CAT REBUKES OWNER for being woke. Cats are smart.

SPRINGTIME 2021, Week 8: Well ... the leaves didn't come. The leaves didn't come! Looks like I was off by a week or few. Here's the almost usual pond picture -- just taken from roughly halfway from the deck to the fire pit.

The difference this time is that last year that picture couldn't be taken; the brush would have already obscured it. That's been cleared -- hopefully permanently. Note that the hardwoods are not cooperating. They're blooming, just not showing leaves as I had expected last week.

Here's our house, taken from the same spot as the one above. Again much of the brush has been cleared, and the pines are showing clearly but the hardwoods, both to the left and in the background are recalcitrant.

Looking north toward the fire pit, the brush is cleared but the hardwoods are still not cooperating.

The dogwood outside our kitchen window has decided to go full bloom this year. I don't think I've ever seen it this full. It has leaves showing, but the white blossoms have shown real staying power this year. The smaller deciduous softwoods and brush on the south side are rapidly getting their green on. Since there's been almost no attempt to clear the brush on that side, I expect it will begin to dominate the skyline by next week.

Finally, our road. Since it's lined with mostly oaks, I to expect our 'tunnel' to reappear this year, but as you can see the trees are still mostly bare.

'Till next week, then....

WANT TO BET THE ANSWER IS 'YES'? Are NYPD officers rushing to retire amid city’s anti-cop climate?

TWO TO MANY: PowerLine's Week in Pictures had so many good ones this week I couldn't decide. Here are my favorites:

Now for two 'headlines'. One real:

One unreal:

At least I hope unreal....

Now go see the rest.

WATCH: The fight for the future is here.

It's not so much for me, or even my children. It's the grandchildren who will suffer if we lose.

SORRY, BUT YOU ALREADY MADE YOUR BED. SLEEP WELL. Portland's Democratic mayor begs public to help 'unmask' members of 'self-described anarchist mob'.

If you're a Democrat, being 'mugged by reality' once isn't usually enough. But repetition helps....

HEH: It’s time to flatten the gun violence curve.

BLACK ASSAILANTS LIVES MATTER; black victims lives don't.

AMMO GRRRLL is presented with a totally unexpected opportunity!

NOW YOU UNDERSTAND WHY I MAKE IT A POINT TO ALWAYS OWE THEM: IRS holding over 29 million unprocessed tax returns, delaying refunds.

My check will be mailed just in time for the May 17th deadline. But it will be paid on time....

ELON MUSK buys Twitter for $600B and immediately deletes it.

A pleasant thought. And more seriously, Twitter is only worth about $60B, and while that's a serious chunk of change, it is within striking distance for Musk. Especially if he were to keep Twitter and just fire the twits who man it.

IT'S TIME TO GET RED STATES INVOLVED: Put the squeeze on 'woke' corporations.

The state of Georgia came damned close with Delta Airlines. I think it was enough to scare them, and I hope the attempt will give other red states some spine.

NON SEQUITUR discovers that double-edged sword thingy.

CALIFORNIA NATIONAL GUARD put fighter jet on alert in March 2020 for 'possible domestic mission'.

Hmm: I would have thought that a clear violation of the Posse Comitatus Act, but apparently it's a bit more nuanced.

Added Random Thought: Our ruling snowflakes really, really hate us and the evidence I'm seeing since Biden's inauguration suggests to me that the 98 pound weaklings (remember Charles Atlas, for those of you my age?) are getting really, tired of having sand kicked in our faces.

They're scared.

THE FORECAST IS cloudy for the next two years.