I'm a 60 something wife, mom and grandmom who is homebound/disabled by severe hypersensitivity to chemicals. I fill my days with learning, loving and art. My favorite values are truth, generosity and gratitude.
DAILY PRAYER: Dear Lord, Keep our minds on the prize today and every day. In Jesus’ Name, we pray. Amen.
AMERICAN HISTORY: On January 11, 1935, Amelia Earhart became the first person to fly solo from Hawaii to California, a journey that took 18 hours and covered 2,400 miles. Shortly after, First Lady Eleanor Roosevelt invited Earhart to visit the White House.
MILITARY: In 1975, McDonald’s opened its first drive-through in Sierra Vista, Arizona, near Fort Huachuca. At the time, soldiers were not permitted to leave their vehicles while wearing military fatigues off post, so the restaurant allowed food to be ordered and collected directly from cars. What began as a practical workaround fit seamlessly with McDonald’s existing focus on speed, uniformity, and convenience and soon expanded to McDonald’s locations nationwide. The original Sierra Vista building was demolished in 1999, but the site still proudly displays signage commemorating it as the “World’s First McDonald’s Drive Thru.” Remnants like the original window partition are preserved locally.
PARENTING: Or, as Bill Cosby used to say, “I brought you into this world and I can take you out.”
PRAYER for OUR NATION: Dear Lord, May Your peace, which surpasses all understanding, cover every heart, every city, and every corner of this country. In Jesus’ Name, we pray. Amen.
VP VANCE on FOX: [15:17] – Vice President J.D. Vance discusses stopping drugs, the capture of Venezuelan dictator Nicolas Maduro, and efforts to secure Greenland.
GRAMMY NOTES: I still snicker every time I recall when, at the ripe old age of 10, my now-42 yo daughter opined, with a deep sigh, “Kids, today ….”
DAILY PRAYER: Dear Lord, Grant us the graces we need to truly follow You today. In Jesus’ Name, we pray. Amen.
AMERICAN HISTORY: On January 10, 1776, a short pamphlet entitled “Common Sense” quietly appeared in Philadelphia. Written by Thomas Paine, but published anonymously, it urged American colonists to break completely from Great Britain. Within weeks, its ideas were being read aloud in taverns, debated in meeting halls, and discussed around kitchen tables, helping turn the dream of independence into a shared conviction.
LESSONS FROM VENEZUELA: [5:50] – I was able to travel behind the Iron Curtain twice. Both times, I wanted to get on my knees and kiss the ground when I got back to the USA.
ORANGE MAN ECONOMICS: Things the Left Stream Media doesn’t want you to know …
Affordable Housing – To make home ownership more affordable, Trump will be banning institutional investors from purchasing more single-family homes, while instructing Fannie Mae and Freddie Mac to buy $200 billion in mortgage bonds.
Affordable Credit – Fulfilling a campaign promise, President Trump has called for a one year cap on Credit Card Interest Rates of 10%. As of August 2025, the Federal Reserve reported the average interest rate on credit card accounts was 22.83%. Some consumers with low credit scores pay nearly 30%.
Affordable Vehicles – Buyers of cars assembled in the U.S. will be eligible to deduct up to $10,000 per year in auto loan interest, whether they itemize or take the standard deduction.
PRAYER for OUR NATION: Dear Lord, Silence all the lying lips that speak with pride and contempt against the righteous. In Jesus’ Name, we pray. Amen.
USDA: The Trump administration is suspending payments for all federal food programs in Minnesota until state and local officials provide documentation detailing expenditures and transactions for the past year.
GRAMMY NOTES: I had just stopped my car beneath the traffic light to wait for a chance to turn left when my clutch cable snapped. I had zero time to process the fact that my car load of young children was stranded in the exact center of six lanes of traffic on a major thoroughfare in downtown Ithaca, NY. I bolted out of the car, yelling for the kids to get OUT of the car NOW, then shepherded them to the nearest building. After shouting, “Put your backs against that wall and DO NOT MOVE!”, I turned around to begin thinking what to do about the car. What I saw still makes me tear up. The intersection was littered with cars whose doors were hanging open, because the occupants had jumped out to help push my useless vehicle into the blessedly empty parking space that was right on the corner I had been turning toward. ❤
The Department of Homeland Security has deployed more than 2,000 officers to the area in what it says is its largest immigration enforcement operation ever. Noem said more than 1,500 people have been arrested.
