100 Things To Make You Smile

100 Things To Make You Smile

D. S. Mitchell

Sunday afternoon on the fabulous Oregon coast.  The sun is shining,  and Lilly the dog, is sprawled out on the back patio while I restlessly flip through the morning cable news shows. I am a regular Sunday viewer of Meet The Press, Fareed Zakaria’s GPS and AM Joy.  I wanted a nice peaceful weekend, a morning with coffee cup and the N.Y. Times, a game of golf in the afternoon, a movie with a friend to finish the day.

But, hell no. Not with Trump in office.  He is like a spoiled child demanding every moment of his mother’s attention. I do not intend to go off on a rant. I promise.  In fact I want to get your mind, and my mine, off the American Tragedy playing out in front of our eyes.  So, my favorite distraction of the week, my Sunday version of a day-off, is imaging simple things in life that will bring a quiet smile to the corners of your mouth.

1.) A Hummingbird at the garden feeder 2.)A day with no chores to do 3.) Left over spaghetti or cold pizza for breakfast  4.) A chocolate “fix”  5.) The Nite Owl, Helena, MT  6.) A bedroom with a window seat  7.) A scarecrow dressed in Daddy’s old coveralls and straw hat  8.) short lines  9.) Drive-in theaters  10.) Face painting 11.) Film Noir  12.) Watching young swallows learn the art of flight  13.) Painting the front door a vivid color  14.) Working a potter’s wheel  15.) Spontaneous hugs  16.) Forgetting the punch line of a joke  17.)  Libraries  18.) Using the dog to do left over clean up 19.) Fireworks  20.) Running boards on tall trucks  21.) The soft sound of a paddle cutting the water  22.) The patter of children’s feet  23.) Crater Lake, Oregon  24.) Clean as you go  25.) Gingerbread loaded with melted butter  26.) Forming a Foundation to help fund a cause  27.) Talking with intelligence instead of just blowing smoke  28.) River barges  29.) crisp apples  30.) Doing a good job  31.) Rich, delicate French pastry  32.) Floating lilies  33.) Listening to the sounds of the night  34.) A secret crush  35.) Spontaneous kisses  36.) Writing  37.) Homemade lemonade 39.) The aroma of Honeysuckle and Daphne  40.) Cloth napkins with napkin rings  41.) The American flag  42.) Lettuce fresh from the garden  43.) A new mattress  44.) Fessing up to an eff ‘up  45.) Honey Baked Ham  46.) A great painting found at a Thrift Store.  47.) Refreshing an old dresser with a coat of paint  48.) First ski run of the day  49.) Old English Sheepdogs  50.) Koala bears  51.) Rearranging the furniture for a party  52.) A banana split for two  53.) Travel magazines  54.) Swim meets  55.) Swans on Black Lake, Ilwaco, WA  56.) Wind across a field of wheat  57.) Twinkies  58.) My Time  59.) Echoes  60.) The Olympics  61.) Mt. Vernon  62.) Cheetahs in the wild 63.) Warm dry socks  64.) Mutts  65.) Sundance catalogues  66.) Buy one and get one free  67.) Making lists  68.)  Pinto ponies   69.) Sneakers without socks  70.) Unicorns and rainbows  71.) Picnic tables  72.) Owning and island  73.) Walking the railroad tracks  74.) Habitat For Humanity  75.) A team of horses  76.) Weeping Willow trees  77.) 3-D movies  78.) Political comics  79.) Lawn parties  80.) Laughing babies  81.) Getting a makeover  82.) Up with the dawn  83.) Weathered shutters on shingled beach cottages  84.) Hopscotch  85.) Night snowmobiling  86.) Hit that high note  87.) Frisbee with the dog  88.) Blanket tents in the backyard  89.) Club sandwiches  90.) Being on time  91.) Woodstock  92.) Snoopy  93.) Earth Day  94.) Catching a man’s eye  95.) Dream catchers  96.) Dog carriages  97.) Revolving doors  98.) Retirement  99.) Winning a race  100.) Puget Island, WA.

Keep smiling.

