard time when you pronounce the names of the dishes with a semi-Bavarian accent.
- It’s “Potato Pancakes” not “Kartoffelpuffer”
- Being able to pronounce “Kasespaetzle” doesn’t help. Just say “Cheese noodles”
- She did, however, know what I meant when I said “Oktoberfest” when asked what kind of beer I wanted.
- Having two liters of good German beer with dinner, then going to the souvenir shops across the street can get expensive.
- Luckily for me, Irish Woman kept me out of the casino after two liters of good German beer. At least I exchanged hard-earned money for a carved wooden bear, instead of just pouring it into a table or machine with blinking lights.
- A sign that building standards were different in the 1900’s is that we stayed on the top floor of a 150 year old hotel this weekend and I didn’t hear the ferocious thunderstorm that came through last night.
- Wild Turkey Rare Breed might have had something to do with that, but I’m going to give credit to the quality of our accommodations.
- That being said, the continual phone calls and text messages from the Louisville emergency service made sure I didn’t miss a thing.
- Note to self – When trying a less expensive local cafe for breakfast, control your facial expressions when you discover that their coffee tastes like iodine and old turnips and their omelets are overcooked in one aspect, undercooked in another, but are still tasteless.
- Stopping at a rural gas station to obtain caffeine means overlooking the hollow glass ‘flowers’ that are next to the vape cartridges at the checkout.
- After the thunderstorm, it started snowing. So, in addition to flooded two-lane highways, we had black ice and freezing slush to make the drive home stimulating.
Posted by daddybear71 on February 16, 2025
https://daddybearsden.com/2025/02/16/rumblings-22/
Valentine’s Day Weekend Safety Brief
- Don’t subtract from the population – Valentine’s Day is a great day to find out that your significant other has been sprinkling the landscape with their affections. If this should happen to you, take a deep breath and remember that they’re not worth the prison time.
- Don’t add to the population – Ever wonder why obstetricians always look like hell around Thanksgiving? It’s because folks lose their everloving minds around Valentine’s. Unless both parties involved are fully aware that a child can be the product of PX jewelry and gas station flowers and agree that putting a bun in someone’s oven is a good idea, take precautions. Remember, Captain Condom says “Wrap that rascal!”.
- Don’t drink and drive – Yes, that pink champagne goes down real easy. So does your bank account and life expectancy when you risk getting pulled over and doing the Harlem Shake on the median for the nice deputy. Either have a designated driver or budget for an Uber.
- Related to item number 1 – Check on your buddies! I’ll say that again for the folks in the back – Check on your buddies! Reminders that you were once in love, or realizing that you don’t have anyone to love right now, can be hard for anyone. Make sure the folks on your left and right are OK, and for heaven’s sake respond when somebody reaches out.
- Finally, please remember School of Cool Rule Number 1 – Don’t be f&*#ing stupid! That stripper doesn’t love you, even if the heart shaped pasties make her eyes sparkle. That bouncer really doesn’t like you, but will oblige by loaning you an ass kicking if you need one. There is no such thing as a good deal on a used car to celebrate Valentine’s Day! Last, but not least, if you find yourself standing in a wedding chapel or in front of a justice of the peace and you have to think hard to remember their middle name, run, do not walk, to the nearest exit!
Posted by daddybear71 on February 14, 2025
https://daddybearsden.com/2025/02/14/valentines-day-weekend-safety-brief/
Today’s Earworm
Posted by daddybear71 on February 14, 2025
https://daddybearsden.com/2025/02/14/todays-earworm-842/
I’m so easily entertained
The Young Prince and I laughed way too hard at this.
Posted by daddybear71 on February 14, 2025
https://daddybearsden.com/2025/02/14/im-so-easily-entertained/
Recipe – Upside Down Apple Crisp
Preheat oven to 350 degrees
Ingredients –
12 to 16 ripe apples. I used Granny Smiths and Fuji
1 cup butter, softened
1 cup brown sugar
2 cups oats
2 cups white sugar
Cloves, nutmeg, cinnamon, and allspice to taste
1/2 cup butter
1/4 cup bourbon
1 to 2 quarts cold water
1/4 cup lemon juice
Directions –
Combine 1 cup soft butter, brown sugar, and oats in a mixer and combine until smooth. Press mixture into the bottom of a greased 13×9 inch pan.
Combine white sugar and cinnamon, nutmeg, cloves, and allspice in a bowl.
Combine cold water and lemon juice in a large bowl.
Wash and core apples. Apples can be peeled if you prefer. Slice into wedges between 1/8 and 1/4 inch across. You could also use a mandolin to slice evenly across whole apples. Place apple wedges/slices into lemon water to prevent browning.
In 13×9 pan, layer the apple slices evenly across the bottom crust. If you cut into wedges, align wedges so that they all go in one direction. If you used a mandolin, evenly cover crust with apples.
Once crust is covered with apple, liberally dust apple layer with spiced sugar mixture. If using wedges, place next layer with wedges perpendicular to layer below it.
Continue layering apples in alternating direction and dusting each layer with spiced sugar until all apple is placed in pan.
Heat 1/2 cup of butter until it just melts, then combine with bourbon. Evenly pour buttered bourbon over the layered apples, then dust top of apples with spiced sugar mixture.
Place on middle rack in 350 degree oven for 45 to 30 minutes. Dish is done when apples are fork tender and top layer is brown.
