The Cheese Stands Alone

 Sa 6/20/26- Memorial Visit 8am (GB: 6/ Red Congolese). 845am (3-B: Diablo Sativa). 215pm (GB: 5/ Red Congolese). 540pm (GB: 6/ Diablo Sativa). 835pm (GB: 6/ Diablo Sativa).  Up 7am: Partly cloudy with temps to just over 80.  ***845am: a man (contractor?) was at the front and sides of the abandoned house peering up at the roof.  Watched 'HUNTING SEASON' (Hoopla). From IMDB: "When a reclusive survivalist and his daughter rescue a mysterious, wounded woman from a river, they become entangled in a deadly web of violence and revenge, forcing them to confront a brutal criminal to survive." It's a plotline that never tires. A righteous man with a gun and he reasons that "a man's gotta do what a man's gotta do' regardless of the absurdly high body count. He's a real Christian gentleman, except when he's blowing somebody's head off; with Sofia Hublitz ('Tag'), Mel Gibson ('Bowdrie'- what she calls her dad because her real fathe...

 Fr 6/19/26 8am {1/2 'Extreme Chill' 150 mg: 75 mg total}. 805am (GB: 6/ Red Congolese). 1045am (4-B: Diablo Sativa). 1045am (5-B: Diablo Sativa). 1245pm (GB: 6/ Red Congolese). 540pm (5-B: Red Congolese). 840pm (GB: 6/ Diablo Sativa).  Up 710am: {well rested}. Sunny to partly cloudy with temps just above 80. The edible hit nicely this morning.  Watched 'R.M.N.' (Kanopy). Creepy & upsetting and it's kind of a horror film about immigration in a poor country. The film boasts an electric town meeting where many racist solutions are suggested and it becomes a textbook example of Democracy morphing into Mobocracy; "It's a medical fact that they spread diseases and they will be touching our bread"; little boy was struck dumb because he foresaw his grandfather's suicide. Very captivating.  Directed and written by Christian Mungiu. "81" Metascore and I would go to "90". The movie was filmed in Romanian villages across the Transylvan...

  Th 6/18/26 7am (GB: 6/ Diablo Sativa...NEW STRAIN). 750am (4-B: Red Congolese). 945am (3-B: Diablo Sativa). 1240pm (GB: 6/ Red Congolese). 315pm (5-B/  Diablo Sativa). 535pm (GB: 6/ Red Congolese). 830pm (GB: 6/ Diablo Sativa).  Up 530am: Partly cloudy & breezy with temps to mid 70's.  ***620am: They hauled away the full trash receptacle from the driveway at the abandoned house. A little early? Yesterday's storms were a bit of a bust. Only an inch of rain fell on Westview and we had stronger winds in the storm last week. Although there is no denying that yesterday's sky looked deadly and it really looked like severe damage by wind or rain was imminent. Maybe it's the worst that I can remember.    Watched 'MR. NOBODY AGAINST PUTIN' (Hoopla). A middle school teacher in a tiny Russian city (known for a successful copper smelting plant- 'The World's Most Polluted City') documents the militarization of his school and the general population during Ru...

 We 6/17/26- Branch Pickup/ Janny's Diagnosis/ Violent Storms Up 625am:  740am (GB: 5/ Durban Poison). 110pm (GB: 5/ Red Congolese). 630pm (4-B: Red Congolese). 840pm (GB: 5/ Diablo Sativa).  Another dire prediction from The Weather Channel: "Becoming windy with strong thunderstorms likely this afternoon. Storms could contain tornadoes. High 83F. Winds SSW at 20 to 30 mph. Chance of rain 70%." I'm getting sick of the catastrophic and frightening weather forecasts every other week. The old 'Tornado Alley' weather pattern has most definitely moved east and seems it's now located right over Sangamon County.  Watched 'DENIAL' (Netflix). The film concerns a British trial about a holocaust denier who sues an American author for libel. In her book she demonstrated how Nazi policy decisions led to the extermination of millions of Jews.  The evidence was overwhelming and she would not debate a holocaust denier because it would be like debating someone who b...

 Tu 6/16/26- Roof Gutters Cleaned 9am (GB: Durban Poison). 935am (GB: 4/ Red Congolese). 105pm (5-B: Durban Poison). 3pm (5-B: Red Congolese).  550pm (5-B: Durban Poison). 830pm (GB: 6/ Red Congolese).  Up 545am {to the alarm}. Morning showers about 9am then cloudy with temps to upper 70's. ***I went outside at 7am and hacked off branches on the big tree in the back and trimmed back the growth beneath it. I saw on NPR that the city will pick up branches all over the city starting this week because of last week's fierce storms. Westview's regularly scheduled pickup week begins on July 6th, so the debris pile won't sit out front for too long. REGRET: If I had engaged a professional I wouldn't have to deal with the debris at all. I can afford it. Enough of the 'A Chuck & A Truck' solutions.  The guy next door was in his backyard when I was trimming and he was on the roof by 730am and we finished just after 8am. Storm clouds were moving in from the southwest...

 Mo 6/15/26- Cut Down Pine Tree 1230pm (GB: 5/ Red Congolese). 1pm [1/2 VIIA 'Day Drift' 100 mg: 50 mg total]. 535pm (GB: 5/ Durban Poison). 840pm (GB: 6/ a mix of Durban & Congolese).  Up 550am (to the alarm). Partly cloudy with temps to upper 70's. Ideal weather for a chainsaw party.  I drank instant coffee and read 'Mosquito Coast' until  we began work at about 820am. I pulled on the rope and he did the cutting. The first branch came down and glanced off my back; no harm done. The next cut he lost his balance and almost fell on top of the chainsaw. Also no harm done.  After the tree was down, he handled the scraps and I went out back and trimmed back the big bush by the computer room's rear window. I ripped off most of the vines growing on the metal fence. I told him I'd give him $350 for the pine tree removal and to blow out the roof gutters.  He wanted cash so I told him I'd go to the bank [after Esporta]. When I got home I put the cash in his m...