General Discussion, Monday March 25, 2019

Folks enjoying hanami at Ueno Park in Tokyo

Also known as the Cherry Blossom Festival, Hanami is a Japanese tradition to welcome spring and appreciate the beauty of sakura (the Japanese term for cherry blossoms). Sakuras are considered the flower of spring, symbolizing a time of renewal. In celebration, people gather under the blooming cherry blossoms with food, drinks, and music to bond and meet new friends. At night, the trees are illuminated to continue the festivities in a romantic custom called Yozakura.

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73 Responses to General Discussion, Monday March 25, 2019

  1. czarowniczy's avatar czarowniczy says:

    Sigh…not enough chill hours this winter so no cherry blossoms on our cherry trees – one of our peaches crapped out on us too. Great leaves and twig growth though, looks like I’ll be buying cherries and freestone peaches (if the Great God Walmart decides the peasants can have freestones) at the store this year.

    Liked by 6 people

    • michellc's avatar michellc says:

      My peach trees are really pretty in full bloom right now. Still too early for my apple trees and pear tree to bloom, but the apple trees are budding and the pear tree is leafing out.

      It will be another battle though if I can keep the squirrels and birds out of the pear tree long enough to get any pears this year.

      Liked by 4 people

      • czarowniczy's avatar czarowniczy says:

        Our lone pear tree (a baking pear) is in bloom but my Asian persimmons got burned by a frost. Looks like I’ll have to offer the possums an alternative treat this year.

        Liked by 3 people

        • michellc's avatar michellc says:

          Possums that come around here don’t last long. The Livestock dogs kill any that venture up. They did always leave them laying around for us to find and dispose of, but now they’re considerate and carry them off.

          I had started thinking they weren’t coming around anymore or the dogs had stopped killing them, then one day I saw one of the dogs with something in his mouth. Got close enough to see what it was about the time he was jumping the fence and taking it to the woods. He dumped it off somewhere and came right back.

          Liked by 3 people

          • czarowniczy's avatar czarowniczy says:

            They only last about two years in the wild, they aren’t long-lived. I think I’d mentioned how one of our dogs cornered a possum on our patio, couldn’t get to it but scared the $%^&# outta it. I ended up sitting and apologizing to it and feeding it American cheese and cat food.

            Liked by 1 person

            • michellc's avatar michellc says:

              Not I, before we had dogs, they killed my chickens. Now the dogs do all the dirty work.

              I’m fine with wild animals, as long as wild animals don’t come around killing my animals and possums love the taste of chicken.

              Liked by 1 person

              • czarowniczy's avatar czarowniczy says:

                So do the coons, it’s very popular.

                Like

                • michellc's avatar michellc says:

                  As well do skunks, but they seem to just like their blood. Foxes, coyotes, owls, hawks, weasels, cats of all sizes, dogs, a very long list that just love the taste of chicken.

                  My most hated though are coyotes. Just can’t stand those mangy critters.

                  Like

  2. nyetneetot's avatar nyetneetot says:

    Mornin’ stella! (Smiter of those that ought to be smote) 😎 🍸 (Long Island Iced Tea)
    Mornin’ WeeWeed! (Master Mixologist Extrodinare) 😎 🍸 (Old Fashioned)
    Mornin’ Menagerie! 😎 |_| |_| |_| |_| |_| |_| |_| |_| |_| |_| |_| |_| |_| |_| |_| |_| |_| |_| |_| |_| |_| |_| |_| |_| |_| |_| |_| |_| |_| |_| |_| |_| |_| |_| |_| |_| |_| |_| |_| |_| |_| |_| |_| |_| |_| |_| |_| |_| |_| |_| |_| |_| |_| |_| |_| |_| |_| |_| |_| |_| |_| |_| |_| |_| |_| |_| |_| |_| |_| |_| |_| |_| |_| |_| |_| |_| |_| |_| |_| |_| |_| |_| |_| |_| |_| |_| |_| |_| |_| (Jack Daniels – Single Barrel )
    Mornin’ Ad rem! (Queen Felis catus) 🐱 🍸 (Flaming Lamborghini)
    Mornin’ Sharon! 😎 🍸 🍸 (earthquake)
    Mornin’ ytz4mee! 😎 🍸 (cosmopolitan)
    Mornin’ waltzingmtilda! 🙂 🍸 (white wine and perrier)
    Mornin’ partyzantski! 🙂 |_| (Tom Collins)
    Mornin’ texan59! 🙂 |_| (Black & Tan)
    Mornin’ ZurichMike! 🙂 🍸 (fuzzy navel)
    Mornin’ Col.(R) Ken! (hand salute) 🙂 |_| (Boilermaker)
    Mornin’ czarina33! (aka czarina) 🙂 🍸 (Lynchburg Lemonade)
    Mornin’ czarowniczy! 🙂 |_| (Wild Turkey Rare Breed)
    Mornin’ letjusticeprevail2014! 🙂 |_| (Irish Car Bomb)
    Mornin’ Patriot1783-ctdar! (aka “ctdar”) 🙂 🍸 (grasshopper)
    Mornin’ tessa50! 🙂 🍸 (flaming volcano)
    Mornin’ waltzingmtilda! 🙂 🍸 (sidecar)
    Mornin’ varsityward! 🙂 |_| (Godfather)
    Mornin’ MaryfromMarin! 😀 |_| |_| |_| |_| |_| |_| |_| |_| |_| |_| |_| |_| |_| |_| |_| |_| (Mortlach)
    Mornin’ Wooly Covfefe! (aka “Wooly Phlox” aka “taqiyyologist”) 🙂 |_| (Roy Rogers)
    Mornin’ Howie! (aka “doodahdaze”) 🙂 |_| (Classic Daiquiri)
    Mornin’ TwoLaine! 🙂 |_| (Gin & Tonic)
    Mornin’ Sha! 🙂 🍸 (Lemon Drop)
    Mornin’ BigMamaTEA! 🙂 🍸 (Harvey Wallbanger)
    Mornin’ cetera5! (aka “Cetera”) 🙂 |_| (Blackberry wine)
    Mornin’ The Tundra PA! 🙂 🍸 (Gentleman Jack Whiskey Sling)
    Mornin’ lovely! 🙂 |_| (Backdraft)
    Mornin’ michellc! 🙂 🍸 (Salty dog)
    Mornin’ auscitizenmom! 🙂 🍸 (Kiss on the Lips)
    Mornin’ Margaret-Ann! 🙂 🍸 (White Russian)
    Mornin’ Auntie Lib! 🙂 🍸 (Tom and Jerry)
    Mornin’ holly100! 🙂 🍸 (Jack & Coke)
    Mornin’ Pam! 🙂 (Not even water)
    Mornin’ Ms.Tee! 🙂 🍸 (Mojito)
    Mornin’ koolkosherkitchen! 🙂 🍸 🍸 (Cuba Libre)
    Mornin’ ImpeachEmAll 🙂 |_| (Flaming Dr. Pepper)
    Mornin’ Monroe! 🙂 |_| (Stinger)
    Mornin’ Les! 🙂 |_| (Rusty Nail)
    Mornin’ shiloh1973! 🙂 |_| (Jack Daniels)
    Mornin’ TexasRanger! 🙂 |_| (Whiskey Smash)
    Mornin’ Ziiggii! 🙂 |_| (B52)
    Mornin’ oldiadguy! 🙂 |_| (Rum & Coke)
    Mornin’ smiley! (“stuck in spambucket”) 🙂 🍸 (Spanish coffee)
    Mornin’ derk! (“Stellars”) 🙂 🍸 (Kamikaze)
    Mornin’ Jacqueline Taylor Robson 🙂 🍸 (Shirley Temple)
    Mornin’ facebkwallflower! 🙂 |_| (Night Train Express)
    Mornin’ Ms. Cindy! (aka “Ms Cynlynn” aka “ms cynlynn”) 🙂 🍸 (1970 ducru beaucaillou)
    Mornin’ sandandsea2015! 🙂 🍸 (1961 Château Montrose)
    Mornin’ amwick! 🙂 🍸 (Blue motorcycle)
    Mornin’ hocuspocus13! 🙂 🍸 (1970 Chateau Latour)
    Mornin’ Sloth1963! 🙂 🍸 (1971 Moulin Touchais)
    Mornin’ MTeresa! (Ex-lurker) 🙂 |_| (Albanian Raki Moskat)
    Mornin’ rheavolans! (aka “Rhea Salacia Volans”) 🙂 |_| (Hot Buttered Rum)
    Mornin’ joshua! 🙂 |_| (Mudslide)
    Mornin’ John Denney! 🙂 |_| (RumChata)
    Mornin’ litenmaus! 🙂 |_| (Stolichnaya elit, no ice)
    Mornin’ kinthenorthwest! 🙂 🍸 (A Lonely Island Lost in the Middle of a Foggy Sea)
    Mornin’ TwoLaine! 🙂 |_| (Smoking Bishop)
    Mornin’ patternpuzzler! 🙂 🍸 (Old Lady)
    Mornin’ Senatssekretär FREISTAAT DANZIG! 🙂 |_| (Red Russian)
    Mornin’ G-d&Country! 🙂 🍸 (Blind Russian)
    Mornin’ Gary! 🙂 |_| (Yuengling)
    Mornin’ valeriecurren! 🙂 🍸 (Flaming Sambuca)
    Mornin’ Lucille! 🙂 🍸 (Peach Schnapps)
    Mornin’ Lburg! 🙂 🍸 (Lburg lemonade)
    Mornin’ davidhuntpe! 🙂 |_| (Baileys Irish Cream on the rocks)
    Mornin’ skipper1961! 🙂 |_| (Brompton’s Cocktail – No cherry, no umbrella, no plastic monkey)
    Mornin’ mightyconservative! 🙂 |_| (Benjamin Franklin’s clarified milk punch)
    Mornin’ NC Nana! 🙂 🍸 (Beautiful)
    Mornin’ whiners and complainers! 😛 (No drink for you!)
    Mornin’ to people posting that I missed. 😳
    Mornin’ to all you lurkers! 😕

