The road rushing under my wheels

Considering the state of fossil fuels this past week, courtesy of the War to Entertain the Narcissistic Kleptocrat that’s been over-in-two-weeks since it started in February (and now predicted by his sphincter to be ending “after the elections”), I’ve been thinking about a song from my college years.

There was a video on the socials of a trucker not filling the tank of his semi with diesel, but stopping the flow when the total hit $1000. “That’s a first for me,” he commented.

(I topped up the tank of my Saab at Costco yesterday. For the first time not-in-California, regular was $4.10/gallon. I paid $42 for half a tank.)

So here’s Jackson Browne singing the newly apt “Running on Empty”.

 

©2026 Bas Bleu

 

Roadside commerce

On one of my walks last week, I noticed this setup between a townhouse cluster and the local private golf course.

(Interestingly, this course is owned by developers who’ve been trying for about a decade to fill all the space with townhouses. Same thing’s happening with the public course on the other side of the People’s Republic. Watching the furor on both sides of the fight has been interesting.)

So I walked over to see what it was. It was American Free Enterprise at work.

This is located on the second hole of the course, so I don’t know how many golfers will feel the need of extra balls that early in a round. I also know nothing about the economics of golf, so I have no earthly notion whether $2 per ball is an attractive price.

I did find it interesting that there’s a quasi-honor system: up to you whether you pay, but if you do, once your money’s in the slot, it’s secure.

Unless someone wants to take the whole thing.

 

 

©2026 Bas Bleu

 

Inhospitable

This may look like a mundane stretch of trendy 2020s commercial pedestrian design to you, but it’s actually the last resting place of scores of spotted lanternflies.

I noticed them on my way to the Korean bakery last week. I have no idea what about this environment has caused the scourge of Northern Virginia to die in their dozens, but their corpses littered the sidewalk all the way to the street.

Considering the damage they do and how hard it is to eradicate them, I this seems like a good start.

 

 

©2026 Bas Bleu

 

Coffee break

A couple of weeks ago I was helping a local food pantry by sorting through donations—checking for expiration dates, package damage, etc. I’m not entirely sure where the donations came from, but it was a wild variety of canned goods, staples, snacks and outright junk food. (We don’t, apparently judge.)

WRT expiration dates, if they were prior to the next distribution (which was last Thursday), they were shelved. If on the cusp or slightly beyond (depending on the type of food), they were passed on to the local shelter for our unhoused neighbors. If beyond the beyond, they were tossed.

(The most out-of-date was something with an expiration year of 2014.)

The most interesting thing that passed through my hands was this packet of instant hazelnut mocha latte. Interesting because it’s apparently infused with collagen and protein, and that kind of scares me.

It was out-of-date, so I binned it.

 

 

©2026 Bas Bleu

 

 

Gratitude Monday: Beautiful encounter

Here’s my gratitude today: on one of my walks last week, I noticed a bright, tiny movement right at the edge of my vision, so I stopped.

It was this:

How could I fail to be grateful for that?

 

 

©2026 Bas Bleu

 

A dream that meant nothing

I discovered today’s earworm via a recommendation from a friend. He and I agree on a lot of things, but generally speaking, music and reading genres aren’t among them. However, this piece has grown on me every time I watch it.

(I say “watch” because in this case, the video images are integral to the impact of the music and words.)

Particularly given the events of the past week, culminating in the Kleptocrat fixin’ to demolish the Kennedy Center for the Performing Arts because he’s not allowed to put his fucking name on it.

(Another—unrelated, but not entirely, really—beyond-the-beyond event was Mitch McConnell wheeled insensate in to the Senate after being AWOL for three months and nearly voting with Democrats on a motion until his minders “corrected” him because he’s literally gaga.)

I seriously do not understand why no one has piped up about the emperor being stitch stark bonkers.

So, here’s “America”, by London Grammar.

 

©2026 Bas Bleu

 

 

Labor of love

Dunno about you, but this bee loaded down with pollen makes me so happy.

 

©2026 Bas Bleu

 

Not vanity, but memorable

Okay, this is not a vanity plate. But I swear that when I first glanced at it, I thought it said “THE LASS”, and that became unseeable.

©2026 Bas Bleu

 

Sigh

Okay, well—if Costco is going to put up its Halloween décor at the beginning of August, I suppose it makes sense for them to roll out the Christmas stuff before we’ve even hit the Ides of September.

It’s really quite terrifying, because I know there’ll be more every time I make a butter and bread flour run.

 

©2026 Bas Bleu

 

 

Gratitude Monday: unexpected splendour

Saturday night was one of those not-going-to-get-any-sleep affairs; I eventually nodded off at 0400; woke up at 0500; got back to sleep; eventually just got up at 0845. Naturally, that means that yesterday morning pretty much started out crap.

I got dressed for walking and realized that the windows had fogged over, which portended my walk would be complete soup. (Android said that it was 74F and felt like 74F, but it lied; it felt ghastly. For one thing, my glasses fogged up as I stepped outside.) But I decided I’d at least walk over to the one remaining pie-plate-sized hibiscus shrub to take a picture for a neighbor.

And look what I found on my way:

I saw them because I took a different route than my normal walk, so I don’t know how long they’ve been there. But they were stunning, beautiful and exuberant. And they lifted my day into bearable. For that I am grateful.

 

 

©2026 Bas Bleu