This should make y’all smile!
I’m baaack! Sort of …
The x-rays aren’t mine, but mine look similar. The solid white parts are metal and, in the gap, is a plastic plate to reduce friction.
I got my 38 stitches out and have had check-ups with my primary and with the ortho surgeon’s NP. Both were very happy with how well I’m healing.
My big job now is to “model” my scar tissue so it allows my new knee to fully bend and fully straighten. “Model” is a nice way of saying “rip out the scar tissue we don’t want” … over and over and over.” So fun! (not)
Filed under Loose Pollen
The Day Has Come
I’m posting this on Monday. By the time it appears, I’ll be in the OR, getting my bionic knee! If your someone you know is going to have this procedure done, I recommend the following YouTubes to help prepare.
Filed under Loose Pollen
Robert Morris would like a word
In May of 2026, Rep. Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez said, “The American Revolution was against the billionaires of their time. And we were declaring independence from such an extreme marriage of wealth and power in the state.”
Robert Morris would like a word. Morris, by most accounts, the wealthiest man in the country in 1775, was a Philadelphia shipping merchant who had built a fortune from nothing. He had come over from Liverpool, England, at thirteen and apprenticed his way into a trading partnership that eventually became what one biographer calls “the first national conglomerate.”
He signed the Declaration of Independence, the Articles of Confederation, and the Constitution, making him one of only two men to sign all three founding documents. The other was George Washington, who held the title of wealthiest American president in history for over two centuries, with an estimated net worth of almost $600 million in today’s dollars.
When the Continental Congress needed someone to manage the country’s finances during the war, they turned to Robert Morris because he was the only person with the business network and personal credit to pull it off. What followed was remarkable.
When Washington needed gunpowder, Morris smuggled it past British blockades. When the Continental Navy needed ships, Morris supplied three of his own. When Congress couldn’t pay its soldiers (which happened with alarming regularity) Morris issued what became known as “Morris notes”—personal IOUs backed by his own immense wealth that circulated as currency throughout the army for years. When Washington needed to move his forces south for the Yorktown campaign that effectively ended the war, it was Morris who came up with the money to make it happen.
For three years, Robert Morris personally financed the American Revolution out of his own pocket. His personal contribution to the war effort has been estimated at roughly $79 million of the total $101 million spent—numbers that are difficult to translate into modern equivalents but represent something close to everything he had.
Robert Morris died in modest circumstances in 1806, largely forgotten. The man who had funded the birth of a nation outlived his fortune by nearly a decade, but no evidence exists that he ever regretted his contribution.
And Morris and Washington weren’t anomalies. John Hancock, who presided over the Continental Congress and signed the Declaration in letters large enough to ensure King George could read it “without his spectacles,” was a wealthy Boston merchant whose fortune made him one of the most prominent men in the colonies. Charles Carroll, also a signer of the Declaration, was by some accounts the wealthiest man in America at the time of his death.
These were not desperate men with nothing to lose! They were men with enormous fortunes who looked at what the British Crown was doing and decided that natural rights, self-governance, and the principles of limited government were worth more than their own financial security or their lives—and then proved it!
The Revolution was about taxation without representation. It was about the right of a free people to govern themselves. It was about whether legitimate authority derives from the consent of the governed, or from whoever has the most soldiers. Those ideas came directly from John Locke, were refined by Jefferson and Paine and Madison, and were debated in pamphlets and town meetings for a generation before a single shot was fired at Lexington.
Wealth redistribution wasn’t a grievance in the Declaration of Independence. Punishing the successful wasn’t a principle of the Constitutional Convention.
The historical record on this is not ambiguous.
Filed under Loose Pollen
Bits & Bytes
DAILY PRAYER: Dear Lord, We thank You for our Polination community and ask Your blessings on each of us and on all of our loved ones. In Jesus’ Name, we pray. Amen.
AMERICAN HISTORY: On May 11, 1816, the American Bible Society was founded in New York City. For 210 years, it has been translating, producing, and distributing Bibles and study aids, as well as supporting literacy, engagement, ministry, and advocacy efforts.
CALIFORNICATION: CLICK https://x.com/RealBrittHughes/status/2052878513401630738 [1:52] to hear how Gavin is greasing his contributors’ palms to provide a “free” service at taxpayers’ expense.
EVERYDAY HEROES: In 1986, a critically ill man in Oklahoma desperately needed a heart transplant, but the donor organ was 1,400 miles away in California. Doctors had only a four-hour window before the heart would become unusable, and every conventional option failed: no commercial flight was fast enough, no helicopter had the range, and no ground transport could cross multiple states in time. With the patient’s life slipping away, the medical team made an unprecedented request to the U.S. Air Force and the Air Force said yes.
