It’s 71 F in our valley at the moment. Light, high white clouds. We expect a high in the upper 80s.
A new heat dome is moving into the region. But the jet stream shifted a few years ago. Now we’re often protected from those heat domes. It can change again at any moment, so I’ll take it for now and celebrate the small win.
It’s a new month but much hasn’t changed.
Eight-five fires are burning in Oregon.
They still haven’t closed on Mom’s house. She is aware that it’s being sold, though, asking me for updates every day.
Trump is still lying. Still squirming, trying to distract us from his failures.
The Epstein files haven’t been released. Trump’s war with Iran is still going on. Affordability remains a crisis. Healthcare costs are going up.
Like many people, I’m waiting for other things. Like the old story: waiting for the other shoe to drop.
So, it’s a new month, but the same mode of waiting.
Without much surprise, The Neurons caught onto my thinking. My Neurons can be slow and flaky, easily distracted by games and cats, but like a car, they can get fired up and pointed in the right direction once in a while.
Today’s song in the morning mental music stream is “Waiting for the End”. This is a Linkin Park song. Came out in 2010. I caught it on SNL and went looking for it to hear it again.
Sample Lyrics:
Waiting for the end to come Wishing I had strength to stand This is not what I had planned It’s out of my control
Yeah, yeah What was left when that fire was gone? I thought it felt right, but that right was wrong All caught up in the eye of the storm And trying to figure out what it’s like moving on And I don’t even know what kind of things I’ve said My mouth kept moving, and my mind went dead So, I’m picking up the pieces now, where to begin? The hardest part of ending is starting again
The song is about hope, paralysis, and frustration, IMO. Feels right for today. Here we are, waiting for the end, trying to figure out how we define the end.
I hope you have a strong day, whatever one it is, whatever your season, a day that comes with lasting peace and grace.
July is dawdling to a close. Hotter today; but 74 degrees F now, a high of 96 F is expected. Then it will cool back down tomorrow.
Concerns for days like this is that the dry land, already very hot, cranks up the winds, and thunderstorms develop, lashing us with lightning. We’ve been fortunate so far this year.
Not so with much of Oregon. The state is on track for the worst season ever as 34 major fires burn. As an Oregon rancher affected notes, this ends up affecting everything. With the grasslands burned, they’ll need to buy expensive hay to feed their cattle.
With gas and diesel prices up, thanks to Trump’s Iran war and refineries threatened by high heat, expect grocery store prices to rise more. Beef, lettuce, and tomatoes are expected to surge by over 10% this year.
Trump doesn’t help the situation. Instead of providing funding and help to fight the fires, he worsens the situation by playing political games. Between that, DOGE cuts, and a poorly thought out reorganization, Trump has reduced the nation’s ability to effectively fight these fires.
Naturally — because that’s who he is — Trump denied that Iran could be involved and instead blamed Democrats. This goes against the FBI, security, and intelligence assessments.
But that’s Trump, exposing both his ignorance and his pettiness in one clumsy display.
Your Trump Quote of the Day:
Trump declared himself the ‘peace’ and ‘unity’ president when he took office in January of 2024.
“My proudest legacy will be that of a peacemaker and unifier. That’s what I want to be: a peacemaker and a unifier.”
Of course, Trump also claimed in that same speech, “Next, I will direct all members of my cabinet to marshal the vast powers at their disposal to defeat what was record inflation, and rapidly bring down costs and prices. The inflation crisis was caused by massive overspending and escalating energy prices, and that is why today I will also declare a national energy emergency. We will drill, baby, drill.”
All of us then scoffed because we knew from history that he’s only about enriching himself.
Everything since then has validated that truth and that he will break every promise, from being a peacemaker to lowering prices. Our national oil reserves are now at the lowest level in 43 years. Maybe Trump will try to make them the lowest in 47 years; that’s the sort of egotist he is.
But MAGA believes, yes, Trump is a unifier. Yes, he’s bringing peace by being strong. Perhaps they’ll see the truth…someday. I’ve become doubtful. There is no FAFO for many of them.
As for Trump’s legacy, it will be one of lies, corruption and destruction, not unity and peace.
