This evening I’m working on a deep dive piece on some legal issues for you, something substantial that’s taking me several days. So tonight, just some chickens and a little suggested reading. A few days ago, my husband said Toot was the stupidest chicken. But it’s not true. So tonight, this appreciation post for my sweet chicken, Toot.
Agreed. Its called Project 2025. Another reader of Mary Trump’s column pointed it out. It is the most scary idea of government in almost 250 years of our nation. We need to shout this from the rooftops! Love your smart Toot. I want her to vote!!
Thanks Joyce! I'd much rather hear about the very intelligent Toot than the evil scheming Stephen Miller any day. But I feel like we can't take our eyes off these con-artists for a second. It's exhausting...so I appreciate the news and especially the chicken breaks. :)
Oh good grief---ugh! The only good thing is that kids quite frequently reject extreme parental positions and, once they are free of them, make up their own minds. Hope the Miller kids torture their hideous parents by doing this exact thing.
According to what I have read, she is almost as despicable as he is....she did marry him, after all. Ugh. Stephen Miller has always made me think of a zombified vampire, if such a thing could exist.
She is. She's proud of that & has said so publicly. After the birth of their first child she explained to a reporter why becoming a mother didn't change her views on her husband's & trump's policy of taking children, even babies, away from their parents at the border. She is every bit as vile as her husband.
Toot has obviously had special ops training. She knows how to seamlessly blend in with each group. She keeps a watchful eye on all around her - excellent situational awareness. Plus she fooled your husband into underestimating her - a very helpful tactic for some future endeavor. I offer a respectful salute to Toot!
Toot for Speaker of the House. She hasn't been vetted, but from your description, she is as qualified as they come. She's smart, everyone likes her, and she's team blue.
I enjoyed hearing about Toot and friends. I agree 100% about chickens being smart! They're fun to watch (and hear, as they cluck, cluck, cluck). I like that you're so down -to-earth, talking to us like we're family and sharing stories like this, while at the same time explaining what's going on in Trumpland, explaining the documents and information that in a way everyone can understand.
Contact Activate America, one of the orgs sponsoring post card approach for specific issues in different states. Yes, a feeling of participation with a voice for representative democracy
I always enjoy hearing about your chickens! But my favorite picture this evening is the one of the beautiful dog sitting quietly and watching all the goings-on . . .
Thanks for helping us all keep a reasonable optimism even as we track so many different facets of a political nightmare . . . Your calm, informed optimism combined with your expertise is a gift to us all.
I’ve learned so much about chickens from your posts. We had chickens when I was a kid, and they loved my dad who spent time talking with them, so I knew there was more to them than I knew. And my childhood experience with chickens moved me toward not eating meat. Sentient creatures deserve respect and can help us understand our own place in life.
thanks for this Dianne; I am in the process of moving away from eating meat. I can't reconcile raising an animal just to kill it. It has taken a great deal of thought and trying to explain it to my family and friends has been an interesting experience.
Tofu is a marvelous “meat” replacement, for real! I use it in my chicken recipes, and it tastes great. Beans and quinoa are also very versatile. We don’t eat any red meat. We all feel better. Give it a try …
My experience as well. I was vegetarian from teen years because of loving animals, but still having dairy until my 20s. I am now vegan. When I was in my early twenties, I decided I could not support an industry that would not allow the mother to lick her baby before she was separated from it so I gave up dairy. Animals commune with me - even the so-called wild cats who 'won't let anyone pick them up.' I wait until they are ready to be picked up, and then they 'ask me' to hold them. That's always a bit surprising, as I'm a dog person. I no longer eat sugar, but if you consume cane sugar, I remember Nada Moo - coconut based, mint chocolate chip (but with cane sugar) as 'the best' :) I make my own with monk fruit, vegan Choc Zero dark chocolate.
Vegetarian since 1975. No need to kill something if a person can sustain themself without meat. At my last wellness exam, I tested 8 years younger than my stated age. Believe my cruelty-free diet and the peace that comes kindness and respect for all creatures has a lot to do with it.
Speaking of background checks and clearances, what do you think of requiring presidential candidates to get cleared before they can run? Trump never should’ve been President just based on his connections to Putin. There should be a way to keep that from every happening again.
Thank you! I have been saying this ever since tfg ran for office. I would like to see that any possible candidate for president must be able to get a security clearance before they can run.