Join the Resistance

Dar

Total Solar Eclipse

Total Solar Eclipse

D. S. Mitchell

Calamity Politics is a progressive political blog. Our aim is to offer earnest and honest opinions and speculations, and constructive arguments on the daily happenings in the U.S. political scene. Today however, I want to talk about the upcoming total solar eclipse. Mark your calendar for 8-21-2017, because on that date all of North America will experience a solar eclipse. A total solar eclipse is one of nature’s most inspiring and intimidating events. Calculations show it will take 1000 years for every geographic location in the lower 48 to view a total solar eclipse.

A total solar eclipse occurs when the moon covers the sun-an event where only the sun’s coronal atmosphere will be visible behind the moon. You must be “in the path” of the totality. If you are not, you will not see the total phase of the eclipse, and unfortunately, that is the show.

I live on the North Oregon Coast between Astoria and Seaside. The path of the August 2017 eclipse will be about an hour and a half south of me, coming across the continent just north of the small coastal community of Cloverdale, Oregon. I am quite familiar with the little town because one set of Aunts grew up in Cloverdale and nearby Neahkahnie. Amazing in my now aged mind that I will soon be headed back to a place of such fond childhood memories.

Reports from earlier total eclipse observers attest that about an hour to an hour and a half before totality you begin to notice the moon taking “bites” out of the sun. Over the next approximate hour the bites get bigger as the moon slowly covers the entire solar disk.

What we are actually witnessing is the movement of the moon in its orbit around the earth.  The next total solar eclipse is expected April 8, 2024. That eclipse will track from Texas to Maine. I like that the 2017 eclipse is so conveniently located. I’m getting pretty excited. I plan on getting up early that morning and heading south via #101. The eclipse is expected to start at 9:05 PDT and totality beginning at 10:17 (PDT)and will last two minutes. I’m just keeping my fingers crossed for at least a semi-clear day.

Thinking about the eclipse aroused my curiosity and I have done some reading and learned a few things that I thought were interesting facts and interesting enough to pass on.

The most important thing to know is NEVER look directly at the sun while any part of the bright disk is visible.  You must get filtered eyeglasses called “eclipse glasses” to be able to safely view the phenomenon. Once the eclipse becomes total you can look at it without the glasses because the moon is covering it and the sun will have a luminosity of a full moon. Be sure to remove the glasses once totality is achieved, otherwise you won’t see anything. Once the totality ends–immediately put the eclipse glasses back on.

A few other interesting facts I read:

The sky darkens in the last 2-3 minutes before the totality. The temperature will drop significantly, and the wind may pick up. Animals react as if the sun is setting and birds will roost and insects will chirp. At the very last instant before totality if you look to the West you will see a huge curtain of darkness spring up as the moon’s shadow rushes at the observer. Stars and planets will be visible.

So mark August 21,2017 on your calendar and throw politics aside and watch a sight that you will never forget. Be sure to set your camera up for breathtaking shots. Or you can just watch. Alone or in a group take it in.

Join the Resistance

Dar

80 Reasons To Smile

80 Reasons To Smile

D. S. Mitchell

The last two days have been full of drama and emotion. Jared Kushner is on Capitol Hill and talking to members and staffers from the Senate and House Intelligence Committees, behind closed doors. @POTUS spent 35 minutes last night giving a rambling disgusting speech to 40,000 boy scouts at their annual Jamboree. New Tweets from the president attacking Sessions hit the internet today, which brought significant push back from the conservative branch of the Republican party, including Rush Limbaugh and Breitbart News. The Senate is voting to bring TrumpCare out of committee today and I worry for the possible 30 million people that will lose health care.

I am jumping up and down and I am about to self-combust. But, I know that will not help. I know I need to keep up my efforts to derail TrumpCare. I have made twelve calls to Senators this morning asking a certain few Republican Senators to resist the White House and do what is best for the American people.

Calamity Politics is a political blog with a progressive leaning agenda. Calamity Politics intends to present relevant and engaging political conversation on a daily basis. Usually once a week I try to find something to smile about and share those thoughts with my readers.
As agitated as I am, I thought the best thing for my attitude and my blood pressure was to think of a substantially large number of reasons to smile. So, here are 80 Reasons to Smile, even on a day as disturbing day as today.

