Carol H. Mack

Today is my birthday. I’m looking back with gratitude for the 79 years I’ve had on this planet and, at the same time, becoming increasingly aware that I have more days behind me than ahead.

It used to be a common perception that it was more important to educate boys than girls. Thank goodness that has changed. Or has it? When Jane Doe accused the men of gang rape, who was forced to leave school?

I saw my rheumatologist today. He’s very thorough and I like him a lot, but it’s still frustrating that he can’t cure what ails me!

Wondering how many federal judges still adhere to the rule of law and whether it’s enough.

Just heard the news of Dolly Parton's death. What a loss!

I got this message from my Ring camera: “ANIMAL OUT FRONT. A squirrel is hopping on the sidewalk.”Thank you, Ring, for alerting me!

Happy Caturday from our kitties! Cotton has his summer haircut, and you can just see Autumn in the background.

I'm scheduled for my yearly "wellness" visit for Medicare today. Of course, Medicare only covers this annual physical if you don't need it. If it uncovers any medical problems, or if you discuss current medical conditions, it isn't covered.

Whatever happened to civility? Here's Senator Moreno screaming at Dr. Anthony Fauci, "Who the f*ck do you think you were?" We know and respect who Dr. Fauci is; now Senator Moreno has shown us who he is: A thug and a bully who should not be permitted in any public arena, let alone the U.S. Senate.

At 78, I know my own body pretty well. Recently, two separate doctors dismissed my symptoms, as they didn’t conform to their diagnoses. Of course, I was correct. Physicians, please listen to your patients! Especially the old ones — they may know more about their bodies than you do.

I am just discovering some of the traits my sister and I have in common. We both have a cornea disease, we both have a bleeding condition, and we both have such an acute sense of color that it bugs the heck out of us when things don’t quite match. Genetics is wild!

I recently had a minor cardiac procedure. It went well, and everyone was nice: the cardiologist, the cardiology fellow and resident, the echo tech, the anesthesiologist, the anesthesiology fellow and resident, my nurse, and the two other people I couldn’t identify. I do love a teaching hospital!

Happy Caturday from Cotton, who is practicing his soccer moves!

It is illegal to put a living person's likeness on U.S. currency. If Trump really wants his picture on a $250 bill, he can have it. He just has to die first.

One of the things I find most offensive about the current administration is their utter lack of propriety. They literally don’t belong in polite society.

Watching Trump’s picks for his administration, I’m pondering how he measures their level of dickness in order to qualify them.

The 22nd Amendment reads: “No person shall be elected to the office of the President more than twice.” Therefore, if Trump really did win the 2020 election, he is now illegally in office and must leave immediately.

It seems the more health conditions I get, the more doctors I acquire. Or maybe it's the other way around.

And it’s Caturday again! Happy Caturday from Autumn!

I’m starting to realize that staying well informed is bad for my mental health.

As a Christian, I am appalled by the war crimes being committed in Jesus’s name by this administration. But, honestly, I’m even more appalled that they are being committed in my name.

Trans friends, thank you for being you, and for, when you can, sharing yourselves with a world that is so frequently undeserving of the light you bring to it. I love and support you, always. 🏳️‍⚧️🫂🫶

Am I the only one offended by the sight of Trump in his USA cap at the dignified transfer of our fallen soldiers?

Happy Caturday from Cotton!

> @covie93.bsky.social

My father did not have a birth certificate. The U.S. Navy accepted his baptismal certificate as proof of age, and allowed him to serve honorably for 34 years. Would he now not be allowed to vote?

It costs $130 + a $35 facility fee to obtain a passport and an extra $30 for a passport card. In California, fees for certified copies of vital records are between $18 and $31 each. How is the SAVE Act not a poll tax?

Is anyone else chilled by Kristi Noem's statement that she wants the "right" people to vote?

It occurs to me that I had to pass an extensive moral character determination for admission to the bar. It’s too bad we can’t do the same with Presidential candidates!

I have to ask again why ICE agents are armed! Why on God’s green earth would you provide lethal weapons to untrained guys with a middle-school mentality?!

I just developed an 8-hour course for Osher Lifelong Learning Institute on the ethical and legal issues with advances in reproductive technology. It covers IVF, surrogacy, three-parent babies, cloning, and designer babies. OLLI just cancelled the class for lack of enrollment. Anyone else interested?

Recently, I got a notice from my new pharmacy provider that they wouldn’t cover my thyroid medication and bizarrely suggested insulin instead! I need my thyroid medication. Then a couple of days ago, they called and told me to disregard the letter they had sent. AI is such a time and labor saver!

I went to two funerals this weekend. There were tears, of course, but there’s something beautiful about coming together as a faith community to celebrate a life well lived. So I told my priest I wanted to revisit my own funeral plans but no hurry. “I hope not,” he said. Me too, Father Bill! Me too!

One question: Why are ICE agents even armed?

Re Kristi Noem’s statement about the shooting in Minneapolis: Do you think someone told her that story or did she make it up herself?

And the list of high crimes and misdemeanors just keeps on growing.

Many of you are too young for this, but I am reminded of the immortal words of Pogo: “We have met the enemy and he is us.”

My word for 2026 is SOLIDARITY. I stand in solidarity with immigrants, the LGBTQ community, and all Americans hurt by this administration. As Margaret Mead said: "Never doubt that a small group of thoughtful, committed citizens can change the world; indeed, it's the only thing that ever has."

Printer update. HP: We’ll have to replace it. Me: How do I know the new printer will work? HP: We wouldn’t send you a broken printer. Me: You did once!

Lovely Christmas morning at my daughter's, but at age 78 I seem to have graduated from hosting the party to, "Just sit down, Mom, and we'll bring it to you." Not sure how I feel about this!

My husband and I just got back from the Big Island of Hawaii. We had a great time, and we were careful about masking indoors and on the plane. Still, I managed to bring something home. Not COVID or influenza, according to the tests, but a cold! I haven’t had a cold in five years and I’m miserable.

What bothers me the most about the crimes being committed by this administration — the immigration abuses and the murders on the Caribbean, for example — is that they are being done in my name, as an American.

I am so tired of hearing that the bombing of the shipwrecked survivors in the Caribbean was “controversial.” It was not controversial, it was criminal.