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It’s Horsetail Fall, aka the Firefall of Yosemite. Learn about this natural wonder and get your source info here: https://open.substack.com/pub/martiniambassador/p/the-fleeting-brilliance-of-horsetail

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Martini, in your Substack post, El Capitan is misspelled as El Captain, no doubt an autocorrect mistake.

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Oh thanks! I’ll go correct it.

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When spouse first came to the U.S. to live, she got a terrible/great tour company job She'd get up before 5 a.m. to get dressed and ready, walk to the light rail and take that down to the bus that would take her and her tour clients across the bay to the Amtrak station, then take the train to Merced and talk to the clients about Yosemite all the way, then get on a really shitty and dangerous rattle-trap shuttle bus to Yosemite Valley and keep talking to the clients about Yosemite. Then the group would arrive around 11:00 a.m. then do the whole thing in reverse in the late afternoon. The pay was crappy and the management was crappy, and I'd lie awake worrying myself sick about that crappy unmaintained shuttle bus until she'd finally get home between midnight and 1 a.m., and sometimes have to do it again a few hours later.

BUT:

Once the group got to Yosemite Valley, she'd orient the clients and leave them at a ranger talk, then they were on their own for the rest of the visit. So spouse too was totally on her own in Yosemite Valley for four+ hours, 3-4 times a week. At first she explored a lot. Then she decided just to take it easy. She'd read a book and/or take a nap in the grass. She'd bring a swimsuit and take a dip in the Merced River if it wasn't too heavy with spring run-off. And she found this astounding place by the river, really quite hidden, where she was almost always completely alone.

She's taken me there a few times since. It's a small bend in the river where one gets a splendid view of Half-Dome to the left and, to the right, a great view, at a slant, of Horsetail Falls, which when the timing and weather is right just glows in the sun. A very happy place to be. And though that job ended many years ago, she's still enormously grateful for more than a full year of visits to Yosemite Valley pretty much every other day.

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It took me a while to realize what I was watching there.

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53 people have died from waterfall related incidents since Yosemite NP opened. They are beautiful to behold, but treat them with cautious respect.

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It ain't for nothing that the Miwok word "Yosemite" basically means "They are killers," and so Yosemite Valley is actually "the valley of murderers" (in reference to the Ahwahneechee, who were apparently quite hostile to the MIwok coming into their valley).

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There used to be a "YOU WILL DIE" with a stick figure tumbling off sign at the top of the Nevada falls but they took it out a few years ago. I have no idea why they took it out but I always thought it was pretty effective. Still, people get too close or swim in the small lake above the falls and whoops!

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Yosemite is a bucket list destination for me. Twice I've planned trips and had reservations, twice I've been thwarted by life getting in the way. Maybe third time will be the charm! Hmmmm...

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Do it! A good time is fall, after they've suspended required reservations to drive 120 over the top of the park and before the snow starts. The Valley is ga-ga gorgeous, but you must get up into the high country too.

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It is so, so worth it. My favorite time to see it is in winter after a big snow. But anytime is beautiful.

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It's a spiritual experience, or it was for me anyway. Tuolumne meadows positively reverberates with the great spirit's energy.

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You aren’t the first person I’ve heard speak of the Meadows with inspiration. On the list!

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Luv Yosemite - go climb a rock.

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Fun fact: When I was a kid and read the word but had never heard anyone say it, I thought it was pronounced YOSE-em-ite.

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Didn't tfg call it Yo Semite?

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Only while in Thighland. Or Namibia.

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Garrison Keillor, problematic human but not wrong in this instance, says we readers have a vast storehouse of mispronounced words.

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Me too! Bugs Bunny cartoons taught me the correct way.

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I used to have a Yosemite t-shirt with that on it!

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Gorgeous!

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Wow.

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Thank you, Martini. This is beautiful. I hope to see Yosemite Valley in person one day. (I'm glad they aren't throwing embers off Glacier Point anymore. Yikes!)

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I am glad that I am old enough to have seen the GP firefall as a yout and that today's youts will never see it because it was a fucking horrible thing to do.