1.) Being part of a team 2.) Sunrises 3.) Sunsets 4.) Watching the turntable as an old vinyl plays 5.) Dimples 6.) Warm Apple Fritters 7.) Night games 8.) A checklist 9.) Arched doorways 10.) Search lights 11.) A day at the museum 12.) Finding a 4 leaf clover 13.) A loft for the little ones 14.) Antique claw foot tubs 15.) Sprinklers 16.) Popping bubble wrap 17.) Seeing a dream come true 18.) Baked potato “loaded” 19.) A “free month” of anything 20.) The sweetness of fresh corn on the cob 21.) Flipping pancakes 22.) Paper Airplanes 23.) Tic Tac Toe games 24.) Nervous energy 25.) Homemade onion rings the size of bracelets 26.) Cutting my own bangs 27.) Old perfume bottles 28.) Last nights spaghetti reheated 29.) Shari Lewis’ Lambchop 30.) Old things re-used and re-purposed 31.) Mozart 32.) Holding hands 33.) Salt water aquariums 34.) The caverns and mesas of Arizona, Utah and New Mexico 35.) A reading corner 36.) A secret admirer 37.) A talking parakeet 38.) Lingering over coffee with the Crossword Puzzle 39.) Persistence 40.) Celery filled with crunchy peanut butter 41.) Knowing you are appreciated 42.) Yes or No answers 43.) Floor to ceiling views 44.) Marinas and harbors 45.) Beachcombing 46.) Honeysuckle 47.) Ancient ruins 48.) History 49.) Jazz 50.) A window box garden 51.) Barge homes 52.) Potluck with family and friends 53.) A winning basket scored at the buzzer 54.) A weekly play break 55.) Sunday afternoon poker 56.) A lake cabin 57.) Black licorice 58.) Cobbled streets and tiled roofs 59.) Cast iron skillets 60.) Six layer cakes 61.) Magnolia trees 62.) The buddy system 63.) Old dolls and Teddies 64.) Caramel apples 65.) The Fusion of Tex-Mex 66.)Bead board ceilings 67.) Watching my grand daughter play hop scotch 68.) Loving what you do 69.) Koala bears 70.) Corner cabinets 71.) Elvis music 72.) The ability to change 73.) Tongue twisters 74.) Garden benches 75.) Losing weight 76.) Molasses cookies 77.) Nasturtiums 78.) Afternoon Croquet at the beach house 79.) Clean countertops 80.) Essential oils

Well by the time I got to the number eighty John McCain strode in to the Senate chamber, and cast a deciding vote to bring the Repeal the ACA bill out of committee. Some Republican Senator that I didn’t recognize came on Hardball and said he thought Kushner had been “open and straight forward and appeared to answer all questions thoroughly and honestly.”

I’m not in the mood to add a couple more reasons to smile, cuz I’m really angry and I think I need to take the dog for a walk.

Join the Resistance

Darlene

75 Things To Smile About

75 Things To Smile About

D. S. Mitchell

It is Sunday afternoon and it is a perfect day on the North Oregon coast. The clouds are while cotton balls hanging over a blue ocean with cresting waves breaking gently against the sand.  Sundays are when I discard politics and look for reasons to smile.

So today this is what I came up with:

