Saturday 9: My Blue Heaven

Saturday 9: My Blue Heaven (1955)

Unfamiliar with this week's tune? Hear it here.

1) The music for "My Blue Heaven" was written by Walter Donaldson. Mr. Donaldson was a gifted piano player who used his talent to entertain the troops on leave during WWI. What's something you're naturally good at?

A. I'm good at music. I can pick up instruments fairly easily (with the exception of woodwinds and brass these days, my asthma can't handle those). If I can get Twinkle Twinkle Little Star out of something, I can play it.

2) The lyrics were written by George Whiting. He began his career on stage as a song-and-dance man. While touring, he met and fell in love with another singer on the bill. They went on to marry and have three daughters. Have you ever engaged in a workplace romance?

A. I have never engaged in a workplace romance. I have been assaulted at a workplace, but I don't think that counts.

3) In this song, Doris Day sings about a cozy home. Look around the room you're in. What makes it cozy?

A. Since I am in my office, I'm not sure one would call it cozy. It needs a good "heave ho" of all of my old records and things from when I was a news reporter. But the rest of the house is cozy. I decorate with earth tones - browns, off white, greens, with an occasional blue tossed in. We have an open concept living area (we called it a great room in 1987, when the house was built), so we're fashionable in that, I guess. 

4) For four consecutive years, Doris was the most popular film actress in the world, with fans flocking to theaters to see her. Is there an actor or actress whose presence in a movie or TV show makes you say to yourself, "I want to see that?"

A. I used to watch most things that had Sandra Bullock in them. I also was a big fan of Kate Jackson so I watched Charlie's Angels and The Scarecrow and Mrs. King. But now there aren't too many actors or actresses I follow. Lots of times I like them in one role but not in others. Orlando Bloom, for example, is great in Lord of the Rings, but I haven't cared much for him in other roles.

5) For all her film and music success, she found herself broke in the late 1960s. Her husband had mismanaged her fortune, something she didn't discover until after his sudden death. Do you know how much is in your checking account right now? (We're not asking the amount; just whether you know.)

A. I know how much money I have almost right down to the penny.

6) Away from performing, Doris' passion was animal welfare. At one point she shared her home with more than a dozen dogs and went on to establish the Doris Day Animal Foundation. Do any pets share your home?

A. Pets do not live in my house. My husband says the house is for people, the barn is for animals. But we only have cows so that is ok. Cows belong in the barn.

7) In 1955, when this song was a hit, cars came with AM radios, but they were pretty unsophisticated by today's standards. The car needed to be on and "warmed up" a bit before the signal was picked up and that signal could easily be lost if you were bouncing over rough terrain. Today most new cars come with Bluetooth so you can enjoy infotainment through your phone. Do you listen to music, podcasts, audiobooks, etc., as you drive?

A. I like to listen to audiobooks. I listen to them all the time, like when I'm folding clothes or doing other chores, and especially when I'm driving.

8) Also in 1955, the first McDonald's opened. Does your community have a McDonald's?

A. There is a McDonald's at the interstate that runs through the county. It's been there at least 30 years and I've probably eaten there 5 times. I have never been a fan.

9) Random question: How long have you known your newest friend?

A. Hmm. I guess about six years. Her name is Aila. I haven't seen her since before the pandemic, but we talk on the phone. She moved out of the area and so we don't see each other much. But before she left Botetourt, we had lunch about once a month.

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I encourage you to visit the posts of other participants in Saturday 9 and leave a comment. Because there are no rules, it is your choice. Saturday 9 players hate rules. We love memes, however. 

Thursday Thirteen

I am too scattered to write today. It happens.

So here are the first 13 things from my FB feed this morning.

