Happy Birthday Doc

Happy 87th Birthday To Our Brother In Law, Rich

Snow Island

Blue Skies Over Lake Erie At 8:0)

8:00, Looking East

I am sitting here in Euclid, Ohio, in my sister's home on the shore of Lake Erie. Rich, my brother-in-law, teased me for sleeping in until 7:00 — late for me. Surprisingly, as I look out at the lake, the early gray has given way to blue skies and clouds drifting over the now open waters. Just a few days ago, it was frozen.

Yesterday morning was busy. Up at 7:00, breakfast in Bemus at 8:00 with the guys, then off to yoga at 10:00. After yoga, I made a quick stop at Wegmans for a prescription and some sourdough bread, and was home just after noon. Having had a bad night, I showered and tried to nap, but sleep wouldn't come. So I had lunch — toasted cheese and lentil soup — and watched another episode of Rider. We were leaving for Euclid at 1:30, and sure enough, we were packed and on our way by 1:45. Miraculously, the fog had lifted, and the sky was blue all the way through Pennsylvania and into Ohio. We stopped at Azman's Market and picked up six five-packs of what I'd call the best Slovenian sausages in Ohio. We pulled into my sister's driveway at 4:00, right on schedule.

3:55

Snow Mounds At 3:55

We hadn't seen Linda and Rich since September's clambake at their house, and with Rich turning 87, it was a wonderful reason to make the trip. One of the best parts of visiting is that they always let their nearby kids know we're coming, so we get to see not just the two of them but some of their children and grandchildren as well. We sat around talking until 7:00, the conversation easy and wide-ranging — everyone in the family has spent time at the lake, so we always find plenty in common: good food, sports, the water, and a shared love of fun. Every so often, Rich's phone would ring with a grandchild calling to wish him a happy birthday. How neat, I've known Rich since I was 12, watching him play basketball at our park on Edgecliff.

Sunset Over Lake Erie At 5;50

5:50

Enjoying The Kids And Grandkids

Dinner was wonderful: Evie's moussaka, garlic bread, and salad, with both Rich and me going back for seconds. For dessert, Linda made a cake reminiscent of an Italian cassata — angel food cake layered with strawberries and topped with whipped cream. It was delicious, a perfect way to end the meal. By 9:00, Evie was tired and headed up to bed. I stayed up until 10:00, watching the Olympics. What a great day.

Top 10 Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) Contractors

Some of ICE's top contractors saw huge increases in their ICE revenue in the first year of President Trump's second term, following political contributions. Some also lobbied on the One Big Beautiful Bill Act that triples ICE's budget.

Use the column header buttons to sort columns by ascending or descending orderCurrently not sorted

		ICE Spending, Biden (Year 4)	ICE Spending, Trump 2.0 (Year 1)
01	CSI Aviation	$363.9 million	$1.23 billion		$460,000	$230,000	Yes
02	GEO Group	$713.3 million	$710.2 million		$1,648,200	$3,615,000	Yes
03	Acquisition Logistics	$0	$598.4 million		$0	$0	No
04	Tribalco	$25.5 million	$305.7 million		$0	$0	No
05	CoreCivic	$185.3 million	$269 million		$806,931	$3,690,000	Yes
06	NANA Regional Corporation**	$189 million	$233.2 million		$0	$390,000	No
07	MVM	$198.7 million	$155.5 million		$0	$0	No
08	Atlantic Diving Supply	$12.4 million	$85.5 million		$0	$220,000	No
09	Paragon Professional Services***	$77.3 million	$82.6 million		$0	$240,000	No
10	Palantir Technologies	$20.4 million	$81.1 million		$3,856,200	$9,385,000	No

Sources: USASpending.gov, Federal Elections Commission, Lob

24 Hours Of Fog

7:10

7:46

It's early, 7:00, of course. Breakfast is at 8:00 in Bemus and yoga at 10:00 in Lakewood, so I'd better get busy and finish the blog before heading to Bemus Point. It's foggy out, like yesterday, and 36°. I had a rough night — waking at 2:00, reading for a while, before finally drifting back to sleep around 3:15, according to my Apple Watch.

Long Point Snow And Ice

Trail Of Hemlocks

Yesterday, Wednesday, was a miserable day weather-wise. Up at 7:00, I wasn't sure what to do with myself beyond reading, listening to a podcast, writing the blog, and having breakfast. After getting a few things done, I decided to try hiking out to Long Point and back — a short, manageable trail. I drove over to the park and found mine was the only car in the marina lot. Fortunately, Evie had reminded me to bring my crampons in case it was icy. It was — and then some. The trails were snow-covered with occasional drifts a foot high. I took my time, poles in hand, and navigated without much fear of falling. At the tip, I came across a couple of Amish men fishing beside their tents. On the way back, I was surprised to see a young girl jogging in shorts on the snowy trail, while I was bundled in three layers with my hood up. I assumed she was a cross-country runner from Maple Grove, the local girls' cross-country powerhouse.

