Ailantha - Blog

The Enchanted Hill

2/16/2019

...Continued from yesterday:
On Saturday, my last day in Central California Coastal country - that is to say, what I thought was to be my last day there (spoiler alert: unbeknownst to me at the time, Saturday would not end up being my last day there; tune in tomorrow to find out why, though since I was flying you can probably guess) - we thought we'd drive out to San Simeon,

...and have a look at Hearst Castle,

...also known as "La Cuesta Encantada," or "The Enchanted Hill,"

...the pleasure palace built in 1919 by newspaper and movie magnate William Randolph Hearst as a refuge from life's cares - the Randolph family referred to the place as "The Ranch" - and to entertain guests.

As the cute town of Cambria, where we'd had lunch a couple of days earlier (see post from 2/12/2019, "Neon Green Hills, Turqoise Blue Water And Elephant Seals"), was on the way to San Simeon, we decided to stop there for breakfast.

The wine-country scenery along the way from Atascadero to Cambria ranged from charming,

...to spectacular.

When we arrived at Cambria,

... we discovered that the little bakery that I'd stopped at on our previous visit there,

...had a sister restaurant, also called Linn's, located on the next street over from the little bakery. So we decided to stop there.

The interior of Linn's was lovely,

...and the food was out of this world,

....especially the delicious toast with olallieberry jam.

And don't even get me started on the pastries.

I had a cinnamon roll topped with nuts. I think about that cinnamon roll still.

After breakfast we went for a walk around Cambria.

Then we drove up the coast to San Simeon,

…to the Hearst Castle visitor center,

...from which one could procure tickets for tours of various sections of the castle, such as the Grand Rooms, the Upstairs Suites, the Cottages and Kitchens, etc. Each tour costs $25, and visitors are shuttled from the visitor center up the Enchanted Hill to the Castle.
Inside the visitor center there was a free museum,

...which offered quite a lot of interesting information and artifacts about the life and rise of William Randolph Hearst,

...and the building of his newspaper, magazine, and movie empire.

The museum also gave the history of the construction of Hearst Castle,

…as well as objects and pieces of art that had been in the castle.

There were also quite a few photos of the castle and its rooms and areas,

…including these pools:

    As I read about William Randolph Hearst – born into wealth, surrounded by opulence his whole life – and looked at the photos of his castle and some of his acquisitions it occurred to me that having to deal with that much wealth, that much stuff would be stressful, oppressive, suffocating, even. Of course maybe if one were born into that kind of life the management, spending, and accoutrements of such wealth would feel altogether normal and natural. In fact I suppose that someone who’d been immersed in great wealth from the day they were born, someone who only knew wealth, would be quite comfortable living with it and might only feel in one’s comfort zone when surrounded by the trappings of wealth. Which could be a liability if one were ever required to exist in the realm of the rest of the world.
      Such were my musings as I strolled the museum of the Hearst Castle visitor center. However as well as being a billionaire William Randolph Hearst was also a philanthropist and after his death Hearst Castle was donated to the California Department of Parks and Recreation and designated a state park, which it continues to be.
      Anyway, after having spent the better part of an hour in the visitor center learning everything there was to know about Hearst Castle, Romaine and I decided that rather than now riding the bus up the Enchanted Hill to see the place in situ we’d actually prefer to spend the afternoon having a look at the inland countryside and the vineyards.

So we drove back to Cambria and had lunch at a cute Mexican restaurant we found called the Creekside Garden Cafe,

...where we sat at a heated outdoor table.

Romaine ordered a veggie burger, which she proclaimed very good, with some hot, crispy fries,

…While I had a delicious veggie omelet with yummy hash browns

Then after lunch we drove due east from Cambria as far as Paso Robles,

...through enchanted hills,

...and miles and miles of vineyards,

...then back to Atascadero

To be continued...

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Pismo Beach

2/13/2019

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...Continued from yesterday:
The following day, Friday, we drove to Pismo Beach.

However we stopped first for breakfast at another little place we found in Atascadero called AJ's Kitchen Fast & Fresh.

The place was really small inside and had only five tables,

...however a table was clearing just as we arrived, and so we were lucky enough to snag one.

We soon saw why the place was full: the food was, as promised in its name, freshly made, - as well as hot and tasty - and the service was fast.