On Thursday morning, protesters in Minneapolis again clashed with law enforcement agents in Minneapolis. At least one protester was detained as federal officers armed with pepper-ball guns and tear gas faced off with a large crowd of demonstrators, one of whom brandished an “ICE = murder” sign.
Police have been ordered to not assist ICE agents.
ICE AGENT’S VIDEO: [10:56] – Renee Nicole Good (37), the woman who was fatally shot by this ICE agent, is being celebrated by the left as an anti-ICE “warrior” who was part of a group of activists working to “document and resist” the federal immigration crackdown in Minnesota. Good was apparently recruited through her 6-year-old son’s charter school, which boasts that it puts “social justice first” and involves children “in political and social activism. A fellow parent said, “She died doing what was right.”
HOMELAND SECURITY STATEMENT: [14:05] – On Wednesday night, Homeland Security Secretary Kristi Noem made this statement saying that, although any death was a “tragedy,” the shooting was justified. “Our officer followed his training, did exactly what he’s been taught to do in that situation.”
RE: The guy wearing “HSI” on his jacket – Homeland Security Investigations (HSI) is a federal law enforcement agency under the Department of Homeland Security, focused on investigating federal crimes, enforcing immigration laws, and protecting national security. It employs over 7,100 special agents and operates both domestically and internationally to combat various forms of crime, including human trafficking and drug smuggling.
“Let their lying lips be silenced, for with pride and contempt they speak arrogantly against the righteous.” [Psalm 31:18]
“Targeting Law Enforcement Is Not Leadership — It’s Vigilantism” by Gary Varvel
What we’re seeing here is not just bad politics — it’s a snapshot of a godless nation in miniature. When a society no longer believes it is accountable to anything higher than its own emotions, it begins to unravel. Self-control is replaced with self-righteousness, and the loudest anger becomes the final authority. That’s why these protesters aren’t arguing their case in legislatures or courts — they’re fighting in the streets against the very people tasked with upholding the law.
Tim Walz and Jacob Frey insist they’re merely “using their voices,” but when you use the power of public office to single out lawful officers as villains, you are not engaging in debate — you are designating targets. Painting ICE agents as enemies of the people while they are simply enforcing laws passed by Congress is not compassion. It’s political vigilantism, and it predictably ignites the passions of unstable individuals who don’t hear nuance — they hear permission.
We’ve already seen where that road leads. The George Floyd tragedy became a national trauma not only because of what happened in Minneapolis, but because leaders and media figures poured moral gasoline on public outrage until cities burned. You don’t need to instruct a mob to riot if you’ve already convinced it that destruction is justice and rage is virtue.
Scripture is not ambiguous about this.
“Every person is to be in subjection to the governing authorities. For there is no authority except from God, and those which exist are established by God. Therefore whoever resists authority has opposed the ordinance of God; and they who have opposed will receive condemnation upon themselves” (Romans 13:1–2).
Whatever slogans Walz, Frey, and the protesters are chanting, what they are functionally doing is opposing an authority God Himself has instituted and will receive condemnation.
That doesn’t mean laws can’t be changed. It means they must be changed rightly. If they want to reform immigration policy or abolish ICE, the Constitution already provides the method: persuasion, legislation, and elections. What it does not authorize is moral intimidation, street enforcement, or deputizing mobs as a substitute for self-government.
And Scripture also speaks directly to the spirit driving all of this: “…everyone must be quick to hear, slow to speak and slow to anger; for the anger of man does not achieve the righteousness of God” (James 1:19–20).
A society that forgets this will inevitably trade law for passion, order for outrage, and justice for destruction — and then wonder why everything is burning.
DAILY PRAYER: Dear Lord, Guide us in your justice. Let all who trust You shout for joy! In Jesus’ Name, we pray. Amen.
