On 5/18/2024 at 2:10 PM, Jana814 said:

Interesting that they are having a second season. I’ll watch. 

The first season was a super-basic intro, they had to catch up all the people not on FreeJinger. I'm hoping the second season digs deeper.

An American airline let them board a plane after the door was closed? Jesus really does love them. 

4 hours ago, Four is Enough said:

I really feel that both the U S and democracy will have a very difficult time surviving if tRump wins a second term.

He's done so much already to lower the reputation and admiration of the US by other countries. He's plunged us into hellacious debt the last time. He's ignorant to an extreme. He doesn't take advice. He will hire sycophants and toadies to be his close advisors, and place them into positions of trust that they will neither deserve nor understand.

He's so stupid he thinks he could win this election and be in for two terms. No. It doesn't work that way. 

I wish he'd just crawl back under his rock.

THIS.  He was confiding in and bouncing ideas off Mike Lindell, the "My Pillow" guy, for God's sake.  If that's not scary, I don't know what is. 

Apparently Ivana was a confidant as well.  She said in an interview.  "He calls me and asks my opinion about things.  I am STILL his First Lady". 

Like I told people before, when he acted all bombastic and blustery on "The Celebrity Apprentice" we thought it was funny and we could all laugh it off. I know I did.  But in real life, it's not funny one bit and it's downright frightening.   

Like I said in a prior post, my mother thought Trump the reality TV star and Trump the actual person were one and the same.  And it seems she wasn't alone and millions of folks did and still do.  God help us. 

22 minutes ago, SassyPants said:

Has JV graduated and if so, is he working in his field? He and the Mrs.seem to travel and attend events (childless) quite a bit. I wonder what Jinger REALLY thinks about the way she was raised, her limited opportunities and her parents overall plan? 

I think there’s still a disconnect in her. I think she still can’t accept all the bad that came with having 18 siblings. Mostly because she loves her family so much. She herself doesn’t want a huge amount of kids. But she still seems to deny that having 18 siblings had many negatives in her life growing up.

5 hours ago, FiveAcres said:

I went up with another friend, and we cleaned: concentrating on the kitchen and the bathroom. I also helped pack up the house she was losing, where she had lived for three or four decades. It was a very sobering introduction about how thin the line can be between surviving and utter disaster.

I find Artemis exasperating, but I hope they don't find out about that thin line themselves.

Thats a really sad story. It was so kind of you to help her. 

I think part of the reason I find Art so frustrating is because they have been over that line. Or at least they have blogged about being unsheltered, couch surfing and living in a vehicle. Instead of realizing that people gave them thousands of dollars to move into a new home, and making choices so they can remain in a stable, safe shelter, they just want more and more, and aren't doing very much to change their situation. 

And as someone whose been on that line as well - poverty pay, SNAP, no vehicle, rotating terrible roommates (and more roommates than rooms) - I can say that it sucks. And it's hard to do much. But there are still joyful things, and it taught me how to prioritize spending and to change my attitude and to be resilient. Also to have multiple plans - which is really hard to do when you cant afford rent. But because I once couldn't afford rent, I am now full of plans - what to do if we get divorced or if a house burns down, or if one of us loses a job or wants to change careers. 

Not every option is great, but I know I can suck it up and go to a job center or temp agency, or take something stupid while I look for another job in my niche field, or go to a recruiter. I know how to file for benefits and can figure out what I'm eligible for. 

The other big thing I had to do was change my personality a bit, and be open to learning and realizing that it's better to take the job, to be a nice friendly person, to do the things that are asked of me at work, and to navigate the system that exists instead of hurting myself for no reason. 

3 hours ago, MargieB said:

I fully expect that they will be asking for money for groceries, cat supplies, etc., since they had to leave these things behind, as well as money for internet access and all kinds of other expenses they did not count on.  The grift will go on.

Of course it will. They will lose a phone in the airport or something ridiculous will happen, so they can upgrade it. They will move to a place with different requirements for Snap or the food banks are beneath them, etc. They are too lazy to go to a thrift store so they need all new "cute" disposable garbage from Amazon delivered to their door. 

I moved to another state with three suitcases - one I carried one and two I checked. Everything else was sold or stored. They could pack two suitcases each - if they are at weight, its like $35 each, and they can check them. Vs $80 or whatever for shipping whatever they are boxing up.

Furthermore, they need to ask for parcel post, which is less expensive. Media mail for media. It's slow but you don't need that stuff right away.