You know, I haven't once seen the words "Joint Chiefs of Staff" in any of the reporting about Iran. Have you?

I was just having a New York St. Paddy's Day memory: When I was a kid, the parade was shown on local Channel 11. Every year the host, staff announcer Jack McCarthy, got drunker and more tearfully maudlin as the marchers passed by. New Yorkers celebrate everyone's holidays. We loved it.

Once again, I wish you all a Happy Sir Patrick's Day.

So tired of Ms. Kylie getting mounds of hair all over the loveseat. Especially when I'm the one who ends up trying to brush it all off, sensitive though I am to pet hair. We're trying a temporary solution inspired by my two grandmothers. (You know what I'm talking about.)

Question: Is there any Congressional process by which the House can circumvent the Speaker's current 10-day hiatus order?

The early birds of Spring have caught Kylie's attention.

What does it say about the Democratic Party and its leadership that the most forceful anti-war/anti-Trump voice we're hearing these days is MTG?

I got this from my esteemed Congressman. Only 3 weeks late. It's like that Mother's Day card from him addressed to "whomever" at my address. Not terribly flattering. He can take me off this mailing list.

I don't know if I can read any more of this. All the fist shaking, hair pulling, teeth grinding, eye rolling. It's an illegal war, no plan, they're thoughtless crooks, Congress isn't reacting properly, etc. etc. And? So? Experts, what's to be done? We're still waiting after the last outrage.

So, "American" Congress, who's going to stop it? You can't depend on state governors and AGs to get you out of this one.

We've lost Neil Sadaka. One of Brooklyn's best. RIP

"All the world is birthday cake." -- George Harrison 🎂 Happy birthday, George. You left us much too soon. 🕉

Hey--NYC is calling for emergency snow shovellers to clear bus stops, fire hydrants, crosswalks, & other public spaces. Pay is $30/hr for the first 40 hrs, & $45/hr after that. Anyone willing should report to the nearest Sanitation Dept. garage. In New York. Where it is still snowin' & blowin'.

It's still coming down in Brooklyn, still very windy. Many transportation services are suspended, including ferries, some subway lines, and the Long Island Railroad. But I see a few intrepids trying to walk to work over unshoveled surfaces.

The snow in Brooklyn has been coming down steadily for about 2 hrs. Note in the photo of snowy trees the snow-laden wires. This area is strangling in overhead wires. Our utility co. sent email saying workers in cars are stationed around the city watching for downed wires. Not a job I'd like.

The blizzard has started in Brooklyn. It's really windy and the snow is coming down hard. The Notify NYC app says no school or remote learning tomorrow, and there's a ban on non-essential traffic from 9 PM tonight through noon tomorrow. The new Mayor is taking this seriously, I'm glad to say.

So how is this today's tariff decree going to play out? Do exporters refuse to pay? Will Customs refuse to collect? Will someone finally officially make the case that executive orders aren't laws, and that what SCOTUS decrees stands, even if DT doesn't like it? Opinions?

Egad! The NYC forecast for tomorrow (Sunday) is blizzard. 15-20 inches of snow & 55 mph wind gusts. We're busy battening down the hatches at home. Never a dull moment in The Big Apple. 🌬

Just an elderly gripe from me: Tell me, those who knit & crochet, when did ski hats become "beanies?" I hate that word. Every time I hear some how-to video craftsperson call it a "beanie," I flinch. To me, a beanie is a small multicolored cap with a propeller on top. Wear it to eat "veggies."

It's 36F in #Brooklyn, with "dangerous fog." We should be able to see the Verrazzano Bridge through the rungs of the fire escape, but not today. It's totally engulfed. We're told to expect the same tomorrow.

Even though I don't fit, I sit.

A winter day in #Brooklyn. The wind is about 25 mph, with stronger gusts. The wind-chill is -4F, forecast to drop to -16F tonight as the wind increases. Staten Island Ferry service is suspended. I met our mailman in the lobby just now. He said today has been "challenging."

They do all come back to #Brooklyn, rain or shine, or whatever. A Georgia peach in the snow on a Brooklyn street.