1. "They are the oligarchy. They continue to siphon off the wealth of the nation. They are supporting a tyrant who is promising them tax cuts and regulatory rollbacks that will make them even richer, and destroying democracy so they won’t have to worry about “parasites”  . . . demanding anything more from them." - Robert Reich

2. "The first chunk is about the traditional "she made him do it" when it comes to rape and gender violence. Then it shifts to world affairs:  "She made him do it" operates in politics too. The most recent example is XXXXX declaration that somehow Ukraine's President Zelensky was responsible for Russia's invasion of his country, declaring "But he should never have let that war start.” The war began with Russia's invasion of Crimea in 2014, well before Zelensky's presidency and well into Putin's, so there's that. As Aaron Blake at the Washington Post notes, "Since the war’s earliest days, XXXXX has frequently talked around any sort of blame being cast on Putin.... Almost every comment deprives Putin of agency and casts what’s happened as a result of the Biden administration’s (and now Zelensky’s) failings." XXXXX envoy Steve Witkoff blamed Ukraine too, saying Russia was "provoked," as if Ukraine was wearing a miniskirt. 

later on: 

In mainstream discourse, it's become standard to blame the excesses of the right on liberals, the left, feminists, Black Lives Matter, affirmative action, environmental protection, and BIPOC and LGBTQ people. It's a way that the right is granted masculine prerogatives and the left feminine responsibilities for the right's behavior. " - Rebeccas Solnit

3. "Devastated. I just won an asylum case for a Guatemalan man - he was granted withholding (a win) where he would be released from detention. As he was being released/processed, ICE put him on a plane to Mexico. Mexico just deported him back to Guatemala. He won his case. And they deported him anyway. If this is happening with this one person then I’m assuming it’s happening with others. Unprecendented." - Debra Rodman via Amy Siskind

4. “Michelle, listen to me. Listen. I love you. I will always love you. The hardest thing in this world, is to live in it. I will be brave. I will live… for you”  - Sarah Michelle Gellar on the death of Michelle Trachenberg

5.  On the House budget resolution passed earlier this week:

6.  Not something I agree with, but it is what it is. I hope the parents of the child in Texas who died from measles (which we had declared eradicated in 2000), find this comforting.

7. "I know I keep harping on it but the news cycles are making it clear that not enough people grasp a core point on basic civics, so here it is again:

(1) Congress creates agencies and funds them, requiring (these days) sixty votes in the Senate. These agencies and funding are both "laws." 

(2) No one in the the executive branch can *destroy* agencies or defund them, that's also Congress' job. You can't destroy laws with zero votes that took 60 to create. 

(3) The chief's executive constitutional responsibility to "take care" that the "laws are faithfully executed." 

(4) Anyone from the exectutive branch that attempts to defund or destroy federal agencies (even in the name of curbing "fraud" or "waste") is not taking care that the laws are faithfully executed and thus violating *the* core tenet of Article II of the Constitution.  

(5) With respect to the foregoing, it doesn't matter, so far as the Constitution is concerned, if Congress cravenly avoids a confrontation with the Constitution-violating executive branch officials. There's no use-it-or-lose-it clause in the Constitution. 

(6) The aforementioned would be true, and I'd still be yelling about it, even if YYYY YYYY was genuinely identifying fraud and waste and not breaking everything he touches. 

(7) But since he demonstrably is breaking everything he touches, even if you don't care about the Constitution, you should still be anti-getting-Ebola, and be deeply concerned about what's happening right now." - Scott Pilutik via Chris Boese

8. "Thus in winter stands the lonely tree,
   Nor knows what birds have vanished one by one,
   Yet knows its boughs more silent than before:
    I cannot say what loves have come and gone,
    I only know that summer sang in me
   A little while, that in me sings no more."
   ~ Edna St. Vincent Millay (Pulitzer Prize winning poet, born February 22, 1892.) via Sharon McCrumb

9. "In "The Substance," Demi Moore plays an aging TV star who finds a sinister potion that can give her a younger, more perfect version of herself, but at a horrifying price. Moore says the experience sometimes left her feeling raw and exhausted. “You just go fall into your bed.”

“The Substance” has scored 5 Oscar nominations, including Best Actress for Moore." - CBS Sunday Morning and CBS News

10. "Remember that the XXXXX supporter from Salem who voted against Medicaid yesterday was a lawyer before entering elected office. He specialized in getting rich drunks off for drunk driving." - Dan Smith on Congressman Morgan Griffith

11. "Donald XXXXX said he would lower prices on “Day 1.”