Any public office with fiduciary responsibilities including judicial. May be too much of an ask, a review of the laws they take an oath to uphold. - e.g. USConstitution
At the very least the SF-86 form (QUESTIONNAIRE FOR NATIONAL SECURITY POSITIONS) filled out by the candidate and made public just like the IRS forms for a president.
Lucky Toot! Everyone should have such a staunch advocate! It’s possible your husband underestimated how well you know your chickens! It was nice to visit with them...
Thanks for the chicken break. Miller is a psychopath.
Agreed. Its called Project 2025. Another reader of Mary Trump’s column pointed it out. It is the most scary idea of government in almost 250 years of our nation. We need to shout this from the rooftops! Love your smart Toot. I want her to vote!!
Project 2025 is coming from the Heritage Foundation. Looks like a 2 pronged attack.
Unitary executive theory is right wing bullsh*t. It's totally made up and exactly opposite of what the founders intended.
They both push this idea of a unitary executive branch.
where is Mary Trump's column, please?
She is on Substack look her up by name. She has some me great content and interviews
Indeed she does!
Got that right and scary.
Gail... your brevity is a hoot! And perfect.
AMEN!
As a Blue Devil, I'm embarrassed he graduated from Duke.
Thanks Joyce! I'd much rather hear about the very intelligent Toot than the evil scheming Stephen Miller any day. But I feel like we can't take our eyes off these con-artists for a second. It's exhausting...so I appreciate the news and especially the chicken breaks. :)
It is exhausting isn’t it...
I'm fairly certain that Toot is considerably brighter than the likely Repubbie primary winner--even if the winner isn't Trump.
His wife is just like him. Two peas in a pod. And now they have two children.
Ewww.
Oh good grief---ugh! The only good thing is that kids quite frequently reject extreme parental positions and, once they are free of them, make up their own minds. Hope the Miller kids torture their hideous parents by doing this exact thing.
LOL!!!
According to what I have read, she is almost as despicable as he is....she did marry him, after all. Ugh. Stephen Miller has always made me think of a zombified vampire, if such a thing could exist.
Agree!
Oh my, generations we may not need! And I am a 40 year veteran teacher. Students were part of my life!
I LOVED my teachers!! What grades did you teach?
She’s as bad as he is. Pains me that they procreated to produce a baby girl.
Ugh, they procreated successfully.
Maybe she is just like him.
She is. She's proud of that & has said so publicly. After the birth of their first child she explained to a reporter why becoming a mother didn't change her views on her husband's & trump's policy of taking children, even babies, away from their parents at the border. She is every bit as vile as her husband.
YUCK!!!!!
LOL!!
Glad she hasn’t had any more children!
Maybe it was the Star Trek outfits???
Toot has obviously had special ops training. She knows how to seamlessly blend in with each group. She keeps a watchful eye on all around her - excellent situational awareness. Plus she fooled your husband into underestimating her - a very helpful tactic for some future endeavor. I offer a respectful salute to Toot!
LOL! That's awesome! You must have also had special ops training, since you were able to spot that in little Toot. :)
I can neither confirm nor deny your assessment of my military training. 😏
Bwah hahaha!
I love your chicken stories and their photographs. Helps to distract from the disaster that surrounds us.
Toot for Speaker of the House. She hasn't been vetted, but from your description, she is as qualified as they come. She's smart, everyone likes her, and she's team blue.
I would gladly contribute up to $25 feed for Toot and/or other necessities for the same amount to help her gain the position of Speaker of the House!
Love it!
Great post!
#Teamtoot 🐔
We need tshirts and bumper stickers.
!! Yes !!
I ❤️ Toot!!!
The rest scares me. Damn, those people are AWFUL. 🤬
Indeed!
Lovely chicken interlude!! Thank you! And then, beyond scary possibilities with horrid human in control. Writing more postcards to voters tonight!!!
Did you get custom designed cards? I wrote letters for Vote Forward. It's a good feeling.
Joyce:
I enjoyed hearing about Toot and friends. I agree 100% about chickens being smart! They're fun to watch (and hear, as they cluck, cluck, cluck). I like that you're so down -to-earth, talking to us like we're family and sharing stories like this, while at the same time explaining what's going on in Trumpland, explaining the documents and information that in a way everyone can understand.
Thanks again. I'm glad that I finally signed up.
Thanks Dianne. I. So agree!
She sure is! Wish I had signed up for her posts sooner!
