General Order No. 11 Headquarters, Grand Army of the Republic Washington, D.C., May 5, 1868 I. The 30th day of May, 1868, is designated for the purpose of strewing with flowers or otherwise decorating the graves of comrades who died in defense of their country during the late rebellion, and whose bodies now lie in […]

I packaged and sent an installment of Marlow’s series on the plague this morning. I love his hang loose approach to global pandemic, always with a distinct rhythm of melody and distant old times. Or new ones. The House passed a three trillion dollar bill, biggest in the history of the republic in one shot. […]

Retirement is odd. I think it is Friday, a festive reflection of a work rhythm of all those years of schedules. Now this week I lost Wednesday altogether and it didn’t seem to mind. In the background is everything else, all swirling around like a Joe Biden interview. So the Flynn thing blew up again. […]

So, I may not be the most alert sailor at the helm of his little ship, but this is a big week. In many of the states, the Governors are reducing civic restrictions to ensure the plague is held at bay. Life during the crisis down at the farm is essentially unchanged since the panic […]

Hi! It has been a while since you got a nice cheery postcard from Your Nation”s Capital. Maybe this isn’t it, either, but one does what one can in times of crisis. The brilliant pink of the first foliage of the spring are fading now, and the green quilt is thickening for the summer. There […]

Editor’s Note: The President announced “weapons free” for USN units to deal with Iranian harassment in the Gulf. I do not recall such an announcement in my times, so maybe this is what deterrence looks like these days. In an attempt to analyze the current and heavily nuanced crisis, I thought it might be useful […]

Editor’s Note: I am in an undisclosed location in Virginia’s historic and lovely Northern Neck. I am working off the iPad and phone, and neither gives me much flexibility. I will have some observations about the trip, which will eventually follow the Historyland Highway, originally cut through the brush by the legendary planter King Carter […]

Editor’s Note: We are taking a brief break from a longer break, but this struck me as right for the upside-down year. I have been watching too many Hallmark movies and am now fully ready to put up the holiday lights. It is literally the first time in my life that I feel disconnected to […]

I am not going to drive you bonkers with a description of what it is like to have three months razored out of your stream of life as the world collectively threatens to crumble. It is an interesting process, is all I will offer. I have found that if you sprinkle the crackling dreams with […]

So, we are back, if we ever left, and the turnkeys who run the asylum here by the Potomac are back, with impeachment to roll out on the Hill at mid-week. Of course, given the lively nature of attempting to overthrow the US Government, there are been a lot of changes. 40 years ago I […]