First, I will tell you a joke about climate change. I heard this a few days ago, and have told it several times. Everyone who has heard it seems to have had the same reaction. First, they think it’s a dumb joke. Second, they laugh. Here goes:

Did you hear the latest about what the insurance companies are doing because of all these climate changes? No? They are telling campers that if their tents blow away in the middle of the night in a storm, they won’t be covered.

[Take time to laugh. It’s okay]

We drove home yesterday, leaving Saratoga Springs at 8:30 and getting home at about 4:30. We stopped twice, but because of our COVID exposure, ate in the car, not in a restaurant. And I must say that Mrs. London in Saratoga Springs makes much better chicken salad than Pret a Manger at the Vince Lombardi rest stop. The traffic moved all along our route, we only got lost once by taking the wrong tine of a fork (I am assuming a fork in the road is composed of tines – is that right?), and there was an accident on the NJ Turnpike that slowed us up a bit. It was a nice ride, but we came back very tired (I still am), tested for COVID and luckily and happily all is negative so far.

Off and on rain, heavy rain, yesterday. It meant that the Nats game, scheduled for 4 p.m., did not start until 8 p.m., and looked like it would never be played at all. But it was – the last place Nats against the first place Dodgers. The Nats beat the Dodgers 7-6 in the 11th inning following, of all things, a wild pitch allowing the Nats Michael Chavis to run home from third base.

But it was a terrifically entertaining game, with three Nationals outfielders each making spectacular catches – Jacob Young in center field leaping as he ran into the wall (Nats color announcer Kevin Frandsen said that he wished “it was a Velcro wall”.), Jake Alou against the wall in left field, and Alex Call in right field stretching out horizontally to catch a ball (that was impossible to catch) before belly-flopping on the ground. And then Luis Garcia (whom 8 year old grand daughter Joan calls Cherry Garcia), did what almost looked like a figure eight catching a grounder and throwing to first.

Today is a pretty good day to be too tired to go anywhere, or to be keeping low because of COVID exposure – that final Nats/Dodgers game is at 1:30, the NFL season opener for the Commanders (nee Redskins) against the peripatetic Cardinals, now in Arizona, at 1 (with Fedex Field being sold out – that sure hasn’t happened in years), and of course the U.S. Open men’s finals at 4. By the way, congrats to Coco Gauff for her woman’s win at age 19 (who knows, maybe she reads this blog religiously), and a suggestion. Coco is a fine nickname; I have no problem with it. But I just looked and your given name is Cori (you probably know that). I happen to like that even more (if I count).

Now, I just watched President Biden give his press conference after the G-20. First, I think he is being too cavalier with the CDC COVID recommendations for someone exposed to the disease (his wife is recovering/maybe recovered from COVID as I write this), and he has (without much explanation) not only avoided the use of masks, but traveled across the world to meet with other world leaders. Second, these are tough trips and it is not unexpected that he is worn out, 80 year old that he is, but he looked like a bumbling older man through much of this short(ish) press conference, and to end by saying that he is going to bed (OK, COVID exposure, ridiculously long trip, continual stress, and it was 10 p.m.) does not send a great message.

If only the Democrats, and the Republicans, could nominate younger and more responsible candidates for the 2024 election. Let’s keep the pressure on.