I’m writing this diary on Wednesday morning before I go to work for the day and evening. That’s part of my Wednesday routine. Most things I do are part of my weekly routine. Each day is different but each day of the week has the same basic routine as that day did the prior week.
In winter I actually have an additional bit to my routine. I chop wood and make fires in our wood burning stove. To do it right, you have to chip away at it a little bit every day. I have to take rounds that have been split and stacked and then chop them into smaller pieces of wood so as to be able to start a fire. When a good bed of coals has built up, I can then put the high-BTU almond wood on the fire.
I pretty much always get up first. What motivates me to get up are four dogs and one cat. Motivation is putting it nicely. It’s insistence, to be honest. As soon as the sky starts to brighten, they become agitated and I arise. At this time of year that doesn’t happen until about 6:45 AM and I can often get them to settle down for a little while...sometimes for as long as another 30 minutes, but it’s always only temporary. In summer they get me up between 5:30 and 6 AM.
After taking the dogs out to do their early AM business, I feed them and the cat. Then I make a fire. I make fresh coffee. So as not to wake smileycreek, I take the coffee bean grinder out into the garage. When she gets up the house is warm and coffee is fresh. The dogs are fed and sated. A good start to the day.
I’ve been thinking about the things I do routinely lately. I like my daily routine because it just feels good. I believe I’m relishing it now because of all the uncertainty going on in politics which is anything but routine. Things are happening so fast it’s impossible to even begin to know how to respond to it all so my routine is something for which I am grateful. I’ve been doing a lot of feeling grateful for all I have and the life I’m living.
Speaking about things being in flux, Smileycreek went to our accountant two days ago to find out “what’s what” regarding our tax situation for 2017. What about 2018? How do we prepare for taxes in 2018? Will medical expenses still be allowed? What business expenses will be deductible next year? The answer from our accountant was, “Don’t know.” No one knows what the final version of the GOP tax bill will look like. Everything is up in the air.
Speaking of uncertainty again, I’ll tell you about an interesting little tidbit which may cause a problem should the government shut down tomorrow. Right now there are apparently two camps in the House GOP. One group wants to fund the government for just two more weeks through December 22nd. Why? So they can make things really “hair on fire” believing they will then be able to force Democrats to vote for funding The Wall and ending their trifling attempt to keep DACA going.
Others want to shut the government down and have it shut down for the entire winter recess. Why? Well, besides for the simple reason that a few in the GOP have spilled the beans about one of their goals of the tax bill is to hurt and punish Democrats and states run by Democrats, there is another potentially sinister reason one group wants to shut down the government until next year.
It will allow Jeff Sessions, should he choose, to ruin both the recreational and medical cannabis economy. That’s right! As you may know, the House has declined to renew the Rohrabacher-Farr deal that basically keeps the Feds from interfering in states with legal marijuana, whether for medical or recreational reasons. In a strange quirk in the law, the DEA and the DOJ must continue to operate during a government shut-down and since the Rohrabacher-Farr deal is now moot, things could get interesting.
Funding for the federal government is set to run out on Friday, unless Congress enacts a bill extending current spending levels before the midnight deadline. Also set to expire is a current rider that prevents the Department of Justice from interfering with state medical cannabis laws.
If lawmakers fail to enact an extension, the marijuana protections would disappear but, because drug enforcement agents are considered “excepted” from furloughs, the Justice Department would be newly empowered to enforce federal cannabis prohibition wherever it wants, regardless of state laws.
“All agents in DEA field organizations are excepted from furlough because they support active counternarcotics investigations, a Justice Department shutdown contingency plan says. “DEA investigations need to continue uninterrupted so that cases are not compromised and the health and safety of the American public is not placed at risk.”
The same goes for federal prosecutors.
“As Presidential Appointees, U.S. Attorneys are not subject to furlough,” the shutdown plan says. “Excepted employees are needed to address ongoing criminal matters and civil matters of urgency throughout the Nation. Criminal litigation will continue without interruption as an excepted activity to maintain the safety of human life and the protection of property.”
news.gyo.green/...
Imagine what Jeff could do if he has several weeks to go gung-ho shutting down dispensaries and arresting those that own them and work in them. Will he or won’t he? He has said he’d go after both recreational and medical cannabis including suppliers, caretakers, and users. What will Jeff do? Of course, this scenario would just happen to coincide with California rolling out legal recreational cannabis. Well, at least the rest of North America has gotten real about cannabis which is now legal in Canada and Mexico.
Oh, and once Roy Moore becomes a Senator and “brings Alabama values to Washington,” I wonder how long before women will be required to wear red almost-burkas and white Mennonite-esque bonnets?
What do you want to talk about today?
RSVPS
1. Neeta Lind aka navajo
2. Will Rockafellow
3. Paul Hogarth
4. Erics
5. Mara Schechter
6. Bouapha Toommally
7.
MAYBEES :
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RSVPS
1. Besame
2. marsanges
3. Chico David RN
4. hulihuligirl
5. smileycreek
6. Paradise50
7. side pocket
8. voracious
9. voracious’s guest
10. hulihuli-husband
11. chantedor
12. Shawn
13. FoundingFatherDAR
14.
MAYBEES :
Music Prof
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FTR:
marsanges is awarded the highest level of Road Warrior for a meet-up. Amsterdam to Seoul - 5320 miles. Seoul to St Louis - 6682 miles. St Louis to Sacramento - 1677 miles. Total = 13, 679 air miles !
We’re not worthy…
RSVPS
1. EagleOfFreedom
2. Bleeding Blue
3. DoingBusinessAs
4. momomia
5. ptressel
6. Kay3295
7.
MAYBEES :
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Netroots Nation 2018