And in Today's News...

Okay.

I needed to take a day to clear my mind.  

I want to begin by stating that I do NOT intend for this blog to be all about our current administration. But my decision to begin writing again and the start of a second term for the current president,  coincidentally aligned.  When literally daily, the entire nation is seeing and reading the most outrageous edicts and acts of "the-one-who-shall-not-be-named",  its hard to ignore.  

We experienced a national tragedy on Wednesday night.  We lost 67 people in a horrible mid air crash above the Potomac.  In the immediate hours following this event, while the country tried to wrap its mind around the loss of life, dreams, hope, and potential in the worst airplane disaster in decades, this country's leader took the opportunity to take the podium and engage in another of his mind-numbing, self-serving, rambling, non sequitur rants focused primarily on the "fact" that the crash was due to DEI hires.  Before we had ANY information, while we are still waiting for the recovery of all the bodies, before the recovery of any black box, before any information about who was working in the air traffic control tower or whether or not protocols had been followed, when asked by a member of the press how he could conclude the disaster was caused by a DEI hire, the Commander in Chief of our great nation responded: "Because I have common sense".  

Here's some common sense:  If you are a member of ANY minority, prepare yourself.

Simultaneously, we are grappling with pages of Project 2025 directives being launched with a flick of his poisonous pen.

To say nothing of those he wishes to surround himself with: 

As Secretary of Defense: a misogynistic, alcoholic, weekend "entertainment" commentator who has nothing that even nears a genuine education, experience, or qualification for the job,

As Head of the FBI: a proven liar and QAnon consipracy sympathizer, who promises to turn FBI headquarters in to a "Museum of the deep state" who has nothing that even nears a genuine education, experience, or qualification for the job,

As Health and Human Services Director: a former drug addict and aggressive anti-vaxer who stated in his hearing that citizens are unhappy with Medicade because premiums and co-pays we too high, and who apparently has a dead worm in his brain and has nothing that even nears a genuine education, experience or qualification for the job,

As National Intelligence Director: a party-jumping politician with alarming associations with traitors and foreign enemies and has nothing that even nears a genuine education, experience, or qualification for the job,

and so many more!  

And that's the latest news from what just has to be the alternative universe.

Is this Real Life??

As you might imagine, people who publish their thoughts do not publish ALL of them.  I have more drafts in my blog than those I sent out into the universe.  

Such is the case with one I started on November 9, 2016:

It is November 9th, 12:08 a.m.  I haven't written a thing in years.  But I cannot sleep tonight and I felt like going here to try to make sense of what just happened to our country, to my family.  To me.

When it became clear that we were going to elect the most unqualified person I could possibly imagine to lead our country for the next four years, I broke down and sobbed.  I was surprised at the depths from where my sobs came.  And I cried for a good long while.  My husband came and my daughter as well and we all just held each other.  We all cried.

For those who believed Hillary Clinton was "a crook", well, I haven't anything to say to you.  For those of you who believe that Donald Trump is a  brilliant visionary who will lead us into "greatness" and put us all on the road to "winning", well, I have less to say to you.

I truly am frightened about what lies ahead for our nation and the world as a result of this impossible outcome.  We are not "one nation, under God, indivisible".  We are severely divided.  What monsterous moth has been eating away at the very fabric of this country to cause such anger and fear?

So unbelievably, we brought him back, in 2024.

I can hear "delete" clicks as I type this.  You can cancel me,  cancel away.  Perhaps I'm just preaching to the choir.  But something unspeakable is happening to this country.

So much has been said already.  And it truly does feel as though I am dreaming.  In fact, I honestly DO wake up some mornings and turn on the news and suddenly remember, "Wait!  That really did happen"!  And yes, it did.  And even more bizarre, some people - in fact a LOT of people - are actually happy about it.  In fact, some people I love are happy about it.  And frankly, I just don't know what to do with that.