Romaine had a veggie and rice burrito,

....while I had sunny side up eggs with the best home fries and a side of thick, buttery garlic toast.

Well-fueled by our yummy breakfast, Romaine,

...Lucy,

...and I drove 27 miles south,

...to our first destination, The Pismo State Beach Monarch Butterfly Grove.

The Butterfly Grove is a copse of eucalyptus trees where Monarchs from all over the country migrate to winter over between October and February.

Though Romaine recalled on a previous visit to the Butterfly Grove seeing thousands of monarchs clinging to the trees like foliage, as in this picture,

...on the day we were there we saw only a few stray butterflies flying among the trees.

We wondered if it was too late in the season to see the butterflies, if they'd already left their winter habitat, or if, a worse thought, their numbers have been decimated by climate change.

In any case, the Butterfly Grove was a nice place for a walk among the eucalyptus trees,

...and there were groups of children on class trips, which was sweet (I felt that I would like the park ranger's job of telling children about the butterflies).

From the Butterfly Grove we drove to the beach,

...where we strolled along the shore line.

Next we decided to drive up to San Luis Obispo, which was on our way back to Atascadero,

...to have a look around the town,

...and grab some lunch, which we did, at a place called The Habit Burger Grill.

The food was good. Romaine had a veggie burger with green bean fries - quite good - and I had a tuna in teriyaki sauce with sweet potato fries.

After lunch we headed back to Atascadero,

...to our cute house.

That evening Romaine made us some hummus,

...which was awesome.

To be continued...

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Neon Green Hills, Turquoise Blue Water And Elephant Seals

2/12/2019

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...Continued from yesterday:

The following morning we discovered a cute little café in town for breakfast.

Unfortunately it was a weence too chilly to sit outside on the terrace, the weather being sunny but in the mid-forties,

...but it was nice inside as well.

The food was great.

Romaine ordered a vegetable Panini,

...while I had a yummy spinach and vegetable crepe topped with an egg and home fries.

Our server was very friendly and sociable, and when we asked her if she had any recommendations as to what sights we should see in the area she suggested that we visit the town of Cambria and go see the herds of elephant seals along the beach. This we decided we'd do.
However our first destination for the day was Avila Beach, one of the many beach towns along the Central Coast.
And so we drove,

...with Lucy,

...26 miles south on highway 101 from Atascadero to Avila Beach,

...through more beautiful hills in various shades of green,

...deep hunter,

..offset by deep emerald.

When we arrived at Avila Beach we walked down to the beach,

...then all around the beach.

Then we walked inland from the beach and around the neighborhood,

..which kind of reminded me of some of the little neighborhoods I saw a few years ago when I was in Hawaii on the island of Kauai.

After Avila Beach we headed about 40 miles north up California Highway 1 to Cambria to see the elephant seals on the nearby beaches,

...stopping first in town for lunch at a quaint little place we found called The Café on Bridge Street,

...which appeared to be an old house re-purposed as a restaurant.

In any case, the place was enchanting, both inside,

...and outside.

Our sandwiches were huge.

Romaine had a tasty veggie sandwich,

...and I had a delicious portobello burger.

After lunch while Romaine took Lucy for a walk I took a stroll up and down the street,

This street also reminded me a little of a street I saw in Kauai in the town of Hanapepe.

Hanapepe, Kauai

Cambria, California

In the course of my strolling I came across a little bakery which I decided to check out,

...and mahaps sample some of the yummy-looking wares.

I settled for a vanilla iced cookie and an ollalieberry (apparently a local berry) muffin from the day-old bin, both of which were nonetheless delicious.

Next we headed out to the highway,

...that took us to the beach,

...of the elephant seals.

Romaine and I wondered if after a long day of lolling on the beach the elephant seals are just exhausted,

...and can't wait to go to sleep.

After we saw the elephant seals we walked a little farther along the beautiful beach,

Then we headed back to Atascadero,

..along the way the hills changing color from bright green,

...to bright neon green.

To be continued...

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Chillin' In Wine Country

2/10/2019

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THIS IS THE MOMENT!
NOW $3.99 ON AMAZON KINDLE!
http://amzn.to/2xvcgRa

What Goodreads reviewers are saying about "Equal and Opposite Reactions":
"It's Hallmark meets the Sopranos in this fun and engaging read."
"The characters are well developed with lots of sass, drama and wicked humor."
"The characters were hilariously and perfectly flawed."
"Cleverly plotted and exceptionally well written... part drama and part slapstick comedy."

