2297 Comments
User's avatar
Devon Williams's avatar

The headline works just as well as it did in 2020.

Expand full comment
UC Santa Royale's avatar

I'm making chestnut soup for Thanksgiving. Happy to hear about the American Chestnut Foundation!

Expand full comment
Open Letters by Mersault's avatar

Trump Relatives at Thanksgiving?

If you’re sitting down this Thanksgiving with a Trump supporter, remember: their choice wasn’t harmless or abstract—it was a vote for cruelty, lies, and authoritarianism. In 2024 alone, Trump has embraced white nationalist rhetoric, calling immigrants poison to America’s blood. He’s threatened to execute political opponents, likened his rivals to vermin, and vowed to rule as a dictator. He’s attacked judges, incited violence, disparaged Jewish Americans, and spread conspiracy theories and election lies. Supporting him isn’t a political stance; it’s a declaration of allegiance to hate, division, and the unraveling of democracy.

Letting this slide in the name of “keeping the peace” isn’t civility—it’s surrender. Silence across the table is complicity. Challenge them. Hold them accountable. Make it clear: choosing a man who thrives on fear, violence, and dehumanization is a moral failure.

Thanksgiving is a time for gratitude, but it’s also a time for courage. Democracy dies in silence. Hate thrives on politeness. Stand up, speak out, and don’t let them forget that their choice comes with a cost—starting with your refusal to let it go unanswered.

Expand full comment
Patricia Gomes's avatar

Diane ! Do it ! I worked till 75 and still miss it. 82 now My RN license is expired but my heart isn’t. Go for it girl !

Expand full comment
WomanInThePersistence's avatar

Substack is being a mite bit twitchy, "Pride" is available to rent or own on You Tube. Worth the buy.

Expand full comment
Deb Vitkova's avatar

Heard this one from Kate one of my Stewarts Shops heroes:

Why did the cranberry blush?

Because it saw the turkey dressing.

Expand full comment
Mx.le Maerin's Luxury Comedy's avatar

Woo, glad you rescued this one! I did know about the chestnut blight (I can't recall where, but I read an article on it at some point). I've also most certainly eaten chestnuts, many times. Back in my seriously no meat days, I would make chestnut croquettes for the upcoming holiday (along with something we affectionately dubbed 'rat loaf' - it was a punk rock Thanksgiving). I think I've even got some squirreled away in the fridge; I should look into that. They're yummy.

Expand full comment
William Bombelyn's avatar

Back in the day I was working in a hotel one Christmas morning and I put some chestnuts in the deep fryer to crack them open. They went off like hand grenades.

Expand full comment
Jamshied Sharifi's avatar

For more on the American chestnut (and trees in general), I recommend “The Overstory” by Richard Powers.

Expand full comment
Kathnc's avatar

One of the farmers in our church's Black Farmer Co-op is bringing back the chestnut. This is in North Carolina. Support the positive things in this time of depressing change.

Expand full comment
LuluBean12 StarGeezer's avatar

As kids, we used to make jewelry from the horse chestnuts, gouge a hole through one to make a ring, string a bunch of the pretty, shiny nuts together for necklaces.

Try to kill each other by tossing them at each other. (after removing the spikey yet not nearly as stabby as food chestnut's, husks).

Took my nieces and nephew for a walk once and squirrels threw horse chestnuts at us! With the husks still on them, the savage beasts!!

Expand full comment
haycorn's avatar

I grew up in an area with a fair few chestnut trees. We used to love opening the spiky pods to see the pretty chestnuts inside. Never ate them, though.

Expand full comment
ExecutorElassus's avatar

There are two varieties of chestnuts, I'm told. Most of the ones you find in cities are horse chestnuts, with an outer hull with fewer and thicker spikes. That variety is toxic. The edible kind has a woody inner shell, and an outer casing with lots of thinner, finer spikes.

Expand full comment
haycorn's avatar

Good to know! They were definitely horse chestnuts and I'm glad I didn't try to chow down.

Expand full comment
𝕺𝖓𝖙𝖍𝖊𝖔𝖙𝖍𝖊𝖗𝖍𝖆𝖓𝖉's avatar

The night that wasn’t, installment 4: serendipity had a bad dream. We are back in bed now, and she is hanging out with me. Also, the bed died. This mattress which was fine yesterday, is now ready to be replaced. So it goes. Anybody have any recommendations for a good mattress?

3:47 AM in the morning [groans softly]

Expand full comment
Dina's avatar

I'm playing catch-up again on Wonkette, I've been busy furiously knitting AND crocheting to get a few items done before Christmas and Rebecca forcing everyone into vacation works quite well for me.

However, on chestnuts: in the 50 years I was born in and grew up in the U.S., I'd never tasted one. Not once. Then I moved to England and, at Christmas, my husband makes the stuffing. Not what I was used to back in the States (I was a huge Stove Top fan) but edible, and he throws chestnuts in it. I can't say I'm crazy about them—they have that "nutty" taste that I can imagine Austin Powers experienced when he drank Fat Bastard's stool sample. My husband also tried "roasting" them in the oven but didn't read up on how to do it correctly. We started hearing loud BANG!s coming from the kitchen and most of them were exploding. He hasn't tried that since.