Allow to cool. Syrup in apples will be extremely hot. Serves well with whipped cream or vanilla ice cream. Makes enough to feed a small army.
Posted by daddybear71 on February 7, 2025
https://daddybearsden.com/2025/02/07/recipe-upside-down-apple-crisp/
A Good Start
I’ll leave the progress report on the dismemberment of USAID, and the reasons it deserves percussive defenestration from the top of the Washington Monument, to those with a better grasp of the details. Suffice it to say, things have been off the rails at that agency for quite some time, but a bit of sunlight appears to be disinfecting things quite nicely, so far.
Of course, things have yet to fully roll into the federal courts, which I expect will complicate things a tad right quick. I’m sure the unions and other perpetrators will gum up the works as much as they can. Perhaps they think something shiny will distract the president, or perhaps they think their allies/coconspirators in Congress will take heart from early judicial successes and start throwing spanners in the works for them.
President Trump is taking potshots from folks who assert that USAID is a drop in the federal budget bucket. To that, I suggest President Trump adopt a “Broken Windows” approach to this. As was done to reduce crime in New York, small infractions should be taken seriously and run down until they are either reformed or dissolved. No fraud, waste, or abuse of the taxpayers’ treasure or trust can be overlooked, no matter how small.
I look forward to watching as more details of how the government has spent and misspent trillions of dollars in the past few years see the light of day. Even if President Trump loses in court, these things are in the public record now. Attempts to obfuscate or deny the data would likely need to be based on assertions that the data, provided by the government itself, is incorrect. I don’t see those who profit from the illusion that the government is good at what it does asserting that the government isn’t keeping accurate books.
As time goes on, we need to convince the Congress to change or create laws to prevent the knot President Trump is cutting through from being retied. Like I said during the Obama years, if you live by the executive order, you will die by the executive order. Republicans won’t be in charge forever, and a legal basis for challenging reconstruction of the federal bureaucracy needs to be built now.
Congress must pass laws preventing what we’re seeing at USAID and will inevitably come to light in the rest of the federal government, as well as prohibiting the bureaucracy from becoming as Byzantine and opaque as it is now. A ban on grants to organizations at all connected to politics, accounting and auditing requirements, and a publicly searchable database of all federal expenditures, updated at least quarterly, would be a good start.
Give the American people the ability to oversee what’s going on in the government, and the geeks amongst us will show us the meaning of haste as they fold, spindle, and mutilate the data. Counting coup when finding someone abusing power or pubic trust, no matter which side of the political spectrum the watcher and watched are on, should be celebrated.
In the meantime, I’m off to write a quick missive to my congresscritters, encouraging them to support the drawing and quartering of the federal bureaucracy.
Posted by daddybear71 on February 6, 2025
https://daddybearsden.com/2025/02/06/a-good-start/
Rumblings
- Last week, I posted about crossing both the Red River of the North between North Dakota and Minnesota and the Red River between Oklahoma and Texas.
- Imagine my surprise when I crossed the Sabine and Pearl Rivers multiple times apiece on the same day.
- Whoever designed the roads in Texas and Louisiana needs to report for ‘random’ drug testing.
- The city fathers of Houston need to be told that the 2020 census is over. They can stop blocking travelers on the freeway in an attempt to pump up their numbers for representation.
- Not sure what’s going on with Houston, but my car was relatively clean when I started across that city, but was so dirty when I got to the other side that windshield washing fluid wasn’t able to cut through the grime. Had to pay a tithe to Buccees and go through the world’s longest car wash in order to see out my back window again.
- For some reason, after directing me to drive directly across Houston, the magical elf box in the car advised me to get off of I-10 and drive around Beaumont, Texas. This put me on a path through Port Arthur and other out of the way spots.
- Not complaining, mind you. It was good to break the monotony and see somewhere I’d never been.
- I do have to ask, though: How bad is traffic in Beaumont that I got warned off, but Houston was tolerable to the navigation software?
- While sitting in the traffic jam across the Mississippi River, I noticed that the bridge was humming and moving rather rhythmically. Problem was that my side of traffic wasn’t moving, and the other side of traffic was moving intermittently. I’m still not sure what caused the bridge to move like that, but I’m glad I got across before I found out.
- While driving across America’s heartland, you see the unfortunate remains of animals being struck by traffic. On this trip, deer were most common. Occasionally, I saw a coyote frozen to the side of the road. In Oklahoma, I saw several armadillos, which was probably not good for whatever hit it. Heck, in Texas I saw a HUGE wild pig whose final resting place was tastefully decorated with pieces of a Toyota.
- Nothing, however, will ever compare to the eldritch abominations I saw on the elevated sections of the highway in Louisiana. I’m pretty sure they were mammals at once time, because they tended to be at least a little fuzzy, but other than that, I can’t figure out their taxonomy.
- As part of my trip, I pledged to get the Young Prince a few tee shirts as souvenirs. I was ‘advised’ to not get him college tee shirts, especially anything from Southeastern Conference sports teams, by She Who Shall Not Be Named. Apparently, she still bleeds Kentucky Wildcat blue to some degree.
- So, anyway, Boo got tee shirts from LSU, Auburn, Texas A&M, and the University of Texas.
- I may need a safe house for a couple of weeks. Any offers?
Posted by daddybear71 on February 5, 2025
https://daddybearsden.com/2025/02/05/rumblings-21/
DaddyBear
DaddyBear’s Den 