1.) Puppy love  2.) Wearing a man’s T-shirt  3.) Painted bead-board  4.) Skinny, crispy french fries 5.) Pale yellow and baby blue bedrooms  6.) Beach bonfires  7.) Misty mornings  8.) Good balance 9.) Day dreaming  10.) Sitting in the sun  11.) Having a canary in the house  12.) Remembering a locker combination  13.) Paper clips  14.) The cat sleeping in the fern plant  15.) Copper kettles 16.) Moonlight on water  17.) The crunchiness of French bread  18.) Mushroom hunting 19.) Picnic baskets loaded and ready  20.) Old Godzilla movies at midnight 21.) Finding the tool I need  22.) Turning off the faucet just as the water reaches the sink brim  23.) Achievement and set-back  24.) Tiny houses 25.) Wicker and lace  26.) Powdered doughnut holes with fresh perked coffee 27.) A secret journal  28.) A check at the mail box 29.) An old cabin in the woods  30.) Hide-an-Seek 31.) An approaching storm 32.) Sundance catalogue  33.) Childhood games  34.) Giving the peace sign, not the finger  35.) A new toothbrush 36.) Finishing a chore 37.) Filling a baked potato with butter, chives and sour cream 38.) Marx brother’s movies 39.) Chocolate fudge cake with chocolate and cherry cordial ice cream 40.) eBay 41.)Snowmobile rides 42.) Sweet dreams  43.) Stalagmites and stalagitates 44.) Ice fishing 45.) The smell of wood burning 46.) Back rubs and foot rubs 47.) A little self-love  48.) Fixing dinner with your partner 49.) New carpeting 50.) Old Sea Hunt episodes 51.) Arabian horses 52.) Finding a bird feather 53.) School plays 54.) The click of a spinning fan 55.) Remembering Mama 56.) A bike filled college campus 57.) Following a stone wall to its end 58.) Babies wearing boots and jeans 59.) Concerts in the park 60.) Machu Picchu 61.) Self confidence 62.) Wire baskets filled with vegetables 63.) The feel of corduroy 64.) Trains 65.) Cats 66.) Cartwheels, somersaults, and hand stands on the front lawn 67.) Historic places 68.) Tortoises 69.) Koi filled ponds 70.) Hot apple Empanadas 71.) Carte blanche 72.) Good posture 73.) A Denny’s breakfast of grease and goo 74.) Japanese lanterns floating on a breeze 75.) Touch football

No matter what is happening in Washington today, I will smile.

Join me mostly daily, as I autopsy the headline political news with an extra side of sarcasm and a double order of cynicism, but for dessert I dig into a big dish of hope, as I attempt to analyze and comment on the upside down world of U.S. politics.

Join the Resistance

Dar

66 Things To Smile About

66 Things To Smile About

D. S. Mitchell

Calamity Politics presents progressive political opinions, predictions and speculations regarding the current U.S. political news scene. The Fourth of July, Independence Day, one of my favorite holidays. Its been a good day. I worked half a day, hung out with a couple friends while they did demolition on their new “used” home. It looks like a lot of work and a huge money outgo, but the place is in a great neighborhood and the house has great bones. After the fireworks I was too tired to finish my Independence Day post. So, here are ’66 Things To Smile About’:

1.) Hours at the library 2.) Remembering my reusable bags when I go shopping 3.) The Budweiser horses 4.) Summer Solstice Parties 5.) Wall art 6.) A room filled with music 7.) Houseboating at Lake Shasta, California 8.) A seaplane landing 9.) A lazy game of golf with the girls 10.) A bag of tennis balls for the dog 11.) A twisted toothpaste tube 12.) Animal cookies 13.) Elevator door opening just as you reach it 14.) Playing darts at the pub 14.) A new litter of puppies 15.) Roses growing up a picket fence 16.) Getting the local paper at the doorstep 17.) Breakfast with Tracey 18.) Antique car shows 19.) Having a plan 20.) Astoria, Oregon 21.) Air shows 22.) Girl’s softball 23.) Dancing with a great dancer 24.) Kids in the sprinkler 25.) Thrift store shopping 26.) Hot air balloons 27.) Upscale resale shops 28.) Loading the fishing gear 29.) River walks and Ocean Promenades 30.) Saturday Night Live 31.) Remembering a loved one with graveside flowers 32.) Inspiring a child 33.) The tingle of stage fright just before a performance 34.) Chasing rainbows 35.) Chintz curtains blowing through an open window 36.) Country stores 37.) Fresh baked bread soaked with butter 38.) Castles sitting high above rivers 39.) “Getting away” for the weekend 40.) Coconut milk fresh from the coconut 41.) Kah-Nee-Ta Resort 42.) Shiny firetrucks 43.) Plate size cinnamon rolls shared with friends 44.) Antique quilts on display 45.) Pressing Restart after a bad episode 46.) Hitting a home run 47.) Marching for a cause 48.) Seeing football teams wear pink for breast cancer awareness 49.) The Ferries of Puget Sound 50.) Vancouver Island 51.) Sidewalk dining 52.) Finding a childhood toy when unpacking boxes long stored 53.) Street rods 54.) Consciously stirring a conversation to avoid an argument with a co-worker 55.) One trusted and forever best friend 56.) A “Make Over Day” 57.) Wind chimes quietly tapping in the wind 58.) Catfish caught in the early morning and fried for breakfast 59.) Fortune tellers and Ouija boards 60.) Mexican tooled cowboy boots 61.) Beer in iced glasses 62.) Making, and then eating cannabis cookies 63.) Hanging an oil painting you did when you were 25 over the fireplace for a new showing 64.} The ‘mission’ you create with a ‘To Do List” 65.) Self help books, purchased, but never read 66.) A joke well told