Expand full comment
Bobathonic's avatar

Well, I took the bandage off a few hours early. The incision is a little longer than I expected. Suture removal next Tuesday.

https://substack.com/@bobathonic/note/c-79067375?r=2kpbl7&utm_medium=ios&utm_source=notes-share-action

Expand full comment
Gary Seven in Space's avatar

Get better soon. Hugs

Expand full comment
Bobathonic's avatar

Exactly.

Expand full comment
𝕺𝖓𝖙𝖍𝖊𝖔𝖙𝖍𝖊𝖗𝖍𝖆𝖓𝖉's avatar

Damn. What did the surgeon say about how it went?

Expand full comment
Bobathonic's avatar

It all went fine, nothing remarkable. I guess he likes room to work?

Expand full comment
𝕺𝖓𝖙𝖍𝖊𝖔𝖙𝖍𝖊𝖗𝖍𝖆𝖓𝖉's avatar

I meant, damn, carpel tunnel, not, damn that’s a big incision. I really don’t know enough about the surgery, too have an opinion, one way or the other. All the best for a speedy and uneventful recovery.

Expand full comment
Bobathonic's avatar

Thanks. His notes are very neutral, and he wrote that nothing unusual happened.

I kind of want to look up the procedure again, I may have had expectation issues, but it also oogs me out since it was done to me.

Expand full comment
Teen Laqueefa's avatar

𝐴 𝑝𝑜𝑠𝑡ℎ𝑢𝑚𝑜𝑢𝑠 𝑡𝑟𝑖𝑎𝑙 𝑜𝑟 𝑝𝑜𝑠𝑡-𝑚𝑜𝑟𝑡𝑒𝑚 𝑡𝑟𝑖𝑎𝑙 𝑖𝑠 𝑎 𝑡𝑟𝑖𝑎𝑙 ℎ𝑒𝑙𝑑 𝑎𝑓𝑡𝑒𝑟 𝑡ℎ𝑒 𝑑𝑒𝑓𝑒𝑛𝑑𝑎𝑛𝑡'𝑠 𝑑𝑒𝑎𝑡ℎ. 𝑃𝑜𝑠𝑡ℎ𝑢𝑚𝑜𝑢𝑠 𝑡𝑟𝑖𝑎𝑙𝑠 𝑐𝑎𝑛 𝑏𝑒 ℎ𝑒𝑙𝑑 𝑓𝑜𝑟 𝑎 𝑣𝑎𝑟𝑖𝑒𝑡𝑦 𝑜𝑓 𝑟𝑒𝑎𝑠𝑜𝑛𝑠, 𝑖𝑛𝑐𝑙𝑢𝑑𝑖𝑛𝑔 𝑡ℎ𝑒 𝑙𝑒𝑔𝑎𝑙 𝑑𝑒𝑐𝑙𝑎𝑟𝑎𝑡𝑖𝑜𝑛 𝑡ℎ𝑎𝑡 𝑡ℎ𝑒 𝑑𝑒𝑓𝑒𝑛𝑑𝑎𝑛𝑡 𝑤𝑎𝑠 𝑡ℎ𝑒 𝑜𝑛𝑒 𝑤ℎ𝑜 𝑐𝑜𝑚𝑚𝑖𝑡𝑡𝑒𝑑 𝑡ℎ𝑒 𝑐𝑟𝑖𝑚𝑒, 𝑡𝑜 𝑝𝑟𝑜𝑣𝑖𝑑𝑒 𝑗𝑢𝑠𝑡𝑖𝑐𝑒 𝑓𝑜𝑟 𝑠𝑜𝑐𝑖𝑒𝑡𝑦 𝑜𝑟 𝑓𝑎𝑚𝑖𝑙𝑦 𝑚𝑒𝑚𝑏𝑒𝑟𝑠 𝑜𝑓 𝑡ℎ𝑒 𝑣𝑖𝑐𝑡𝑖𝑚𝑠

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Posthumous_trial

Expand full comment
Bobathonic's avatar

I like that they did Pope Formosus.

Expand full comment
Teen Laqueefa's avatar

I'm hoping they do loser.

Expand full comment
Bobathonic's avatar

Like, really soon.

Expand full comment
Shocktreatment's avatar

Ell, The Ancient and Honorable Society of D̶a̶y̶ ̶D̶r̶i̶n̶k̶i̶n̶g̶ ̶L̶a̶y̶a̶b̶o̶u̶t̶s̶ ̶ Retired Gentleman of Leisure met early because of the oncoming Day.

Rest assured, we take our responsibilities seriously and Solved Another Problem! I am not sure whose problem this is, but agreement was unanimous.

In order to get a TV broadcasting license, each station must also bleem their content across the intertubes too, note for note, simultaneously.

Fuck premium prices for content broadcast "free", courtesy of advertisers...

Expand full comment