Yes. I liked doing the postcards. It feels like at least you are doing something to help stop this onslaught of horribleness.
Contact Activate America, one of the orgs sponsoring post card approach for specific issues in different states. Yes, a feeling of participation with a voice for representative democracy
I did huge stacks of handwritten postcards until my arthritic septuagenarian hands gave out.
Always believed being an informed citizen and voting was enough. Realized democracy is not a spectator sport. Requires active, hands on effort.
Vicki Woodhed. Bought cute postcards from Etsy. Activate America provides addresses and a script of what to write. ❤️
I always enjoy hearing about your chickens! But my favorite picture this evening is the one of the beautiful dog sitting quietly and watching all the goings-on . . .
Thanks for helping us all keep a reasonable optimism even as we track so many different facets of a political nightmare . . . Your calm, informed optimism combined with your expertise is a gift to us all.
I agree, Sue - We had Shepherds for years - and my Toby looked a great deal like Joyce's boy. And then the chickens, ducks and rabbits!!!! Oh my.
I’ve learned so much about chickens from your posts. We had chickens when I was a kid, and they loved my dad who spent time talking with them, so I knew there was more to them than I knew. And my childhood experience with chickens moved me toward not eating meat. Sentient creatures deserve respect and can help us understand our own place in life.
thanks for this Dianne; I am in the process of moving away from eating meat. I can't reconcile raising an animal just to kill it. It has taken a great deal of thought and trying to explain it to my family and friends has been an interesting experience.
Tofu is a marvelous “meat” replacement, for real! I use it in my chicken recipes, and it tastes great. Beans and quinoa are also very versatile. We don’t eat any red meat. We all feel better. Give it a try …
Dianne,
My experience as well. I was vegetarian from teen years because of loving animals, but still having dairy until my 20s. I am now vegan. When I was in my early twenties, I decided I could not support an industry that would not allow the mother to lick her baby before she was separated from it so I gave up dairy. Animals commune with me - even the so-called wild cats who 'won't let anyone pick them up.' I wait until they are ready to be picked up, and then they 'ask me' to hold them. That's always a bit surprising, as I'm a dog person. I no longer eat sugar, but if you consume cane sugar, I remember Nada Moo - coconut based, mint chocolate chip (but with cane sugar) as 'the best' :) I make my own with monk fruit, vegan Choc Zero dark chocolate.
That's my favorite kind of ice cream and favorite flavor, too. Nothing beats it!
Vegetarian since 1975. No need to kill something if a person can sustain themself without meat. At my last wellness exam, I tested 8 years younger than my stated age. Believe my cruelty-free diet and the peace that comes kindness and respect for all creatures has a lot to do with it.
Speaking of background checks and clearances, what do you think of requiring presidential candidates to get cleared before they can run? Trump never should’ve been President just based on his connections to Putin. There should be a way to keep that from every happening again.
Just saying.
Thank you! I have been saying this ever since tfg ran for office. I would like to see that any possible candidate for president must be able to get a security clearance before they can run.
Absolutely background checks should be required.
Not to mention that almost any business school grad could have done a better job at being President.
Seriously any high school graduate with honors would make a better president than 45.
Any public office with fiduciary responsibilities including judicial. May be too much of an ask, a review of the laws they take an oath to uphold. - e.g. USConstitution
Background checks and clearances for presidential - and all, for that matter - candidates seems like a big DUH to me.
At the very least the SF-86 form (QUESTIONNAIRE FOR NATIONAL SECURITY POSITIONS) filled out by the candidate and made public just like the IRS forms for a president.
https://www.opm.gov/forms/pdf_fill/sf86.pdf
Your pets are such wonderful distractions for you during this most difficult time. Thank you for sharing those moments with us.
Usually I read your whole darn piece but tonight I stopped after Toot. Didn’t want to ruin my happy Toot feelings.
I did the same thing. Toot's story was all I needed to read, because I'm already depressed.
Have you considered writing a children’s book about Toots and her friends?
And their little foot prints could be the inside cover.
Toot is precious. You are right: she stands out.
Your ending about T jr testimony is spot on. Looks like he is not as bright as Toot.
He's not as bright as any of those eggs, either.
Fence posts have him beat hands down.
Lucky Toot! Everyone should have such a staunch advocate! It’s possible your husband underestimated how well you know your chickens! It was nice to visit with them...