On Wednesday, February 6, I woke up at 3:45 am to catch a flight from Columbus,

...via Phoenix,

...to San Luis Obispo, California,

...to spend a few days exploring the California Central Coastal wine country with my sister Romaine, who drove down from Portland, Oregon,

...with her pooch Lucy.

Romaine and I didn't plan on visiting any wineries while we were in wine country; as neither of us drinks to speak of, neither of us had any particular interest in tasting the local product. We'd heard, however, that there were other things to do and sights to see beyond the vineyards, and these were what we set out to discover.
Romaine had rented a place in Atascadero,

...a small town in San Luis Obispo County halfway between San Francisco and Los Angeles.

Upon exiting the airport I had my first view of the green, green hills of this part of the California coast.

From the airport we drove into San Luis Obispo,

...where we sought out a place for lunch and found a cute Mexican-esque restaurant called Big Sky.

The waitstaff and service here was over-the-top. This I learned when, unbeknownst to me, the contents of my grilled cheese, tomato and eggplant sandwich arrived on slices of super-spicy chipotle bread― that is to say super-spicy to me, sorry excuse of a spice wimp that I am.

     One bite was enough to set me into paroxysms of coughing and choking - okay small paroxysms, but dang, that bread was hot.
       Much as I hate to complain about my food in restaurants, I did call our server over and meekly asked if he could scrape the contents of my sandwich onto a different piece of bread.
          The server was tout á fait apologetic for the spiciness of the bread, whisked away my sandwich, and quickly returned with a whole new plate of food down to the hot, crispy French fries, this time with the sandwich on a delicious, non-spicy cheesy bread. Now that was a good cheese, tomato and eggplant sandwich.

Romaine likewise gave kudos to her to her black bean veggie burger and and fagioli soup.

After lunch we drove the 17 miles north on U.S. route 101 from San Luis Obispo to Atascadero through more velvet green hills.

Atascadero

Romaine had rented half of a a lovely little duplex,

...on a quiet street,

...with a mountain view.

We spent some time in the town, and after we returned to the house we planned to spend the rest of the evening just sitting around chilling.

Which we did.

To be continued...

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Windy City Live - And Cold, Part 3

2/5/2019

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THIS IS THE MOMENT!
NOW $3.99 ON AMAZON KINDLE!
http://amzn.to/2xvcgRa

What Goodreads reviewers are saying about "Equal and Opposite Reactions":
"It's Hallmark meets the Sopranos in this fun and engaging read."
"The characters are well developed with lots of sass, drama and wicked humor."
"The characters were hilariously and perfectly flawed."
"Cleverly plotted and exceptionally well written... part drama and part slapstick comedy."

...Continued from yesterday:

When we arrived at the ABC studio,

...we were met in the lobby by a friendly young production assistant who found Claire's name on her list then led us back to a waiting room next to the Windy City Live studio.
As the room was pretty crowded and all the seats taken - it appeared that this was the waiting room for other TV show folks besides those appearing on Windy City Live - the production assistant took us across the hall to wait in what appeared to be a filming studio not in use at the moment.

A green screen.

After a few minutes our friendly production assistant returned and she gave us a once-around the Windy City Live studio.

Then we returned to the waiting room,

...from which the earlier crowd had cleared out.
The door in this photo opens into a make-up room,

...into which Claire was called a few minutes later to have her make-up done. Again.

In truth we'd feared that mayhaps the make-up salon artist she'd just come from (see yesterday's post) had already put too much make-up on Claire's face

"No," the friendly TV make-up artist assured us, "I'll just put a little more on."

Now, with Claire indubitably well made-up, we waited in the waiting room with a couple other Windy City guests who had segments on the show that day,

...anthropologist Mireya Mayor,

...and Davis Jaspers, founder of the Vitalife weight loss system.

We also chatted a bit with a nice lady from the corporate sales department,

....and producer Andrea Dres also came by to check on us all.

