This Just In:

China has your personal info...probably.

<Newly Declassified Documents> detail how they bought, stole and hacked over 220 million U.S. voter files, revealing huge security failures in our election systems.

These declassified intelligence documents - available for your reading pleasure now at <WhiteHouse.gov> - also show bad actors in the deep state knew about and actively suppressed this information.

Instead of sounding the alarm, they kept it secret - not just from the public at large, but also from President Trump and his staff in the runup to the 2020 election.

In a national address last night - which NBC, ABC and CNNlol refused to air for fear of broadcasting unfiltered truth - Trump stated the 2020 election was in fact rigged.

For folks with functioning gray matter between their ears, that's not news.

The only statistic you need to know is the popular (not electoral) vote totals for the last few presidential elections:

Notice any unusual spikes here?

2012 is when Obama was elected to a 2nd term in a landslide over Republican squish Mitt Romney.

You may recall at the time there was much talk about his impressive showing in the popular vote - more than 65 million people voted for Obama!

The Big O was supposed to be, not just the D's savior, but God's gift to the world (insert gagging sound here).

He certainly thought so.

Remember when Barry arrogantly asserted in his 2008 acceptance speech...

"<...this was the moment when the rise of the oceans began to slow and our planet began to heal.>" ?

How much hubris did that take?

So what happened in 2020 when the unheard of total of 154 million votes were cast, with the winner getting more than 81 million of them?

Who was this most popular candidate in U.S. election history?

Riiiight...

A dementia patient, who twice before ran for president and never made it out of the primaries...

<BIDENICA INFOMERCIAL>

...somehow miraculously netted millions more votes than any president in history!

your tax dollars at work

It wasn't just a farce, it was a crime, and now the details of how that crime was committed are being shared with the world.

The party of the JackAss is braying loudly in protest;

...no surprise there.

But they better get their donkeys in a row: they're in the midst of a civil war, which Mamdani the Ugandan Commie and his disciples appear to be winning.

They're going for the jugular and if they emerge victorious, there will be no more democrat party...

...just the lingering stench of their descent into communism.

Back in the normal world there will be referrals of deep state actors - think Comey, Brennan, Clapper, Garland and others - for criminal prosecution.

Hopefully they'll dispense with court trials in favor of Military Tribunals so the perps can be tried and convicted sometime before the start of the 22nd century.

Let's shift gears from the depressing to the delightful:

This weekend features the 154th edition of The Open -

- the oldest continuous golf championship in the world, being played this year at The Royal Birkdale course...

...on the west coast of England:

Do I care who wins?

Not really...would sorta like to see Scheffler go back to back...

...but this hasn't been his year so far.

Mostly I enjoy watching the best in the world do amazing things on the links...

...like <this incredible putt by Colin Morikawa> in the 2023 Open Championship (watch for his little hop step over a Phil Mickelson drive at the beginning).

After 3 rounds, Sam Burns is in the lead this year;

...we'll see what tomorrow brings.

No matter who wins this year's Open, there's still no one in the same league with the great Harry Vardon from the hickory era...

wins in 1896, 1898, 1899, 1903, 1911, 1914 

...the only golfer to win the Open 6 times.

What a great segue to hickory golf, yes?

You probably thought the long absence of the HGU was due to the <brouhaha> (great word) caused by my unexpected retirement, but nyet!

I promised there would be no HGU if I didn't win, and until this past week, I've been taking it on the chin, round after disappointing round.

I stopped counting, but that's a whole lotta 5-4 and 6-3 losses piled on top of one another.

Finally broke through this week: a 5-4 win on Monday and an 8-1 win Thursday.

Thursday's round also featured a thick smokey haze courtesy of our friends in Canada again...

1st tee at 7 am

...which got worse as the round progressed:

that hazy orange ball in the sky is mr. sun who's usually blinding me by the 5th hole, but not this past Thursday

So why the breakthrough?

Great question, to which I have no solid answer.

I did indeed identify a problem as I mentioned several blog entries ago, but it's taken me this long to get a handle on "fixing it" (a marvelously elastic phrase since every golfer knows disaster is always lurking just around the corner).

