Elizabeth Wiley

I wonder what my ex-father-in-law would say about this. He spent the entire 15 years I was married trying to give me a nickname when I told him repeatedly that I didn't want one. I'm sure he'd find some way to make it OK to try to forcibly change mine but not allow someone else to change theirs....🤦‍♀️

Seems appropriate.

Montgomery County, VA.
#handsoff

Do not get in a power struggle with a two year old.

There's a whole lot more I could say, but I'm tired and feeling wrung out. See the parallels, please, so at least you aren't surprised when the world goes to shit.

You've put the fox in charge of the henhouse. You've got a President, Vice President, and whatever the hell Elon is, who are solely in it for what they can get out of it and apparently what they can give to Putin and the extreme right in Europe.

Well, yes. You can save money that way, but that's not really your problem area. It's the billions in tax relief you're giving to people who don't need it, like billionaires.

If you think they deserve to have their jobs cut "because government waste needs to stop", realize that their pay is a very small part of the budget. It's like trying to balance your household budget by deciding that you can save by using dried beans instead of canned.

People, it's not funny. Some of these public servants you're laughing about having their jobs endangered are my family members. They got into their jobs because they believe in them.

I wanted so badly to tell them I'm in their corner, but it was not the time or place.

At least some of the people on the tour bus with us were laughing about the hatchet Elon Musk has been taking to our public servants.

This whole experience was playing out for me while we were being guided by National Park Rangers, one of the many branches of public servants being decimated by Elon Musk for no damn good reason. They were clearly incredibly dedicated to the monument and those who rest there.

All of these current headlines kept running though my mind the whole time we were there, and it's not hard to see really terrifying patterns being set up. The stops are being removed. The generals, the JAG lawyers. The administration won't even admit who started it in Ukraine.

Do we really want to be cosplaying Japan in the year 2025?

The Nazis used "Lebensraum" or "living room" to justify their invasions. Also not folks we should be emulating. Bad people will make any justification to do what they want.

They died because one country wanted the resources of other countries and was prepared to do anything to get them. (If you've paid attention to current events this should sound disturbingly familiar- Ukrainian mineral rights? The Panama Canal? Greenland?)

We went to the USS Arizona Memorial this morning, and it was far more emotional than I was expecting, for a number of reasons.

First and foremost, because it's a national cemetery. Those people died in an attack that was a complete surprise, considering that we were not at war.

I sincerely doubt that they'll roll over. Nothing she had to to say was in any way out of line with our beliefs. You should look up our Presiding Bishop's statement on the election.

Strangely enough, it still looks dumb.

FOMO dog. I dunno what he's staring at but he spends a lot of time doing it. I caught him trying to sit on the back of the couch to spectate yesterday.

This is Paddy, AKA Padasaurus Rex, my six month old Labrador. He thinks he's a scarf. He is not. He also can't keep his tongue to himself. Or his teeth. Or his feet.

Happy New Year, everyone! Our New Year's Eve paella.

Thank you so much!

I made this set in an advanced class. I'm absolutely thrilled with how they came out! #pottery

Lily doesn't like the refs, either. #caturday.

I'm picturing that Raiders of the Lost Ark scene where the ark burns the nazi symbol off....

You'd think she'd at least be impressed with the sparkles, but nooooooo.

Miss Lily got some soft claws put on today. She is currently Not.Impressed. Here's hoping she doesn't go pee in my shoes as revenge.

Oh I know. Gives me the willies too. Better spiders than bedbugs, though. (I cannot believe I actually typed that spiders were better than something!👀👀👀)

Maybe little tiny spiders? I know, it's horrifying to think, but some of those little guys can crawl and bite repeatedly and make a mess.

There's a bald eagle in the trees just below our house! I know that there are a lot more of them now than there were when I was a kid, but it's still such a thrill for me to see one!
I'm feeling a bit more uplifted today just from seeing this!

There's a ring around the moon tonight. It comes complete with contrail too. I don't know if it's some kind of portent, but here's hoping for good things.