Everyone we met in the studio was upbeat, helpful and encouraging.
    When it was Claire's turn to be interviewed our friendly production assistant returned and brought us back to the Windy City Live studio.
    Now, when watching a TV show one sees only the people on whom the camera is trained. However while the show was in progress the studio was filled with people: camera people, people working sound, people with clipboards, people standing and walking around. And, of course, the studio audience.
     My understanding had been that I could watch Claire's interview from one of the side stages, but apparently there was an empty seat in the audience, so they squeezed me into the audience.
      Here's the link to Claire's Windy City Live interview, if anyone would like to watch it:
                  https://www.facebook.com/WindyCityLIVE/videos/339129710009284/

After Claire's interview was over they invited me up to the stage for a photo op. Val and Ryan were lovely, very gracious and cordial.

And then we were done. We stopped by the waiting room to say good-bye and to pick up our coats and things and to thank producer Andrea Dres, our production assistant and the make-up artist.
Then we were on our way,

...joining all the rest of the cold Chicagoans while we walked back to the train.

We took the train back to the Damen stop in Wicker Park and then walked several blocks to my favorite Chicago eatery,

...the Yolk Test Kitchen,

...where they served me the nicest pot of hot tea.

As always, the food was great,

..Claire's yummy avocado toast with scrambled eggs,

...and my totally awesome rare mushroom and Swiss burger with potatoes.

After lunch we walked home via the 606,

...the former train line that was re-purposed as a walking and biking path.

A few blocks form home the snow began to fall,

...still, when we reached Claire's neighborhood,

...she stopped to salt the steps and sidewalk for the folks who live in the building across the courtyard from her house.

...and to feed the birds in her yard.

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Windy City Live - And Cold, Part 2: Making Up Is Hard To Do

2/4/2019

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THIS IS THE MOMENT!
NOW $3.99 ON AMAZON KINDLE!
http://amzn.to/2xvcgRa
"Funny and thought provoking and entertaining!"
-Amazon review

Windy City Live - And Cold, Part 2: Making Up Is Hard To Do

...Continued from yesterday:

Windy City Live is a popular Chicago daytime talk show broadcast on ABC and filmed Monday through Friday in front of a live audience.

Hosts Ryan Chiaverini and Val Warner interview guests, celebrities such as Kevin Hart, Martha Stewart, Valerie Jarrett, Jimmie Kimmel, Rosie O'Donnell,

...and Michelle Obama,

...among others, or people of interest such as they found my daughter Claire to be for her disaster relief work as a nurse among the most vulnerable populations on the planet.

     Claire's Windy City Live interview was on Thursday, January 24 and, as she was told she could bring her mom along, I came with her.
       Claire had been directed to arrive at the studio with her make-up done.
       Except that she doesn't wear, or own, any make-up.
       Therefore she decided for the occasion to have her make-up done before the show. For this purpose she made a 10 am appointment at an Ulta Beauty salon in Wicker Park, a couple of train stops away from her Logan square neighborhood.
       At 9:30 am on the morning of the show Claire and I, duly layered, booted, and bundled up, set out in the 14-degree weather,

...to walk to the train station and join the rest of the layered, booted, and bundled up Chicago commuters on their way to their morning destinations.

When we reached ours, the Division train stop, we walked a few more blocks,

...to the Ulta Beauty shop,

...where Claire was led back to the make-up salon,

...and introduced to A.J., her very nice make-up artist.

Claire's make-up job took about 45 minutes and, for a make-up illiterati such as myself - I haven't worn the stuff in forty years - it was rather mesmerizing to watch.

Ta-da!

Claire needed to be at the TV studio by noon so, her make-up done, we re--bundled up and headed back out into the cold, windy city to catch a train downtown,

...to the theater district,

...and the ABC studio.

To be continued...

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Windy City Live - And Cold, Part 1

2/3/2019

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THIS IS THE MOMENT!
NOW $3.99 ON AMAZON KINDLE!
http://amzn.to/2xvcgRa
"Funny and thought provoking and entertaining!"
-Amazon review

Windy City Live - And Cold

On the evening of Wednesday, January 23, after I'd taught my last piano lesson of the day,

I was back at Columbus John Glenn "One of Us" International,

...(See post from 4/29/2018, "What's So Funny at the Columbus Airport." Sorry, I never tire of it),

...to catch a flight to Chicago for a visit with my daughter Claire and her hubby Miguel,

...and to accompany Claire to her interview the following day on the Chicago television show "Windy City Live." (See post from 1/22/2019).