<click here> to be ridiculously entertained

It's a number of small things in several areas - taking a bit more time with each shot, concentrating a little more, focusing on fundamentals of my swing a la Mr. V.

The end result is I'm hitting from the tees a little better, handling my lofting iron around the greens a little more consistently, and even putting with some confidence lately.

Here's to continuing down the path I'm on.

If for no other reason than to stanch the bleeding, let's 23 Skidoo:

those don't look like birds to me...

...so why are they emptying our birdfeeder?

brazen theft, in broad daylight no less

beautiful strawberry vanilla hydrangeas in the vanilla stage

karen's lower patio garden showing off again

black eyed susans loitering outside our courtyard...

...and white phlox loitering inside the courtyard

the sphinx on loan from egypt

rose of sharon bushes in full bloom now

lily in the upper patio garden...check out the thermometer

loki testing out the place settings before guests arrive

It's a little scary how quickly I've adjusted to not having to deal with work related problems anymore.

And it's a bit surprising how easily I've filled those hours with tasks related to our household.

Of course there's all the minutia of getting our finances situated, signing up for Medicare and COBRA for healthcare, figuring out what our living situation will be in the future (selling our home, buying something new), etc.

But more than that I've happily embraced tasks that formerly I saw as little more than distractions from "real work" (i.e., what I did to earn money).

For example, today Karen went to see one of her daughters for several hours, and during that time I vacuumed the house, mopped the kitchen floor, mowed part of the lawn, and pulled up a few pavers in a walkway so I could put pea gravel underneath to raise / level them.

I confess to also hitting a few golf balls in the backyard, getting a workout done and watching part of the 3rd round of The Open.

When Karen returned we sat outside in the shade...

...and shared about our day.

Starting to think I might actually be ok with this whole retirement gig.

¹  To everything there is a season, and a time to every purpose under the heaven:

    - Ecclesiastes 3:1 

later, mcm fans...

Last Tiger Lily...

...of the season; very sad.  

Scoured the property in all their usual haunts to no avail; they're gone too soon.

On the other hand - and on the same day - we have our first Rose of Sharon blossom:

Very lovely, with more on the way in the days ahead.

Seasons change, time marches on.

Too obvious?

Sorry; it's reality and just happens to mesh with our personal circumstances of unexpected - but now, two weeks later, no longer unwelcome - retirement.

In the meantime we've made progress on the transition - signed up for Medicare (for me) / COBRA (for Karen), huddled with our financial advisor, kicked around plans for selling our home...

...and moving to our next one...

...maybe; time will tell.

These are all details we planned to be dealing with 2 or 3 years hence, but here we are.

Lots up in the air at the moment, and we're doing our best to prayerfully follow God's leading...

"A man's heart deviseth his ways, but the LORD directeth his steps."

    - Proverbs 16:9

...confident we'll end up where He wants us to be when all the shoutin's finally done.

Since the homestead is in its florescent glory, here's a pictorial as you 23 Skidoo out the door:

daisies in Ryan's Corner

shasta daisies on the right

these will be a beautiful strawberry color in the fall

flowering hostas on the right

upper patio garden

perennial geraniums, daisies and cone flowers

gorgeous hydrangeas going up the hill to the front yard

black eyed susans and daises in the front garden

For much of recorded history, mankind's life plan was very simple:

A few short years of childhood, then work until you die.

"Retirement" as we think of it today was a foreign concept.

In a way, that makes sense.

The Bible opens with God working for 6 days, then resting on the 7th (Genesis 1:1-15).

When He was done with His creative work, He deemed it good (Genesis 1:31).

Furthermore, God reveals Himself to all mankind through His work:

¹  The heavens declare the glory of God and the firmament sheweth His handiwork.

    - Psalm 19:1

God also decreed that we should work:

¹⁵  And the LORD God took the man and put him into the garden of Eden to dress it and keep it.

    - Genesis 2:15 

And the Apostle Paul affirms working is our calling:

²⁸  And let him that stole, steal no more: but rather let him labor, working with his hands the thing which is good, that he may have to give to him that needeth.

    - Ephesians 4:28

⁸  But if any provide not for his own, and specially for those of his own house, he hath denied the faith and is worse than an infidel.

