PLAYING CATCH UP

 Gentle Readers . . . and Maxwell,

Please pardon me for not visiting you of late. Princess and I have been busy.

I've felt well enough to work more. My last paycheck was $65, which is quite an improvement over the previous check of $7. I know it's not much, but I'm hanging on to my benefits. I have Medicare Part A, but I don't want to deal with the other parts of Medicare while the fuckmonkey remains in the White House, giggling gleefully over all the poor slobs who have to pay more for health insurance. 

I didn't watch, but I know.

Florida is in a drought. We had some rain Friday, but we'll need a lot more before we can enjoy the sparkling waters of Lake Junebug at 

The Lake Junebug

Resort & Rumpus Room

I continue to hope Princess and I will be able to welcome guests this summer.

My birthday came and went during what our beloved Bob of I Should Be Laughing calls Fuckuary for good reason. Favorite Young Man and K spoiled me with cards and gifts, including a button that says Anti-Fascist As Fuck. FYM wrote in his card to me that I'm in my 30s. I texted him to say I don't have a problem with my real age, which is 107. 

K says that one of my gifts hasn't arrived yet. She told me what it is. I'll reveal it to you after it arrives. Suffice it to say Nancy Pelosi will be thrilled when she sees it.

I had to get a new phone a few days ago. My old phone took forever to charge and then didn't hold the charge very long. Android Auto had also stopped working. I am Android Auto dependent in this huge city. Jacksonville is the largest city, geographically, of the 48 contiguous states. Because it was relatively inexpensive, I also got a smart watch in case of emergencies. For now, if I have an emergency, the watch is worthless because I can't figure out how it works. I can access its workings through the phone's screen so I'm sure I'll figure it out. It's charging on its little round thingy right now.

Princess and I had a meet and greet with a six-year-old male German Shepherd who needs a new home. I said no with some regret. He arrived at our home dragging his dad behind him. His current parents admitted he doesn't walk well on a leash. He was also twice the size of Princess. I would not be able to handle such a big, headstrong dog, but I was sad because Princess liked him. She invited him to play a few minutes after exchanging obligatory butt sniffs. I plan on filling out an application with a rescue for dogs of a different breed. I'll let you know what happens.

Please be patient with me when you leave a comment. I love and appreciate you for taking the time to read my words, but I have comment moderation enabled and sometimes it takes me a while before I get a chance to publish comments.

What are you doing for fun or for work? What are you reading? What are you watching? Have you kicked anyone in the butt? Have you given somebody a hand up?

Infinities of love,

Janie Junebug

Neil Sedaka
1939 - 2026

DROOPY

 Gentle Readers . . . and Maxwell,

The philodendron in my backyard used to look like this:

Phil has been an important part of doggy playtime. It's fun to play chase around the big bush and to run underneath it. Hiding under it is exciting. A doggy can pretend to be in the jungle. It's a shady, cool spot during the summer. Best of all, you can dig a hole under there and Mom won't see you doing it and yell at you to stop.

But after our run of freezing temperatures, Phil looks like this:

It's warmer now. Our nights are still cool, but many days are sunny with temperatures in the 70s. 

I didn't do much in the yard last year. This year I'm excited about planting new flowers. Maybe I can put flower pots on the front steps again. The old pots were broken by a galumphing Princess charging out the door. She's much more careful now.

I think she might like to train another dog in the niceties of living in our home.

Infinities of love,

Janie Junebug

Reverend Jesse Jackson

1941 - 2026

IN THE NEWS

Gentle Readers . . . and Maxwell,

 The last time I had lunch with Princess' beloved Auntie Maureen, she told me, You know ICE was in Murray Hill –– my neighborhood. 

No, I didn't. Maureen said agents had been all over a nearby Haitian church.

It's damned low to target people at their place of worship.

Or at schools or the grocery stores where they need to shop. 

Pulling 700 agents out of Minnesota doesn't mean much when 2,000 remain.

I don't watch the stupor bowl. It's never made sense to me that it takes half an hour or more to play two minutes of a football game. But I watched the halftime show on YouTube Monday morning. 

I'm not into Bad Bunny's music simply because I don't keep up with current music, not because something is wrong with it. I speak some Spanish, but even if I didn't, I would have known Bad Bunny's show was about inclusivity and love. 