This was not a normal election.  It was many times more cataclysmic than 2016.  Because now, Trump is emboldened.  And he is not making the mistake of hiring reasonably qualified people to fill his cabinet.  The last time around, he hired and fired routinely as soon as his self-proclaimed "Best People"  woke up and said "Oh my God!  What unspeakable hell is this?".  No, this time he is assigning the most important cabinet seats on earth to unqualified, spineless, alcoholic, corrupt lemmings and "yes men" (and women) to help him usher in the end of our Republic.  Just because he can.

During the first week of his presidency, he has used his alarming jagged, maniacal signature to sign a stunning number of executive orders ranging from controversial and compassionless to ruthless, retributive, and unconstitutional.  His juvenile posts from his very own social media site read as though written by a petulant, spoiled, embarrassing 12 year old.  He is fearless this time around, courtesy of the unscrupulous and nefarious "justices" Trump forced onto the Supreme Court by bullying a congress of cowards set on selling their own souls rather than face the possibility of of an election without his "support".  And as a reward, we now have a president who operates above all law.  For those of you who may be offended by my rant, please understand:  The law does not apply to Trump!  Ever!  For anything!  Even Murder.  (And if you don't believe me, google it. )

And I cringe when I hear "all politicians are the same", "all politicians are corrupt", all politicians lie".  Yes, I know.  You want to know HOW I know?  Because all humans have episodes of corruption and all humans lie.  But this corruption and lying is premeditatively designed to take down a most noble experiment of governance.  And our forefathers warned us about what could happen if we voted in a tyrant.  

So when faced with what appears to be a formidable, overwhelming, and unstoppable force, what can we do?  We can fight back.

Final thought:  Beware of normal looking men (and women) who have somehow convinced you of what you need and then promised you everything.  Make sure you ask to see their teeth.

Hello! Is Anybody There?

I decided I wanted to write a little bit again.   So I was thinking: "I can't post on 'Dumping My Purse'!  Its been too long.  It would be too weird."  Then I remembered that "Dumping My Purse" was my site and I can do whatever the hell I want

Me, 2009

 On June 22, 2009, I posted my very first composition on my blog.  I named the blog "Dumping My Purse".  The last time I posted was July 22, 2014.  It has remained dormant for nearly 16 years.  

Yesterday, with a LOT of time on my hands, I re-read quite a number of my posts and in truth, they weren't bad.  Some of them were "meh" but some of them were pretty good.  And a couple of them made me laugh out loud.  I'm not embarrassed by any of them (although they do tend to be lengthy).  So here we go.  Let's see if the old gal still has some chops.

I've spent some time in review.  I have entered into an entirely new "season". (We say "season" now instead of "age" but frankly, no matter the word you use, it all says "old".)

I've posted "then and now" photos of me.  These photos were chosen to make you think: "Wow she looks great!  She's hardly aged!"  I assure you nothing could be further from the truth. The photo from 2024 was attempted about 7 times before it successfully hid a massive double chin.  And while I wore sunglasses in 2009 due to bright sun, the glasses in 2024 are also for cosmetic reasons.  Your eyes may be the windows to your soul but they also rudely scream the ravages of time.  Not that I am ashamed to be my age (ahem) but I'll need a little more courage to reveal exactly how hold I am.  Let's just say I was an adult when big shoulders, big earrings, and big hair were in fashion.  And I wore them all well.  And I learned to type when it was standard that you add two spaces between sentences.  Okay, okay.  I'm 67.

Me, 2024

If you had kids before 2014 when I last posted, like I did, they are all grown and gone now.  Some of us have married, some divorced.  Some re-married.  Some have become grandparents and some are very happily single.  Some have lived the dream, and some have lost it all.  Sadly, some have died. 

Time marches on - for better or worse.  I've had a bit of both.  The best being retirement and a great deal of wonderful travel.  The worst being that my oldest daughter, Amanda, had to go through breast cancer (she is fine now).  I image I will pull from these experiences from time to time as I write.  I still have a lot of things to talk about.  Sadly, brevity is not my strength.  I hope people who choose to read this "season" of blogging will find it entertaining but in truth, at this point in my life, I am writing it for me.  Something to leave behind for my kids someday.

One thing that hasn't changed at all?  My lipstick.  Clinique "Black Honey".  My shade forever.

Next time:  The toad that occupies the White House.