    - I Timothy 5:8

So I'm not comfortable embracing self-absorbed leisure as a lifestyle.

Being on eternal vacation and having my life reduced to shuffleboard and bingo...

I don't know these people

...sounds like a pretty good working definition of hell to me.

On the other hand I'm not rushing around trying to find another job so I can become a nameless cog in someone else's wheel.

Lord willing there's some productive activity in my future, which may or may not involve trading my time for money.

I'm asking God for guidance on that score while dealing with the plethora of minutia this unexpected change has dumped in our laps.

More to come, I'm sure.

later, mcm fans...

    

Happy 250th Birthday, America!

You must see <Marco Rubio's July 4th Message>.

As true and inspiring as that is, the question remains: how much longer can we survive? 

There's been much conjecture on this subject lately as clearly their are societal forces at work hell bent on destroying this country as founded.

And why is that?

You need only read what our founding fathers said on this subject, 250 years ago:

"We have no government armed with power capable of contending with human passions unbridled by morality and religion.

"Our constitution was made only for a moral and religious people.  

"It is wholly inadequate to the government of any other."

    - John Adams, 1st Vice President and 2nd President of the United States of America

"Only a virtuous people are capable of freedom.  As nations become more corrupt and vicious they have more need of masters."

    - Benjamin Franklin

It is self-evident we are no longer a unified people characterized by morality and religion.

Instead we have largely splintered along party lines: R vs D.

We are indeed a deeply divided nation; witness the D's current fascination with DSA (read: communist) candidates.

A recent CNN poll highlights this schism:

93% of Republicans are proud of our country and celebrate its founding, history and direction.

D's on the other hand are ashamed of being an American.

This should come as no surprise if you take an honest look at our past; D's are regularly on the wrong side of history:

D's are the party of slavery - Republican Abraham Lincoln freed the slaves in 1863.

D's are the party of segregation - post-Civil War, they started the KKK, authored Jim Crow laws and opposed civil rights for black Americans.

In his 1963 inauguration speech...

...Governor George Wallace pledged "segregation now, segregation tomorrow and segregation forever".

D's are the party of killing babies in utero.  In a 2025 gallup poll, fully 83% favor abortion, whereas 77% of Republicans are pro-life.

D's are the party of insurrection.

Remember Covid restrictions in 2020?  Public gatherings prohibited to prevent the spread of Covid - but not for BLM / George Floyd riots.

CNN (in)famously described the looting and burning of buildings as "fiery but mostly peaceful" protests.

And most disturbing of all, D's have become the party of anti-semitism.

While "from the river to the sea" has become their party's motto and they elected a Jew hater as mayor of New York, God's Word affirms His continual blessing for Abraham and his descendants:

³ And I will bless them that bless thee, and curse him curseth thee: and in thee shall all families of the earth be blessed.

    - Genesis 12:3

The only remaining sane member of that party <recently condemned this alarming trend>.

Their lust for power has been divorced from all moral underpinnings, so it makes sense they now embrace the overthrow of our constitutional republic in favor of communism.

Will they succeed?

As has been noted through the years by different men in various forms, the gist of our answer is contained herein:

"For evil to succeed, it is only necessary for good men to do nothing."

So Happy 4th of July!

And remember: if you want more of them in a free country for you, your children and grandchildren, vote your conscience.

Our journey from full time employment into unexpected retirement continues...

...and we're seeing God's hand in this more and more each day.

In our mind there were at least another 2.5 years to work and grow our retirement savings.

Even so, we decided to get a jump on things and find a financial advisor.

We prayed about it, talked to several advisors, and strongly felt God was directing us to Alex Bos of Edward Jones here in Holland, MI.

Alex is a young guy but he impressed us with his knowledge, honesty and enthusiasm.

Thinking we still had plenty of time, we went ahead and rolled most of our 401k into an Edward Jones IRA.

With Alex's help we also sketched out a blueprint on how we could transition from working to retirement.

Little did we know we'd be putting that plan into action this quickly, and we're still working through some details - we're rolling the last of our 401k into an EJ fund this week - but Alex has been solid with his help and guidance.

Our new adventure continues, and there's one change to which I'm adapting quickly:

No more Monday blues.