My favorite time of the year in Yosemite is the fall. With school in session and a nip in the air at night, the crowds are a lot smaller.

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Last time I was there, it was a giant traffic jam, but I’m seeking out elbow room in nature

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Over on the eastern side of the park is where you can often find it. Spectacular hiking there.

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I do really like Martie. I like it so much I put in two orders in a week. Didn't like the peach mango Bonne Maman, way too sweet, but everything else I got was good!

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Obviously you made Pisco sours with the leftover egg whites and so not even tell me anything else because I'm LA LA LAAAA I CAN'T HEAR YOU.

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"Finnegans Wake "?

That was 'Ulysses' level brain "trickle" of consciousness "weird shit" (only smart thing Bush the Two ever said)....

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can we park here for a bit for my blood pressure today?

Yeah, the SC one has me raging and don't me started on the Faucci story.

Party of right to life? More like the party of Right to kill & destroy ALL life.

They ain't the good humans and now it's on display for the world to watch their wretchedness and may blood of the injured and in pain never wash off nor allow for restorative restful sleep ever the fuck again.

Again, rage meter on red so trying all I can to keep my body in homeostasis and the surging rage at the cruelty of humanity is making it damn near impossible.

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"Party of right to life? More like the party of Right to kill & destroy ALL life."

IK,R?

Sam Alito has been described accurately here:

"If there were a jar of stuff to end the world, Alito is the kind of guy who would "unscrew" the lid."

No notes.

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this week is an anniversary week for me of some horrid medical shit that happened to me and I ended up with a broken wrist, severe distrust of ALL clinicians, and extreme PTSD. Oh almost forgot, I now know how long without insulin I can exist without going into a coma thanks to these fuckers that had the gall to keep their liscences(one fucker was a resident and honetly should be kicked out of their program due to what they did to their patient, namely me, ). Cuz do you know how HARD it is to file a complaint in the state of AZ and get an attorney to listen to you?

BTW, it's 4 days till near coma comes. it seems my long term insulin gives me protection (as long as I'm able to move & be kinetic) for about that long.

Anyhoo, it's a rough anniversary week and I may need some help till about June 9. I'm alive and here, but some days, man some days, esp when it takes all my concentration to keep all my zebras corralled.

Yeah, I'm one of those chicas with ALL the zebras. Whenever I hear hoofbeats I'm praying for a fucking horse but all I seem to attract is zebras and more zebras to the point that my clinicians have issues with me cuz to have all of this, not many do (though I know some peeps here are in my kind of boat too, so I ain't alone hence why I'm asking/opening up if you will)

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Glad you are here with us! Sending Hugs!!

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Becoming-Jenn, are you out of insulin? I’m not sure what to do;

Can you go to Urgent Care?

Edit: if you are out of insulin sometimes a pharmacy can get you some even if your prescription has expired

If not please go to the closest ER

Even if you don’t have insurance, they can’t turn you away. Please stay safe.

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sorry if you missunderstood, this is an anniversary of when I was in the a kafakaesque hospital where all this happened. it was 2021.

Anyhoo, then they tended to want to use A1C as a primary indicator for if one was diabetic or not. Due to a known medication reaction (Dapsone) those values are useless AF (waaaaay under the 'real' value due to med human interaction) and you have to run another lab(fructosamine). They should have seen this had they bothered to look anywhere near my chart, would not believe me. I even told them to look it up and what journal, mofo just smirked and told me I didn't have diabetes despite while saying this the sugars were at a steady 165 range, so I'm not sure what point that forker and their supervising resident were thinking, but yeah.

They didn't believe my husband either till, when humouring me, did a blood sugar over 370 (and I was super sleepy and they peeps were freaking out around me sort of thing).

Funny thing, I only ended this nightmare when they found out I worked at the local college in the biology department and the instructor staff I was working with (they were able to look THAT up on their phone) that they took me seriously.

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OK just wanted to make sure you were OK

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TY for checking up.

It does mean a great deal to me. That you listened too, that means a lot. All too often so many of us suffer alone and not able to speak about what happened making you feel even more isolated. Again, TY.