He made the point, gently, that America is more than the United States. The people who beat their chests and scream AMERICA FOR AMERICANS enjoy their blissful ignorance of all that America encompasses. If America is for Americans, then that includes Puerto Ricans, Dominicans, Mexicans, Brazilians, Canadians . . . the list goes on and on. 

The Monday morning show quarterbacks who said Bad Bunny was disgusting and stupid and they didn't understand a word he said forgot how to use the mystical, magical button on the remote control that turns off the TV

But Bad Bunny's was the most watched Super Bowl halftime show ever.

Infinities of love,

Janie Junebug

THE MANTEL GANG AND I ARE UPSET

Gentle Readers . . . and Maxwell, 

The Mantel Gang has been pretty quiet since the rigged election that put a traitor and a convicted felon back in the White House. I'm sure you all saw the videos with suitcases full of votes for Kamala Harris hidden under tables so they wouldn't be counted and the My Pillow Guy has proof that voting machines were messed with so if you voted for Harris the vote would go to the felon instead. You know how these things work. 

The Gang has also moved around. For a while they were The Top of The Pie Safe Gang, but that didn't go well. Although they enjoyed the pastel floral prints in their background, they tended to fall over and lose their tiny accessories. Stacy Abrams' microphone disappeared (another Republican plot to keep her from getting out the vote for Democrats), and Nancy Pelosi's gavel got lost THREE TIMES!

Look at the way Nancy holds out her hand as if a gavel is in it, but her poor, little hand is empty. The first two times the gavel fell I found it on the floor, but the third time was not the charm. 

I asked RBG if she would share her gavel with Nancy. Try to imagine how that went down. Ruthie does not share. 

And I'm not the only person who has asked the action figure company to please make replacements for the tiny accessories with no response received.

After leaving the Pie Safe, these good folks moved to The Top of The Book Shelf for quite a while, and then moved again recently and are now The China Cabinet Gang.

They were pleased about their move because they had great expectations for long awaited additions to the family, one of which couldn't be coming at a more crucial time. 

Then we received a crushing disappointment, about which we want to vent because it must be the result of a republican conspiracy.

When I first purchased FCTRY action figures, I bought what they had in stock. Then I learned about their Kickstarter campaigns for new figures. I pledge money for the campaign and when the figure is finished, it's shipped to me. That's how I got the bad guys, Putin and Kim Jong Un, and I think I backed Mayor Pete. But one time I backed a campaign (I don't remember which figure it was), and when the product didn't arrive, I emailed FCTRY and they said I had not pledged money. Okay. I thought I had but figured I was wrong.

Then an opportunity came up before the 2024 election for a new Kickstarter campaign and I was all over it: Back the creation of Michelle Obama and Tim Walz figures and receive a free Blue Goose presidential lectern! Some other figures were also available, such as different versions of Kamala Harris and a Barack Obama with gray hair, but I'm happy with the Kamala and Barack I have and didn't need others. I wanted Michelle, Tim, and the Blue Goose. So I signed up and waited.

I waited some more. I checked the FCTRY site and saw creation and production were slow for various reasons. I was patient. But ICE created havoc in Minnesota and I really wanted Governor Walz to join The China Cabinet Gang, so on Jan. 12th, I emailed FCTRY to ask when they would send Michelle and Tim because the rest of my action figures wanted to be with them. "Macky" replied that it would be soon and offered to check my pledge to make sure they had my details correct. Yes, please check, I wrote back to him.

No further response from Macky, but on Feb. 4th I received a generic email stating the Michelle Obama and Tim Walz action figures were shipping. Michelle Obama had already arrived. We were thrilled to see her, but I emailed the company again: Where is Tim Walz?

Again, it was Macky who responded and told me I hadn't backed the Tim Walz campaign, which is not true. I know I did. Macky said I should check my records to see if my card had been charged for both campaigns. It turns out my card wasn't charged for either one! I believed it the first time FCTRY told me I didn't back a campaign, but this time, I am absolutely positive I did. 

