The Apple Dumpling Gang is hard at work in Congress. Tomorrow will be a bigger debacle than other shutdowns and anyone who doesn't think they need the US government to work must already be in DC sitting in the Republican chairs. I have no sympathy whatsoever for the feckless and foolish whose egos are bigger than their brains.

The first flimsy for the new baby quilts is complete--a feathered star center and assorted animals on the border. The second flimsy is on its way but I only have the bottom border appliqued at this point. It has animals and insects as well. I think I mentioned before that I think of baby quilts as story starters and learning tools--Tell me a story about this bird. How many horses are on this side? What colors can you name?, etc. They don't have to be symmetrical and balanced; they only need to be interesting, not flammable, not too squishy, and big enough to cover but small enough to carry.

 Summary judgment was granted in the Trump family fraud case on many of the charges laid at their door. The Trumps are grifters and cons from the get go but what always ends up biting them in the butt is their penchant for saying stupid stuff publicly. So when James first laid out the charges, the Don, DJTJ, and Eric all went out to not only say proudly that they had done what was accused but that "everyone" did it. While that may be the case, it cost NY state a pile of money in unpaid taxes. Why anyone continues to believe that these folks are in any way, shape, or form intelligent escapes me. I sure hope someone points out that Letitia James built her case and did her homework, a word that without doubt is not in the Trump lexicon. The trial isn't over so no one knows what the end result will be, but summary judgment means that they owe a bucket load of cash which they do not have.

 

See, grifters and cons use your money, not theirs. When Trumps don't pay their taxes or cheat on their taxes, other New Yorkers have to dig deeper. For some reason, Trumpettes seem to think that's fine and keep sending him money which means they pay at least twice for the Trumps' chicanery. Now we can hope that they make even more reckless and feckless statements leading to more summary judgments. 

On a different matter entirely, but not quilts, if you are an older woman in SE PA, do not go to Aesthetic Dermatology and do not go to Dr. Jamie Altman. Dismissive, arrogant, and only focused on himself. Your skin only means money to him.

 Other news for today is that I have started two new projects, which, because of the situation, is not only different from my usual routine but called for by circumstance. While I do like my dentist, just as I liked my dentist in Utah, mostly I like to make quilts so good excuses are needed. Added to that all other factors such as finally using more of the estate sale blocks and extras, trying out new ideas, and simply filling my time by making two quilts for my dentist's brand new twin granddaughters. That's pretty much all I know about the babies; I don't even know if they are identical or fraternal. The babies were born in the summer so they are still quite small and won't be using these quilts for a while if their parents are smart but no time like the present to get these done.

Since I am using orphan blocks from the estate sale, the colors are already more or less chosen and they are definitely not babyish. But what I do know about babies and small children and these girls in particular is that kids are messy--they pee and poop and throw up and throw food and everything else in between. Add to that these little girls' mother is a champion horse jumper and the girls will be hanging out at stables at least until they make their own choices and having darker colors and no white seems wise. I plan to up the cuteness factor by doing some applique on the outside borders like running horses and dogs and perhaps some other applique to add more colors than the blue, rust, and brown of the main blocks. 

No pictures yet but this should be a quick project even if it is doubled.

 A couple of days ago, CNN went to New Hampshire to interview Republican voters about their primary choices for President. Every person they talked to was for Trump and also for any Republican who ended up on the ballot, mostly because they all thought that Republicans would be better able to deal with economic issues. Ha, ha!

Perhaps CNN can visit again since the Republicans' prowess is on full display in the House. What economy? What, me worry? 

The fun and games continued today (9/23) when "...The House on Thursday has voted down a rule that would have advanced a Defense Department bill, another stumbling block for Speaker Kevin McCarthy and House Republican leadership ahead of a looming government shutdown deadline."

These are the folks who always complain that Democrats ruined the military. Feckless and foolish seems to be the appropriate language. 

 

 It is always disconcerting and disheartening to see another old quilting friend disappear. Martingale Publishing went out of business this week. While I have more quilting books than most people, I am always looking out for good design and fresh ideas. Since I am a hard-core traditional quilter that seems sort of odd but no one wants their work, whatever it is, to be dull and boring, banal and insipid.

If you are a Trumpette, please tell him that he cannot simply ignore the restrictions placed on his public utterances or claim that the First Amendment allows him to write or promote anything he wants without repercussions. I read all the articles dealing with his unhinged rantings but none of the articles ever indicate what a solution might be. Witnesses, grand jury members, and all of the judges and attorneys deserve to have safety ensured for their participation, regardless of what Orange Crush thinks. I don't think there is enough duct tape in the world to shut that ugly mouth but too many of Trump's acolytes are dangerous, and fully locked and loaded. If he goes to jail, do the Secret Service guys have to go too?

 

It's done.

On a purely personal note, I find Vivek Ramaswamy completely unattractive and I don't mean physically. He is a typical ego-driven candidate who finds out that his line of bull puckey isn't going well. So he backsteps without changing his statement, claims he was misunderstood, worries about context for his remarks. He insults women constantly and not just those with whom he disagrees. This guy shouldn't even be vice-president let alone president.

I finished the quilting today while watching a couple of episodes of  "The Great." I have read biographies of Catherine the Great but my husband has not. I doubt that anyone would describe this show as a true biography but certainly a fair amount of the events shown did happen. 

Happy Labor Day! We are not a country that celebrates work except for rewarding high income people with reduced taxes. Labor Day arose when labor started to have more power. Now even progressives suppress labor unions and we still reward high income people with lower taxes. We scorn people who do not work but we ignore the concerns of those who do work.These days that ignorance extends beyond the blue collar laborer to many in white collar jobs. There is something wrong with a country that celebrates Trump, a man who wouldn't know which end of the shovel did the work, but scoffs at low income people who hope for better lives. 

 Alabama's Attorney General, Steve Marshall, says he has the power to prosecute people who help Alabama women access abortion assistance, including just information, whether they live in Alabama or not. The state bird of Alabama is called the yellowhammer and the Yellowhammer Fund is set up to aid women in Alabama, who because of the draconian laws recently passed, are even having trouble getting contraception let alone abortion information or mifepristone.

I am now testing Marshall's assertion by asking people who disagree with him to contact the Yellowhammer Fund to do whatever they can to thwart his arrogance and insolence. I pretty much dare that jerk to indict me.

I am quite close to finishing the quilting on the new project. Should I do blue or some other color for the binding?