That takes me to today’s music: “Gimme Some Truth”. John Lennon released the song in 1971. I ended up with a Pearl Jam live version from a few years later in my morning mental music stream. I can’t explain it.
Lennon’s lyrics fit this Trump era:
I’m sick and tired of hearin’ things From uptight, short-sighted, narrow-minded hypocritics All I want is the truth Just gimme some truth
I’ve had enough of readin’ things By neurotic, psychotic, pig-headed politicians All I want is the truth Just gimme some truth
Over fifty years later, we’re still hearing from uptight short-sided, narrow-minded hypocrites, led now by Trump.
The United States economy slowed more than expected as an inflation surge took hold over the early months of the Iran war, a government report on Thursday showed.
The economy grew at an annualized rate of 1.5% over three months ending in June, marking a slight slowdown from 2.1% growth recorded in the previous quarter. The figure came in lower than economists’ expected.
Still, the latest data outperformed 0.5% annualized gross domestic product (GDP) recorded over final three months of 2025.
The period covered by the data release followed a historic global oil shock set off by the Middle East conflict.
Trump’s war with Iran makes more sense to me now. Trump attacked Iran because the economy was weak. He needed a distraction, cover for why inflation was not going down. Besides that, the Epstein files are still out there, waiting to be released. Also, polls were showing that Trump and his policies were becoming more and more unpopular, a trend that’s still going.
I wasn’t familiar with the song. Once I heard it, it struck me as a really weird song choice for visiting a factory. But that aligns with Trump and his Trumpions’ thinking. “American Cars” is the song title, and that’s all they needed.
I was pleased that Noah Kahan pushed back against Trump’s use of the song.
“Kahan wrote Tuesday, according to Variety, “Would never approve of my music being used in support of you or this administration.””
His writing partner, Noah Levine, was more to the point: “You fat f–k, this song isn’t for you.”
Love you, Noah Levine!
Hope your day is wealthy with friendship, good health, and good times.
Ashland, southern Oregon — Wednesday, July 29, 2026.
July is trickling toward the end, but summer continues unabated. 68 F now, blue skies, etc., high of 91 F today here in our valley.
Mom’s house was supposed to close tomorrow. But we’re uncertain at this point if it will. We will know later today.
Was strangely lethargic yesterday, bereft of energy. Got up early, took the car in for routine maintenance. Came back and I felt like I was being deflated. Slept a great deal. Feel much better today.
The East Evans Creek Fire reached nearly 16,000 acres with more than 230 homes on Level 3 “Go Now” evacuation orders. Despite also threatening roads, bridges and other infrastructure, FEMA denied a firefighting grant application on July 22.
The Row Creek Fire Complex, meanwhile, was at one time the largest fire in the country, sprawling as of Tuesday over nearly 300,000 acres. It’s expected to merge soon with the nearby Brewer Fire. When the application was made, more than 400 people were on Level 3 “Go Now” evacuation orders.
According to the senators’ letter, FEMA denied the applications after a shift in terms — one seemingly small but radical in effect. FEMA’s policy manual states that an FMAG is warranted when a fire “threatens such destruction as would constitute a major disaster,” the senators said, but the agency seemingly determined that fires would only qualify for FMAGs if they might also receive a major disaster declaration, which is a specific designation used for other forms of FEMA assistance.
From what I’ve read of Trump voters, they’re probably (mostly) saying, “That’s okay. He’s doing it to punish the state of Oregon because of their policies. So we’re good with it.” Even if, in punishing the state, these voters are the ones who will take the brunt of the punishment. But they’re staying with him because, he’s Trump, and he tells it like it is and speaks up for them.
Rep. Cliff Bentz (Trump, OR) said nothing about those fires not getting any assistance. Instead, Bentz lavished praise on the Trump administration for providing approval to fight three smaller fires. spe
In Trump Double Standard news, Trump is now doing something that he blasted President Biden about.
Yes, that is classic Trump. Accused President Biden of being out of touch and tired; now that’s exactly how Trump is often perceived. Postured that President Obama played too much golf, while he, Trump, would NEVER golf because he would be too busy — yet, Trump golfs more than any other POTUS. Kept on bashing President Biden about inflation and affordability. Now he says, they don’t matter. Bashed President Biden about being corrupt as he, Trump, makes over $2B from serving We the People in his second term.