Thank you for joining me for my weekly smile session. Remember to do your part; call Capitol Hill, fax and email your reps, write letters to congress, letters to the editors, tweets, blog, protest, run for office.

Join the Resistance.
Dar

35 Reasons To Smile

35 Reasons To Smile

D. S. Mitchell

Calamity Politics was temporarily disabled on Sunday, and because of that issue  I did not post my regular Sunday Reasons to Smile. So, it’s Monday and let’s find some things that make me smile, and hopefully you too.

Forget politics for a few minutes and join me for 35 Reasons To Smile:

1.) Sandra Lee’s Semi-Homemade cook book series  2.) “Doing” breakfast  3.) Blowing bubbles  4.) Saturday night Roller Derby  5.) Popeye cartoons  6.) Aquariums  7.) Tug boats  8.) Winning 9.) Tootsie Roll Pops  10.) Costco food samples  11.) Fitted sheets  12.) Window seats  13.) Spa Day  14.) KoolAid  15.) A freshly sharpened pencil  16.) Chasing rainbows  17.) Day hikes  18.) NASA 19.) Birdhouses 20.) Caves  21.)  Beach bonfires  22.) Song birds  23.) Hot fudge sundaes  24.) Balcony  25.) Gymnastics  26.) Playing Frisbee with the dog  27.) Windsurfing the Columbia Gorge 28.) Clam Chowder in a bread bowl  29.) The shape of water 30.) Indian summer  31.) Hot tea  32.) Wishing on a star  33.) Baskets of Geraniums  34.) Toddler’s in snowsuits  35.) Secret family recipes.

I’m happy now. Hope you found something to smile about.

Join the Resistance

Dar

99 Things To Make You Smile

99 Things To Make You Smile

D. S. Mitchell

Welcome to Calamity Politics. Calamity Politics is based on the North Oregon coast. We attempt to present relevant and engaging political commentary, opinion, argument, speculations and predictions regarding the US political news scene.

Once a week I do a post entitled “Things That Make Me Smile”. The number of reasons to smile usually change with each post. No reason. Just because I can, I guess.

So, take your mind off of politics; including your grandmother losing her Medicaid, the “de-construction of the administrative state”, the possible Russian collusion with the Trump campaign, the Qatar blockade, and try if possible to focus on the good things in your life.

Today I offer 99 Things That Make Me Smile:

1.) Being on time
2.) Watering the flower boxes
3.) Lots of helping hands to make a big job, go fast
4.) Stumbling on to a “new” favorite restaurant
5.) Early to bed, early to rise.
6.) A winter tan that makes co-workers weep
7.) Blackened hot dogs. Yum.
8.) Dad’s work bench
9.) Weathered barns
10.) Orderliness
11.) Orange juice with my morning coffee
12.) Napping in the afternoon
13.) Singing in the shower
14.) Living in a vacation town, during the off season
15.) Import/Export stores