AMERICAN HISTORY: On January 9, 1861, Southern rebels fired on an American ship attempting to resupply Fort Sumter. Some consider these to have been the opening shots of the Civil War.
CALIFORNICATION: [13:55] – On January 1st, two new laws went into effect that are going to devastate the state’s economy.
One law reclassifies independent truckers as employees of the freight companies they work for, which has resulted in national freight companies refusing to work with California-based truckers.
The other law requires gas stations to upgrade underground storage tanks or close. Small gas stations that can’t afford the upgrades have to close down, which will likely leave rural areas wanting.
FAFO: The Minneapolis hotel that refused to book rooms to ICE agents lost its Hilton franchise.
FOOD, GLORIOUS FOOD: HHS has issued new dietary guidelines. It essentially reverses the previous “food pyramid” and, btw, closely aligns with the way Dearest and I eat based very simply on what makes us feel our best.
ICE: An anti-ICE protester was shot and killed during an operation in Minneapolis on Jan. 7. The Department of Homeland Security says the woman was a violent rioter who “weaponized her vehicle, attempting to run over our law enforcement officers in an attempt to kill them—an act of domestic terrorism” and that the officer fired in self-defense.
Hmm … anyone else thinking about how Ashli Babbitt was shot and killed on January 6, 2021? The officer who shot her to death at point blank range claimed self-defense, despite the fact that she was unarmed. I don’t remember lefties crying foul when he was cleared of all charges.
MEDICAID FRAUD: On January 6, Dr. Mehmet Oz, administrator of the Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Service, said his agency is auditing 14 Minnesota’s Medicaid payments with the intention to “claw back” at least some of the money that went to fraudulent claims.
MILITARY: U.S. European Command and U.S. Southern Command have each seized a sanctioned crude oil tanker. Both ships were either last docked in Venezuela or were en route to it.
PRAYER for OUR NATION: Dear Lord, Grant us the graces we need to become a nation of forgivers, rather than a nation of fault finders. In Jesus’ Name, we pray. Amen.
RELIGIOUS FREEDOM: The Ninth Circuit Court has unanimously ruled in favor of Yakima Union Gospel Mission in its battle with Washington State, which sought to force them to hire non-believers. The Alliance Defending Freedom notes that the ruling is especially significant because it answers an under-explored First Amendment question regarding what constitutes a “ministerial” employee.
The Ninth Circuit explicitly held that the First Amendment protects faith-based hiring for all staff because, as the court pointed out, “personnel is policy.” Yakima Union Gospel Mission prioritizes the Gospel in all it does to serve its local community. But it can only remain a Gospel-centered ministry if it’s staffed by those who believe the Gospel.
STATE DEPARTMENT: Back in February 2025, President Trump ordered the State Department to review international intergovernmental organizations we were associated with and eliminated those that no longer serve American interests. Citing problems with human rights violations and progressive ideologies like DEI, gender equity, and climate orthodoxy, the administration has detached us from 66 international organizations, conventions, and treaties. Thirty-one of these entities were tied to the United Nations, while 35 others were not.
TAMPON TIM: CLICK https://www.facebook.com/watch/?v=1602089777595505 [:27] to hear Gov. Walz threaten to mobilize Minnesota National Guard soldiers against federal law officials. Republican lawmakers are urging President Donald Trump to invoke the Insurrection Act against Walz.
Am I misunderstanding something or is he threatening to pit one group of armed American citizens who swore to protect and defend the Constitution of the United States against another group of armed American citizens who swore to protect and defend the Constitution of the United States?
GRAMMY NOTES: [5:10] – In 2024, I had pneumonia, then croup, then croup again. Months of non-stop coughing damaged my vocal cords, leading my doctor to put me on vocal rest. I thought it would be no big deal, since I am alone for most of the day anyway. Fast forward to me discovering I talk to myself a lot.
DAILY PRAYER: Dear Lord, Grant us all the graces we need to bring the virtue of courtesy back into our public spaces. In Jesus’ Name, we pray. Amen.