Now your Trump Quote of the Day:
This is fascinating. He already has torched the ‘I’m A Great Businessman’ meme. After that, Trump, married three times, convicted of crimes, a serial adulterer, came out about how religious he is. Then he pushed law and order while breaking laws. Alongside that, he preached against shithole countries and people of color. Then he rolled out terrorism, calling ANTIFA — which is not an organization — a terrorist group. Next: the red menace — communism — is back.
That does two things simultaneously. One, it’ll work with some weak minds, just as his other lies found purchase. Some will say, yes, Trump is better for me than my parents ever were!
Second, it’s a terrific new distraction from the rising affordability problem, the Epstein files, the ongoing, growing Iran war, the wretched ‘renovations’ Trump is doing, Trump’s inability to do the job, and his long list of broken promises and outlandish claims.
Most of us see it for what it is. We’ll shake our heads again and then wait, wondering what new distraction and effort will come about from Operation Epic LOOK — SQUIRREL!
Today’s song is “Father of Mine” by Everclear. The Neurons loaded the 1998 song into the morning mental music stream after I read and digested Trump’s claim about doing more for me than my parents. I vehemently disagree with that claim.
The song is a bitter tirade about a man feeling abandoned by his father.
Sample Lyrics
Father of mine Tell me, where have you been? Yeah, I just closed my eyes And the world disappeared Father of mine Tell me, how do you sleep? With the children you abandoned And the wife I saw you beat
I will never be safe I will never be sane I will always be weird inside I will always be lame Now I’m a grown man With a child of my own And I swear, I’m not gonna let her know All the pain I have known
May you have a strong day — full of joy, good health, friends and family.
It’s another 90 degree day, F, with blue skies, sunshine. Dropping nicely into the upper 50s to low 60s at night so we’re able to cool off. No smoke again, knock on wood.
Mom and my sister, Gina, both texted me to announced they’re mad at one another again. Those are the words each used. Both also said they blocked one another. Again. There will be no more texting between them.
Came about because Mom asked for a jacket from her house. Gina responded, your clothes are gone. Your house is being sold. Mom: you got rid of all of my old clothes? Why did you do that? Gina: I told you we were going to. Why didn’t you ask for them before if they were important?
I think this will last about five, six days. Then Gina will wonder, how is Mom doing? What does she need?
And Mom will think, I need my meds. Who can get them?
And the only one always there to do it is Gina.
Trump’s attacks on Iran, launched before spring began, continues through the summer.The war is almost five months old. What has it accomplished?
Screwed up the global supply chain. Cost nations around the world more money while running down US supplies. Increased our national debt. Well done, Trump! Well done, GOP!
Remember when Trump said this isn’t a war and the GOP went along with that? Recall when Trump said it would be over in weeks? Do you remember when he said, “No new wars”?
With energy prices rising, affordability becoming a crisis for many, the increasing healthcare crisis, rural hospital closures continuing, the ongoing Iran war, and the growing measles outbreaks, I wonder what the tipping point for them will be. From what I’ve read, as long as Trump continues to bully others, lie about what he’s doing, and frames himself as a champion for them — regardless of the tangible impact — they will not turn away from him.
Today’s song is “Lyin’ Eyes” by The Eagles. Seems like The Neurons made a good choice for the morning mental music stream as I think about Trump’s life and words.
Ashland, southern Oregon — Saturday, July 25, 2026.
July is romping to an end, but summer is cranking it up. Cooler today. 89 F is our high
It’s fire weather season, not just here in the US, but around the world. Calm here today but wildfires are burning in Spain and France. Hundreds of thousands of people are threatened and evacuated. Yet climate denial continues.
A paper last year in Nature concluded that the odds of encountering extreme, climate-driven fire years have risen by 88% to 152% globally compared to the pre-industrial era. Further, studies aided by supercomputers have concluded that many of the extreme weather, including these enormous wildfires, would not have occurred without human emissions.
