“Baseball is 90 percent mental. The other half is physical.” — Yogi

Hello and welcome. Today is Thursday, August 13, 2020, and, we are here at the ole blogger ranch doing our best facsimile of what it looks like to keep on keeping on. Routines. They can be very good because they aid in getting things done. They can also become detrimental when a routine becomes a rut. There are numerous sayings that relate ruts to graves. Here is one from American novelist, Ellen Glasgow, "The only difference between a rut and a grave is the dimensions." Since I brought this up I suppose I should keep on digging, pun intended. I handle being isolated some better than others I know. I do miss my family. I do. I really do. Family gatherings are a highlight for us and we've pretty much quiesced them since this past Christmas. Not making hands-on contact with family leaves me feeling like I'm losing something I may never get back. Having said that, not getting out and about or being on the road, so to speak, well, that doesn't really bother me at all. I don't need an assessment to know I am an introvert. I feel blessed that with God's help I can love people and minister to them but that is certainly not my natural personality type. I have lived with an extroverted 'people person' for nearly 56 years and I know these restrictive rules we are trying to follow are particularly tough on her. And, it is extremely difficult to find the balance. That is if balance actually exists. I can see why some folks we know appear to have decided to blow off the rules and have adopted whatever happens will happen attitude. I'm not there. Yet. For me, I'm stuck on the when you come to a fork in the road, take it.

On the political front, we now have a democratic vice-presidential candidate, Kamala Harris, to run alongside Mr. Biden. I know politics is a quagmire, regardless of party, but this choice does seem somewhat odd. This lady, as a US Senator, adopted a meanspirited scorched earth approach to the confirmation hearings of Supreme Court Justice Kavanaugh. The so-called misdeeds charged against Kavanagh as a high school and college student were proven to be without merit. This did not deter Ms. Harris. On the other hand, during the primary when she too was running for the democrat nomination for president, she said she believed the women who made charges against Mr. Biden. She also went on to say he built his career on segregation and racism that imposed hurt on a young black girl, none other than herself. She said many other things about Mr. Biden, but, this woman who claims higher ground regarding her principles has now set all of that aside to become the running mate of this man she disdained before. Odd. She wanted to crucify Judge Kavanaugh and his family, yet, she claimed worse against Mr. Biden but now supports him to be President of the United States. You and I would think this very strange indeed, however, I can hear the Trump-hating mainstream now, "...debate rhetoric only..." "it was the primary and those are always nasty..." and the longstanding go-to, ..."there's nothing to see here..." I submit there is something to see here, but, who will be looking?

I do attempt, whether it shows or not, to pay attention to my writings. I occasionally search out examples of written materials that supposedly are considered to be excellent. Here is one I found to be interesting even though I have no idea what the subject or plot is about, "The flames sawed in the wind and the embers paled and deepened and paled and deepened like the bloodbeat of some living thing eviscerate upon the ground before them and they watched the fire which does contain within it something of men themselves inasmuch as they are less without it and are divided from their origins and are exiles."— Cormac McCarthy, author from his book:, "Blood Meridian". (As an active proponent of run-on sentences, I actually found myself looking for a place to breathe in that one.) Okay. Having read that one as a lauded bit of prose, sorry, but, it made me feel better about the stuff I throw out there every day. Don't get me wrong. I thought that excerpt was quite catchy in a strange sort of way. What did it communicate? I don't really have a clue. At least I am aware of my need to always try to improve. I think they say you have to see the need before you act upon it. Or some such thing. I've done all I can for today, therefore, I'll leave you with a prayer that God will bless each and everyone, and, I look forward to our next time together. Amen. .....More later.