Finality

Cut the grass yesterday, weedwhacked today, and when I was done I was like "Gee, this could be the last time you have to do that this year."  On the one hand, this is good, as I hate those yard chores.  On the other...summer is rapidly fading -- getting dark earlier, had to close the windows or get a blanket because the breeze was too cool.  Not good.  Also not good:  my tires are ok; I needed a new front axle.  $600 later, it is fixed.  I mean, it happens, and I can repair it now, but...still.

In the irony department, I had planned to send out a monthly budget report for the OC, and today Downtown emailed me -- they are doing their annual budget (the joyous off-year FY) and wanted me to finish up/fill out theirs.  I have all the data, but guestimating -- even for a month -- gives me the jitters for some odd reason.

I listened to the state of the county speech -- sponsored by the City Club -- and it was pretty much a crock.  No one called him out on his BS about the state being the ones forcing the tax increases on the public, not that I expected anything less.  The whole thing was quite rah rah, and with all of the videos...well, now I know what the county is spending our money on.  Not, of course, that our friends at cleveland.com -- or anyone else -- will call them out on it.  Alas.

Why Can't the U.S. Build Ships? - by Brian Potter (construction-physics.com)
Interesting but not surprising, and as the article notes, the saddest thing is that there is no political will to solve the issue.  I would think it would be an easy win, but politics gets involved, and... we all know what happens then.

The ‘Safe Space’ Where America's History is Debated in Real Time - POLITICO
Odd; I have never been to Williamsburg, but seeing this makes me really want to go and experience all of those tours.  I can see how some people would be offended, but as this history was not taught (or poorly if at all) in the first place...well, I think we all know how I love that sort of thing.  To me, the best part is how they are trying to be objective and accurate; that alone makes it worthwhile to me to study.

Amid declining church attendance, a different religious renaissance is underway (msn.com)
This could be me -- and there is some selection bias here, as I attend such a parish -- but could it be that one of the reasons why people stopped going to Mass in the first place is that the places were ugly/modern/unispired?  If that is the case - and it is a factor -- isn't this is a good thing?  Oi!