I mentioned here once before how I'm hearing the article "a" pronounced long more and more, e.g. "aaie" book for "uh" book. Today I heard a newsreader bring that phenom to new heights: she said "aaiebout" for "about." I did get the impression she was trying to sound classy. 🤔

A propos of not much, a very Happy Birthday to Florence La Rue, "The Other Girl" in The 5th Dimension. (She's the shorter woman.)

It's this smart lady's birthday today, and mine too. Can I really be 77? (She's 76. Happy birthday Patsy!) I'm still me, and with my original nose.

And why was the Punxsutawney crowd cheering this morning when six more weeks of winter was announced? Please explain to this Northeasterner.

The Brooklyn snow has stopped, and the dreaded NYC ice storm has begun. Very windy, too. These neighbors now need salt as well as shovels. I'm so glad I'm retired. Trying to get to Manhattan for work after an ice storm is brutal.

5 hours since my last post. Brooklyn temp about minus 1 wind chill. It's going to get colder. We've got close to 8 inches of snow so far. The school super is still shoveling. Schools will be closed Mon. but kids have to attend remotely. (Boooo! No Snow Day!)

Morning, All. It's 13F here in Brooklyn. The snow has been coming down steadily since 4:30 AM. Very low visability. There's no wind now, it's coming straight down. The maintenance man of the Pre-K across the street gave up his Sunday to shovel a path in front. Will he be doing it all day?

Today I got a PR leaflet from the office of my Congressman, Hakeem Jeffries. He brags about his Dem. action committe & its many accomplishments. See below. Only I don't remember hearing about this group before. I found an online announcement about it dated 2/25/25.

Can anyone explain why the Uvalde school safety officer was acquitted yesterday by a Corpus Christie jury? I saw only bits of the trial on TV. Extenuating circumstances? Did the state not make its case? I had no particular preconceptions. Just curious.

Caption this photo.

Has anyone else seen the TV ad from Lilly Pharma soliciting applications for various lab research positions? Does it not speak volumes on the state of higher education in the US, among other things? Next will be TV want ads for doctors, and those non-professional nurses.

What a world we're living in when the annual fire safety statement from our landlord now includes a section on how to barricade yourself in and defend against intruders.

Morning, Fellow BlueSkyers. I hope you get an "Awwwww" moment out of this photo my KS friend sent me. Two Masai giraffe calves in the KC zoo. (It's KCMO. She lives in a KS suburb thereof.) On the left is Beni, on the right, Aspen. I love giraffes.

A question for those who know: the Labor Dept.'s tepid jobs report issued today claims an addition of 50,000 jobs & a slight drop in unemployment for the past month. The Market ticked up a bit, but can we believe even these numbers?

The Feast of the Seven or so Pepperoni. [A bit overdone but still molto delicioso] Merry Christmas to all.

It's gonna be a Kylie Christmas!

When I walk to my dentist I often come across interesting sights. Like a group of gulls on a roof, or a heroic Santa.

The little tree is up, with lights only so far, to welcome Yuletide. Miss Kylie has already staked out her spot for #Caturday.

The first New York crumb cake to be baked in my wonderful brand-new oven. We love Mrs. Kostyra's (a/k/a Martha Stewart's mother) streusel recipe. Can't wait til dinner time.

A #Brooklyn early bird neighbor putting up Christmas lights even before the Thanksgiving weekend. Actually, they strung these up 2 days ago.

I've got a brand-new stove! Such a luxury for an urban apartment dweller to have an replacement appliance that no one has used before. (Martin Short's character on Only Murders has the same one, a GE.)

Miss Kylie has taken a moment from her activity of the day (napping) to wish us all a happy #Caturday.

I just got a self-congartulatory email from Social Security bragging about the 2026 COLA increase. Of course it doesn't mention the increase in the monthly cost of Medicare Part B. That's the lot of us old folks these days: running in place, going backwards, fighting for our own money.

Miss Kylie sleeping in on #Caturday.

NYC voter exit polls already give Zohran Mamdami a significant lead. Most New Yorkers vote after work.

My daughter's SNAP account said she had her full monthly amount. But when she tried to test it with a small online grocery order, she got an insufficient funds message. Expect chaos, as usual.

Non-professional observation here: I'm home all day with the TV on in the background. I'm hearing more and more people pronouncing the indefinite article "a" the long way -- "aaay" rather than "uh." "Aaay" bag of chips. It will become the norm in short order.