Well it’s Day 38 and prices are still going up." - Elizabeth Warren

12. "The FAA is close to canceling a $2.4 billion contract with Verizon to overhaul the communications system that serves as the backbone of the nation’s air traffic control and is awarding the work to YYYY’s Starlink. Follow the money and see where it goes." - Alt National Park Service

13. "Second come these protests, which I discount as being particularly important, unless they signify an energized Democratic electorate that turns its energy to organizing for the governor’s race. In that case, they might be quite important — we just don’t know yet. Let’s look at why."--Dwayne Yancey in Cardinal News via Dan Smith

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Thursday Thirteen is played by lots of people; there is a list here if you want to read other Thursday Thirteens and/or play along. I've been playing for a while, and this is my 896th time to do a list of 13 on a Thursday. Or so sayth the Blogger counter, anyway.

I Do Not Like Green Eggs and Ham

I am many things, but one thing I am not.

I am no cook. Nor am I a connoisseur of foods. I do not know what most things on a fancy menu are.

What are these? Beef Wellington. Pork rillettes. Capers. Gorgonzola sauce. Potato gnocchi with Tahini parsley sauce. Yes, I had to look those up by typing in "fancy menu foods" because otherwise I would have no clue. The only one I've ever heard of beef wellington.

Reading recipes has always been a no-go for me. I have a friend who glories in reading recipes. I bought her recipe books for years for Christmas. She seemed to love every one of them.

Me? I have a Betty Crocker cookbook that I go to maybe twice a year, if that. Otherwise, my food comes out of a can or is premade at the grocery deli.

People don't believe me when I tell them I dislike cooking so much that I don't know how to do it, but honestly, I DON'T KNOW HOW TO DO IT!

Nor do I want to know how to do it. Not all that much, anyway.

Sure, I cook. I have to, because I can't afford not to. I can bake chicken. I can cook a steak (except filet mignon, I ruin that every time). I can make a pork loin in the crockpot and sometimes it is edible. I stir fry squash. I can make spaghetti with alfredo sauce, but the sauce comes from Ragu. I don't make it from scratch and don't know how to. I bake a decent turkey at Thanksgiving. 

But that doesn't mean I like it. It just means I can do it. Sort of.

When recipes call for specific things, I can't simply go to my pantry and get them. I don't have those things on hand like someone who likes to cook would. Let's say I did get a wild hair and decide to fix something from my cookbook. Most of the things I'd need would not be available without a trip to the store, and by the time I went to that trouble, the desire to cook would be long gone.

I see things in the grocery store that I would have no idea how to fix or use or do anything with. They stay on the shelves.

Nor do I have the appropriate cooking utensils. I am not sure what a well-equipped kitchen for someone who likes to cook would look like, but I am pretty sure it would not look like my kitchen, with my 40-year-old pan set, scratched cookies sheets, and a little bitty George Foreman grill.

I consider this a fault, this lack of interest in cooking and food, and it's probably a bad fault. It means, for one thing, that I likely eat too much salt (even though everything I buy is "no salt" or "low salt"), and certainly I eat too much processed food. And unfortunately, that goes for my husband as well.

But I have never liked to cook. My mother found that forcing me to cook was the absolute best way to punish me. And when something becomes a punishment, I balk. Apparently, I balk for the rest of my life.

And let's face it, I dislike handling raw meat. That is simply gross, taking a chicken out of its bag and watching the blood fall out all over the sink, then having to clean that up and wash out the chicken, and then butter it or cover it in olive oil or something to bake it. Blech. And it was even worse when I was a kid and my parents killed chickens. Talk about gross! Chopped heads and headless birds flapping around all over the yard while my brother chased after them, laughing the whole time. And then they had to be plucked and put in the freezer. Yuck.

I don't mind cooking vegetables if they are normal vegetables. I know how to boil green beans. I don't know what to do with Brussel sprouts except boil them, but I know they can be cooked other ways that actually taste better, because I've had them. What do you do with an avocado? How do you make a pomegranate work? How do you get into a pineapple (which I wouldn't eat because I seem to be allergic to them, but even so). I have never made mashed potatoes. I bake potatoes. Mashed potatoes come from Bob Evans in the refrigerator section of the grocery store.

I don't like frying foods at all - it takes forever, and I can't eat fried food anymore anyway. Fried food is too hard on my stomach.