16.) B & B escapes
17.) Slow dancing with him
18.) Being in balance
19.) Pizza with crispy paper thin crusts
20.) Wild strawberries peeking up in the flowerbeds
21.) Ivory soap, it floats
22.) Ski week-ends at Mt. Bachelor, Bend, Oregon
23.) Calling anyone wearing a name tag by their name
24.) Cobblestone streets and meandering alleys
25.) Handmade

26.) Rain drops hitting a pond
27.) Having to ask the only guy in the room to open a tight jar lid
28.) Front row seats
29.) Spring cleaning
30.) Amazon (I may have said this one before)
31.) Rational thinking
31.) Mother May-I?
32.) Half price sales
32.) Peas dangling from a trellis
33.) Freedom of Speech
34.) Hipfish
35.) Cookbooks with food stains on most every page
36.) Author signings

37.) Watching a smile break into a laugh
38.) Watching an old couple walk hand in hand
39.) Telling a joke and getting it just right
40.) Songbirds
41.) Tossing coins into a fountain with a wish
42.) Stepping out of my comfort zone
43.) Realizing my moral compass was tested, and I remained true to my core beliefs
44.) Rethinking time worn assumptions
45.) Watching a talent blossom
46.) Tracey’s homemade ice cream
47.) Childhood remembrances, with a childhood friend
48.) The pace of 1960’s life
49.) Following Estate Sale signs
50.) Offering someone hope
51.) Riding in small town parades
52.) Knowing when to turn back
53.) Loving the one ‘you’re with’

54.) Putting pennies in a jar
55.) Deciding to change a bad behavior
56.) Being able to never have to go to the bank
57.) Bicycle days
58.) Fresh cut grass
59.) Starry nights
60.) Comics and cartoons
61.) Vampire movies
62.) Puzzles
63.) Sandcastles
64.) Essential oils
65.) The excitement of Las Vegas
66.) Zen koans (Collection of Stones and Sand)
67.) Realizing it is time to stop talking
68.) The roar of the ocean
69.) An encouraging word
70.) Pyramids of tea sandwiches
71.) My birthstone, the amethyst
72.) Tickets to the opening Blazer game
73.) The lawn mower starting with first pull

74.) Ferry boats
75.) Pull over sweaters
76.) Being a Pisces
77.) Biographies of accomplished people
78.) Using actual hand signals for turns
79.) Knowing when its time to work and when its time to play
80.) Buying a CD of old time radio shows, turn down the lights, find a comfortable chair, and let the magic happen
81.) Extra Crunchy Peanut Butter
82.) Magicians
83.) A kiss with meaning
84.) Frank Sinatra with dinner
85.) Paying my Visa card bill with my MasterCard
86.) Grand kids for the week end
87.) Refrigerators full of beer and soda pop

88.) Gothic beauty
89.) The aroma of fresh baked cookies
90.) Having a real home office
91.) Having a plan
92.) The Benson Hotel, Portland, Oregon
93.) Rag & Bone
94.) Being ready for a surprise question
95.) Having someone in my life that I can be totally honest with
96.) Pushing aside old food prejudices
97.) Being smart
98.) Acting stupid
99.) Planting something

Take your time. The scandal and corruption in the Trump Administration is going to be around for a longer time than I would ever want, so think of your own 99 Things that make you smile.
I’ll be back Monday, or later tonight. Weekends at the beach always brings friends.

Dar

Join the Resistance

Trump Silliness

Trump Silliness

D. S. Mitchell

I know that yesterday, Calamity Politics veered off course when I did my ‘Sunday thing’. Today I should be settling down and writing my usual intuitive and imaginative political blog comment, but I am still reeling from mounting disclosures leaking from every government orifice, as the terrified bureaucracy, and White House staffers, spill their guts ‘off record’ in an effort to save our democracy and our cherished institutions.

Blogger Id

We need every leaker and whistle blower we can find to stop Trump and Pence. Usually I don’t mention Pence, however if we are going to push for impeachment of Trump we must also ensnare Pence. Pence has been ‘protected’ so far, but I’m sure that he is seriously involved in the collusion aspect of the campaign. We must never forget, he was brought on board by Manafort. He was there, in the inner circle, surrounded by Trump, Flynn, Sessions and all those Russians. The last thing we want in the White House is that smooth talking, MC looking troll of the right.

