Dear Madame Zoltar

Hello, my doves and hawks!  How are you?  Are you enjoying your ride on the weather rollercoaster?  My God, it’s changeable these days.  One day I wear shorts, the next day I’m donning my winter coat.  One friend told me that this seems more like fall than spring to him.  To me, June means summer.  This June means forties for the temperatures.  Another friend says that he remembers 4^th of Julys so cold that the parade-goers wore long pants and jackets.  Deep down inside of me is a ball of fear that we’ve messed up the climate permanently.  Our existence is entirely dependent upon the climate.  Dying honeybees and major swings in the climate scare me.  They scare me for Junior’s future.  They scare me for everybody’s future.

This is the first year I’m considering letting Junior go out for “real” football at school.  He’s played his share of flag football and I hope he’s ready for the discipline of the real thing.  They’ve already started practicing.  He comes home from practices exhausted.  He’s earned his share of bruises.  As long as no arteries are severed or bones broken, I’m going to try not to worry too much.  (Sigh, as if any mother can stop worrying about her children.)

Thank you, Ms. Tender Heart Bear, for the wildflower blog below (http://www.jtirregulars.com/2015/06/wildflowers-pt-2.html).  I love the beauty of spring, but loathe the temperatures, snow, and ice of winter.  While we’re on the subject, I’m going to make a plug for the Chicago Botanic Garden (which isn’t even in Cook County): http://www.chicagobotanic.org/.  I’ve been there numerous times, at different times of the year, and the beauty is breathaking.  If you plan on visiting and eating, I suggest that you pack your own lunch.  The food in the cafeteria is great, but the prices are astronomical.  I realize it’s for the Garden, but I won’t (can’t) pay their prices.

The gossip on the proposed raise for City Administrator Tom Freidel is nasty.  Mr. Freidel says he doesn’t know if he’d stay if there is no raise.  So offer him nothing more.  If he stays, he stays.  That saves the city $30K per annum.  If he resigns, so what?  Then it might be a good time to re-examine the position.  If it’s decided that we still need an administrator, offer the position for $100,000 a year, a city car. full benefits and perks.  I betcha Human Resources would be swamped with responses.  Then again, if Racine’s reputation proceeds us, maybe not.

The argument that that’s what other cities pay is weak.  As my mother would say, “If those other cities jumped off a cliff, would you jump, too?”  Every city mentioned is doing better than Racine.  See, Mr. Mayor Dicker, results should get rewards.  So soon after screwing city employees, Mr. Mayor has the nerve to suggest a major raise for his cousin.  There’s no doubting his chutzpah.  Mr. Mayor takes care of business, running for governor after Mr. Walker wins the presidency.  And “Machinery Row” is his gift to Racine, his legacy, if you will.  If you won’t, he might end up wearing jail orange.

Thank you my dears for reading my blog.  These are the ranting of an old woman who more than once has been labeled a fraud.  It doesn’t matter here.  This is our safe zone.

Applications for the new City Administrator can be obtained here: MadameZoltar@jtirregulars.com

Enjoy the good days, weather-wise, and try to stay dry the other days, Have fun in the sun, but don’t forget to keep your eyes open.  Y’see that guy across the street with the sticks of TNT wrapped around his waist?  There’s something very suspicious about him.