Trump and his administration have responded by rolling back protections. Yet, Trump thinks he’s improving the world, because he and the billionaires are getting wealthier.
Your Trump Quote of the Day:
Gas was averaging $3.10 a gallon at that time, although some regions were much higher, almost to $4 a gallon. Now gas average $4.11 a gallon, and threatens $5 a gallon in some regions.
Trump is cunning. Trump is not very bright, though. Trump made a big deal about the United States drilling oil. Doesn’t make us energy independent, does it?
No. One, it always depends on the kind of oil and coal taken from the ground. Not all of it is equal.
Two, this is a global situation. Because the US lacks the refining infrastructure and raw material to create the gas and diesel we need, we’ll continue to be dependent on others.
Three, building new infrastructure is hampered by rising costs, which are pushed up by Trump’s tariffs — because the US steel industry doesn’t make the steel needed. Additionally, climate change and extreme heat is driving the need for technical change. But the costs and climate change are also driving up insurance costs.
Additionally, the rising gas and oil prices make construction more expensive. So does the greater demand for energy being generated by AI and Data Center construction. Yet, Trump cut other, more sustainable energy technology, such as solar and wind.
Then Trump started a war — after promising not to, of course. The war drives up oil and gas consumption and demand while increasing oil and refining costs but also decreases supplies.
Yet, Trump continues ignoring climate change and disasters. What a genius — NOT.
It says a lot more about Trump’s supporters and Republicans that he can lie, break promises, promote his backward foolish logic, and still get away with it.
Trump’s failures are MAGA’s failures.
Trump’s failures are the GOP’s failures.
Today’s song in the morning mental music stream is “Ramblin’ on My Mind”. It’s an Eric Clapton cover of a Robert Johnson song. Saddens me some; Clapton used to be a performer I enjoyed and admired. But he and Van Morrisson made a lot of comments during the COVID-19 pandemic that depressed me.
This song came about because I read that Trump made a long, boring, rambling speech at the White House Correspondents Association Dinner last night. Many said that Trump bombed. Anyway, thinking about him and rambling and his flailing mind inspired The Neurons in my own wobbly mind.
It’s a hot, sunny day. 85 F now, 95 later. But the air is free from smoke.
Fasted last night so I could go get some blood tests done today. So then went off and ate breakfast after that was completed.
Then the morning got a little complicated. My wife lost her cell phone. Children found it and wouldn’t return it. Yes, rewards were offered. She didn’t have the phone locator turned on, a choice she made years ago but now regrets. She also didn’t set up phone security. Fortunately, she used it for nothing except texting, games, and phone calls.
BUT —
It was the primary number for receiving security texts for different accounts. So I’ve been going through the very painful process of changing that number with several companies. It isn’t just ‘log in and fix it’; it’s log in — or, call us. Give us your name, DOB, address, social, UserID. Now, take a photo of both sides of your driver’s license. And a selfie. Now hop on your right leg three times, turn in one complete circle, spit toward the sun, and declare, “New phone number” three times.
Classic first world blues.
It’s pretty apparent these days that Trump’s shallow thinking has exhausted its ability to come up with new ideas. Deeply into repeating himself, Trump is inflicting new tariffs on us (even though the US is projected to refund $85B in tariffs and our customs duties receipts are negative $26B in June) and trying to add his name to another building as part of Operation Epic LOOK — SQUIRREL!
We’re becoming the land of the poor, sick, and broken under Trump. According to a Harris Poll, 95% of U.S. adults believe the country is facing a severe affordability crisis.
The other way that we can take this quote is that Trump made another Freudian slip. He’s actually acknowledging that he’s doing a shit job, and that anyone after him will look much better in comparison.
Given his declining physical appearance and the way he often babbles, I wonder if he’ll be alive to see the next Oval Office inhabitant.
Maybe Trump will pull a Mitch McConnell. That might be even why the GOP isn’t trying very hard to prove Mitch is still alive; they’re testing the waters to do the same with Trump.
Today’s song came to me as I was driving and thinking, returning home from my lab visit. I had the radio off, thinking about my dreams from last night. With my daily routine shifted, I thought, “Come up for air.” From that, “Miracle Mile” by Cold War Kids began playing in my morning mental music stream.