Macky insists I didn't. I reminded Macky that he offered to check my pledge details, didn't follow through, and if he had, I would have known at least a bit sooner that there was a problem. No apology from Macky. I'm very disappointed in FCTRY. Some kind of disconnect exists between the Kickstarter campaigns and the FCTRY order fulfillment.

I can't order Tim Walz or the lectern because they're sold out.

I haven't introduced Michelle Obama to The China Cabinet Gang yet. Carol and I are going out to lunch tomorrow. Perhaps I'll remove Michelle from her box while Carol is here. 

Carol and I love Michelle. I'm happy that Michelle has been doing her own thing and didn't bother to go to the inauguration of the fake, illegally elected president. That election was all a hoax. It was all rigged. It was terrible, so terrible, sad, sad, sad. Dozing Don can't stay awake for five minutes. Throws his food at the walls in what's left of the White House. Shutting down the Kennedy Center pretending it needs to be remodeled because he can't cope with the embarrassment of acts refusing to perform there and ticket sales are way down because of the stupid shit he's done and it's all a hoax. It's all rigged. 

Rigged rigged rigged hoax hoax hoax illegal illegal illegal

All these distractions and none of it erases his name from THE EPSTEIN FILES. The President of The United States is a pedophile and a rapist, and that's no joke.

Infinities of love,

Janie Junebug

He never knew his best friend, Jeff. And was it Bondi or Leavitt who pointed
out that "Donald Trump" is a common name so when that name appears in the files it doesn't refer to the president. Obviously. Duh.

Remember how the republicans complained about Michelle Obama's bare shoulders? They don't say one damn word about Melanie's naked ass. 

It's hilarious that Melanie doesn't understand the attitude of Americans toward her nudity because it was an art form. Yeah, posing naked in cheap ads as a model who never really made it –– you just keep telling yourself that's art, honey.

Those disgusting drag queens and trans people who are always trying to indoctrinate children, yeah, they're really horrible. But they didn't join Epstein in raping girls. 

I'm radical leftist scum and I've never molested a child either. What's wrong with me?

Don't call Melanie's movie a documentary. She says it's a creative expression of something something, I don't know what she said. I don't understand her. 

Laura Bush, Hillary Clinton, Michelle Obama, Jill Biden –– four First Ladies with post-graduate degrees. 

Then we get the Slovenian hooker who's had breast implants, some kind of plastic surgery on her face, and must spend several hours a day putting on all that makeup and having her hair done. Her husband "allowed" her to have a baby IF she would get her fake body back afterward.

That's because he's more important than Jesus. He's stopped 29 1/3 wars. Inflation is non-existent. Drug companies pay me a few thousand dollars every time I order a prescription. 

For god's sake, the man won The FIFA Peace Prize.

Well, of course those brown-skinned bastards aren't in the files. Nice Caucasian rapists who have a metric fuck ton of money aren't going to associate with Mexicans!

Good luck with testimony from her. No one would understand what she said.

And she'd lie her naked ass off.

PTA

Gentle Readers . . . and Maxwell,

PTA = PAUL THOMAS ANDERSON

Anderson is one of my favorite filmmakers. Recently, I was pleased to see him rack up some Golden Globe Awards for his 2025 movie, One Battle After Another (Rated R, 2 hours 41 minutes, Streams on HBO Max or whatever they're calling it now they can't make up their minds). 

This is a wild ride of a movie. It's a dark comedy, a thriller, has all sorts of crazy stuff going on. I won't even try to get into the plot. I enjoyed One Battle After Another and felt entertained throughout even though it's quite long.

I don't know if it's worthy of the 13 Oscar nominations it received. I wouldn't have given that Best Actor nod to Leonardo DiCaprio while leaving out Jesse Plemons in Bugonia.

I hope to see PTA win something.

Oh! I glimpsed Alana Haim a couple of times and was excited to see her. I thought she was wonderful with Cooper Hoffman in PTA's Licorice Pizza, but she really doesn't do anything in One Battle.

My favorite Anderson movie, and one of my favorite movies that I re-watch every few years, is 1999's Magnolia. It's Anderson's masterpiece––so far.

Who knows what Paul Thomas Anderson will bring us in the future?

Have you see One Battle After Another? Some people think it's overrated. What do you think? It also has seven Screen Actors Guild Award nominations.