AMERICAN HISTORY: On January 8, 1790, President George Washington delivered to Congress the first State of the Union address in American history. This address presented defense, foreign policy, economic, education, and immigration related topics to gathered representatives and senators in Federal Hall, New York City. This speech satisfied Article II, Section 3, Clause 1, of the U.S. Constitution, which states that the president “shall from time to time give to the Congress Information of the State of the Union, and recommend to their Consideration such Measures as he shall judge necessary and expedient.”
ASTROTURF: [34:32] – Less than 12 hours after Maduro’s capture, protesters hit the streets in New York City, carrying professionally printed signs and knowing less than nothing about why they were there. Nate Friedman was on the scene, exposing once again how fake these events are.
EDUCATION: [9:53] – When Trump took office, he signed executive orders barring federal funding from organizations involved in DEI. In the video, undercover journalists show an Arizona State University staff member explaining how ASU still has a DEI office and that their DEI curricula have not changed. They’ve just altered their language to hide these facts from federal regulators.
HHS: The Department of Health and Human Services (HHS) has pared back its recommended childhood vaccines from 17 to ten, making it align more closely with 20 other developed nations.
MADURO: A poll taken in the immediate aftermath of the Venezuelan dictator’s arrest shows majorities in nearly ALL Latin American countries are celebrating.
MAMDANI: At Zohran Mamdani’s inauguration, he declared, “We will replace the frigidity of rugged individualism with the warmth of collectivism.” But history shows that collectivism never truly warms a society; it feeds on it. People aren’t invited to gather around the fire — they’re volunteered as fuel.
The Tenth Commandment says, “You shall not covet,” which assumes the legitimacy of personal property. Scripture never instructs the state to override that God-given boundary. Therefore, government-enforced collectivism is biblically wrong.
MILITARY: “I love how Trump can have troops complete a whole mission and get them home in time to see liberals pretend we’re going to war.” ~Damani Bryant Felder
MINNESOTA: On Monday, the Department of Homeland Security shared emails from a Hilton affiliate in Minneapolis that had refused to book rooms for ICE agents. This may have been in response to loud, midnight protests happening regularly outside hotels housing ICE agents. The Hilton corporation said this was not a company policy, but rather actions of a single, independently-owned hotel, one that is no longer associated with Hilton. The hotel has apologized.
PRAYER for OUR NATION: Dear Lord, Please raise up wise and patriotic educators who value our great nation’s true history. In Jesus’ Name, we pray. Amen.
USCIS: [4:00] – On January 5, 2026, the U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services (USCIS) announced it has revised the naturalization tests that all applicants must pass to officially become citizens. “During the civics test, you will answer important questions about American history, U.S. government, and civics,” the agency said. Here’s a thought: How about our own kids have to pass these tests before they can get a high school diploma?
DAILY PRAYER: Dear Lord, May we each use our extraordinary communications technologies to glorify You. In Jesus’ Name, we pray. Amen.
AMERICAN HISTORY: On January 7, 1927, trans-Atlantic telephone service began with a phone call between the president of Bell AT&T in New York City (1915 photo above) and the head of the British General Post Office in London. By day’s end, more than $6 million in new business had been made and a news agency had sent its first message from Europe to America.
CORPORATION FOR PUBLIC BROADCASTING: On January 5, 2026, the CPB’s board of directors unanimously voted to formally dissolve the organization after 58 years. This decision followed the complete rescission of its federal funding in 2025 by Congress and the Trump administration. Individual NPR and PBS stations may continue operating via private donations, state funding, or other sources … if they can find them.
MAMDANI: CLICK https://x.com/EndWokeness/status/1978619248910962816 [:08] to hear him campaign on a promise of eliminating fares on public busses. On January 1, 2026, Zohran Mamdani was sworn in as the new mayor of New York City. On January 4, 2026, he increased bus fares from $2.90 to $3.
NORTH CAROLINA: This traditionally blue state has just flipped to red, with registered Republicans now slightly outnumbering registered Democrats for the first time in history.
VENEZUELA: Cartoonist Gary Varvel offers a biblical justification for the arrest of Nicolás Maduro was indicted by the United States in 2020 on narco-terrorism and corruption charges. “Romans 13 teaches that civil authorities are ordained by God to restrain evil and punish wrongdoing, not to enable it. … [Maduro] has turned Venezuela into a criminal enterprise, stolen elections, crushed dissent, and even confiscated American oil companies while enriching his inner circle and impoverishing his people.