    Also just in case someday; mornin’ to Elvis Chupacabra, F.D.R. in Hell and sundance! :mrgreen:

    Breakfast!

    NEW and IMPROVED breakfast with extra bacon for ZurichMike!

    Blueberry Scones

    Liked by 6 people

  3. lovely's avatar lovely says:

    Good morning folks 🙂 !

    Liked by 6 people

  4. WeeWeed's avatar WeeWeed says:

    Mornin’ kids!

    Liked by 6 people

  5. Stella's avatar stella says:

    Good morning, everyone!

    The good sense of Victor Davis Hanson to start off the day. This one is a keeper!

    Did Trump Do All That?

    Collective Amnesia

    With all due respect, I don’t think we “all” know that this started with Trump, however crass he can be. Rather, we know all too well the political landscape a decade before Trump.

    Do we recall the recent deranged talk of 2004-8 from the Democratic Party, the popular culture, and the media—or the relative passivity of the wounded Bush administration in response to such venom?

    Why, after all, did Alfred A. Knopf publish the novel Checkpoint, a boring and tired rant about fantasizing the assassination of then-President Bush? Who created the particular landscape that encouraged filmmaker Gabriel Range to offer up “Death of a President”that trafficked in the same fantasies of a Bush assassination?

    Why would the Guardian publish an op-ed by “satirist” Charles Brooker’s dreaming of the need for another John Wilkes Booth or Lee Harvey Oswald to repeat their needed work—a theme in part that actor Johnny Depp has recently channeled against Trump.

    Were premonitions of Trump in 2004 befouling our political discourse?

    Did Trump Really Do All That?

    Liked by 4 people

    • michellc's avatar michellc says:

      Good morning Stella!