Infinities of love,

Janie Junebug

EVEN FLORIDA IS COLD

 Gentle Readers . . . and Maxwell,

Did Winter Storm Fern bring ice and snow and low temperatures to you? Although we don't have snow, Florida is cold. Our high was in the 40s on Monday and it will stay chilly all week with overnight lows in the 20s and 30s. 

Fern is such a mild name for a such a destructive storm.

Princess is prepared for a long winter night's rest.

We have a merry fire to keep us cozy.

In North Carolina, Favorite Young Man and K were iced in on Sunday and Monday. I'm pleased the schools were closed Monday and Tuesday so K didn't have to go to work. FYM was able to negotiate the icy roads to go to work Tuesday. 

Yesterday I recounted the story of our visit to the Holocaust Museum in DC many years ago. Today I'll add that when I was a reporter in Pennsylvania I wrote an article about a woman from Ukraine who told me the story of Nazis arriving in her village. The next day, the Jews were gone. Then the young people were ordered to go to the village square. Her grandmother told her, Do whatever they say, and you will be all right.

She, a 16 year old, and the other young people were shipped off to Germany to be slave labor. She and another girl had to work for a cruel German farmer. The farmer had a kind wife who helped them as much as possible. She did as her grandmother told her, and she was hungry but all right.When the war was over, she got a job cooking for the US Army, where she met a handsome GI who took her to rural Pennsylvania as his bride. Their 50 year marriage on their farm ended when he died. She missed him terribly.

I've mentioned my interest in history before. I read quite a bit, and I also like to watch documentaries, many of which are about World War II. Princess often watches with me.

A couple of days ago, Princess said, That chap with the strange, little moustache, and the animal with the orange face, they have much in common. They hold rallies and shout a lot. Sie sind hasserfüllt und grausam. Sie sind Brüder, oder zumindest beste Freunde, nicht wahr?*

Nein, I told her. The German man has been dead for a long time. Many people wish the American man would die.

Ich könnte das beschleunigen, indem ich viele Bisse auf seinen fetten Hintern gebe, Princess said.

I let Princess know many of you would join me in appreciating her offer, but I couldn't take her up on it because she would be harmed in the process. She would catch a disease from biting his fat ass. 

Infinities of love,

Janie Junebug

*Now you know Princess hasn't forgotten how to speak German and is rather more elegant in the use of her first language.

INTERNATIONAL HOLOCAUST REMEMBRANCE DAY

 Gentle Readers . . . and Maxwell,

On January 27th, 1945, the Soviet Army liberated the Auschwitz concentration camp in Poland. In 2005, the United Nations General Assembly declared Jan 27 International Holocaust Remembrance Day.

I've told this story before, but it's been a long time and I think it's worth repeating. When my daughter, The Hurricane, was in middle school, we took her to Washington, D.C., for a Van Gogh exhibit. The line for the exhibit was long and when we were within six people of getting in, someone came out to announce that was it, no one else could enter the museum that day.*

The Hurricane asked if we could instead visit the Holocaust Memorial Museum, which had opened recently. I was reluctant because I was very much aware of the horrors of Hitler's attempt to rid Europe of Jews and other people he did not want––Roma, the disabled, political enemies, LGBTQ, and more.

But I agreed, and I was glad I did. It was a good learning experience, and the museum had been designed in a way that allowed those who did not want to see the most graphic photos to avoid them. I looked at them, and I told Hurricane what was depicted in them before she saw them, which she chose to do.

The staff members did not wear the garb of security guards as they do at other museums in D.C. They were dressed in dark clothing. 

When we entered a room that had "beds" from Auschwitz––the wood frames that in no way resembled beds––after a couple of minutes I noticed an older woman holding on to one of the frames and crying. A young woman on the staff sternly told her she must not touch the items on display from the camps.

She said through her tears, in heavily accented English, You don't understand. I slept in these. 

The worldwide Holocaust survivor population now stands at 196,000. That number is dwindling rapidly as many are older than 90. About half of them live in Israel. 

We can't allow them to be forgotten.

Infinities of love,

Janie Junebug

*We returned to the museum another day and arrived earlier. Only one small group was ahead of us in line. The Van Gogh exhibit was beautiful.