Which brings me to another issue with cooking - I can't handle spices. Most everything I cook is bland. No spices on a baked chicken. Maybe a little Mrs. Dash on something once in a while, but no onion powder, no garlic powder. 

I have made chili exactly one time. 

I have made a cake from scratch exactly one time.

I have never made a pie.

I have never made a complicated meat dish, unless baked spaghetti counts.

I have never made soup, unless it came out of a Campbell's can.

I don't mind baking, but my idea of baking is a Duncan Hines mix. 

If a coffee cake from Bisquick counts as baking from scratch, then I've made a few of those.

I don't know how to make a quiche. I am not even sure what that is.

I haven't made homemade biscuits since I married. (They come in a can, or frozen.)

I haven't made pancakes, not even from a pancake mix, ever. (Pancakes come premade frozen.)

I've baked bread from store-bought dough but never made bread from scratch. Even with store-bought dough, bread is a challenge. I don't have a good place for it to rise.

I do not find joy in cooking a nice well-thought-out meal. I don't want to do that. It takes all afternoon. I love my husband and want him to have a nice meal and all of that, but I do his laundry and stuff. I'd rather read a book than spend hours in a kitchen.

He doesn't starve, at any rate.

People who find joy in cooking have my deep admiration. They are like nurses - they have a knack for that and a special something that I lack.

The cooking gene went to my brother.

I just got the eating one, I guess.

Things I Did Last Week

I thought I'd join the federal workers who are listing the things they did last week in order to keep their jobs.

So here you go:

• Washed 15 loads of laundry
• Put away 15 loads of laundry
• Made the bed 7 times
• Changed the bed linen and washed the bedspread and blanket, which takes a long time because the bedspread takes at least two turns in the dryer to dry.
• Fixed lunch for two people 7 times
• Fixed dinner for two people 7 times
• Emptied the dishwasher 7 times
• Filled the dishwasher 7 times
• Wrote 7 blog posts
• Read 110 pages of a book
• Listened to an audio book for 6 hours+
• Assisted my husband with the installation of a new mirror on his truck
• Spoke with friends and family on the telephone
• Looked up information online
• Read a lot about the federal government via doom scrolling on FB
• Took the tax records to the accountant
• Spoke with my banker on the telephone
• Walked on the treadmill for 25 minutes each day
• Talked to my chiropractor on the phone to reschedule an appointment due to snow/ice
• Visited the grocery store and purchased groceries

Lastly, I decided I don't need to justify my existence or what I do to anybody.

Sunday Stealing Archive Edition (2009)

1. What is your favorite sit-down restaurant?

A. I don't have one at the moment.

2. What food could you eat for 2 weeks straight and not get sick of it?

A. A ham sandwich.

3. Have you ever had anything removed from your body?

A. Yes, I have had several body parts removed. It is not fun.

4. What is the last heavy item you lifted?

A. I don't know, but it reminds me of an old joke: The Texan went in to the john, and he sat down on the toilet to pee. Some scrawny guy looked at him and said, "Why are you sitting down to do what most men do standing up?" The Texan said, "I just had me a hernia operation, and the doctor said not to lift anything heavy."

5. Have you ever been knocked unconscious?

A. Some days I wish I was, but I don't think so.

6. If it were possible, would you want to know the day you were going to die?

A. I don't know. I had a friend who was diagnosed with a terminal illness, and I think the knowledge that she only had a certain time to live was detrimental to her in some ways. But it also allowed her to prepare.

7. If you could change your name, what would you change it to?

A. I don't want to change my name. 

8. What’s your goal for the year?

A. To get through it, at the rate it's going.

9. Who is the last person you hugged?

A. My husband.

10. Where was the first place you went this morning?

A. To the bathroom.

11. Do you always answer your phone?

A. No, I do not always answer my phone.

12. It’s four in the morning and you get a text message, who is it?

A. It's probably a spammer.

13. If you could change your eye color what would it be?

A. I would have blue eyes. My eyes are hazel. They look blue because I wear a lot of blue.

14. What’s on your wish list for your birthday?

A. I haven't given it any thought.

15. Does the future make you more nervous or excited?

A. Right now, the future is terrifying.

16. Do you have any saved texts?

A. Yes, I have saved texts.

17. Have you ever been in a car wreck?

A. I have been in several car wrecks.

18. Do you have an accent?

A. I have a very southern accent.

19. What was the last song to make you cry?

A. I don't recall.

20. What did you do last night?

A. Watched a little TV, read, and went to bed.

21. Have you ever felt like you hit rock bottom?

A. Yes.

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I encourage you to visit other participants in Sunday Stealing posts and leave a comment. Cheers to all us thieves who love memes, however we come by them.