I arrived at O'Hare, which was pretty crowded, thought I, for a Wednesday night,

...but then I guess O'Hare is pretty crowded all the time.

Vigorously declining offers from my daughter and son-in-law to be fetched at the airport, capable and hip sexagenarian that I am,

...I headed for the train,

...joining the other evening commuters to the city,

...and alighting at the Western stop in Wicker Park,

...then walking the chilly half mile to Logan Square,

...and my daughter's house, where I was greeted by my (much relieved) daughter,

...a warm, cozy fire,

...and my three grand kitties (see post from 11/17/2018, "Cozy House of Cats"),

...Siri and Rosie, who were keeping my guest-room bed warm,

...and Queen Sassy, who preferred not to move from her kitty-cubby.

To be continued...

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Blackface

2/2/2019

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Ralph Northam is more than likely on his way out as Governor of Virginia because of this photo - one of its subjects purportedly being himself - posted on his page in his 1984 medical school yearbook.

Everything about that photograph is appalling: That two men (or maybe the one in the KKK getup is a woman?) thought it was acceptable to show up at a party in those costumes and make-up; that someone found their costumes and make-up acceptable enough that they snapped a photo; that the yearbook staff considered the photo acceptable enough to publish it.

(Sigh). It never ceases to amaze me the appalling things people will do as long as they believe what they're doing is not illegal or grossly socially unacceptable.
But here's what really amazes me about that photo:

The picture was in a 1984 yearbook.

...not a 1954 yearbook. I mean, by 1984 nobody - least of all intelligent, educated future doctors - would have found the sort of thing going on in that picture the least bit funny or acceptable, right? All decent people would have found that sort of thing offensive, wouldn't they have? Such nematodes the likes of which were pictured in that photo had slithered under a rock decades earlier, hadn't they?
      Apparently not. At least not in Eastern Virginia Medical School.
      Governor Northam, who initially owned up to and apologized for having appeared in the photo, has now done a verbal pirouette and claims that he's not actually the person in the photo. We are to believe that some layout editor randomly chose this picture of somebody else to post on Northam's yearbook page.
       Well, whether or not he's in that picture should be easy enough to sleuth out, should anyone care to make the effort, though I think the point might be moot: Northam has confessed that in the same year as the yearbook photo he donned blackface in parody of Michael Jackson for a dance contest. The guy apparently had a propensity for putting on blackface.
         (And for arrogance, too,

...judging from the obnoxious ― and for a future doctor, insensitive ― quote he chose for his yearbook page).

But there's a lesson in this story, though too late for the learning for Ralph Northam,

...just as it was too late for Megyn Kelly, who also lost her job over blackface.

     The lesson is this: If there's still any debate over whether whites wearing blackface for Halloween or any other occasion is harmless good fun or insensitive racism, it's time for the debate to end now.
     Enough people of color have spoken out and made it clear that for them blackface is insulting, demeaning, and reminiscent of what they know of the suffering and humiliation of their ancestors.
     People of color have spoken out enough on the subject of blackface. They shouldn't have to speak out anymore.

Reference:
https://abcnews.go.com/Politics/yearbook-page-virginia-governor-ralph-northam-shows-photo/story?id=60791140

https://www.cnn.com/2019/02/01/politics/northam-blackface-photo/index.html

https://www.cnn.com/2019/02/02/politics/northam-racist-yearbook-photo/index.html

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First Aid For The Polar Vortex

2/1/2019

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How about a tropical vortex?

                                               "Equal and Opposite Reactions"
                                                                    By Patti Liszkay
$3.99 ON AMAZON KINDLE
                                                          http://amzn.to/2xvcgR
       "Equal and Opposite Reactions is a rollicking good yarn about complex relationships and emotions in middle-class American culture. The author has created an incredibly funny romantic comedy, which transcends the ubiquitous romantic triangle and expands it into a quadrangle, complicated by the interweaving of relationships between the children of the principal characters. Cleverly plotted, twists and turns, and exceptionally well written, this part drama and part slapstick comedy is a tour-de-force. Bravo Patti."
- R. Bruce Logan, "The Narrative Arc"

At the moment there's not a whole lot we can do about the invasion of the polar vortex (see yesterday's post, "The Complete Idiot's Guide To The Polar Vortex) ― except to make sure from now on to vote only for candidates who understand the science and effects of climate change and who care about our environment and our well-being and not just about themselves and their own political careers.
But in the meantime, to help get you through these cold, cold polar vortex days, you can have a nice hot bowl of good potato soup,

...a great recipe for which I happen to have.