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You’re welcome, I’m really glad I misread and you are* not* out of insulin ❤️❤️❤️

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"it might behoove us to stop keening about our perfect, unerring justice system" Is that a thing, even? I haven't particularly noticed it; who is saying that?

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Congrats on your handsome son. My “baby” boy turns 40 in August. Really, can your kids be older than you?

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It's amazing how they get older but us parents stay exactly the same.

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Forget my own age denial...my mom has been saying I'm 34 for twenty years, even to the point of having been called out on it. It's depressing to think about 34 & how I'd like to be that "young" again. Ugh.

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So, Trump was saying of Cohen, "he was a.very competent lawyer, I never thought of him as a fixer." LoL. And don't call it "hush money." And don't call arranging to pay hush money anything except "legal services." Sure, Jan. A jury of his peers just rejected that story.

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Pete & Gerry's headquarters is in Monroe, NH, where my parents lived after they retired. One of the very cool things about the company is that they let the locals have the double-yolk sort-out eggs for free. You just have to stop in when someone is around. I've never understood the egg industry sorting out double-yolkers. They're just as good as single yolks, and cooler. My grandmother said they're good luck. I noticed that in the COVID days, when eggs became scarce, the big commercial egg folks stopped sorting out the doubles.

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When I was in SC I managed a hookup with a local guy at the egg plant...he would bring me entire flats of double yolks, still warm out the chicken's ass, as they say. Hot DAMN, they were good. One of the (very) few perks of working the counter at a convenience store...some great regulars.

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Why would they sort out double yolks? IT's super fun to crack and egg and be surprised by an extra yolk.

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Right??? It's standard practice in the egg biz. I don't get it.

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They're considered defective - I consider them delicious. More yolk the better.

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OMG - Finally got around to the bottom of the TABZ - Happy Birthday 🎈🎉🎊 to offspring - YAY!

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Wow, just read the first... third? of the Trump transcript, and skimmed the rest. The man is losing his marbles, but one thing remains consistent: It's All About Him.

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Also Joe Biden is the real criminal, because in the Bizzaro World he inhabits, that's true.

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But also too he can do anything he wants and nothing can be criminal because Article Two (or is that Two Article?) and immunity and whatnot.

It’s a cunundrum!

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"What to do with extra egg yolks"

Scramble them with salsa and a little shredded cheese of your preference. Serve with sliced avocado and toast. Yummy!

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Make super eggy French toast. It is so good.

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Smol dog is back to the vet this morning to get more i.v. fluids, and to determine whether she's ready to call it a life, or somehow miraculously bounce back. Pretty sure we're no longer to be dog people by the end of the day.

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I’m so sorry. It’s always heartbreaking to say goodbye to the darling ones who bring us so much joy.

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(((HUGS)))

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However it goes, wishing you and the smol dog the best

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My Chihuahua will welcome your angel in Heaven if not. Condolences from someone who has recently been there.

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I hadn't heard. Condolences, Allyson.

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I'm so sorry.

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For purposes of comparison with Daffy Donny Diapers' blorg of words: the last words of his fellow felon Dutch Schultz. https://www.fourmilab.ch/documents/dutch_schultz/

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Oh lord, the only reason I know about this is reading Robert Anton Wilson. He has the most amazing explanation of this - completely untrue but so entertaining. Unfortunately I can't remember which trilogy it's in. Fortunately you should read both of them. Schrodinger's Cat and Illuminatus! Sex, anarchy, ancient gods....they are fabulous.

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It might have been the Illuminatus Trilogy. William Burroughs was similarly obsessed and did a film of the septicema-riddled gangster's ravings.

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If you hear my worm talking any spank about me...

It's all lies!

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I saw that Dean Phillips had called for TFG to be pardoned. My first thought was "didn't Dean Phillips cease to exist when he stopped running for president?" My second thought was "damn, he is still a dumbfuck".

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Also isn't Dean Phillips a democrat?

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Yes, he is.

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DINO?

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He may be but I think it is more because he is a dumbfuck.

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