Saturday 9: Flowers

Saturday 9: Flowers (2023)
   
Unfamiliar with this week's tune? Hear it here.
 
1) In this song, Miley Cyrus sings about gold as though it represents the best. Do you more often wear gold or silver?

A. I tend to wear white gold or silver. My watch is always a mix of silver and gold.
 
2) She also sings the praises of buying herself flowers. Are there any cut flowers in your home right now?

A. I never have cut flowers in the house. I am allergic.
 
3) She tells us she's going to paint her nails cherry red. Do you handle your own mani/pedi, do you go to a salon, or do you just let your nails go natural?

A. My nails "go natural," in that I keep them trimmed very short. I don't wear any polish.

4) In 2019, Miley had vocal cord surgery, and her recovery required her to go weeks without uttering a sound. Would it be difficult for you to keep your lips zipped for a week?

A. I expect I would find it difficult to be quiet for a week.

5) Dolly Parton is Miley's godmother, and Miley singles Dolly out as the one who taught her "how to treat people well." Tell us about someone who was a positive influence on you.

A. My friend Cathy is a wonderful role model. She's true to her faith in word and deed.

6) She is a massive Elvis fan and swoons every time she watches Blue Hawaii because he professes his love for Maile, pronounced "Miley." What movie have you watched many times?

A. Under the Tuscan Sun (and you thought I was going to say Lord of the Rings, didn't you).
 
7) In 2023, when "Flowers" was released, actor Sir Michael Gambon died. Though he distinguished himself performing Shakespeare with the Royal National Theater, he is best known for playing Dumbledore in several Harry Potter movies. Who is your favorite Harry Potter character?

A. I am partial to Hermione in the Harry Potter franchise, although I think her ending was messed up. I do not believe she would have married Ronald Weasly.

8) 2023 was a busy year for England's Royal Family, with the crowning of King Charles III and the publication of Prince Harry's memoir, Spare. Do you have a favorite among the Windsors?

A. I do not do much royal family watching, so I have no favorite.

9) Random question: Do your siblings have children? If yes, are you close to them?

A. My brother has a stepson and two children. I am not particularly close to any of them, which I think is unfortunate, but it is what it is. I have a better relationship with my husband's sister's children.

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I encourage you to visit the posts of other participants in Saturday 9 and leave a comment. Because there are no rules, it is your choice. Saturday 9 players hate rules. We love memes, however. 

Hail to the Rich; Screw the Poor

The U.S. Senate took its first vote on the budget Thursday night into Friday morning. (see below)

Rejected means voted against. Most of the votes were straight partisan, only Collins and Hawley broke ranks a couple of times.

Republicans voted against stopping prescription drug price gouging, Veterans health care, fertility services (IVF), funding for law enforcement, health care accessibility, funding for school breakfast/lunch programs, staffing to stop avian flu, stopping decreases in Medicare and Medicaid funding, and many other things. Don't believe me, read it for yourself. 52 votes is generally Republican, 48 is Democrats. That's the partisan numbers in the Senate.

Here's a rather sloppy story by the New York Times on it, if you subscribe to that, although this is supposed to be a gift article:

https://www.nytimes.com/2025/02/20/us/politics/senate-vote-budget.html?unlocked_article_code=1.zE4.5Iid.3CV-HbXTZRKM&smid=url-share

Senate Passes G.O.P. Budget Plan After Democrats Force Long Night of Votes - The New York Times

If you want a right-wing rah-rah story about it, go find that yourself.

And here's a link to the votes that I've pasted below. Happy reading. 