      Liked by 3 people

    • jeans2nd's avatar jeans2nd says:

      Afternoon Stella. That title alone was good enough, but VDH is, as usual, correct.
      Have been listening to speeches from VDH from 2010 and earlier, and VDH was talking of these things then.
      Never paid much attention to Bush Jr, other than Bush Jr was a wimp, and not what Bush Jr had advertised.

      But the fact remains, the name-calling of Nazi, racist, etc, go clear back to Richard Nixon, for whom I worked before i could vote. We were treated just a s badly as the conservative kids are now.
      That was when my disconnect from politics happened, and since Trump 2015 have seen that nothing has changed.

      Sad.
      thx 4 the link – most excellent read

      Liked by 2 people

    • lovely's avatar lovely says:

      Bravo! Victor Davis Hanson! Thank you Stella.

      They hate us because they hate us, they hated President Reagan and wished death upon him multiple times.

      Citizen Trump was a brave and selfless man to to become the scape goat for the Left’s delusional and rabid hatred.

      President Trump is a man among men, we are blessed to have him at the helm of of world.

      Liked by 2 people

  6. Stella's avatar stella says:

    President Donald J. Trump’s schedule for Monday, March 25th:
    -Participate in an expanded bilateral meeting with the Prime Minister of the State of Israel
    -Participate in a photo opportunity with the 2018 Stanley Cup Champions: the Washington Capitals

    Liked by 3 people

  7. Stella's avatar stella says:

    Liked by 2 people

  8. Lucille's avatar Lucille says:

    Irish bishop: “To define a religious group as being more prone to terrorism than any other group is irresponsible”
    March 25, 2019 11:00 AM By Robert Spencer

    There have been 34,772 Islamic jihad terror attacks worldwide since 9/11. In that span, how many terror attacks were committed by people citing the Torah as their inspiration or screaming “Jesus is Lord!”? The irresponsible one here is Kevin Doran, who is trying to shame Catholics into thinking it wrong to note that there are Muslims who are “putting our civilization at risk and they pose a threat to us.”

    https://www.jihadwatch.org/2019/03/irish-bishop-to-define-a-religious-group-as-being-more-prone-to-terrorism-than-any-other-group-is-irresponsible

    Liked by 4 people

    • Menagerie's avatar Menagerie says:

      It’s grossly unfair to use inductive reasoning on a large group from a small sample, but I just have to say that I’m not seeing a lot of good common sense, theology based on actual dogma and teachings, and logic on the part of bishops these days. I think the Church needs a remedial bishop training class. One in Tennessee even got so bad they removed him recently.

      Liked by 2 people

  9. Stella's avatar stella says:

    The past couple days, MODIS has been getting some GREAT images of the great lakes – check out the snow line and gl ice cover.

    As you zoom in, that ice shelf between Autrain and Marquette is still so thick you just barely see a little blue of Lake Superior on the horizon with a south wind – meanwhile, heard and saw the waves for the first time of 2019 in Marquette yesterday, so awesome.
    (Lake Superior Photo). March 25, 2019

    Liked by 3 people

  10. Stella's avatar stella says:

    Liked by 1 person

  11. lovely's avatar lovely says:

    https://twitter.com/jamesplake721/status/1110302137765019648

    And

    Michael Avenatti has been arrested for extortion.

    Remember the momentum shift it seems to have been given a shot of steroids.

    Scott Adams took a scam call while on pericope 😂.

    Liked by 2 people

  12. Lucille's avatar Lucille says:

    The tale of Tiffany’s
    Published on Apr 22, 2012
    Tiffany & Co. was celebrating its 175th anniversary. Correspondent Rita Braver gets an exclusive tour of their landmark store in Manhattan, and a look at some dazzling, never-before-seen treasures from the Tiffany Archives.
    https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=_KO4naCaevM

    Liked by 1 person

  13. auscitizenmom's avatar auscitizenmom says:

    A prayer for Justice Kavanaugh and Col. Flynn:

    Prayer to St. Michael

    St. Michael the Archangel, defend us in battle;
    be our defense against the wickedness and snares of the devil.
    May God rebuke him, we humbly pray;
    and do you, O prince of the heavenly host,
    by the power of God,
    thrust into hell Satan and the other evil spirits
    who prowl about the world for the ruin of souls.

