Good morning, good people! I am doing a countdown: in 30 days, Biden will be gone! Well, physically gone from office, that is. His brain has long since departed. Out with the old, in with the new, we got screwed in old ways, we'll get screwed in new ways!

We can handle it, friends! Keep an attitude!

My Christmas gift was sort of a fluke. My secretary looked on the State Comptroller's website to see if she had any unclaimed money. For fun, she checked my name out, discovered I had $500 based upon an insurance claim from 2019, Progressive Ins. Well, I didn't have insurance with them in 2019. I called Progressive, they tracked it down from an unclaimed deductible, Liberty Mutual. Ok, so the state Comptroller knows my current insurer is Progressive, and Progressive knew I once had Liberty Mutual Ins. , as well as my history of claims. (2 claims in 60 years.) Well, I should get the check soon, but will not shake that many eyes are on me and every damn thing I do. Creepy shit. I never have to feel all by myself again, right? TPTB are always with me.

A friend came by asking for work. He did a great job clearing out vines from my office fence. It took him just over 2 hours, and I gave him $35. He had nothing to eat, no transportation to go to the store. He walks where he has to go. His leg was broken in a fall from a horse at age 6, and his single Mom couldn't afford a dr. to help him. He has limped badly most of his 65 years of life. When he came to ask for work, he needed $5 to buy eggs, and he only had $2. I rounded up some boxed dinners, canned veggies, some breakfast cereal, and packages of cornbread mix, gave him that along with a $5 bill, which is what I had on hand at the office and in my pocket. After he came to work a day later, finished the job, I asked Dear One to give him a ride home, and stop by the grocery store. My friend limped around the store, picked up 2 small packages of potato chips. Dear One found a steak on sale, bought his food for him, gave him the steak. He asked to go to the Dollar General to shop there, and bought food. He showed Dear One a large package of wieners for $7.00, which cost $14 at the grocery store.

My friend is Paul. He has worked all his life. The locals that used to hire him have work offers that he is too old and handicapped to do now. He cannot read or write, has no idea how to get any government assistance, has never paid in to Soc. Security. I will get him an appointment with a county official who might get him enrolled in something. He needs Medicaid and a knee replacement, just to start. And a phone.

Oh, you probably guessed Paul is black. Wish I could arrange for Mr. Musk, a/k/a, The DOGE, to meet my friend. Mr. Musk has never had contact with the Paul's of the country. He might think Paul is an alien from space.

Well, it's your turn to tell us all what hap'nin' in your neck of the woods, and since this is an open thread, any topic of your interest could become our interest, too!