Bobservations

Our weather has improved to the point that Severe Fire Danger is no longer an issue, though it lingers on the mind. Case in  point, I was in the house, Carlos was in the garage, and he yells to me quite seriously:

“Bob. [And I know it’s bad because he usually calls me Sweetie] Can you come out here right now?”

“What’s going on?”

“There’s something happening in the neighbors yard.”

I think FIRE!!!! And I head to the garage and into the driveway. There is indeed something happening at the neighbor’s house. They’re working in their yard; I tell Carlos that and he says:

“I heard a noise and didn’t know what it was.”

“Maybe it’s not your business Gladys Kravitz.”

“I don’t know who that is.”

“It’s you!!!”

Oy.

Isn’t it funny how the Occupant of the White can sit back and watch Americans die, lose their jobs, and their homes, and their health, and blame Obama and Biden when all of this mess started on his watch?  AGAIN!!!

Last week, state senators in North Dakota rejected a measure that called for the Supreme Court to overturn its decision that established a national right to same-sex marriage.

First step, good step; the march goes on ...

If I had cakes like that I’d walk around all day with my pants around my ankles. I wouldn’t get far but, you get my point.

Nate Vance, JD Vance CouchHumper’s cousin has come for JD saying he’s “disappointed” in him for twisting America into “Vladimir Putin’s useful idiots.” And Nate wasn’t finished:

“Being your family doesn’t mean I’m going to accept you killing my comrades … and when [he] criticized aid to Ukraine, I thought it was because he needed to appeal to his electorate, that it was part of the political game, but what they did to Zelenskyy was an ambush of absolute dishonesty. [The Felon] and my cousin clearly think they can placate Vladimir Putin. They are wrong. The Russians are not about to forget our support for Ukraine. We are Vladimir Putin’s useful idiots.”

Nate revealed that he volunteered and fought in Ukraine against the Russians on the front lines for three years. He also said he has tried to contact JD but has not received a response but still it’s nice to see that at least one member of the Vance family is standing firmly on the right side of history since CouchHumper and The Felon will go down as cowards and traitors of the worst sort.

Speaking of the CouchHumper, when JD and the missus took their seats last week at the Kennedy Center in Washington they were met with a chorus of boos from the packed concert hall that lasted more than thirty seconds.

Don’t think that’s a long time? Start yelling boo and keep it up for thirty seconds. The point was made.

City councilors in Boston voted 12-1 to make Boston a sanctuary city for members of the LGBTQ+ community.

Councilor-at-Large Julia Mejia and District 9 Councilor Liz Breadon called on Boston to adopt the measure supporting transgender people, pointing to what they see as harmful rhetoric coming from The Felon and the White House, with Mejia saying:

“Boston is not going to back down. We’re seeing attacks on our trans loved ones, and here on the local level, a lot of folks are feeling helpless.”

This move comes one month after Worcester city councilors approved a similar resolution.

The March goes on ...

Arlington National Cemetery is the most venerated final resting ground in the nation; across its hundreds of acres in Virginia, there are over 400,000 graves of U.S. service men and women dating back to the Civil War, including two presidents, and more than 400 Medal of Honor recipients.

But looking at the cemetery’s public website you'll find that dozens of pages on gravesites and educational materials that include histories of prominent Black, Hispanic and female service members buried in the cemetery have been removed. Cemetery officials confirm that the pages were “unpublished” to meet recent orders by the Draft Dodging Felon and DUI hire Pete Hegseth.

This regime is erasing the service of Black, and Latino, and female service members.

Martin Sensmeier is a Native American—Tlingit and Koyukon Athabascan—actor and model, but Would You Hit It?

Architecture Wednesday: Dougill Hall

Dougill Hall—pronounced “Dowgill”—in Harrogate, Yorkshire, has been turning heads for 300 years, and now the historic, Grade II-listed Georgian manor is on the market for £2m or 2.5 M USD.

Originally constructed for the Dougill family in 1722, the detached Georgian country house—built from ashlar stone with a slate roof—exemplifies the symmetry of Georgian architecture and sits on five acres overlooking the Nidderdale Valley. It was expanded in 1910 and recently restored, yet retaining its architectural integrity and features such as impressive stone elevations with mullion windows and a wealth of internal period features.

In addition to the seven-bedroom main house, Dougill Hall offers equestrian stables, four acres of paddocks, five acres are formal gardens, a one-bedroom annex that functions as either guest accommodation or a holiday rental and a substantial two-story barn and paddocks.

The home spans 4700 square feet across three floors and features seven bedrooms. On the ground floor the drawing room retains its original paneling, has window seats, a fireplace and column radiators; double doors open to the dining room/reception hall, which has a stone flagged floor, two column radiators, a fine exposed ceiling beam running across its length, exposed stonework and an external paneled door to the gardens.

The farmhouse kitchen and breakfast room is full of character with a timber ceiling and the original kitchen hearth which now holds a Range cooker. The modern fitted kitchen includes an island unit with granite worktop, wine cooler and family-sized breakfast bar, and integrated appliances. It links to a spacious laundry/utility room, storage and utility rooms, a charming snug room—a small, cozy space designed specifically for relaxation—with a wooden floor and stone fireplace; a cloakroom and powder room lie off the inner hall.

On the first floor is a central landing with a walk-in airing cupboard and storage room, giving access to three elegantly proportioned double bedrooms—one of which is used as an office—and a luxurious house bathroom with a wide walk-in shower and free-standing bath.

On the second-floor landing is a vaulted play area for young children and wall-to-wall cupboards. The principal bedroom suite has two tall stone mullion windows facing south across the garden and a luxurious en suite bathroom. There are three further double bedrooms, one of which is currently used as a cinema room.

On the northern wing of the house is a self-contained annex, ‘The Old Cooling House.’ This one-bedroom apartment offers an additional 416 sq ft of living space and includes a fully equipped kitchen, a double bedroom, bathroom and sitting room.

The house is set on over an acre of gardens and grounds. The beautiful south-facing walled garden is predominantly lawned with mature shrubs and trees and a large area of paved and gravel terracing. The stone barn is currently divided into five stables, a workshop and store. This detached building provides scope to convert into additional living space, subject to the necessary consents. The grassland/paddocks lie to the north of the property and are enclosed by dry stone walls.

It's large and ancient and well-kept and a peaceful spot to live … for a bit over 2.5 million.

As always, click to emBIGGERate ...

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