They loaded the heart into an F-111 Aardvark, a supersonic bomber designed to deliver weapons at extreme speed, not organs. The jet tore across the country at over 700 mph, completing the 1,400-mile trip in just two hours. When it landed, surgeons rushed the heart into the operating room and completed the transplant successfully. The patient survived because, for one night, a Cold War strike aircraft became the fastest medical transport in history.
Most people don’t know the Air Force crew had no medical transport protocol for carrying a human organ in a supersonic bomber, so the heart was strapped into the F-111’s tiny weapons-bay area using improvised padding and secured like classified cargo. The pilots also had to fly an unusually low-altitude, high-speed route to avoid turbulence that could damage the organ, and when they landed, the base medical team performed a “hot transfer” the engines still running because shutting down the aircraft would have cost precious minutes. The entire mission was treated with the urgency of a nuclear alert scramble, even though the payload was a single human heart.
STUPID PEOPLE: CLICK https://x.com/MAGACharlie2024/status/2053228688875872455 [:15] if you want to lose a few IQ points listening to AOC.
Grok says, “Even adjusting for inflation, no one in 1776 had wealth equivalent to $1 billion today. The multiplier from then to now is roughly 38x, so that threshold would require ~$26 million in 1776 dollars—far beyond what colonial merchants or founders like Washington held (his estate topped out around $500M in modern terms). The first U.S. billionaires emerged in the late 1800s/early 1900s with industrialists like Rockefeller.”
TRANS: [5:32] – Dr. Az Hakeem is a British psychiatrist and psychotherapist known for his work on gender dysphoria, mental health, and psychotherapy.
VAXXX: CLICK https://x.com/SenRonJohnson/status/2053140902831350203 [2:35] to hear Sen. Ron Johnson reveal how the Biden administration lied to force a deadly jab on us.
CLICK https://x.com/DefiantLs/status/2053200834364670092 [1:04] to hear Dr. Matthew Liao of the WEF explain how we could use Lone Star Ticks to make people allergic to meat, because that would be “good for the planet.”
VIRGINIA: Gov. Spanberger posted to X that the unconstitutional referendum has a “push back against a President who said he is ‘entitled’ to more Republican seats in Congress” and that she was “disappointed by the Supreme Court of Virginia’s ruling.“
“Might I suggest not violating the Constitution next time?” ~ @MattMorseTV
“If you gave a crap about all voters making their voices heard, you wouldn’t have tried to silence our voices in the first place.” ~ @RealBrittHughes
“48.6% of Virginians voted no.” ~ @Lmvm71
The pre-existing map divides party representation in Virginia about 50-50, which reflects the population of Virginia. The one the Spanberger Dem’s tried to slime through would have switched it to 10 Dems to 1 GOP.
Filed under Loose Pollen
Happy Mother’s Day!
DAILY PRAYER: Hail, holy Queen, mother of mercy, our life, our sweetness and our hope. To thee do we cry, poor banished children of Eve. To thee do we send up our sighs, mourning and weeping in this valley of tears. Turn then, most gracious advocate, thine eyes of mercy toward us, and after this our exile, show unto us the blessed fruit of thy womb, Jesus. O clement, O loving, O sweet Virgin Mary! Pray for us, O holy Mother of God, that we may be made worthy of the promises of Christ. Amen.
AMERICAN HISTORY: On May 10, 1908, the first official Mother’s Day celebration was held in Grafton, West Virginia.
CATHOLIC: [16:46] – The Body Language guy is a devout Catholic immigrant from Venezuela. His take on Rubio’s recent visit to the Vatican is interesting. BTW, he is wrong in calling Rubio “the most senior Catholic in the administration.” As Vice President, J. D. Vance is the most senior Catholic.
HAPPY MOTHER’S DAY: [59:03] – Mike and Peggy Rowe are national treasures.
VDH: [10:17] – The traditional Democrat Party of the last century has been systematically replaced by a radical Jacobin movement that seeks the fundamental transformation of Western civilization.
SHORTS:
CLICK https://www.youtube.com/shorts/_N14Nr3Nplc [1:25] to watch a very sweet tribute.
Filed under Loose Pollen
Bits & Bytes
DAILY PRAYER: Dear Lord, Thy kingdom come! In Jesus’ Name, we pray. Amen.
ABC NEWS: CLICK https://x.com/AndrewKolvet/status/2052571689033125935 [1:28] to hear how Trump responded to a “stupid question” from “ABC Fake News.”