Because the media, the bureaucracy and the Democrats are running point for me I am going to, once again, in two days straight, try to use my political voice to lighten the mood for a moment. So, here’s a few comments overheard at the Fort George Brewery, Astoria, OR.

Continue reading

55 Things To Make You Smile On A Rainy Day

55 Things To Make You Smile On A Rainy Day

D.S. Mitchell

I know I’ve mentioned it, but this has been an incredibly cold and rainy spring. At Calamity Politics I usually do the ‘smile’ thing on Sundays. Due to factors beyond my control I got caught up writing another story, which you can read on this blog.

I am confident enough to believe that my little political blog will help shape a few ideas and sway a few opinions. As a political activist I hope my topics are interesting and helpful in developing voter awareness, citizen participation and policy implementation, but today I think we need to take a break from this holocaust erupting in front of our eyes.

So, please join me as I do my Sunday thing, on Tuesday. Here are 55 Things to smile about.
1.) The roll of thunder and the flash of lightening

2.) The sound of crows calling
3.) Mom’s 1940 aluminum cake carrier
4.) Having a flower budget
5.) Toddlers in sandboxes
6.) Homemade tamales
7.) Fresh baked apple pie
8.) Big Sur
9.) Fire trucks
10.) Liquor in decanters

11.) Walking the dunes
12.) Tillamook cheddar cheese
13.) Sails in the wind
14.) Saving my change in a piggy bank
15.) Making church steeples with my hands
16.) Finding a parking space at the front door
17.) Making Cannabis truffles
18.) Eating Cannabis truffles
19.) A garden cottage
20.) Waltzing in the Pittock Mansion ballroom
21.) Scrabble on a rainy Sunday

22.) My Alma Mater, Portland State University, Portland, Oregon
23.) Daddy’s cherished gray ‘Bogie’ Fedora
24.) Snowmobile races
25.) 501’s and a leather jacket
26.) The art section at Goodwill
27.) Knowing God is never early, and he’s never late, he’s always on time
28.) World class Ping Pong championships

29.) Making floral bouquets from flowers collected from the yard
30.) High school football games
31.) White cotton shorts
32.) Being nice when someone calls you vulgar names on Twitter
33.) Astoria Sunday Market, on a sunny day
34.) A drive up mailbox
35.) Hand thrown pottery

36.) Hand feeding horses
37.) Daily routines
38.) First day of school
39.) Last day of school
40.) Wainscotting
41.) Cheese fondue with little bread squares
42.) Having read every book on the shelf
43.) Shiny oak floors
44.) First ski week-end of the Fall
45.) A Blue Heron in the marsh

46.) Walking hand in hand with a child
47.) Wrapped peppermints in a glass dish
48.) Making pictures out of clouds
49.) Old photo albums
50.) Peanuts and popcorn at the ball game
51.) Oversize reckless, passionate modern art pieces
52.) Never feeling older than 17
53.) Powell’s Books, Pearl District, Portland, Oregon
54.) Spring wildflowers

55.) White curtains, blowing gently on a summer breeze

Thanks for joining me in a few minutes of nostalgic memories. Memories that always bring a smile to my face, I hope some of them made you smile.
Tomorrow Calamity Politics will be back covering the Washington, D.C. hotplate.

Join the Resistance

Dar

Trump Scandal Report and More

Trump Scandal Report and More

D. S. Mitchell

As Calamity Politics’ chief spokesperson, I want readers to know that I am a progressive that attempts to be relevant, topical and hopefully engaging in my coverage of the U.S. political scene. The television screen has erupted, like I have never seen, at least not since the last days of Nixon. I went to bed with the kerfuffle screaming from every channel except FoxNews, (Hannity) which was still talking about Comey. I couldn’t watch that show very long, before I said to myself, bedtime.

This morning, I woke up early, so at 0400 I hit the remote and flipped through a couple of channels, before joining Joe and Mika. Everyone was talking over one another and there was an obvious level of excitement.

Continue reading