When my kids were young, on cold winter days ― those were the good old pre-vortex days ― they could have taken or left a mug of hot chocolate.

     What they wanted after coming in from playing out in the cold was potato soup, and a snow day wasn't a snow day without a pot of it on the stove.
    And so over manys the cold snowy winter I mastered the art of potato soupery.
    Actually it turned out that there wasn't a whole lot to master, and it's a pretty quick fix.
    So here's my recipe for potato soup, feel free to use it to get you through the polar vortex until the weekend when the vortex is projected to whirl back up and away to the North Pole where it belongs.

Quick Potato Soup
    6 cups of diced potatoes
    4 tablespoons of butter
    1 diced onion
    1 teaspoon of salt, or to taste
    4 cups of milk
    Shredded cheddar cheese

      Place the first four ingredients in a pot, add just enough water to cover the ingredients.
      Boil until the potatoes are tender, about 10 minutes. Add the milk and heat, but don't boil.
      Ladle the soup into a bowl then top with the cheddar cheese.

    Enjoy, stay inside if you can, and when the time comes, vote right ― I mean, correctly! 8)

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The Complete Idiot's Guide To The Polar Vortex

1/30/2019

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"Equal and Opposite Reactions"
By Patti Liszkay
$3.99 ON AMAZON KINDLE
http://amzn.to/2xvcgR

"Equal and Opposite Reactions is a rollicking good yarn about complex relationships and emotions in middle-class American culture. The author has created an incredibly funny romantic comedy, which transcends the ubiquitous romantic triangle and expands it into a quadrangle, complicated by the interweaving of relationships between the children of the principal characters. Cleverly plotted, twists and turns, and exceptionally well written, this part drama and part slapstick comedy is a tour-de-force. Bravo Patti."
- R. Bruce Logan, "The Narrative Arc"

The Complete Idiot's Guide To The Polar Vortex

     A vortex is a mass of whirling fluid or air.
      It so happens that there is a mass of arctic air constantly whirling around the earth's North Pole called the polar vortex.
     The air around the North Pole is, as we all know, cold, very cold. In fact we in the Midwestern United States know just how cold that North Pole air is, because for the past couple of days the polar vortex has been dipping south and whirling around us:

Now, the thing about the polar vortex is that, though it usually spins in a circular path around the top of the globe,

...this year's warming temperatures at the North Pole have caused the vortex to droop down,

...sort of like warm icing melting down over the top of a cake pop,

...except that the Earth is the cake pop and an extra-thick glob of icing has plopped onto Chicago.

I feel like somebody needs to explain in these simple terms the concept of global warming in relation to the polar vortex,

...to Donald Trump, who, for all his bragging about being a very stable genius,

...seems not to grasp the scientific fact that global warming is the cause of, not the cure for, the polar vortex slamming the beautiful Midwest,

..which doesn't look so beautiful when you can hardly see it.

Reference:
https://www.baltimoresun.com/news/weather/bs-md-what-is-polar-vortex-20190129-story.html?utm_source=feedburner&utm_medium=feed&utm_campaign=Feed%3A+baltimoresun%2Fsports%2Fmotorracing%2Frss2+%28Auto+Racing%29&utm_content=Yahoo+Search+Results

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<<Previous

The Enchanted Hill

Pismo Beach

Neon Green Hills, Turquoise Blue Water And Elephant Seals

Chillin' In Wine Country

Windy City Live - And Cold, Part 3

Windy City Live - And Cold, Part 2: Making Up Is Hard To Do

Windy City Live - And Cold, Part 2: Making Up Is Hard To Do

Windy City Live - And Cold, Part 1

Windy City Live - And Cold

Blackface

First Aid For The Polar Vortex

The Complete Idiot's Guide To The Polar Vortex

The Complete Idiot's Guide To The Polar Vortex

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