Just Stop--Seriously

In More Grains than Stars of Sand, Al Forsyth notes that the largest litter among mammals goes to the tenrec of Madagascar which produces up to 32 offspring. To compare, Nadya Suleman, in Bellflower, California holds the record of live births that survived among humans at eight. As a woman enters her child-bearing years, she will have 180,000 eggs “primed and ready to go.”

In A Fatal Grace, by Louise Penny, Beauvoir asks Gamache if any of the witnesses noticed a smell. Gamache confirms that they did notice a faint smell. Dr Harris had informed Beauvoir that some electrocution victims actually smoke.

This scene is rather macabre, and between these two quotes from birth to death is life itself. A half block over, a van plowed into an electrical pole almost knocking it over. I sincerely hope the driver remembered to stay in the car until rescue teams could get there. It was something we learned when I was a young teenager watching a national broadcast on what to do in emergencies.

I saw a disturbing rumor on X that Trump wants to reinstate the ban of trans military members. It was lauded by tons of replies of people who are clearly misinformed. It isn’t particularly costly and hormone therapy doesn’t drive people into rages. Trans members of the armed forces are typically very professional, very skilled, and very knowledgeable. It is well worth the investment of drugs that cost as little as 8 dollars per month. Research also shows that fellow members of their unit are also supportive.

Kicking trans people out of the military would demoralize many, put more people in unemployment (simply because of their gender identity), and increase homelessness and poverty. In addition, the loss of valuable skill sets would leave the remainder of the armed forces less able to defend Americans at home and abroad. It is a huge mistake, and will cost us dearly. I expect this to be fought in the courts, if true.

In the news is the desire to replace more federal workers with political appointments. This is a power grab, and another mistake. Political appointees should be liaisons, not hatchet men. Again, the workforce will be more demoralized, and people whose job it is to serve the American people and speak truth to power, will simply be dismissed because someone who doesn’t have the depth of knowledge doesn’t want to hear it. Terminating these jobs will also negatively impact the economy. We will experience worse service by fewer people who will be overburdened by the number of people joining the unemployment lines.

The temptation then would be for private companies to step in to fill the gap, making the rich richer, at the expense of the people they are there to serve. I expect lawsuits here as well with regards to freedom of speech or the addition of a tremendous burden on our economy.

In A Fatal Grace, by Louise Penny, clearing the house is described as what happens when a curling stone smashes into another curling stone in the home zone, creating a chain effect in all directions and a lot of noise. Beauvoir finds the description riveting. Lemieux notes how noisy that would be.

In The Cruelest Month, the sequel to A Fata Grace, Clara hasn’t felt exhilarated and terrified and mystified since she was a kid. She can’t remember why they’re approaching the Hadley house. She is curious what Odile and Madeleine are talking about behind her.

The right to trans healthcare is headed to the United States Supreme Court, after a lower judge ruled that states can ban trans affirming healthcare for both adults and minors. The case will be presented by a transgender lawyer from the ACLU. It is terrifying, because if the ruling goes the conservative-leaning way, not only can it make it harder to get medically necessary trans care, it could also start to unravel many rights for trans people to not be discriminated against, and open the floodgates to gender normative laws. But this case has to be brought because the lower courts ruling is impacting trans people in multiple states.

In The Cruelest Month, in a picture of her on the wall of her receiving the Governor General’s Award for Literature, the Three Pines Volunteer Fire Chief Ruth Zardo glowers as if someone has thrown excrement on her. Called in to set up the space, Agent Lemieux tries to stay out of everyone’s way after stopping by to bring in donuts and coffee. When Inspector Beauvoir marches in, Lemieux and Agent Nichol glare at one another.

Later, Beauvoir remarks on the look on her mother’s face when Sophie Smyth ran fast on her supposedly sprained ankle. Lemieux asks if the mother was angry, and Lemieux bursts out that he can’t be that stupid.