Shorts And Running Shoes

Renovation Of The Seldom Used Bathhouse

Bemus Bay From Long Point

When I got home, Evie was putting the finishing touches on the dinner we're bringing to my sister's — we'll be spending the night in Euclid. For lunch, I had lentil soup and a toasted cheese sandwich with Wegman's all-fruit jam, then watched another episode of  Alex Rider.

Neither of us did much the rest of the afternoon, as usual. I was happy to be inside with my book while fog and drizzle filled the air. We had our wine at 5:00 and dinner at 6:30 — leftover Shenandoah chicken and a salad. We watched another documentary, then started a new Netflix series called How to Get Rich From Belfast. It's as wild as its title suggests, but we may give it another episode. After Evie went to bed, I was watching TV when I kept hearing strange noises outside. I checked outside twice before realizing it was thunder and lightning. There's something genuinely strange about sitting in the middle of winter, listening to thunder while rain pours and lightning flashes outside. 

On February 13 and 14, President Donald J. Trump’s representatives filed three applications with the United States Patent and Trademark Office to trademark his name for future use on an airport. As trademark lawyer Josh Gerben of Gerben IP noted, the application also covers merchandise branded “President Donald J. Trump International Airport,” “Donald J. Trump International Airport,” and “DJT,” including “clothing, handbags, luggage, jewelry, watches, and tie clips.”

After a Florida state lawmaker proposed putting Trump’s name on the Palm Beach International Airport, Jason Garcia of Seeking Rents today reported that the Florida legislature is currently pushing through measures to change the name of that airport to the “Donald J. Trump International Airport.” The amount of money proposed in Florida’s budget to make the change is $2,750,000, but Garcia notes this is likely a placeholder: the budget request is for $5.5 million.

A Rainy Day In February

7:04

8:14

I’ve been sitting here for the past hour, listening to the rain. The snow is melting, and our green lawn is beginning to reemerge on this almost-toasty 39º morning. In other words, it’s an ugly winter day. I am wondering where to go for a walk today because of the rain, melting snow, and ice. 

Tuesday felt a little different because Evie’s kindergarten was on break for the week. No children for her, but I still had yoga at 9:30. Fortunately, I’d had a decent night’s sleep, so I woke at 6:00 with some energy. Three quiet hours gave me time to read the newspapers, write the blog, and eat breakfast before Evie got up at 9:00. Ten of us showed up for a rigorous class, and Courtney congratulated us on our hard work. On the way home, I stopped at Wegmans to pick up a prescription—something we seem to do a couple of times a week. 

I was home by 11:30 to find Evie busy in the kitchen, making lentil soup, my granola, and dinner. The counters were covered, and the kitchen was a mess. I jumped in to help tidy up before heating my lunch—leftover Salisbury steak and mashed potatoes. I finished my series, Unfamiliar, and began searching for something new to watch. The rest of the afternoon slipped by as it usually does: a brief nap, some reading, and a little television.  We were lucky because of the blue skies most of the day, perhaps the last we will have in a week.

Wow

A Long Point Afternoon

Amish Husband And Wife

At 5:00, Evie had a Zoom call with her sisters while dinner—my mom’s Shenandoah chicken with apples and tomato sauce—baked in the oven. After the call, we relaxed with a glass of wine, admiring the deepening blue of the evening sky. I even took a photo, though it didn’t quite capture the moment.

6:13

The Shenandoah chicken and spaghetti were delicious, and we have enough left for tonight. We’re struggling to find a new show and sampled Tehran on Apple TV+, though I’m not sure we’ll stick with it. We watched a bit of the Olympics before Evie went to bed. I then started a new series—somewhat juvenile-sounding—Alex Rider, based on the young adult novels by Anthony Horowitz. It follows a fourteen-year-old who is recruited by MI6 after his uncle, also a spy, is murdered. I’ve watched a couple of episodes, and it’s not bad, so I’ll continue. By 10:00, I was back in bed with my spy novel, The Seventh Floor.

Last night, in a deep expose of Homeland Security Secretary Kristi Noem and her advisor Corey Lewandowski, Wall Street Journal reporters Michelle Hackman, Josh Dawsey, and Tarini Parti described a department in chaos. Noem and Lewandowski—who the authors say are having an affair and essentially run the department together—are using DHS for their own aggrandizement with an eye to elevating Noem to the presidency. The reporters detailed the focus on image, the decimation of ICE by firing or demoting 80% of the career field leadership that was in place when they arrived, the apparent steering of contracts to allies, and Noem and Lewandowski's excessive demands, including “a luxury 737 MAX jet, with a private cabin in back, for their travel around the country.” DHS is currently leasing the $70 million plane but is in the process of buying it. When Trump was asked about this relationship, he responded: 'I don't know about that. I mean, I haven't heard that,' Trump answered. 'I'll find out about it. But I have not heard that.'