May the season’s winds carry you to a happy, healthy, and safe future.
Ashland, southern Oregon — Thursday, July 23, 2026.
Cooler today, although the sky is blue and the sun is brightly shining. 75 F now, we expect a high of 93 F.
The air was much better last night and today, as well. The East Evans Creek Fire is now 38% contained, and there were no flare ups despite yesterday’s strong winds and high heat.
Extraordinary how often things in the news are now measured in billions and trillions. They used to be eye-opening amounts. Now we see them daily in the news:
Trump made more than $2.2bn last year. Experts say this extraordinary haul is only part of the story
AMD to invest up to $5 billion in Anthropic as part of computing power deal
Meanwhile, down here in the trenches, life is still measured in dollars and cents as we struggle with affordability.
Current U.S. Beef Prices (July 2026)
As of the latest Bureau of Labor Statistics data (July 22, 2026), national average retail beef prices are up modestly from last month, with most cuts seeing gains of 0.6%–1.2%. National Average Retail Prices (per pound, USDA Choice cuts unless noted)
Sirloin Steak (USDA Choice): $14.45/lb — ▲1.2% vs. June, ▲6.6% vs. last year
“It’s a private thing, yeah, I’ll do it, and we’ll probably have some donors or whatever, but it’s about $200 million. So, we’ve been planning it for a long time. They’ve wanted a ballroom at the White House for more than 150 years. But there’s never been a president that was good at ballroom. I’m really good.”
Donald Trump, July, 2025
Back then, Trump was also bragging that the ballroom would cost $200M.
All that has The Neurons playing “Billion Dollar Babies” in the morning mental music stream. The Alice Cooper song (and album of the same name) came out while I was in high school. My friend, Bob, was instantly enamored with both and used to spit out parts of choruses as we went from class to class, a period which I think lasted a week or two.
Alice Cooper was a cross-dressing rock star for a long period. Yet he’s expressed views against transgenders and supports Donald Trump. “(America) got so ‘woke’ with the Biden people, even they thought it was crazy. If a guy says to a coworker, ‘I like your new dress,’ that means he now gets fired? That’s crazy. It got so over the top that whoever ran against the Democrats was going to win. America got sick of the stupidness and all I can say is, in a shooting war, you don’t want a poodle; you want a pitbull.” Wikipedia
Because of this, I don’t often listen to Alice Cooper much any longer.
Hope your day brings fresh air and some good weather, good friends, and good times.
Ashland, southern Oregon — Wednesday, July 22, 2026.
Blue sky, sunshine, and high temperatures have arrived. 86 F now, gonna hit 99 F with a heat index of 105.
The sky is clear of smoke today. Our major threat, the East Evans Creek Fire, now 12 days old, is 26% contained. That’s good news but it’s a tragedy for the land, vegetation, and animals.
Circle back. Knowing how MAGA Trump thinks, a gas station chain calling itself Freedom Fuel opened up gas stations in New Jersey and Pennsylvania. Knowing how to get Trump’s attention, and some free publicity, the gas was priced at $3.47 a gallon, the 47 cent part being in honor of Trump, which makes total economic sense.
Trump publicly pumped the gas station and its price, even though the price went up to $3.57 after a few days. He then crowed about how he promised gas prices were going to come down fast.
Your Trump Quote of the Day:
That was then. This is now. “The American Prospect” and others are shedding light on how that low gas price of $3.57 came about.
No evidence, of course, exists to support this election fraud fantasy, any more than his claims about the war ending back in March or that drug prices were coming down 1,000%, or that vandals damaged the Lincoln Memorial Reflecting Pool. He made fantastic claims about that, too, changing the damage from 250 feet to 300 yards.
How does anyone ever believer him about anything?
Today’s music circulating in the morning mental music stream is “Your Wildest Dreams” by The Moody Blues. Justin Hayward wrote the song while thinking back on a first love. But My Neurons, oblivious as they are, took ‘the wildest dreams’ aspect in reflection to Trump’s ongoing wild claims.
I hope your day is calm and fun, relaxing and healthy. Stay safe, wherever you are.
Michael Seidel, writer 