 

U.S. Senate: Roll Call Votes 119th Congress - 1st Session (2025)

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Vote (Tally)	Result	Question: Description	Issue	Date
87 (52-48)	Agreed to	On the Concurrent Resolution: S.Con.Res. 7, As Amended; An original concurrent resolution setting forth the congressional budget for the United States Government for fiscal year 2025 and setting forth the appropriate budgetary levels for fiscal years 2026 through 2034.	S.Con.Res. 7	Feb 21
86 (49-51)	Rejected	On the Amendment S.Amdt. 1207: Merkley Amdt. No. 1207; To establish a deficit-neutral reserve fund relating to ending price gouging on prescription drugs.	S.Con.Res. 7	Feb 21
85 (53-47)	Agreed to	On the Amendment S.Amdt. 922: Lee Amdt. No. 922; To establish a deficit-neutral reserve fund relating to Congress continuing its work to rein in the administrative state by supporting legislation that prevents Federal agencies from finalizing major rules without congressional approval, strengthens the Article 1 law-making powers of Congress, cuts spending resulting from costly regulations, reduces inflation, and unleashes economic growth.	S.Con.Res. 7	Feb 21
84 (47-53)	Rejected	On the Amendment S.Amdt. 957: Lujan Amdt. No. 957; To strike reconciliation instructions requiring damaging cuts to programs critical to rural Americans and food assistance for American families.	S.Con.Res. 7	Feb 21
83 (47-52)	Rejected	On the Amendment S.Amdt. 659: Blumenthal Amdt. No. 659; To ensure full and uninterrupted funding for Department of Veterans Affairs health care and benefits provided by the Sergeant First Class Heath Robinson Honoring our Promise to Address Comprehensive Toxics Act of 2022 (Public Law 117-168), also known as the "PACT Act", preventing any cuts or delays.	S.Con.Res. 7	Feb 21
82 (49-51)	Rejected	On the Amendment S.Amdt. 971: Duckworth Amdt. No. 971; To establish a deficit-neutral reserve fund relating to protecting access to fertility services, and eliminating barriers for families in need of high-quality, affordable fertility services by expanding nationwide coverage for in vitro fertilization.	S.Con.Res. 7	Feb 21
81 (48-52)	Rejected	On the Amendment S.Amdt. 699: Lujan Amdt. No. 699; To establish a deficit-neutral reserve fund relating to supporting police, which may include initiatives that provide funding directly to law enforcement agencies to hire or rehire additional career law enforcement officers in an effort to increase their community policing capacity and crime prevention efforts.	S.Con.Res. 7	Feb 21
80 (48-52)	Rejected	On the Amendment S.Amdt. 436: Shaheen Amdt. No. 436; To establish a deficit-neutral reserve fund relating to preserving and extending vital tax credits enacted under the Patient Protection and Affordable Care Act, which make heath care accessible and affordable and that have led to the lowest uninsured rate in our Nation's history.	S.Con.Res. 7	Feb 21
79 (49-51)	Rejected	On the Motion S.Amdt. 233: Motion to Waive All Applicable Budgetary Discipline Re: Van Hollen Amdt. No. 233; To create a point of order against legislation that would cut funding from the school lunch or school breakfast programs.	S.Con.Res. 7	Feb 21
78 (47-53)	Rejected	On the Amendment S.Amdt. 664: Slotkin Amdt. No. 664; To establish a deficit-neutral reserve fund relating to preventing reductions in funding and staffing necessary to respond to, control, and prevent avian flu.	S.Con.Res. 7	Feb 21
77 (24-76)	Rejected	On the Amendment S.Amdt. 999: Paul Amdt No. 999; To require an adequate amount of deficit reduction as part of reconciliation.	S.Con.Res. 7	Feb 21
76 (47-53)	Rejected	On the Amendment S.Amdt. 299: Reed Amdt. No. 299; To ensure continued United States support for the Government of Ukraine to stand firm against aggression by the Government of Russia in Europe.	S.Con.Res. 7	Feb 21
