Posting again today

Replying to former neighbors asking about the sale of my DC home, I said, Hello, yes I hope the sale of my DC house will go through. I had to accept a lower price than I wanted, but future prospects weren't looking any better. I couldn't afford to stay there any more, paying taxes and repairs on a 3-story house built in 1895, which I'd bought in 1969. I am 87 and won't live forever, so I wanted to give something to my kids/grandkids, who could use the money right now.
I do miss Capitol Hill and all you good neighbors. No one is living closeby where we live now, way out here in the country. My son is often away at work and I stay home alone with the dog. 

It's been wonderful hearing from you. 

Because of my recent experience with a vanished blog post, I may start posting shorter posts and more 

often. I may even post this today, on July 5, when it was written, even though I just posted something earlier.

Just before July 4, we had a visit from a friend living in W Va., a retired Spanish teacher. We had served together in the Peace Corps in Honduras years ago. I had invited him for lunch at the Country Inn, owned and operated by the same family that owns CoolFont, the hotel in Berkeley Springs where my son once worked, but which had burned down and is now being rebuilt. 

My son now rents out pool passes, as the pool is still there after the lodge had burned down. 

OK, how about putting Trump's face up on Mt. Rushmore, as has been suggested by Trump himself?

Donald Trump apparently enjoys appearing in public and is not shy about tooting his own horn. He always seeks to be the center of attention. Trump has not only proposed putting his own visage on Mt. Rushmore (not technically feasible), but also wants his name to be highlighted in the history books as an even greater president than either George Washington or Abraham Lincoln. This is a guy whose approval rating is underwater currently and who barely won election this last time. The first time he was elected, he actually received fewer votes than Hillary Clinton, his opponent. 

                                Donald Trump, Our Founding Father, NY Times

According to the Economist, on the day after Memorial Day, 166 days into Donald Trump's term,

the president's net approval rating was -12%,
up 0.8 points since last week.
42% approve, 54% disapprove, 5% not sure.

Trump had recently called Fed Chair Jerome Powell “terrible” and a “very average mentally person.” He seems to have difficulty expressing his thoughts in plain English. His sentences are often garbled, almost a kind of word salad. Some voters may identify with him-- "Hey, he's just like me, having trouble expressing what's on his mind."  

When asked whether he’d deport his former advisor, tech billionaire Elon Musk, amid Musk’s criticisms of the “Big Beautiful Bill,” Trump said “we’ll have to take a look.” Musk, who was born in South Africa, became a U.S. citizen in 2002.

Musk announces arrival of new ‘America Party’ after Trump split

Fortune, Elon Musk brushes off fears of Tesla’s demand problem and denies declining sales — ‘they’re fine, don’t worry about it’

Democratic strategist James Carville predicted that President Donald Trump’s so-called “big, beautiful bill,” signed into law Friday, would create a “mass extinction event” for Republicans in Congress and create new opportunities to elect more Democrats. I hope he's right.

Wash. Post, Live updates: Rescuers search for more than two dozen missing campers after Texas floods killed at least 27

                                        The toll has continued to rise. 

AP, At least 32 people are dead in Texas floods as the search continues for people still missing

Years ago, I met the Dalai Lama in Washginton, DC. We didn't shake hands, just bowed to each other, then spoke to each other in English. 

NPR, Now approaching 90, the Dalai Lama 

                                             has said he will be reincarnated after                                             he dies, and that no one can interfere with the matter of succession.