“Therefore, Maduro represents the very kind of lawlessness that Scripture says rulers exist to confront. A lawful order to apprehend him is not vengeance or imperialism; it is the proper exercise of God-given authority to uphold justice, defend the innocent, and place a clear moral boundary around evil. When a regime becomes a vehicle for theft, violence, and deception, confronting it is not only a political duty — it is a moral one.”
GRAMMY NOTES: [8:01] – My father was obsessed with sports. My mother could not have cared less. Four of their six offspring love sports. I’m one of the other two.
DAILY PRAYER: Dear Lord, We pray for Your peace to fill our hearts and minds today. Help us let go of stress and tension that we may fully and truly trust in Your peace and provision. In Jesus’ name, Amen.
AMERICAN HISTORY: On this day in 1941, President Franklin D. Roosevelt delivered the State of the Union address that has become known as his Four Freedoms speech. In it, he made the case that we should continue war aid to Great Britain based on the idea that all people possess a natural right to freedom of speech, freedom of worship, freedom from want, and freedom from fear. In 1942, Norman Rockwell spent 6 months immortalizing these in his now iconic paintings shown above.
EVERYDAY HEROES: J.M. Barrie made one of the most extraordinary charitable gestures in literary history when he donated all rights to Peter Pan to the Great Ormond Street Hospital in London. That single decision meant the hospital would receive royalties from every book sold, every stage production performed, and every new adaptation created for more than ninety years. For generations, the adventures of Peter, Wendy, and the Lost Boys didn’t just delight audiences, they quietly helped fund lifesaving care for thousands of children. It’s one of those rare moments where a story about never growing up ended up giving countless children the chance to do exactly that.
MINNESOTA: Gov. Tim Walz has announced he is dropping out of the 2026 gubernatorial race. Republicans running for the position include Scott Jensen, Minnesota state Rep. Peggy Bennett, and Mike Lindell, the founder of the MyPillow company and an ally of President Donald Trump.
PRAYER for OUR NATION: “When Jesus was born in Bethlehem of Judea, in the days of King Herod, behold, magi from the east arrived in Jerusalem, saying, ‘Where is the newborn king of the Jews? We saw his star at its rising and have come to do him homage.’” – Dear Lord, Grant each of us the graces we need to devoutly seek Him every day and in every way. In Jesus’ Name, we pray. Amen.
TALKING POINTS: Democrats and their lapdogs in the media are famous for repeating the talking points they are issued apparently on a daily basis. The graphic shows a recent example. CLICK https://x.com/mazemoore/status/2008200832928620830 [2:02] for a flashback to when the 2024 Harris/Walz campaign had their sheeple constantly saying Trump and Vance were weird.
USPS: If you have mail that requires an accurate mail date on the postmark, do not drop it in a blue box. Rather, go to your local post office, stand in line, and have it hand stamped by an actual person. The service is free and will give time sensitive items (e.g., tax returns, ballots, payments that may incur a late fee) the actual mailing date. If you really, really need the piece mailed securely, use Certified Mail. It costs more, but will not only get the sent date verified, but also provide proof of delivery.
VENEZUELA: [11:37] – Yoel and Mari document their journey from Cuban communism to American capitalism. This video explains why Cubans are celebrating Maduro’s arrest.
On March 9, 2015, then-President Obama signed Executive Order #13692 formally declared a national emergency due to the “unusual and extraordinary threat” posed by Maduro’s regime to U.S. national security.
CLICK https://x.com/EstieMaddie/status/2007927785738920091 [1:06] to hear what Biden did following Maduro’s theft of the presidential election. On August 1, 2024, Blinken stated: “Given the overwhelming evidence, it is clear to the United States and, most importantly, to the Venezuelan people that Edmundo González Urrutia won the most votes in Venezuela’s July 28 presidential election.”
DAILY PRAYER: Dear Lord, Be in our minds, in our hearts, in our ears, in all that we do and in all that we are. In Jesus’ Name, we pray. Amen.