ALIENS: Yesterday, the Department of War released the first batch of “Alien and Extraterrestrial Life, Unidentified Aerial Phenomena, and Unidentified Flying Objects” files. I remember presidential candidates as far back as Bill Clinton promising to release the military’s files. None of them actually did it … until now. Given my believe that these phenomena are caused by demons, Trump’s “WHAT THE HELL” seems spot on.
- https://www.theepochtimes.com/us/department-of-war-begins-ufo-files-release-6023003
- https://notthebee.com/article/check-out-the-white-houses-first-batch-of-ufo-files
AMERICAN HISTORY: On May 9, 1865, General Robert E. Lee surrendered at Appomattox Court House.
DEMOCRATS: Peter Heck writes, “One of the more subtle twists in our culture’s moral decline is the way ‘authenticity’ has quietly become a substitute for goodness. Wisdom, virtue, holiness, and integrity are now routinely sacrificed at the altar of unapologetic self-expression.”
The Bulwark published an article by Sarah Longwell entitled, “The Man Behind the Tattoo: What Maine voters see in Graham Platner, according to our focus group.” In it, she explains that, “Voters want candidates who are authentically themselves—warts and all. In fact, a candidate’s vices have started to become markers of authenticity.”
“Warts and all” … unless they’re Republican warts or, gasp, Trumpian warts. Then they’re unredeemably EEEEEVIL.
- https://notthebee.com/takes/op-ed-we-just-reached-the-nazi-tattoos-are-authentic-stage-of-moral-decline
- https://www.thebulwark.com/p/the-man-behind-the-tattoo-graham-platner-maine-democrat-focus-group
EDUCATION: Connecticut is trying to stop parents from home schooling. But education majors have the lowest scores on the GRE, SAT, and ACT, and little of what they are taught in college is relevant to what they end up doing.
- https://notthebee.com/article/watch-this-viral-video-of-education-majors-completely-busts-the-myth-that-youre-not-qualified-to-homeschool-your-kids
- https://x.com/cremieuxrecueil/status/2052488294793912629
EVERYDAY HEROES: Jaydon Cintron (18), of Kinston, North Carolina, found $10,000 in Chick-Fil-A’s bathroom, he turned it over to Human Resources. When asked why, he said, “Because that’s what Jesus would do.”
NBC News: On May 7, 2026, NBC News published a news story by David K. Li in which the lede read, “Kyle Rittenhouse, who gained fame for opening fire at a 2020 civil rights rally in Wisconsin, was hospitalized after a venomous spider bit him.”
The so-called “civil rights rally” was a riot in Kenosha. Kyle, who was only 17 at the time, was attempting to protect a relative’s property when he was assaulted by three white men, all about 10 years older than him and one of whom was armed. In November 2021, a jury acquitted him on all charges after finding he acted in self-defense.
- https://dailycaller.com/2026/05/08/nbc-news-kyle-rittenhouse-story-spider-bite-2020-blm-riots-self-defense-second-amendment/
- https://notthebee.com/article/kyle-rittenhouse-got-a-spider-bite-and-nbc-used-it-to-run-the-most-insanely-dishonest-headline-of-all-time
- https://www.nbcnews.com/news/us-news/gun-rights-advocate-kyle-rittenhosue-spiders-bite-rcna344014
MICHIGAN: Fay Beydoun, a businesswoman and longtime donor to Governor Gretchen Whitmer, has been charged with 16 felonies after allegedly misusing a $20 million state grant.
TENNESSEE: Gov. Lee has signed a new U.S. congressional map into law that splits the Democratic stronghold of Memphis into three U.S. congressional seats.
- https://www.theepochtimes.com/us/tennessee-house-passes-redistricting-bill-to-carve-up-states-lone-blue-district-6022580
- https://sos.tn.gov/announcements/2026-congressional-redistricting
VIRGINIA: The Virginia Supreme Court declared last month’s redistricting referendum unconstitutional. The old map, which fairly represents Virginia voters, will be in effect for the midterms. In their motion to delay the VA Supreme Court’s ruling, Virginia Democrats managed to misspell both “Virginia” and “Senator.”
- https://www.theepochtimes.com/us/virginia-supreme-court-strikes-down-new-congressional-map-that-favors-democrats-6023117
- https://notthebee.com/article/virginia-supreme-court-strikes-down-states-new-congressional-map-
- https://notthebee.com/article/virginia-democrats-appeal-of-state-supreme-court-decision-on-gerrymandering-misspells-the-words-virginia-and-senator
SHORTS:
CLICK https://www.facebook.com/reel/995782546325668 [2:28] for a beautiful worship break.