For this 23 Skidoo, we're answering the question on everyone's lips:

Karen, Karen, lovely maiden, how do your gardens grow?

hydrangeas in bloom

first black eyed susans of the season

yuccas still hanging on to their blossoms under Marilyn's watchful gaze

ditto in the courtyard

foxglove making their 1st appearance

and my personal faves, gorgeous orange tiger lilies

I'm reminded of God's Word from Proverbs 16:9 -

⁹  A man's heart deviseth his way: but the LORD directeth his steps. 

It's clear God is directing our steps, and for that we are very thankful.

later, mcm fans...

First, The Bad News...

“a legend in his own mind”

...but not of my own volition.

The company for which I worked 42 years closed suddenly this past week.

Not one of those "chains on the doors with employees milling about in the parking lot" scenarios...

...but emotionally it had the same impact.

They claim they're shutting down for 6 months to "reboot" as a new, smaller entity with a skeleton crew and all new software.

Considering how the new owners comported themselves in the last few years while running the place into the ground, 6 months seems wildly optimistic.

Either way, it implies a chapter 11 bankruptcy and dumping the homegrown ERP system I and others wrote / enhanced over 4 decades to accommodate the constantly changing business landscape.

Their champagne wishes and legal machinations aside, what it means for most of us in the IT and admin groups, along with all of the whse employees is a sudden and unwelcome farewell.

Translation:

Naturally all of us are still processing this - that’s not a small blip on the radar for many of us - but it happened, so it’s time to deal with it and move forward.

Yeah...like that.

And now, the good news: 

You either believe God is in control of all things or you don't.

I do.

So I know this must be a good thing; part of God's overarching plan for our lives.

That doesn't mean it will be easy, painless or fun; but if done God's way in His time, it will be best.

Thus, we have embarked on the 3 P's program:

1) Pray - we're diligently seeking God's will for what's next in our lives.  He speaks to us through His Word, life circumstances, people around us.

It's our job to listen.

³¹  Therefore, take no thought, saying, What shall we eat? or, What shall we drink? or, Wherewithal shall we be clothed?

³²   (For after all these things do the gentiles seek) for your Heavenly Father knoweth that ye have need of all these things.

³³    But seek ye first the kingdom of God, and His righteousness; and all these things shall be added unto you.

    - Matthew 6:31-33

 

2) Plan - we're meeting with our financial advisor early next week to discuss best options for transitioning from full time employment into full time retirement.

I may be doing some contract work over the next few months, and we're meeting with a realtor re: possibly selling our home and rightsizing to something else.

The point is to gather information and prayerfully consider best options before racing into action.

It's important in times like these to remember:

Moving fast is not the same thing as going somewhere, and frenetic activity doesn’t always equate to forward progress.

⁵  Trust in the LORD with all thine heart; and lean not unto thine own understanding.

⁶   In all thy ways acknowledge Him, and He will direct thy paths.  

    - Proverbs 3:5,6

3) Perform - once we've attended to the steps above, then we'll get busy "doing"...whatever that implies and wherever that leads.

We have ideas about how and where we'll land, but patience and planning are key.

My dad used to say, "make a speech when you're angry and you'll make the best speech you'll ever regret".

The same is true with snap decisions; their frequent companion is remorse.

Most important in the busy-ness that is undoubtedly in our future is remembering to humbly depend on God, not ourselves:

¹⁰  The name of the LORD is a strong tower; the righteous runneth into it and is safe.

¹¹  The rich man's wealth is his strong city, and as an high wall in his own conceit.

 ¹²  Before destruction the heart of man is haughty, and before honor is humility.

    - Proverbs 18:10-12        

It's going to take awhile to get used to my new reality.

I have signed onto the company system literally every day of my life for at least the past 25 years, no exceptions...weekends, holidays, vacation, sick days...I've always been on for at least a brief system health check and email review.

That wasn't altruism in action; it was self-preservation.

For many years all system problems landed either on or near "my desk".

Those days are officially over; exactly what comes next is yet to be fully revealed.

No matter, I know it will be for the best:

¹¹  For I know the thoughts that I think toward you, saith the LORD, thoughts of peace, and not of evil, to give you an expected end.

    - Jeremiah 29:11

more to come, mcm fans...