Roses and Bocce Ball

It was cold at Cafe Frida today. We were the first people to walk into the patio today and 'our' table for six in the corner by the kitchen door was cold. John and I both woke up early and didn't go back to sleep today. I had one of those anxiety dreams where I was trying to get somewhere without much success. It's always a relief to wake up from those but also difficult to fall asleep again. We talked about Dan and Tobi's remodeling plans,  Gail's trip to England for a family wedding, television programs and good books. Mamadou came by with a puppaccino for Spike, who had already found a dog chew under the table and dispatched it quickly leaving no trace. Mamadou has sold Cafe Frida and altough the new owners are planning on expanding it, it won't be the same without Mamadou. It's a pleasant way to begin the weekend.

Today's picture was taken in the park next door where these roses were looking especially pretty, showing all stages of development at once. There are several bocce ball courts on the other side of the rose garden and all of them were busy this morning. Perhaps it was a tournament. Another group of men was assembling in a circle beneath a tree, bringing their folding chairs with them. John thought they might be a group of recovering substance abusers, but they're there every week and seem very orderly and quiet.

I'm so tired of the mean spirited, deranged and often illegal actions that continue to pour out of the White House, and the apparent inability of anybody to do much to stop it. There are calls for 'something to be done' but nobody seems to know what. There are a few brave attempts to stand up to him, but despite the fact that he seems to be losing it a little more each day, he is still succeeding, with the help of the entire Republican party, in wreaking havoc. It doesn't seem right to ignore it, but there don't seem to be any alternatives. 

I hate to end on such a gloomy note, but I can't help feeling that only some unimaginable disaster will be enough to wake up the sleeping masses.