You can break my bones

In the wake of the murder of George Floyd last year, the company for which I work gave US employees Juneteenth off. Starting this year, it’s an annual holiday, and we’re off today. I’m glad, because—like Memorial Day, Labor Day, MLK Day and Veterans Day—it’s an opportunity for us to reflect on our history, to honor the sacrifices made by generations of Americans to make our lives better and to consider how we can further that continuum.

If you’re unclear about Juneteenth, it commemorates the day in 1865 when news arrived in Galveston with Union troops that the end of the War Between the States meant emancipation for slaves across the country. The Emancipation Proclamation, which the victory at Antietam in September of 1862 made possible, outlawed slavery in all territories then in rebellion against the United States. However, as you might imagine, the Confederates basically said, “Yeah, and?” and got on with their slaving business for another two years. Two months after the surrender of the Army of Northern Virginia at Appomattox, the “and” question was answered in Texas.

We all know that we have yet to fulfill the promise of emancipation; for that matter, we have yet to fulfill the ideals of a more perfect union, equal justice, domestic tranquility, general welfare and the blessings of liberty. But Juneteenth reminds us that, even when we can’t see the full arc of the moral universe, we feel it in our consciences and we are obligated to do our part to ensure that it bends toward justice.

For these reasons, today we’re having Aretha Franklin singing “Never Gonna Break My Faith.” This version was compiled and released for Juneteenth last year. Crank up the volume and really look at the videos.

 

 

What's in my wallet?

Yesterday afternoon I opened the account I list whenever I have to provide an email address for a vendor—financial institutions, subscriptions, retailers, etc. And found three emails from CapitalOne, about this and that. I could have sworn that I unsubscribed from all this crap last week, but here they are again, spamming the living daylights out of me.

I unsubscribed again. If I have to do it again, I’m calling them and threatening to switch to a Chase card. It’s a lousy way to treat customers and they need to cut it out.

This is precisely why I never give any of these mokes my mobile number.

 

 

Looking down to see up

We had quite the gullywasher on Monday night, so on my walk yesterday morning I noticed a lot of puddles. And the reflections in the water fascinated me. Viz:

 

 

Nature's mysteries 2

Well, thanks to my readers, I found out that last week’s mystery plant is a wild azalea, probably rhododendron canescens or rhododendron periclymenoides. So I know what I want to add to my garden.

Let’s try again. These guys actually live in my garden already, and they’re almost ground cover.

They popped up while Nature was still deciding on how many winters we were going to go through, so they're hardy.

They start out strong with blooms, then lapse into green. 

Now they’ve all disappeared, so not reliable cover.

#IDme

 

 

Gratitude Monday: the adult in the room

Watching the G7 meeting in Cornwall, I am so grateful that the United States is once again represented by a grown-ass man who is not looking for attention and for how he can profit from the conference. We went through the entire summit without a tantrum or stunt (except for teddy-tossing BoJo, who is a poor representative of the public school system in Britain), and I have to say that it was a massive relief.

(We have yet to see how the wealthiest nations in the world will follow up, but that's a different discussion.)

It seems odd that you have to say that out loud, but it’s 2021 and this is where we are.