Filed under Loose Pollen
Bits & Bytes
DAILY PRAYER: Dear Lord, Strengthen all those who serve your Word faithfully and weed out all those who are wolves pretending to be shepherds. In Jesus’ Name, we pray. Amen.
ARKANSAS: Mary Tracy Morrison founded a school for autistic kids. About a year ago, she instructed one of her students to sit on the floor while surrounded by 18 other students. She told the 18 students to beat up the sitting child while she verbally berated him. The victim was kicked and choked, while Morrison expressed pleasure. When the 30 minutes of torture ended, Morrison instructed the victim to apologize to all other students.
Morrison will serve 30 days behind bars, followed by three months of house arrest, and nine years of probation. She is losing her occupational therapist and related licenses and is prohibited from working with children ever again. She must also complete a mental health assessment and all recommended treatment and never have any contact with the victim.
AMERICAN HISTORY: On May 8, 1945, Americans celebrated Germany’s defeat with the first Victory in Europe Day.
CALIFORNIA: CLICK https://x.com/DefiantLs/status/2052236986594074957 [:46] to hear the Republican gubernatorial candidate give a simple no, while the two Democrats waffle.
DEI: A white employee of The Times has filed a civil rights lawsuit, saying he was passed over for a job promotion because he is a white male.
DEMOCRATS: CLICK https://x.com/EndWokeness/status/2051393146102137066 [:12] to hear a Chicago alderman spew nonsense. For the record, “first-degree corporate abandonment” isn’t a thing; businesses can close stores for any lawful reason, including theft losses.
CLICK https://x.com/the_jefferymead/status/2051471712693223598 [2:56] to hear Jeffrey Mead comment.
EVERYDAY HEROES: When this happened in 1961, Dr. Leonid Rogozov was 27 years old.
FIRST PRINCIPLES: CLICK https://x.com/Tyler2ONeil/status/2045196900068999504 [5:19] to hear Justice Clarence Thomas to explain the roots of Progressivism and why it is fundamentally opposed to our Declaration of Independence and Constitution.
CLICK https://x.com/TodayinHistory/status/2051873154906370263 [:57] to hear Marco Rubio enunciate the first principles of our Founders that we should all continue to embrace.
GEORGIA: Deiby Janamejoy Jansasoy (27) came here from Colombia when Biden left our borders wide open. Last Friday, he decided to drive drunk and ended up killing husband and father Michael Sharpe (47). For the record, he had had his day in court, after which he ignored the judge’s deportation order. After the accident, he tried and failed to escape from police; he has now been charged with homicide by vehicle in the first degree, reckless driving, DUI, failure to maintain lane, and driving without a license. Additional charges may be added or amended as the case continues. Fortunately, this didn’t happen in a sanctuary city or the jerk would already be back on the streets.
MISSISSIPPI: A new report shows that illegal aliens received at least $10.5 million in Medicaid benefits between 2023 and 2025.
OH CANADA: Behold, the real cost of “free” healthcare.
- https://thehub.ca/2025/12/09/2025-health-care-wait-times-for-treatment-in-canada-hits-28-6-weeks-as-ontario-has-lowest-waits-study/
SCAM: [4:53] – Watch from 2:53 on to hear what to do if you get an empty or nearly empty white mailing envelope. The BBB warns its the latest brushing scam where sellers send unsolicited packages to individuals to create fake “verified” reviews which can mean your online information has been compromised.
SOUTHWEST AIRLINES: [9/28] – Back in 2017, Southwest Airlines fired flight attendant Charlene Carter for objecting to her union spending her dues money supporting abortion. In 2022, a court ordered Southwest to hire her back and pay her over $900,000 in damages; Southwest refused to comply. In 2023, U.S. District Judge Brantley Starr held Southwest in contempt and ordered the company to reinstate Carter, to pay her more than $810,000 in damages, and to notify employees of their rights against religious discrimination. Southwest refused to comply. After three years, Southwest finally paid Carter $946,102.87, but they are still defending the firing and refusing to inform their employees that their religious liberty is protected at work.
GRAMMY NOTES: The Mascots’ veggie garden is getting off to a good start. Mama reports they are growing purple sweet potato, peas, beans, lettuce, spinach, carrots, green onions, chives, cherry tomatoes, strawberries, basil, and rosemary.
SHORTS:
CLICK https://x.com/CollinRugg/status/2052071116953526494 [2:13] to watch a Philly crossing guard treat himself to an ice cream cone and thank Jesus after saving a kid from a runaway truck.
Filed under Loose Pollen
polination.blog 