75 (49-51)	Rejected	On the Motion S.Amdt. 172: Motion to Waive All Applicable Budgetary Discipline Re: Reed Amdt. No. 172; To create a point of order against legislation that would reduce Medicare and Medicaid benefits for Americans.	S.Con.Res. 7	Feb 21
74 (48-52)	Rejected	On the Motion S.Amdt. 276: Motion to Waive All Applicable Budgetary Discipline Re: Baldwin Amdt. No. 276; To create a point of order against legislation that would take away health care from seniors, including those receiving care in nursing homes, through cuts to the Medicaid program.	S.Con.Res. 7	Feb 21
73 (47-53)	Rejected	On the Motion S.Amdt. 1156: Motion to Waive All Applicable Budgetary Discipline Re: Wyden Amdt. No. 1156; To prevent millions of Americans from being kicked off their health coverage, suffering needlessly, getting sicker, and dying sooner.	S.Con.Res. 7	Feb 20
72 (49-51)	Rejected	On the Amendment S.Amdt. 407: Ossoff Amdt. No. 407; To establish a deficit-neutral reserve fund relating to protecting access to maternal and pediatric health care through Medicaid.	S.Con.Res. 7	Feb 20
71 (49-51)	Rejected	On the Motion S.Amdt. 776: Motion to Waive All Applicable Budgetary Discipline Re: Schumer Amdt. No. 776; To prevent tax cuts for the wealthy if a single dollar of Medicaid funding is cut.	S.Con.Res. 7	Feb 20
70 (51-49)	Agreed to	On the Amendment S.Amdt. 1029: Sullivan Amdt. No. 1029; To establish a deficit-neutral reserve fund relating to protecting Medicare and Medicaid.	S.Con.Res. 7	Feb 20
69 (48-52)	Rejected	On the Amendment S.Amdt. 316: Schiff Amdt. No. 316; To establish a deficit-neutral reserve fund relating to supporting Federal wildland firefighters and associated personnel.	S.Con.Res. 7	Feb 20
68 (48-52)	Rejected	On the Amendment S.Amdt. 540: Bennet Amdt. No. 540; To establish a deficit-neutral reserve fund relating to reinstating the fired Federal employees at the Forest Service, National Park Service, United States Fish and Wildlife Service, and Bureau of Land Management.	S.Con.Res. 7	Feb 20
67 (47-53)	Rejected	On the Motion S.Amdt. 925: Motion to Waive All Applicable Budgetary Discipline Re: Hickenlooper Amdt. No. 925; To create a point of order against legislation that would raise energy costs for Americans, including higher monthly electricity bills, building material expenses, and transportation costs.	S.Con.Res. 7	Feb 20
66 (47-53)	Rejected	On the Amendment S.Amdt. 878: Murray Amdt. No. 878; To strike the reconciliation instructions and create a reserve fund to implement a bipartisan, multi-year agreement to provide up to $171,000,000,000 in discretionary funding for defense and up to $171,000,000,000 in discretionary funding for other programs, accounts, and activities to address border, veterans, farmers, food and nutrition, disaster relief, and other needs.	S.Con.Res. 7	Feb 20
65 (47-53)	Rejected	On the Motion S.Amdt. 130: Motion to Waive All Applicable Budgetary Discipline Re: Warner Amdt. No. 130; To create a point of order against any reconciliation bill that would not decrease the cost of housing for American families.	S.Con.Res. 7	Feb 20
64 (48-52)	Rejected	On the Amendment S.Amdt. 473: Merkley Amdt. No. 473; To establish a deficit-neutral reserve fund relating to the impacts of hedge fund ownership of single-family homes and rent prices.	S.Con.Res. 7	Feb 20
63 (48-52)	Rejected	On the Motion S.Amdt. 494: Motion to Waive All Applicable Budgetary Discipline Re: Klobuchar Amdt. No. 494; To stop tax cuts for the ultra-rich while families struggle to put food on the table.	S.Con.Res. 7	Feb 20
62 (47-52)	Rejected	On the Motion S.Amdt. 454: Motion to Waive All Applicable Budgetary Discipline Re: Schumer Amdt. No. 454; To prevent unwarranted tax cuts for the ultra-rich.	S.Con.Res. 7	Feb 20
61 (51-49)	Confirmed	On the Nomination: Confirmation: Kashyap Patel, of Nevada, to be Director of the Federal Bureau of Investigation	PN12-35	Feb 20