    In Jesus name, we pray. Amen.

    Liked by 3 people

  14. auscitizenmom's avatar auscitizenmom says:

    lilbirdee12’s prayer:

    Our Heavenly Father, Your children come to you tonight to ask for healing and peace throughout our country so that we may return to being One Nation Under God. Guide us to be leaders in Your Kingdom, spreading Your Love and Salvation to all. Forgive us our sins and deliver us from evil.

    Lord, we ask for a blanket of protection over all our troops and law enforcement who serve to defend and protect us. Bless our representatives with the strength and wisdom they need to achieve the path You have chosen for us.

    Please place Your Guardian Angels of Protection around Donald Trump and Mike Pence and their families as they seek to lead America back to You.

    Grant us patience, Lord, as the evil ones try to anger us and cause us to fall.
    Spread blessings over Israel and Netanyahu.

    We humbly ask that You please comfort those who are grieving and in pain.
    Thank you Father, for Your Love and the gift of Life.

    In Jesus name, we pray. Amen.

    Liked by 3 people

  15. Lucille's avatar Lucille says:

    No Collusion outcome causes HYSTERIA
    The Amazing Lucas YT Channel
    https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=fUsq6R6MZpc

    Liked by 2 people

  16. Stella's avatar stella says:

    Like

  17. lovely's avatar lovely says:

    The Pentagon has notified Congress that it has authorized the transfer of $1 billion to begin new wall construction along the US-Mexico border.

    Liked by 2 people

  18. lovely's avatar lovely says:

    Speaking of a momentum shift.

    Over the last 24 hours.

    House Minority Leader McCarthy asked Adam Schiff to step down from the House Intelligence Committee.

    Michael Avenatti has been arrested and indicted under felony charges..

    CNN contributor/legal analyst Mark Geragos has been fired after being named co-conspirator in the Avenatti/Nike extortion case.

    The Pentagon has notified Congress that it has authorized the transfer of $1 billion to begin new wall construction along the US-Mexico border.

    Carl Tucker sent Brian Stelter a dozen Jelly doughnuts and Stelter was miffed about it.

    Glaciers are getting larger in Greenland.

    With Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu at his side, US President Donald Trump declared Monday that the Golan Heights belongs to Israel — handing another major diplomatic victory to the premier ahead of tight elections.__AFP

    John Brennan appeared on the Mika and Joes show. He is a broken man.

    Jim Acosta tweeted this;

    Trump adviser says there are concerns that during the president’s upcoming victory lap Trump will “overreach” and say something that will create more trouble for him with the public. Happens whenever he gets good news, adviser says. 😂🤣 😂🤣 Jim is taking denial to a whole new level.

    The Southern Poverty Law Center continues to be exposed for the den of vipers that it is with continuing scandalous resignations.

    The NYP posted a Losers Bracket of people who have incessantly pushed the Russian/Trump collusion tale.

    Liberal heads are exploding all over the place.

    Trump knows how to serve a cold, cold dish of vengeance…__James Woods

    Oh and Mueller and Barr exonerated President Trump. No collusion no obstruction.

    Liked by 2 people

  19. Lucille's avatar Lucille says:

    Stella, a number of my posts have gone into spam jail today and yesterday, both here and at CTH. Here most eventually came onscreen. One last night at CTH never came onscreen.

    Like

    • Lucille's avatar Lucille says:

      Also, I continue to have to sign in for every post made. That started months ago. Has Word Press ever addressed that problem?

      Like

      • Stella's avatar stella says:

        Not that I know of. I don’t think everyone has that problem. Have you tried changing browsers to see if the problem continues on other platforms? I know that I have had to change browsers with WordPress in the past because all of the administrative functions wouldn’t work.

        Like

    • Stella's avatar stella says:

      I can’t answer for CTH (too many comments and multiple admins), but I have fished out a couple and approved them. Not always immediately, since I am the only admin here.

      Like

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