AMERICAN HISTORY: On January 5, 1972, President Richard Nixon signed legislation authorizing the creation of America’s first space shuttle, the “world’s first reusable spacecraft.”
CHARLIE KIRK: CLICK https://www.facebook.com/reel/1376232216773825 [2:26] to hear him predict the battle is between us and an amalgamation of Wokeism, Marxism, and Islamism. The only thing those three ideologies have in common is a passionate hatred for the Father, Son, and Holy Spirit.
EVERYDAY HEROES: When Flash Shelton’s father passed away in 2019, he was aiding his mother in cleaning out and selling their home when seven individuals moved into the place with their own belongings and refused to move out. They had a terrible time getting rid of them, because California has insane “Squatters Rights Laws.”
This experience led to Shelton’s new career as the Squatter Hunter. He has homeowners plagued by squatters write up a lease agreement so he can move into the property and effectively, squat with the squatters. He sets up his cameras, eats their food, blasts music and becomes the worst roommate imaginable. It’s been shockingly effective and you can enjoy his successes and support his work @ https://www.youtube.com/@FlashShelton.
MADURO: [10:42] – A really clear and helpful explanation of the legality of Trump’s actions.
MAMDANI: Zohran Mamdani, New York City’s first Muslim mayor, is under fire for immediately revoking all late-term executive orders issued by his predecessor, Eric Adams, including protections for the city’s Jewish community.
PRAYER for OUR NATION: Dear Lord, Grant our nation’s teachers the graces they need to inspire their students to seek truth and justice in all things. In Jesus’ Name, we pray. Amen.
GRAMMY NOTES: Oops! I’ve been calling 2026 our “sesquicentennial” but just learned that is 150th anniversary. This year is our semiquincentennial. Oy! That is a mouthful!!
The operation to capture and extradite Maduro, code named Absolute Resolve, consisted of a helicopter-borne raid on the Venezuelan capital city of Caracas. The incursion that followed used 170 aircraft and was the culmination of months of preparation and weeks of waiting for the perfect window of opportunity.
Department of War Secretary Pete Hegseth said, “[Maduro] F’d around and he found out.”
“Voice from a Venezuelan” posted, “As a Venezuelan, I can say this plainly: much of the left leaning media is going to aggressively twist this story. What needs to be understood is that when the bombs fell, they struck only military bases and an international airport that had already been closed, with all international flights suspended.
“Many Venezuelans did not panic, they cheered from their homes when they saw the helicopters. This was not random or uninformed support. Roughly 75% of Venezuelans voted for María Corina Machado, backing her platform and her openly stated plan to pursue cooperation with the United States, including the possibility of U.S. intervention, to remove Nicolás Maduro from power in exchange for reopening Venezuela to free trade.
“This was a calculated choice. Venezuela has resources the United States wants, and the United States has the leverage and support Venezuela needs. It was a path we knowingly chose, fully aware of the risks involved.
“Love it or hate it, do not accept the narrative at face value. This was not imposed on us. We chose this path. ~ Author: Crhia Michel San Martin”
On January 3, 2026, this hypocrite posted, “It’s an old and obvious pattern. An unpopular president – failing on the economy and losing his grip on power at home – decides to launch a war for regime change abroad. The American people don’t want to ‘run’ a foreign country while our leaders fail to improve life in this one.” [FYI Pete: When the economy is growing at a record-breaking pace, that does not constitute “failing on the economy.”]
After Maduro lost the 2024 Venezuelan election but refused to vacate the office, Biden offered a $25 million bounty on Maduro’s head.
Rep. Melanie Stansbury [D-NM-1] tweeted, “Overnight the U.S. President ordered the invasion of Venezuela and capture of its President. While Maduro clearly is a corrupt and illegitimate thug who oversaw the destabilization and suffering of millions, the fact remains that the U.S. President is acting on authority he does not have.”
Stansbury is wrong. The U.S. President has the constitutional authority as Commander in Chief (Article II, Section 2) to order limited military strikes, particularly in response to threats, to protect U.S. interests, or for defensive purposes, without prior congressional approval. The strike to capture Maduro reportedly took 30 minutes.
polination.blog 