Thursday was Thanksgiving. After work on Wednesday, I planted the trees from the Arbor Day Foundation. With a bit more loving care this time, and no sudden long-term trips to Texas, I’m hoping I will be a bit more successful in getting them started this year. The Crepe Myrtles from almost three years ago are doing great, as are the peach trees I planted.

I made Bratwurst Dinner and went out with my neighbor to see Red One at the movie theater. The theaters were packed and the only seating available was in the front row. So I had an amazing experience at front row center. It was a bit chilly, so I need to remember to bring an extra shawl or blanket next time.

For Native American Heritage Day, I made a Cinnamon-Spiced Breakfast Bake with Bacon. The cooking was my way of honoring the day, not what was actually cooked. It was in incredibly delicious and sweet bread pudding.

I also scooped as many leaves as I could into my large compost bin from the pile my neighbor kindly deposited in my park strip not knowing what to do with them. My lawn (to be) is already covered in a layer of leaves to help protect and build up the soil over the winter, so it will be ready hopefully for the heat-resistant grass seed I plan to spread in the Spring.

A friend asked if I would like to go see Gladiator, assuming that night. While I enjoy a little chaos in my life, I like to plan for it and box it in, so I told her the next day would be okay, just give me plenty of heads up.

In A Rule Against Murder, by Louise Penny, Gamache can’t picture the gnarled hands of the elderly man on the sofa ever producing lovely music. Thomas down and sends strains of Bach through the night. Julia has forgotten how beautifully he plays.

In More Stars that Grains of Sand, Al Forsyth shares that cheetahs are faster than Usain Bolt, who tied a wombat for speed. Alan Eustace has the record for the fastest human air dive speed at 822 mph, but it took him 25 miles of diving to reach it, whereas a peregrine falcon can reach 240 mph from one mile up.

I read today that the governor of Ohio is signing into law a ban on transgender students using multi-person bathrooms that correspond with the gender identity, under the reasoning that no student should be forced to go to the bathroom with someone of a different sex. No one is being forced to to that. If anything, this law results in trans girls having to choose between being at increased risk by using the boys bathroom while expressing the identity, suppressing their identity at the risk of emotional harm, risk bladder infections by being forced to hold it in for too long, or risk getting in trouble for public urination.

The actual problem is that we teach that boys are inherently dangerous and girls are inherently weak or are temptresses. Any boy or man that shows a softer side is ridiculed, as well as any woman that steps outside the gender-restrictive norms based on a debunked biology that was designed to only support a male dominated culture. We can do better than that.

My other concern is the businesses that said that they would promote diversity, equity, and inclusion, knowing that it not only promoted a better society, but paid of at the bottom line, who have now decided that they are abandoning that in favor of an elitist model MEI, which stands for Merit, Excellence, and Intelligence. The MEI model is based on abstract judgmental terms that have no clear definition and can actually be used to reduce diversity, equity, and inclusion. Without valuing diversity, someone who doesn’t look like you, or think like you, you are creating a blind spot. DEI doesn’t mean that you must hire unqualified people, it just asks that you consider your blind spots. Really, who chooses to be blind, and then enforces it on others?

As for me, Walmart, Lowes, and the others are at the bottom of my list. If they can’t see the value inherent in every individual, and every employee, they don’t deserve my money. I have been using women’s restrooms without issues for sixteen years now—I feel safer there, and less exposed. I can also have a confidential conversation with another woman there—someone with shared experiences.

I’m not changing who I am for the sake of a few politicians and activists who think they know me better than myself, and neither should you. Stand up for you values. Courage is sticking to what you know is right, even when you know it comes with a risk.

If they want to take my rights away—if they want to take any of our human rights away—the last thing I want is to make it easy for them to do so. I’d like to quote Bob Marley (Get Up), and encourage you to sing along:

Get up, stand up.

Stand up for your right.

Get up, stand up.

Don’t give up the fight