What It Stands For

 “MAGA stands for trying to erase trans people from existence. MAGA stands for resegregation and racism. MAGA stands for censorship and book bans. MAGA stands for firing air traffic controllers while planes are crashing. MAGA stands for firing the people overseeing our nuclear arsenal. MAGA stands for firing military veterans and those serving them at the VA, including canceling research on veteran suicide. MAGA stands for cutting funds to education, including for disabled children. MAGA is profoundly corrupt, unmistakably anti-democracy and most importantly, MAGA is explicitly a Nazi movement. You may have replaced a swastika with a red hat, but that is what it is.” - Chris Kluwe, former NFL dude

A Life Like This

This morning while I was showering with my unscented shampoo and unscented conditioner, using my fragrance-free soap and then drying off with my towel cleaned in sensitive skin and fragrance-free laundry detergent, and then dried with fragrance-free Bounce, I thought about how difficult it is to be someone who is sensitive to, well, pretty much everything.

I wondered how I might show that to a world where the smells of lavender or roses or lilies make people smile, not haul out an inhaler.

That first paragraph is a good start. But let me add that much of the items I do use - from my unscented deodorant to my unscented body lotion - are expensive.

Unscented shampoos and conditioners cost about $13 a bottle for each. Fortunately, they last a long while and I am not overly generous in my use of them, but still, it's not cheap.

I also cannot stand the smell of cigarettes or cigars, perfumes of any type, makeup, hairspray, other people's deodorant, other people if they've been around their pets, and on and on.

Hay season is sneeze season. I love flowers but can't have them in the house. Even plants that don't flower end up bothering me because the smell of the damp earth can set off an asthma attack (it's actually some kind of mold in the dirt).

It's hard to live in the world when many of the things in the world are out to take your breath away.

When my husband and I first started dating, he used Old Spice. My father also used Old Spice at the time, so I recognized the scent. My sensitivities were not as bad then as they are now; they've grown worse as I've aged. But I found, to my dismay, that when my new boyfriend kissed me, my face broke out.

I didn't kiss on my father, of course, aside from a peck on the cheek. My boyfriend liked to kiss, and we kissed for long periods of time. (Sometimes I thought we were going for a record.)

After about two weeks, I told him if he wanted to keep dating me, he would have to rid himself of his Old Spice aftershave. I explained that it was irritating my skin and occasionally I was having difficulty breathing when I smelled it. The more I was around him, the worse it got. (Long exposure to things will make the sensitivity worse.)

The next time we went out, he smelled . . . of nothing. He had ditched his aftershave and his deodorant and chosen to go with all unscented.

I knew then we'd marry for sure. How could I turn away a guy who'd give up his cologne for me?

In my house, there are no scents, except natural ones. Just the scents of the two people who live here, our sweat, sometimes, and the odors that new products give out occasionally. The towels don't smell fresh, they are just towels with no smell. (Gain is the worst for smells on clothes.) Clothes don't smell like anything, either.

Every new piece of clothing that comes in the house must be washed before it can be worn. Each of us has to shower if we've been outside or out in public, because the odors of the world stick to our hair and to our clothes. If I go to bed without a shower and I've been out in public, then I wake up sick the next morning.

Living on a farm means many different kinds of odors. My husband, bless him, takes his clothes off in the garage and comes in for lunch in his underwear when he's been out in the field. Either that or I make him lunch and he eats outside.

I am almost a prisoner to my sensitivities; they keep me so housebound. I don't go to many places anymore simply because they will make me sick.

Here's another example: I once went to the University of Virginia library to do research, and I had so much trouble breathing that I couldn't stay. I can't crawl through old records - something I dearly love doing - because of the molds and dust on them. I had to stop going through the records in the county courthouse for the same reason.

I also stopped spending much time in the library because it had grown musty and smelled. They recently remodeled it and aside from the new carpet smell, it is much better. Once the new carpet smell has dissipated, I may be able to spend time there again.

This disability - I'm not sure that's the right word - has really impeded my life, especially as it has grown worse as I've aged. Many things I enjoyed doing I no longer do. I prefer to be well to being sick - I have spent enough time being sick - and avoidance seems to be the best answer anyone has for me. 

If you have a person with sensitivities in your life, I hope you can find some compassion for them. They aren't simply picky or being difficult. Life is hard for someone like me.

Even though we may love the flowers, we cannot stop to smell them.